[QC Checks: Jukain, Valentine, aim]
[GP Checks:]
Overview
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Blessed with excellent Speed, typing, and bulk, Latias is a force to be reckoned with. Due to its unique Dragon / Psychic typing and access to reliable recovery, Latias is able to consistently check various Pokemon in OU, including Mega Charizard Y, Keldeo, Landorus, and Rotom-W. Latias also sports a decent amount of offensive presence which, while not as much as Latios, is still enough to threaten offensive Pokemon such as Landorus. Due to the changed mechanics of Defog, Latias has now gained a new niche in the metagame as an offensive Defog user. Latias faces seemingly enormous competition from Latios for this role due to Latios's increased damage output, but Latias's extra bulk gives it the ability to switch into more threats, and the edge over Latios it needs to be a prime choice for many teams.
Unfortunately, Latias has a few minor flaws preventing it from being a top-tier threat. Due to its mediocre power and coverage, Latias is fairly easy to wall and cannot break through bulkier Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar. Latias's typing, while blessing it with several key resistances, plagues it with weaknesses to common Fairy-, Dark-, Ice-, Ghost-, and Bug-type moves, leaving it vunerable to a number of commonly used Pokemon.
Bulky Defog
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name: Bulky Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Psyshock / Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt
move 4: Roost / Healing Wish
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
evs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Due to having good bulk, a good set of resistances, and above-average offensive presence, Latias is one of the best offensive Defog users in the metagame. While Latios has even more offensive presence than Latias, Latias has higher bulk and thus the ability to come in safely on more threats than Latios, making it a more consistent Defog user. Draco Meteor is Latias's primary STAB attack, and is a great nuke capable of OHKOing many offensive threats, including Landorus, Keldeo, and Thundurus.
Choosing what coverage move to run in the third slot depends on what your team needs. Psyshock serves as a secondary STAB attack, hitting Mega Venusaur and Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, Terrakion, and Breloom for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire functions as a way of hitting Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Bisharp, which often switch into Latias super effectively. Lastly, Thundurbolt is an option if hitting Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Water-types such as Azumarill, Slowbro and Suicune for super effective damage is important to your team. Choosing what move to run in the last moveslot decides how you want your Latias to function. Roost gives Latias reliable recovery, making it able to switch into threats such as Landorus, Keldeo, and Mega Charizard Y multiple times. However, if your team already has these threats covered and benefits more from Healing Wish's utility, use it over Roost.
Set Details
========
The EVs are designed to make Latias bulky enough to come in on resisted or neutral hits from various offensive threats, while still maintaining offensive presence. 72 EVs are put in HP, which increases Latias's bulk to the point at which it always avoids the 2HKO from Life Orb Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice, and also makes Latias hit a Life Orb number. 184 EVs in Special Attack with a Life Orb equipped are enough for Latias to always OHKO Landorus with Draco Meteor after damage from Stealth Rock. Latias's fantastic Speed tier lets it outspeed many key threats; as such, running maximum Speed with a Timid nature is required.
A bulkier spread of 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe can be run to always avoid the 2HKO from Timid Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast after damage from Stealth Rock, while still having a Life Orb number in HP. To reliably take on Life Orb Thundurus with Stealth Rock on your side, Leftovers can be run over Life Orb. However, when running Leftovers, you are advised to use an EV spread of 160 HP / 96 SpA / 252 Spe to never be 2HKOed by Life Orb Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice.
Usage Tips
========
Thanks to its good bulk and key set of resistances, Latias is able to come in on hard hitters such as Keldeo, Landorus, Breloom, and Rotom-Wash. The utility Defog provides is great for any team, and bringing Latias in to clear hazards is appreciated at any time of the match. If the opponent has a potential Pursuit trapper, such as Tyranitar and Bisharp, you will have to play carefully with your Latias, because letting the opponent get their Pursuit user in against your Latias means that it is checkmated. Pokemon with the ability Defiant may take advantage of your Defog, so playing carefully around Defiant users such as Bisharp is advised as well. Lastly, the likes of Thundurus and Landorus sometimes run Knock Off to lure in and hit Latias hard on the switch, which is something you should consider when playing against these Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon which appreciate hazards gone, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Pinsir, Dragonite, and Thundurus make good teammates as they can take advantage of Latias's utility. If Latias is running Healing Wish, Focus Sash users such as Mamoswine, Breloom, Terrakion, Bisharp, Diggersby, and Garchomp make great use of Latias's utility as it can reinstate their Focus Sashes by clearing hazards and then fully healing them with Healing Wish.
If Latias is running Roost, Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Breloom are great teammates, as they are capable of switching into and threatening the common Pursuit users that like to trap Latias. Synergy-wise, Ferrothorn and Scizor make good teammates, as they both resist Dragon- and Fairy-type moves. In return, Latias resists the Fire- and Fighting-type attacks which threaten Ferrothorn and Scizor. Lastly, Clefable makes for a great defensive teammate, as it takes on Greninja and Kyurem-B, while also being capable of setting up Stealth Rock to pressure the opposing team.
Other Options
########
Latias has many other viable options due to its excellent movepool. Surf is a viable option as an attacking move alongside Draco Meteor, as it hits Heatran, Excadrill and Landorus for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fighting can be run so that Latias can act as a lure to Pursuit users such as Bisharp and Tyranitar, and deal a significant amount of damage to them. If Latias is running Leftovers, running Ice Beam is an option to OHKO Landorus, which Latias wants to counter but may not be able to due to the lack of Life Orb. A dual screens set can be used, as Latias's high Speed allows it to set up Light Screen and Reflect fairly quickly and then give a safe switch-in to sweepers such as Dragonite with Healing Wish. However, Defog ruins this strategy and such a set is generally outclassed by Azelf. Calm Mind can be used to turn Latias into a devastating sweeper; however, Calm Mind Latias is generally less effective than it was in past generations due to the introduction of Fairy-types and a new slew of defensive threats.
Checks & Counters
########
**Pursuit Trappers**: Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Scizor take little damage from a majority of Latias's moves due to their typing, and can deal a significant amount of damage to, if not OHKO, Latias with Pursuit. Although they are good checks, they have to watch out for Hidden Power Fighting and Fire.
**Steel-types**: Heatran can come in on any attack Latias has to throw at it, and either hit Latias with status such as Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, or use Taunt, preventing Latias from using Defog, Roost, and Healing Wish. Ferrothorn also comes in on any attack bar Hidden Power Fire, and can threaten to set entry hazards up, use Leech Seed, or directly attack Latias with Gyro Ball or Knock Off.
**Fairy-types**: Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, and Clefable are immune to Draco Meteor and take little damage from Psyshock. Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon can deal a significant amount of damage to Latias with Hyper Voice, whereas Clefable can either set up Calm Mind on Latias or do a lot of damage to it with Moonblast.
**Revenge Killers**: Talonflame, Scizor, Bisharp, and Mamoswine can all revenge kill a weakened Latias with their respective priority moves. Mega Aerodactyl, Tornadus-T, and Greninja can all outspeed and KO a weakened Latias. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp and Kyurem-B can OHKO Latias with their STAB Dragon-type moves.
[GP Checks:]
Overview
########
Blessed with excellent Speed, typing, and bulk, Latias is a force to be reckoned with. Due to its unique Dragon / Psychic typing and access to reliable recovery, Latias is able to consistently check various Pokemon in OU, including Mega Charizard Y, Keldeo, Landorus, and Rotom-W. Latias also sports a decent amount of offensive presence which, while not as much as Latios, is still enough to threaten offensive Pokemon such as Landorus. Due to the changed mechanics of Defog, Latias has now gained a new niche in the metagame as an offensive Defog user. Latias faces seemingly enormous competition from Latios for this role due to Latios's increased damage output, but Latias's extra bulk gives it the ability to switch into more threats, and the edge over Latios it needs to be a prime choice for many teams.
Unfortunately, Latias has a few minor flaws preventing it from being a top-tier threat. Due to its mediocre power and coverage, Latias is fairly easy to wall and cannot break through bulkier Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar. Latias's typing, while blessing it with several key resistances, plagues it with weaknesses to common Fairy-, Dark-, Ice-, Ghost-, and Bug-type moves, leaving it vunerable to a number of commonly used Pokemon.
Bulky Defog
########
name: Bulky Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Psyshock / Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt
move 4: Roost / Healing Wish
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
evs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Due to having good bulk, a good set of resistances, and above-average offensive presence, Latias is one of the best offensive Defog users in the metagame. While Latios has even more offensive presence than Latias, Latias has higher bulk and thus the ability to come in safely on more threats than Latios, making it a more consistent Defog user. Draco Meteor is Latias's primary STAB attack, and is a great nuke capable of OHKOing many offensive threats, including Landorus, Keldeo, and Thundurus.
Choosing what coverage move to run in the third slot depends on what your team needs. Psyshock serves as a secondary STAB attack, hitting Mega Venusaur and Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, Terrakion, and Breloom for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire functions as a way of hitting Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Bisharp, which often switch into Latias super effectively. Lastly, Thundurbolt is an option if hitting Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Water-types such as Azumarill, Slowbro and Suicune for super effective damage is important to your team. Choosing what move to run in the last moveslot decides how you want your Latias to function. Roost gives Latias reliable recovery, making it able to switch into threats such as Landorus, Keldeo, and Mega Charizard Y multiple times. However, if your team already has these threats covered and benefits more from Healing Wish's utility, use it over Roost.
Set Details
========
The EVs are designed to make Latias bulky enough to come in on resisted or neutral hits from various offensive threats, while still maintaining offensive presence. 72 EVs are put in HP, which increases Latias's bulk to the point at which it always avoids the 2HKO from Life Orb Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice, and also makes Latias hit a Life Orb number. 184 EVs in Special Attack with a Life Orb equipped are enough for Latias to always OHKO Landorus with Draco Meteor after damage from Stealth Rock. Latias's fantastic Speed tier lets it outspeed many key threats; as such, running maximum Speed with a Timid nature is required.
A bulkier spread of 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe can be run to always avoid the 2HKO from Timid Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast after damage from Stealth Rock, while still having a Life Orb number in HP. To reliably take on Life Orb Thundurus with Stealth Rock on your side, Leftovers can be run over Life Orb. However, when running Leftovers, you are advised to use an EV spread of 160 HP / 96 SpA / 252 Spe to never be 2HKOed by Life Orb Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice.
Usage Tips
========
Thanks to its good bulk and key set of resistances, Latias is able to come in on hard hitters such as Keldeo, Landorus, Breloom, and Rotom-Wash. The utility Defog provides is great for any team, and bringing Latias in to clear hazards is appreciated at any time of the match. If the opponent has a potential Pursuit trapper, such as Tyranitar and Bisharp, you will have to play carefully with your Latias, because letting the opponent get their Pursuit user in against your Latias means that it is checkmated. Pokemon with the ability Defiant may take advantage of your Defog, so playing carefully around Defiant users such as Bisharp is advised as well. Lastly, the likes of Thundurus and Landorus sometimes run Knock Off to lure in and hit Latias hard on the switch, which is something you should consider when playing against these Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon which appreciate hazards gone, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Pinsir, Dragonite, and Thundurus make good teammates as they can take advantage of Latias's utility. If Latias is running Healing Wish, Focus Sash users such as Mamoswine, Breloom, Terrakion, Bisharp, Diggersby, and Garchomp make great use of Latias's utility as it can reinstate their Focus Sashes by clearing hazards and then fully healing them with Healing Wish.
If Latias is running Roost, Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Breloom are great teammates, as they are capable of switching into and threatening the common Pursuit users that like to trap Latias. Synergy-wise, Ferrothorn and Scizor make good teammates, as they both resist Dragon- and Fairy-type moves. In return, Latias resists the Fire- and Fighting-type attacks which threaten Ferrothorn and Scizor. Lastly, Clefable makes for a great defensive teammate, as it takes on Greninja and Kyurem-B, while also being capable of setting up Stealth Rock to pressure the opposing team.
Other Options
########
Latias has many other viable options due to its excellent movepool. Surf is a viable option as an attacking move alongside Draco Meteor, as it hits Heatran, Excadrill and Landorus for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fighting can be run so that Latias can act as a lure to Pursuit users such as Bisharp and Tyranitar, and deal a significant amount of damage to them. If Latias is running Leftovers, running Ice Beam is an option to OHKO Landorus, which Latias wants to counter but may not be able to due to the lack of Life Orb. A dual screens set can be used, as Latias's high Speed allows it to set up Light Screen and Reflect fairly quickly and then give a safe switch-in to sweepers such as Dragonite with Healing Wish. However, Defog ruins this strategy and such a set is generally outclassed by Azelf. Calm Mind can be used to turn Latias into a devastating sweeper; however, Calm Mind Latias is generally less effective than it was in past generations due to the introduction of Fairy-types and a new slew of defensive threats.
Checks & Counters
########
**Pursuit Trappers**: Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Scizor take little damage from a majority of Latias's moves due to their typing, and can deal a significant amount of damage to, if not OHKO, Latias with Pursuit. Although they are good checks, they have to watch out for Hidden Power Fighting and Fire.
**Steel-types**: Heatran can come in on any attack Latias has to throw at it, and either hit Latias with status such as Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, or use Taunt, preventing Latias from using Defog, Roost, and Healing Wish. Ferrothorn also comes in on any attack bar Hidden Power Fire, and can threaten to set entry hazards up, use Leech Seed, or directly attack Latias with Gyro Ball or Knock Off.
**Fairy-types**: Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, and Clefable are immune to Draco Meteor and take little damage from Psyshock. Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon can deal a significant amount of damage to Latias with Hyper Voice, whereas Clefable can either set up Calm Mind on Latias or do a lot of damage to it with Moonblast.
**Revenge Killers**: Talonflame, Scizor, Bisharp, and Mamoswine can all revenge kill a weakened Latias with their respective priority moves. Mega Aerodactyl, Tornadus-T, and Greninja can all outspeed and KO a weakened Latias. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp and Kyurem-B can OHKO Latias with their STAB Dragon-type moves.
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