With the advent of Platinum, Metagross has gained a new move in Trick, considerably providing Metagross with more options in dealing with its counters. The metagame around Metagross has also shifted to a more offensive style of play, so minor changes have to be made on some sets.
Below, I have a general list of updates I plan to edit in for the analysis:
- Choice Scarf / Trick set (a possible set has already been submitted by Stellar here) [complete]
- LeadGross set [complete]
- Update Agiligross's EV spread to outspeed Timid Heatran [complete]
- Update "Counters" section to include Zapdos and Rotom-A along with other possible changes [complete]
- Remove references to Garchomp [complete]
- [strike]Work on a Rest / Sleep Talk set[/strike] [removed]
---
[SET]
name: CB Gross
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: ThunderPunch / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross has a high Attack stat and an excellent defensive typing, making it a natural recipient for Choice Band. As with other sets that utilize Choice items, prediction is key in order for this set to function properly. Meteor Mash should be your main attacking option, as it deals a great amount of damage to most Pokémon, resisted or not. Earthquake provides Metagross with a great check against Fire-types and Steel-types who'd have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash. Explosion lets Metagross go out with a bang when low on health, with only the bulkiest Steel-type Pokémon such as Skarmory, being able to survive a Choice Banded Explosion, but not without losing around 85% of its health beforehand.</p>
<p>The fourth move is up to preference. ThunderPunch gives you a good chance of dealing with Pokémon such as Suicune and Skarmory, who otherwise have no problem switching in; however, you will be placed in a bad position if a Ground-type such as Dugtrio or an immune Pokémon such as Electivire switches in. Bullet Punch allows Metagross to eliminate fast threats such as Azelf and Gengar, but neither is OHKOed when running a neutral nature, even with Stealth Rock up.</p>
<p>Explosion can be dropped to run both ThunderPunch and Bullet Punch, but it is difficult to give up the raw power that Explosion provides for this set. Dropping Explosion is only recommended if your team benefits from the added type coverage ThunderPunch provides along with having an effective priority move.</p>
<p>Other options for the last slot include Ice Punch, Pursuit, and Trick. Ice Punch allows you to deal with Gliscor and Zapdos; in fact, you have a 79.49% chance of OHKOing Zapdos with Ice Punch provided Stealth Rock is in play. Pursuit is really only recommended in the Ubers metagame, where most threatening Pokémon are Psychic-typed. Trick is also an option to cripple Pokémon hoping to switch in and wall Metagross. </p>
[SET]
name: Agiligross
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch / Ice Punch / Explosion
item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 132 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross makes for an effective late-game sweeper once your opponent's Pokémon have been sufficiently weakened. The basic gist of this set is to use Agility, which makes Metagross faster than just about everything, and sweep. Meteor Mash, once again, will be your main attacking option. Earthquake allows you to deal with Fire-types and Steel-types who may attempt to wall Metagross.</p>
<p>For the last slot, either of the three recommended moves can be used depending on what Pokémon you want to cover. ThunderPunch is the recommended option, as it allows Metagross to hit everything for at least neutral damage, barring Rotom and Shedinja, as well as Water-types attempting to wall this set. Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Salamence who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most of the metagame, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>
<p>Life Orb exchanges survivability for power, and Leftovers is always a usable option. Lum Berry helps against burn and paralysis.</p>
<p>The provided EVs allow you to outspeed max speed Timid Choice Scarf Heatran, who is the biggest threat to this set. 112 HP EVs places you at 329 HP, reducing the amount of Life Orb recoil from 33 to 32. One also has the option of dropping HP EVs and adding onto Metagross' Speed; 196 Speed EVs let allows you to outspeed neutral natured, base 100 Speed Pokémon such as Flygon and Salamence, and surprisingly enough, allows you to tie with Modest Choice Scarf Gengar as well.</p>
[SET]
name: LeadGross
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Bullet Punch / Earthquake
item: Occa Berry / Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main purpose of this set is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible while dealing with the most common leads in today's metagame. Metagross is one of the most reliable leads due to its great typing and defenses, and will almost guarantee that you get Stealth Rock up near the beginning of the game.</p>
<p>Metagross is able to function so well as a lead because very few of the other common leads can OHKO Metagross. In return, Metagross can dish out large amounts of damage with its STAB Meteor Mash off of its high base Attack. A Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch allows you to quickly dispose of frail leads that utilize Focus Sash, such as Azelf and Aerodactyl. Earthquake is a great general move, allowing you to hit many bulkier leads - such as Jirachi, Heatran and opposing Metagross - for super effective damage. Metagross' Explosion is just a devastating move, and any lead that is not a Ghost-type will lose a big chuck of their health. The defensive behemoth that is Hippowdon has a high chance of being OHKOed (while it can't OHKO back with Earthquake), and Explosion also does up to 87% damage to the standard Bronzong lead. However, although it runs Explosion, this Metagross is not designed to really play as a suicide lead. With its excellent defenses and Attack, it can easily be saved for later on in the match to cause more damage to the opposing team.</p>
<p>The choice of item on LeadGross is really dependent on what you need it to deal with. Occa Berry is necessary for this set to beat Infernape and Heatran, but is best run with Earthquake to allow Metagross to do something back. With the given EV spread, you will never be OHKO'd by a Modest Life Orb Heatran's Fire Blast taking Occa Berry into account. Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on Roserade, Yanmega, and Gengar leads, and also helps deal with the rare Hypnosis from Bronzong. It can also be very useful in healing Metagross of random burns and paralysis. Finally, Leftovers is an obligatory option for a Pokémon that can take hits and benefit from added recovery.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Punch / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Metagross' main purpose is to serve as a check against some of the OU metagame's top threats. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack. Explosion, combined with Metagross' extremely high Attack, allows Metagross to OHKO many Pokemon. Explosion is best used when Metagross is at low HP or when the opposing Pokemon presents a significant threat to the team. Earthquake hits those Steel and Fire-types who resist Meteor Mash. However, Metagross must rely on ThunderPunch to dent Skarmory. ThunderPunch also allows Metagross to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados with +1 Speed. Ice Punch is mainly used as a quick OHKO against Salamence and Dragonite, while ThunderPunch's main purpose is to dispose of Gyarados while also providing Metagross with a way to dent bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon, without using Explosion on them. Pursuit can be used over ThunderPunch or Ice Punch; however, Metagross loses its ability to revenge kill Salamence and Gyarados. Iron Head can also work in place of Meteor Mash, but the loss of power will prevent you from sweeping as easily.</p>
<p>This set also functions very well in the Ubers metagame by, once again, fulfilling the role of "revenge killer". Metagross is able to switch into Rayquaza's Swords Dance or Outrage and OHKO with Ice Punch. Choice Scarf also gives Metagross the ability to outspeed Latias and Latios and hit them with a Meteor Mash before they have the chance to launch a Hidden Power Fire or Thunder. Another common use for Choice Scarf Metagross is Exploding on Calm Mind Kyogre.</p>
<p>With a Jolly nature, 228 EVs in Speed, and a Choice Scarf, Metagross reaches 384 Speed. While this might not seem all that impressive, it allows Metagross to outspeed all Pokemon with base Speed lower than 130. Metagross is capable of revenge killing common OU Pokemon such as Infernape, Life Orb Gengar, and Salamence without a Dragon Dance. Max Attack is a given on such an offensive set.</p>
<p>Alternatively, one can opt to make Metagross bulkier by dropping Speed EVs to reach other important Speed tier marks. 204 HP / 72 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature allows Metagross to surpass the 350 mark, outspeeding Gengar; at the same time, you always survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Dugtrio, and a neutral natured Azelf's Fire Blast 100% of the time, even with Stealth Rock factored in. 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed Azelf and friends.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Reflect
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses more on Metagross' support capabilities and functions extremely well as a lead. Trick allows Metagross to incapacitate common Stealth Rock leads such as Azelf and Bronzong by locking them into a support move. However, Metagross should be wary of Azelf using Fire Blast. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack. Explosion allows Metagross to eliminate one of the opponent's Pokemon after it has finished Tricking Choice Scarf and setting up Stealth Rock or Reflect. Stealth Rock and Reflect are both excellent support choices that Metagross can utilize to aid the team. Pursuit can be used over Explosion, if only to KO fleeing lead Azelf. Most Azelf will switch after being locked into Stealth Rock by Trick, meaning Pursuit will deal 84 - 97% damage. If Metagross manages to set up Stealth Rock, Azelf has a 58% chance of being KOed upon switching into Stealth Rock on a later turn.</p>
<p>With 393 Speed after Choice Scarf, Metagross is able to Trick its Choice Scarf onto Azelf and other lead support Pokemon before they have the chance to attack, locking them into whatever move they had chosen that turn. It is also important to note that Metagross with Choice Scarf outspeeds Azelf and Gengar, two of the most common Pokemon in OU. Metagross will most likely be Exploding before late-game, so max Attack is used to bolster Explosion's damage instead of focusing on HP. If outspeeding Azelf is not an issue, Metagross can use an EV spread of 168 HP / 108 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature. This allows Metagross to outspeed Scarfless Gengar while never being 2HKOed by unboosted Shadow Ball.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Shadow Ball
move 4: Grass Knot / Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 124 SpA / 132 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross, while normally a physical attacker, can suprise many of its counters by running a mixed attacking set with Hidden Power Fire and Grass Knot. With these two attacks, Metagross can 2HKO unsuspecting Skarmory, Hippowdon, Donphan, and Rhyperior and OHKO Forretress and Swampert. Basically, bulky Ground, Rock, Water, and Steel-types will have trouble switching in. With Shadow Ball, bulky Ghosts, like the appliance formes of Rotom, will also have a hard time switching into Metagross. Without Shadow Ball, they can easily come in on resisted Meteor Mashes, evade Earthquakes with Levitate, and low BP special attacks, and subsequently burn Metagross or set up a Reflect.</p>
<p>Earthquake is primarily for Magnezone and Heatran, though you'll have to catch the latter on the switch-in, as most Heatran will outspeed you. Earthquake provides good type coverage with Meteor Mash, hitting Electric-types and Empoleon for super-effective damage.</p>
<p>Running a Naughty nature along with 252 Atk EVs allows Metagross to reach an impressive Atk stat of 405, letting it deal an insane amount of damage to Pokémon who don't resist Meteor Mash, while 124 SpA EVs provides enough Special Attack to OHKO or 2HKO common counters to Metagross, listed in the initial paragraph. With 132 Speed EVs, Metagross hits a Speed stat of 208, allowing it outspeed most Magnezone as they usually only run up to 207 Speed. This allows you to OHKO them with Earthquake before they can Magnet Rise.</p>
<p>Both Life Orb and Expert Belt can be used on this set, depending on one's preferences. Life Orb ensures your attacks hit as hard as possible in exchange for survivability while Expert Belt still allows you to deal with Metagross's usual counters; however, you will obviously be dealing less damage to Pokémon who are not hit super effective by any of your attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch / Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 80 Atk / 188 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross is one of the few Pokémon who can effectively keep threatening special sweepers such as Gengar and Starmie in check. Metagross can switch into Gengar and KO with Pursuit as it switches out, but be warned that minimum HP and Defense Starmie will never be OHKOed even as it switches out; however, Starmie can be taken out with a combination of Pursuit, Stealth Rock damage, and Bullet Punch as Pursuit still does a minimum of 76.34% to Starmie if it switches. Lum Berry allows Metagross to absorb one Hypnosis and hit Gengar with Pursuit, but Leftovers still remains an obligatory option.</p>
<p>This set can attempt to switch in on Zapdos and wall it, but one has to be cautious of Heat Wave as it hits Metagross much harder than Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos can usually be taken out with a combination of Ice Punch and Earthquake as it uses Roost. In any case, if walling Zapdos is not a concern, Explosion is the preferred option for the fourth slot.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Metagross to never be 2HKOed by a Life Orb Timid Gengar's Shadow Ball (even with Stealth Rock, the 2HKO still occurs less than 24% of the time). 358 Attack allows Metagross to always OHKO a fleeing 4 HP / 0 Def Gengar with Pursuit.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rock Slide covers Charizard, Gyarados, Moltres, Zapdos, and Ho-oh all in one move. Zen Headbutt is a good option on the Choice Band set that can effectively hit several switch-ins such as Gyarados, Rotom-a, and Zapdos, but you'll almost always find your other moves generally dealing more damage. STAB Zen Headbutt has only slightly more power than neutral Earthquake when you account for Zen Headbutt's accuracy, although it still remains a good option for its ability to OHKO min HP / min Def Rotom-a. Iron Head can be used on any set if one is looking to abuse its 30% flinch rate; Iron Head also has a 100% hit rate, making it better than Meteor Mash in terms of accuracy. Signal Beam allows you to hit Celebi much better than any of the main physical attacks Metagross runs, but offers redundant type coverage otherwise. Icy Wind may sound stupid, but works surprisingly well against Dragon-type Pokémon and Gliscor. Gyro Ball may seem tempting, but Meteor Mash is more reliable, particularly as many of Metagross' common switch-ins are very slow.</p>
<p>Hammer Arm may seem redundant when Earthquake and Meteor Mash are on offer, but it has its uses. It hits Magnet Rise Magnezone, and is Metagross' best physical attack against Bronzong. It also helps to wear down Skarmory. The Speed drop is helpful in two ways. Firstly, Metagross will be slower than Skarmory after one use, meaning if Skarmory tries to Roost, it gets hit for super effective damage. The Speed drop also increases the power of Gyro Ball, which could be useful on a long-lasting Rest + Sleep Talk set.</p>
<p>Psych Up can be used to copy power ups, like Curse from Snorlax or Regirock. Magnet Rise can be used to dodge incoming Earthquakes, although it is rarely worth giving up type coverage for.</p>
[EVs]
<p>For most sets, you will definitely want to focus on Metagross' HP and Attack. You'll also want to make a small investment in your Defense; 252 HP and 12 Defense EVs allow you to survive an Adamant Choice Band Dugtrio's Earthquake 100% of the time when at full health. Otherwise, the rest of the EVs should be allocated in Attack and Speed.</p>
<p>On the Choice Band and Lead sets, it is recommended that you run anywhere from 8-16 Speed EVs so you outspeed threats than hang around the 176-177 mark, primarily being Skarmory and Magnezone. After investing in Speed, you can outspeed Skarmory and KO it with ThunderPunch before it can recover with Roost; the same situation applies to Magnezone, except that you will only beat it if you're stuck on Earthquake.</p>
<p>The minimum speed one should ever run on the Agility set is 209, which allows you to outspeed Heatran. If, for some reason, you opt to aim for lower speed, 202 Speed allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Heracross; however, Heracross is not nearly as centralizing to the metagame as it used to be before the introduction of Platinum.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Metagross is a solid attacking force. Its Steel / Psychic-type combo leaves few weaknesses to hit upon, and its Clear Body ability prevents Pokémon like Gyarados and Salamence from slashing its Attack power with Intimidate. It can withstand attacks from many Pokémon and hit back hard with its amazing 135 base Attack stat. Such durability allows it to easily switch in against a number of Pokémon. Even though there are a lot of new hard hitting Earthquake users, like Mamoswine, and Rhyperior, Metagross can usually survive their attacks and answer accordingly. Metagross is probably not going to be sweeping entire teams, but with things like Bullet Punch, Pursuit, and Explosion, it is almost guaranteed to take out one or two opponents before it goes down.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Rotom-a is the perfect counter to Metagross. Rotom-a resists all of Metagross's main attacking options while also being immune to Explosion and Earthquake. Rotom-a can immediately threaten Metagross with Will-O-Wisp, whom obviously won't enjoy being burned, or stall through Rest + Sleep Talk if needed. Rotom-h can also severely weaken Metagross with Overheat; in fact, minimum Special Attack Rotom-h stands a small chance of 2HKOing Metagross with Overheat, provided Metagross has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock. Zapdos is also immune to Earthquake, resists Meteor Mash, and can severely damper Metagross with Heat Wave.</p>
<p>Skarmory can come in on most of Metagross' attacks with ease. Choice Band ThunderPunch hurts, as does Hidden Power Fire. Otherwise Skarmory can get in safely, set up Spikes, and Whirlwind Metagross away. Bronzong handles most attacks with ease as well, and unlike Skarmory, it can hurt Metagross directly with Earthquake. Forretress also does well if it has Earthquake, but out of this group, it has the most to fear from Hidden Power Fire. It won't enjoy repeatedly switching into Choice Band Earthquakes, either.</p>
<p>Sturdy Ground-types such as Gliscor and Hippowdon can handle Metagross' attacks, but beware of Attack boosts when switching into Meteor Mash, particularly from the Choice Band set. Swampert is less at risk from boosts as it resists Steel. For Hippowdon, and especially Swampert, beware of Grass Knot. Gliscor should be careful not to get hit with Ice Punch.</p>
<p>In general, most bulky waters can easily wall Metagross that do not carry ThunderPunch, but one has to be wary of Explosion. Suicune, Vaporeon, and Slowbro are the most notable bulky waters that can switch into Metagross, primarily because they have the ability to recover off any damage Metagross might induce upon them. Suicune and Slowbro can easily Calm Mind if the opponent is foolish enough to stay in.</p>
<p>Magnezone terrorizes any kind of Metagross that cannot Earthquake it before it uses Magnet Rise. Magnet Pull prevents Metagross from running, so if Magnezone is faster and Metagross is low enough on HP to be OHKOed, Metagross is a goner. Should Metagross be locked into any attack besides Earthquake or Hammer Arm, Magnezone will also come out on top. Dugtrio can also trap and kill, but can't switch in directly on an attack that isn't ThunderPunch.</p>
<p>For the most part, keep Metagross away from Fire-type Pokémon if it isn't carrying Occa Berry. The vast majority will die to a well predicted Earthquake, although Charizard's and Moltres's immunity to Ground attacks means they can usually get in safely and force Metagross out. Beware of ThunderPunch and the rare Rock Slide, and switching in when Stealth Rock is on the field will also be problematic.</p>
<p>In Uber battles, Groudon, Kyogre, and Palkia are fine counters. Ho-oh works in much the same way as Moltres and Charizard. Lugia can also set up a Reflect while Metagross is out and recover off any damage.</p>
Below, I have a general list of updates I plan to edit in for the analysis:
- Choice Scarf / Trick set (a possible set has already been submitted by Stellar here) [complete]
- LeadGross set [complete]
- Update Agiligross's EV spread to outspeed Timid Heatran [complete]
- Update "Counters" section to include Zapdos and Rotom-A along with other possible changes [complete]
- Remove references to Garchomp [complete]
- [strike]Work on a Rest / Sleep Talk set[/strike] [removed]
---
[SET]
name: CB Gross
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: ThunderPunch / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross has a high Attack stat and an excellent defensive typing, making it a natural recipient for Choice Band. As with other sets that utilize Choice items, prediction is key in order for this set to function properly. Meteor Mash should be your main attacking option, as it deals a great amount of damage to most Pokémon, resisted or not. Earthquake provides Metagross with a great check against Fire-types and Steel-types who'd have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash. Explosion lets Metagross go out with a bang when low on health, with only the bulkiest Steel-type Pokémon such as Skarmory, being able to survive a Choice Banded Explosion, but not without losing around 85% of its health beforehand.</p>
<p>The fourth move is up to preference. ThunderPunch gives you a good chance of dealing with Pokémon such as Suicune and Skarmory, who otherwise have no problem switching in; however, you will be placed in a bad position if a Ground-type such as Dugtrio or an immune Pokémon such as Electivire switches in. Bullet Punch allows Metagross to eliminate fast threats such as Azelf and Gengar, but neither is OHKOed when running a neutral nature, even with Stealth Rock up.</p>
<p>Explosion can be dropped to run both ThunderPunch and Bullet Punch, but it is difficult to give up the raw power that Explosion provides for this set. Dropping Explosion is only recommended if your team benefits from the added type coverage ThunderPunch provides along with having an effective priority move.</p>
<p>Other options for the last slot include Ice Punch, Pursuit, and Trick. Ice Punch allows you to deal with Gliscor and Zapdos; in fact, you have a 79.49% chance of OHKOing Zapdos with Ice Punch provided Stealth Rock is in play. Pursuit is really only recommended in the Ubers metagame, where most threatening Pokémon are Psychic-typed. Trick is also an option to cripple Pokémon hoping to switch in and wall Metagross. </p>
[SET]
name: Agiligross
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch / Ice Punch / Explosion
item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 132 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross makes for an effective late-game sweeper once your opponent's Pokémon have been sufficiently weakened. The basic gist of this set is to use Agility, which makes Metagross faster than just about everything, and sweep. Meteor Mash, once again, will be your main attacking option. Earthquake allows you to deal with Fire-types and Steel-types who may attempt to wall Metagross.</p>
<p>For the last slot, either of the three recommended moves can be used depending on what Pokémon you want to cover. ThunderPunch is the recommended option, as it allows Metagross to hit everything for at least neutral damage, barring Rotom and Shedinja, as well as Water-types attempting to wall this set. Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Salamence who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most of the metagame, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>
<p>Life Orb exchanges survivability for power, and Leftovers is always a usable option. Lum Berry helps against burn and paralysis.</p>
<p>The provided EVs allow you to outspeed max speed Timid Choice Scarf Heatran, who is the biggest threat to this set. 112 HP EVs places you at 329 HP, reducing the amount of Life Orb recoil from 33 to 32. One also has the option of dropping HP EVs and adding onto Metagross' Speed; 196 Speed EVs let allows you to outspeed neutral natured, base 100 Speed Pokémon such as Flygon and Salamence, and surprisingly enough, allows you to tie with Modest Choice Scarf Gengar as well.</p>
[SET]
name: LeadGross
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Bullet Punch / Earthquake
item: Occa Berry / Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main purpose of this set is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible while dealing with the most common leads in today's metagame. Metagross is one of the most reliable leads due to its great typing and defenses, and will almost guarantee that you get Stealth Rock up near the beginning of the game.</p>
<p>Metagross is able to function so well as a lead because very few of the other common leads can OHKO Metagross. In return, Metagross can dish out large amounts of damage with its STAB Meteor Mash off of its high base Attack. A Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch allows you to quickly dispose of frail leads that utilize Focus Sash, such as Azelf and Aerodactyl. Earthquake is a great general move, allowing you to hit many bulkier leads - such as Jirachi, Heatran and opposing Metagross - for super effective damage. Metagross' Explosion is just a devastating move, and any lead that is not a Ghost-type will lose a big chuck of their health. The defensive behemoth that is Hippowdon has a high chance of being OHKOed (while it can't OHKO back with Earthquake), and Explosion also does up to 87% damage to the standard Bronzong lead. However, although it runs Explosion, this Metagross is not designed to really play as a suicide lead. With its excellent defenses and Attack, it can easily be saved for later on in the match to cause more damage to the opposing team.</p>
<p>The choice of item on LeadGross is really dependent on what you need it to deal with. Occa Berry is necessary for this set to beat Infernape and Heatran, but is best run with Earthquake to allow Metagross to do something back. With the given EV spread, you will never be OHKO'd by a Modest Life Orb Heatran's Fire Blast taking Occa Berry into account. Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on Roserade, Yanmega, and Gengar leads, and also helps deal with the rare Hypnosis from Bronzong. It can also be very useful in healing Metagross of random burns and paralysis. Finally, Leftovers is an obligatory option for a Pokémon that can take hits and benefit from added recovery.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Punch / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Metagross' main purpose is to serve as a check against some of the OU metagame's top threats. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack. Explosion, combined with Metagross' extremely high Attack, allows Metagross to OHKO many Pokemon. Explosion is best used when Metagross is at low HP or when the opposing Pokemon presents a significant threat to the team. Earthquake hits those Steel and Fire-types who resist Meteor Mash. However, Metagross must rely on ThunderPunch to dent Skarmory. ThunderPunch also allows Metagross to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados with +1 Speed. Ice Punch is mainly used as a quick OHKO against Salamence and Dragonite, while ThunderPunch's main purpose is to dispose of Gyarados while also providing Metagross with a way to dent bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon, without using Explosion on them. Pursuit can be used over ThunderPunch or Ice Punch; however, Metagross loses its ability to revenge kill Salamence and Gyarados. Iron Head can also work in place of Meteor Mash, but the loss of power will prevent you from sweeping as easily.</p>
<p>This set also functions very well in the Ubers metagame by, once again, fulfilling the role of "revenge killer". Metagross is able to switch into Rayquaza's Swords Dance or Outrage and OHKO with Ice Punch. Choice Scarf also gives Metagross the ability to outspeed Latias and Latios and hit them with a Meteor Mash before they have the chance to launch a Hidden Power Fire or Thunder. Another common use for Choice Scarf Metagross is Exploding on Calm Mind Kyogre.</p>
<p>With a Jolly nature, 228 EVs in Speed, and a Choice Scarf, Metagross reaches 384 Speed. While this might not seem all that impressive, it allows Metagross to outspeed all Pokemon with base Speed lower than 130. Metagross is capable of revenge killing common OU Pokemon such as Infernape, Life Orb Gengar, and Salamence without a Dragon Dance. Max Attack is a given on such an offensive set.</p>
<p>Alternatively, one can opt to make Metagross bulkier by dropping Speed EVs to reach other important Speed tier marks. 204 HP / 72 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature allows Metagross to surpass the 350 mark, outspeeding Gengar; at the same time, you always survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Dugtrio, and a neutral natured Azelf's Fire Blast 100% of the time, even with Stealth Rock factored in. 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed Azelf and friends.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Reflect
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses more on Metagross' support capabilities and functions extremely well as a lead. Trick allows Metagross to incapacitate common Stealth Rock leads such as Azelf and Bronzong by locking them into a support move. However, Metagross should be wary of Azelf using Fire Blast. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack. Explosion allows Metagross to eliminate one of the opponent's Pokemon after it has finished Tricking Choice Scarf and setting up Stealth Rock or Reflect. Stealth Rock and Reflect are both excellent support choices that Metagross can utilize to aid the team. Pursuit can be used over Explosion, if only to KO fleeing lead Azelf. Most Azelf will switch after being locked into Stealth Rock by Trick, meaning Pursuit will deal 84 - 97% damage. If Metagross manages to set up Stealth Rock, Azelf has a 58% chance of being KOed upon switching into Stealth Rock on a later turn.</p>
<p>With 393 Speed after Choice Scarf, Metagross is able to Trick its Choice Scarf onto Azelf and other lead support Pokemon before they have the chance to attack, locking them into whatever move they had chosen that turn. It is also important to note that Metagross with Choice Scarf outspeeds Azelf and Gengar, two of the most common Pokemon in OU. Metagross will most likely be Exploding before late-game, so max Attack is used to bolster Explosion's damage instead of focusing on HP. If outspeeding Azelf is not an issue, Metagross can use an EV spread of 168 HP / 108 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature. This allows Metagross to outspeed Scarfless Gengar while never being 2HKOed by unboosted Shadow Ball.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Shadow Ball
move 4: Grass Knot / Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 124 SpA / 132 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross, while normally a physical attacker, can suprise many of its counters by running a mixed attacking set with Hidden Power Fire and Grass Knot. With these two attacks, Metagross can 2HKO unsuspecting Skarmory, Hippowdon, Donphan, and Rhyperior and OHKO Forretress and Swampert. Basically, bulky Ground, Rock, Water, and Steel-types will have trouble switching in. With Shadow Ball, bulky Ghosts, like the appliance formes of Rotom, will also have a hard time switching into Metagross. Without Shadow Ball, they can easily come in on resisted Meteor Mashes, evade Earthquakes with Levitate, and low BP special attacks, and subsequently burn Metagross or set up a Reflect.</p>
<p>Earthquake is primarily for Magnezone and Heatran, though you'll have to catch the latter on the switch-in, as most Heatran will outspeed you. Earthquake provides good type coverage with Meteor Mash, hitting Electric-types and Empoleon for super-effective damage.</p>
<p>Running a Naughty nature along with 252 Atk EVs allows Metagross to reach an impressive Atk stat of 405, letting it deal an insane amount of damage to Pokémon who don't resist Meteor Mash, while 124 SpA EVs provides enough Special Attack to OHKO or 2HKO common counters to Metagross, listed in the initial paragraph. With 132 Speed EVs, Metagross hits a Speed stat of 208, allowing it outspeed most Magnezone as they usually only run up to 207 Speed. This allows you to OHKO them with Earthquake before they can Magnet Rise.</p>
<p>Both Life Orb and Expert Belt can be used on this set, depending on one's preferences. Life Orb ensures your attacks hit as hard as possible in exchange for survivability while Expert Belt still allows you to deal with Metagross's usual counters; however, you will obviously be dealing less damage to Pokémon who are not hit super effective by any of your attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch / Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 80 Atk / 188 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross is one of the few Pokémon who can effectively keep threatening special sweepers such as Gengar and Starmie in check. Metagross can switch into Gengar and KO with Pursuit as it switches out, but be warned that minimum HP and Defense Starmie will never be OHKOed even as it switches out; however, Starmie can be taken out with a combination of Pursuit, Stealth Rock damage, and Bullet Punch as Pursuit still does a minimum of 76.34% to Starmie if it switches. Lum Berry allows Metagross to absorb one Hypnosis and hit Gengar with Pursuit, but Leftovers still remains an obligatory option.</p>
<p>This set can attempt to switch in on Zapdos and wall it, but one has to be cautious of Heat Wave as it hits Metagross much harder than Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos can usually be taken out with a combination of Ice Punch and Earthquake as it uses Roost. In any case, if walling Zapdos is not a concern, Explosion is the preferred option for the fourth slot.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Metagross to never be 2HKOed by a Life Orb Timid Gengar's Shadow Ball (even with Stealth Rock, the 2HKO still occurs less than 24% of the time). 358 Attack allows Metagross to always OHKO a fleeing 4 HP / 0 Def Gengar with Pursuit.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rock Slide covers Charizard, Gyarados, Moltres, Zapdos, and Ho-oh all in one move. Zen Headbutt is a good option on the Choice Band set that can effectively hit several switch-ins such as Gyarados, Rotom-a, and Zapdos, but you'll almost always find your other moves generally dealing more damage. STAB Zen Headbutt has only slightly more power than neutral Earthquake when you account for Zen Headbutt's accuracy, although it still remains a good option for its ability to OHKO min HP / min Def Rotom-a. Iron Head can be used on any set if one is looking to abuse its 30% flinch rate; Iron Head also has a 100% hit rate, making it better than Meteor Mash in terms of accuracy. Signal Beam allows you to hit Celebi much better than any of the main physical attacks Metagross runs, but offers redundant type coverage otherwise. Icy Wind may sound stupid, but works surprisingly well against Dragon-type Pokémon and Gliscor. Gyro Ball may seem tempting, but Meteor Mash is more reliable, particularly as many of Metagross' common switch-ins are very slow.</p>
<p>Hammer Arm may seem redundant when Earthquake and Meteor Mash are on offer, but it has its uses. It hits Magnet Rise Magnezone, and is Metagross' best physical attack against Bronzong. It also helps to wear down Skarmory. The Speed drop is helpful in two ways. Firstly, Metagross will be slower than Skarmory after one use, meaning if Skarmory tries to Roost, it gets hit for super effective damage. The Speed drop also increases the power of Gyro Ball, which could be useful on a long-lasting Rest + Sleep Talk set.</p>
<p>Psych Up can be used to copy power ups, like Curse from Snorlax or Regirock. Magnet Rise can be used to dodge incoming Earthquakes, although it is rarely worth giving up type coverage for.</p>
[EVs]
<p>For most sets, you will definitely want to focus on Metagross' HP and Attack. You'll also want to make a small investment in your Defense; 252 HP and 12 Defense EVs allow you to survive an Adamant Choice Band Dugtrio's Earthquake 100% of the time when at full health. Otherwise, the rest of the EVs should be allocated in Attack and Speed.</p>
<p>On the Choice Band and Lead sets, it is recommended that you run anywhere from 8-16 Speed EVs so you outspeed threats than hang around the 176-177 mark, primarily being Skarmory and Magnezone. After investing in Speed, you can outspeed Skarmory and KO it with ThunderPunch before it can recover with Roost; the same situation applies to Magnezone, except that you will only beat it if you're stuck on Earthquake.</p>
<p>The minimum speed one should ever run on the Agility set is 209, which allows you to outspeed Heatran. If, for some reason, you opt to aim for lower speed, 202 Speed allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Heracross; however, Heracross is not nearly as centralizing to the metagame as it used to be before the introduction of Platinum.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Metagross is a solid attacking force. Its Steel / Psychic-type combo leaves few weaknesses to hit upon, and its Clear Body ability prevents Pokémon like Gyarados and Salamence from slashing its Attack power with Intimidate. It can withstand attacks from many Pokémon and hit back hard with its amazing 135 base Attack stat. Such durability allows it to easily switch in against a number of Pokémon. Even though there are a lot of new hard hitting Earthquake users, like Mamoswine, and Rhyperior, Metagross can usually survive their attacks and answer accordingly. Metagross is probably not going to be sweeping entire teams, but with things like Bullet Punch, Pursuit, and Explosion, it is almost guaranteed to take out one or two opponents before it goes down.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Rotom-a is the perfect counter to Metagross. Rotom-a resists all of Metagross's main attacking options while also being immune to Explosion and Earthquake. Rotom-a can immediately threaten Metagross with Will-O-Wisp, whom obviously won't enjoy being burned, or stall through Rest + Sleep Talk if needed. Rotom-h can also severely weaken Metagross with Overheat; in fact, minimum Special Attack Rotom-h stands a small chance of 2HKOing Metagross with Overheat, provided Metagross has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock. Zapdos is also immune to Earthquake, resists Meteor Mash, and can severely damper Metagross with Heat Wave.</p>
<p>Skarmory can come in on most of Metagross' attacks with ease. Choice Band ThunderPunch hurts, as does Hidden Power Fire. Otherwise Skarmory can get in safely, set up Spikes, and Whirlwind Metagross away. Bronzong handles most attacks with ease as well, and unlike Skarmory, it can hurt Metagross directly with Earthquake. Forretress also does well if it has Earthquake, but out of this group, it has the most to fear from Hidden Power Fire. It won't enjoy repeatedly switching into Choice Band Earthquakes, either.</p>
<p>Sturdy Ground-types such as Gliscor and Hippowdon can handle Metagross' attacks, but beware of Attack boosts when switching into Meteor Mash, particularly from the Choice Band set. Swampert is less at risk from boosts as it resists Steel. For Hippowdon, and especially Swampert, beware of Grass Knot. Gliscor should be careful not to get hit with Ice Punch.</p>
<p>In general, most bulky waters can easily wall Metagross that do not carry ThunderPunch, but one has to be wary of Explosion. Suicune, Vaporeon, and Slowbro are the most notable bulky waters that can switch into Metagross, primarily because they have the ability to recover off any damage Metagross might induce upon them. Suicune and Slowbro can easily Calm Mind if the opponent is foolish enough to stay in.</p>
<p>Magnezone terrorizes any kind of Metagross that cannot Earthquake it before it uses Magnet Rise. Magnet Pull prevents Metagross from running, so if Magnezone is faster and Metagross is low enough on HP to be OHKOed, Metagross is a goner. Should Metagross be locked into any attack besides Earthquake or Hammer Arm, Magnezone will also come out on top. Dugtrio can also trap and kill, but can't switch in directly on an attack that isn't ThunderPunch.</p>
<p>For the most part, keep Metagross away from Fire-type Pokémon if it isn't carrying Occa Berry. The vast majority will die to a well predicted Earthquake, although Charizard's and Moltres's immunity to Ground attacks means they can usually get in safely and force Metagross out. Beware of ThunderPunch and the rare Rock Slide, and switching in when Stealth Rock is on the field will also be problematic.</p>
<p>In Uber battles, Groudon, Kyogre, and Palkia are fine counters. Ho-oh works in much the same way as Moltres and Charizard. Lugia can also set up a Reflect while Metagross is out and recover off any damage.</p>
