Mega Evolutions in XY UU

[Arkian]

Excellent discussion guys, keep it coming!

I have included EonX-'s set in the OP but am a bit hesitant about Dat Blast's set. Baton Pass is a good utility move and all, but I don't think it's enough to merit a different set on its own. For this reason, I'll include a "Other Viable Options" section that can act like an AC section used in analyses. I'll add Pursuit and Baton Pass into the viable moves for Absol and Taunt for Houndoom. I also kind of dislike the idea of Super Fang on Mega Houndoom, as honestly, if you can't do over half to the opposing Pokemon with an attacking move, you're better off switching. Also Sergeant Spooky, for the first set you posted, I would recommend Timid > Serious since you're using all special moves and Timid is really nice to outspeed max Speed Latias and Keldeo and Speed tie with the likes of opposing Mega Houndoom and Mega Absol.

That is all for now, but expect some art in the OP soon!

 

[Sergeant Spooky]

Excellent discussion guys, keep it coming!

I have included EonX-'s set in the OP but am a bit hesitant about Dat Blast's set. Baton Pass is a good utility move and all, but I don't think it's enough to merit a different set on its own. For this reason, I'll include a "Other Viable Options" section that can act like an AC section used in analyses. I'll add Pursuit and Baton Pass into the viable moves for Absol and Taunt for Houndoom. I also kind of dislike the idea of Super Fang on Mega Houndoom, as honestly, if you can't do over half to the opposing Pokemon with an attacking move, you're better off switching. Also Sergeant Spooky, for the first set you posted, I would recommend Timid > Serious since you're using all special moves and Timid is really nice to outspeed max Speed Latias and Keldeo and Speed tie with the likes of opposing Mega Houndoom and Mega Absol.

That is all for now, but expect some art in the OP soon!

Goddamn, fixed. It was supposed to be Timid, I didn't set the nature.

Super Fang was just an idea I had for Chansey, as Houndoom can't get past her any other way. But yeah, Taunt is probably the only thing needed for stall breaking.

 

[Aragorn the King]

Here are two Mega-Ampharos sets that I've used with success in OU. I'm not an expert in UU, but I'd assume (since it's B+ in UU but C+ in OU) that they'd work as well or better here:

Set 1: Rainy Pivot

Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 SAtk / 248 HP / 8 Def
Calm Nature
- Rain Dance
- Volt Switch
- Thunder/Heal Bell
- Focus Blast/Dragon Pulse

This Ampharos is useful as a back up Rain Dance setter for rain teams. Its rain is short, however, it is very easily set up with Ampharos' bulk. Its rain can be abused by Amphy's teammates by use of Volt Switch, which also makes Ampharos a great pivot. Under rain, Ampharos is able to abuse a super strong Thunder, or, it can further support its rain abusing team with Heal Bell. If you don't use Thunder, it may be more beneficial to switch the investments in Defense and Special Attack, as Volt Switch is more of a utility move than an offensive move. The last slot, I put Focus Blast to deal with Excadrill in OU. I'm not sure if Focus Miss is an important move in UU, if not, it's easily replaceable with Dragon Pulse for dual STAB.

Set Two: Quick Sweeper

Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 Spd / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Modest Nature
- Agility
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse

This Ampharos is very effective, partially due to how unexpected it is. It has enough speed, that with a modest nature + an agility, it can outpace Tornadus-T. Most people just ignore Ampharos' speed, but with an agility it's pretty good. Ampharos can still abuse its super strong STABs + Focus Blast with this set, and yet is able to sweep a lot of Pokemon. If you desire the same speed and more bulk, and are willing to sacrifice power, a spread of 72 HP/4 Def/252 SAtk/180 Spd with a Timid nature can also be used.

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Mega Launcher, which boosts the power of Blastoise's most common coverage moves, Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse, as well as one of Blastoise's main STABs, Water Pulse, by 1.5%.
​

Also, this is just me being the math guy I am, Mega Launcher boosts the power of the moves by 150%, not 1.5%. The BP of the move is multiplied by 1.5, but that multiplication is the same as 150% growth.

I know that's not what we're supposed to be discussing, but I just had to say it.

 

[Arkian]

Thanks for the Agility set finncent1! I don't think the Rain Dance set is too effective however, as it doesn't get Damp Rock to lengthen the rain turns, and four measly turns (one to switch out) aren't enough support to the team. I have added it to Other Viable Options though :)

For reference, here are the sets/moves I have added for each Mega Pokemon as an Other Viable Option:

Abomasnow: SubSeed
Absol: Pursuit and Baton Pass
Aerodactyl: Fire Fang
Aggron: Toxic and RestTalk + Dragon Tail
Ampharos: Rain Dance
Banette: Protect
Blastoise: Dragon Pulse
Houndoom: Taunt
Manectric: Bulky Pivot (SmashBrosBrawl used it with success I think)

I just realized that more than half of UU Megas start with the letter A :O Anyway, if you think I missed something or one of these options should be on the main set/a set of its own (provide an explanation obviously), then feel free to post about it! That's all for now ^.^

 

[aidbail45]

I noticed in the OP that the EV's for Mega Manectric are 4/252/252 but I have found that the fully invested speed isn't needed, since 405 (Timid Nature) doesn't outspeed any scarfers or boosting pokemon and the fastest pokemon in UU is Crobat, who only hits 394 Speed with Max Investment/Positive Nature. Personally, I run 40/252/216, to outspeed Crobat, but I have seen others like 80/252/176 which was for outspeeding Weavile but has since been banned. You could also run 108/252/144 which outspeeds max speed positive nature Tornadus-Therian by 1 point. Mega-Manectric doesn't need the excess Speed EVs and the extra HP EVs help to make it last longer. I have also tried running 4/252/252 with a Modest Nature instead of Timid but my only problem was outspeeding Tornadus-T, who outspeeds Manectric by 6 points. These are just suggestions, but UU has been around for two months now and the speed tiers are finally shaping up.

EDIT: There are faster pokemon in UU, but Mega Manectric still doesn't need the full 252 investment. If you want to outspeed Adamant Mega Aerodactyl, run 24/252/232

 

[Aragorn the King]

I noticed in the OP that the EV's for Mega Manectric are 4/252/252 but I have found that the fully invested speed isn't needed, since 405 (Timid Nature) doesn't outspeed any scarfers or boosting pokemon and the fastest pokemon in UU is Crobat, who only hits 384 Speed with Max Investment/Positive Nature. Personally, I run 40/252/216, to outspeed Crobat, but I have seen others like 80/252/176 which was for outspeeding Weavile but has since been banned. You could also run 108/252/144 which outspeeds max speed positive nature Tornadus-Therian by 1 point. Mega-Manectric doesn't need the excess Speed EVs and the extra HP EVs help to make it last longer. I have also tried running 4/252/252 with a Modest Nature instead of Timid but my only problem was outspeeding Tornadus-T, who outspeeds Manectric by 6 points. These are just suggestions, but UU has been around for two months now and the speed tiers are finally shaping up.

Crobat hits 394 speed, not 384. But your EV's for outspeeding Crobat are still correct.

 

[aidbail45]

Crobat hits 394 speed, not 384. But your EV's for outspeeding Crobat are still correct.

Fixed that, thanks for checking!

 

[Swamp Link]

You'd probably want to bump that up to 400 to outspeed Adamant Aerodactyl.

 

[Arkian]

I have changed Mega Manectric's EV spread to 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe. Thanks! Also, has anyone tested a SubSeed Mega Abomasnow in UU? I have been meaning to do so, since it seems kinda effective, but haven't gotten around to it due to irl stuff.

 

[TheTraininator]

Here's another viable Mega Banette set:

Offensive Mega Banette

Banette @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk --> Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
IVs: 0 Speed
Brave Nature
- Phantom Force
- Sucker Punch
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt/Will-O-Wisp

Basically this set acts like a rocking horse: alternate between priority Destiny Bond and slow Phantom Force, and put the opponent in the situation of kill Banette and die or take repeated Phantom Forces. Sucker Punch allows for revenge killing and an easier transition into your Mega state, and Taunt is the preferred option for the last slot because it works so well with Destiny Bond and Phantom Force, while Will-O allows Banette to double as a status spreader. Speed may be better optimized to make sure you out-prioritize Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet with your Destiny Bond, but Banette should be no faster than that - it wants to out-slow as many things as possible. Fun set, really forces your opponent to make hard decisions.

 

[Kingpoleon]

I would like to recommend a SubSeed set. This work wonders against stall, hitting most common walls hard and tearing Chansey to pieces, along with Snorlax, and other high HP Pokemon that are weak/neutral to Fighting or hit neutrally/super-effectively to Ice.

Mega-Abomasnow @Abomasnowite
Ability: Soundproof/Snow Warning --> Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpAtk/ 208 Atk/ 48 HP
IVs: 0 Speed
Quiet Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Focus Punch
- Blizzard
You can Blizzard spam or Substitute to ease prediction. SubSeed shouldn't need explanation. Generally, if you are slow, you want to be as slow as possible. This EV spread may seem weird, but it is to guarantee the 2HKO against Cobalion.

208 Atk Mega Abomasnow Focus Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cobalion: 192-228 (49.7 - 59%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage and Leftovers recovery

If you are running Kyurem with this(or other Pokemon who appreciate Cobalion's removal), it appreciates the weakening. These EVs ensure Cobalion can only safely come in on it once, break the sub, and die to the next Focus Punch the next time it switches in. Soundproof allows switch in opportunities, like Boomburst/Perish Song/other things that break through Subs, but generally Snow Warning is the better choice.

 

[Kingler]

Rohail
I have nothing to add on myself, but please don't do that with the Manectric set. 20 HP EVs don't let you live anything and you might as well speed tie with other Manectric (Volt Switch advantage is irrelevant, as you wanna blast the opponent with Overheat). Such EV spreads should be frowned upon unless the HP EVs are specific enough.

 

[Arkian]

TheTraininator I tried to use offensive Mega Banette myself in the past, and I absolutely hated it. It had horrible Speed, poor bulk, and a bad movepool. Furthermore, Phantom Force can easily be played around, so I didn't really like the use of that either. Mega Banette's only niche is a support set, and nothing else. I'll add Phantom Force to Other Options though, but I'm not giving it a set for itself unless more people vouch for it.

Kingpoleon That Mega Abomasnow set looks really interesting. I, for one, would not use Focus Punch for the mere advantage of hitting Cobalion (I guess you also hit other Steel-types, but Earthquake is a much better choice for that). I'll keep SubSeed in Other Options for now, but I will add SubPunch to it as well.

Kingler12345 Yeah, I rushed into adding that to the OP. I'll change it back immediately, thanks!

Also, this thread isn't just for submitting movesets guys, it's for discussing everything about Mega Pokemon. From their checks and counters to theorymonning which Mega could drop/move up and how it will affect UU. That's all for now, but keep the discussion coming!

 

[EonX]

Well, with the recent Lucarionite ban, Mega Blastoise may very well be leaving us. Now, I know that most Mega Lucario players won't go to Blastoise, but considering it was so close to making OU on usage anyway, Mega Blastoise only needs a few people to start using it and it would move up. If this were to happen, I could see Mega Abomasnow and Mega Ampharos benefiting quite nicely. Sure, they may not possess Rapid Spin, but they have the same basic idea; tank hits and hit back hard. Also, if Mega Blastoise does move up, that's just one less thing to threaten out some other useful Megas (Aggron, Houndoom, Aerodactyl, Absol)

 

[Chronobreak]

I notice a lot of people are commenting on the frailty of mega absol and the ineffectiveness of the SD set . However, the SD set is in fact a monster. I like to switch in on a psychic or ghost type, SD on the switch and sweep 3 to 6 pokemon.

 

[NotBruceWayne]

If Mega Blastoise gets promoted to OU, then UU will loose its best Spinner who can actually nail incoming spinblockers with a Mega Launcher boosted Dark Pulse. Claydol? Meh. Hitmontop? Please.

 

[dumbguyfin]

I think that megas are now nicely balanced in UU. There arent any broken megas (after medichamite and gardevoirite bans), and every mega (outside of maybe abomasnow) has at least a niche. My personal favourites are M-aggron and M-aerodactyl. I hope that Blas stays uu, because it is by far the best spinner in uu. If Blastoise goes ou some other spinners might drop though (mainly forretress, tentacruel and starmie).

 

[Pancham]

I have been wanting to use Amphabio as a slow pivot, and as part of a Fairy/Water/Dragon core, which is a pretty good defensive core this gen, tbh. Not to mention Amphabio+Suicune looks like it's really cool. If I were to use Amphabio, I'd be using it with Hawlucha, due to it liking Slow Volturners to get it in safely. Amphabio also has a pretty cool movepool, with Thunder Wave and Heal Bell for support.
The set I was thinking of was like:

Slow Pivot
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest nature
Volt Switch
Dragon Pulse
Focus Blast / Thunderbolt
Heal Bell / Thunderbolt / Thunder Wave

There may be better EVs, I'm not certain lol

 

[Aragorn the King]

I think that megas are now nicely balanced in UU. There arent any broken megas (after medichamite and gardevoirite bans), and every mega (outside of maybe abomasnow) has at least a niche. My personal favourites are M-aggron and M-aerodactyl. I hope that Blas stays uu, because it is by far the best spinner in uu. If Blastoise goes ou some other spinners might drop though (mainly forretress, tentacruel and starmie).

Don't go knocking Aboma! It has great mixed offenses, which are further enhanced by Abomasnow's ability, which allows it to run Blizzard. A Blizzard from Mega Abomasnow hits at the same power as an Ice Beam from a pokemon with 172 special attack! It has Wood Hammer to punish special walls, Ice Shard for priority, and EQ/Focus Blast for coverage. It also has the subseed set mentioned earlier. It's a great mega, in my opinion.

 

[EonX]

Something else to consider on Mega Ampharos is a defensive set that doesn't use RestTalk:

Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static --> Mold Breaker
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Nature: Calm
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave / Toxic

Electric / Dragon is really good offensively, but it also has some nifty resistances to Fire, Grass, Water, Electric, and Steel to take advantage of. Volt Switch is still a fairly strong move without investment thanks to Ampharos's insane base 165 Special Attack. Dragon Pulse allows Ampharos to hit hard and stay in. Heal Bell allows Ampharos to provide cleric support to its team and it has multiple resistances to switch in on to provide this support. The last slot is for a status move. Thunder Wave allows Ampharos to cripple faster Pokemon attempting to break through it while Toxic can cripple opposing walls thinking Ampharos is a typical offensive variant. The EV spread maximizes Ampharos's special bulk since most of its resistances fall on the special side, but a physically defensive spread can be used to better check the likes of Darmanitan, Victini, and Entei. Wish Support is vital for this set to succeed, but Ampharos has great synergy with two of the best Wish users in Vaporeon and Florges. It's certainly not Mega Ampharos's best set, but it can be effective when supported with Wish and the cleric support it brings can be invaluable to more balanced or stall based teams.

 

[Aragorn the King]

Something else to consider on Mega Ampharos is a defensive set that doesn't use RestTalk:

Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static --> Mold Breaker
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Nature: Calm
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave / Toxic

Electric / Dragon is really good offensively, but it also has some nifty resistances to Fire, Grass, Water, Electric, and Steel to take advantage of. Volt Switch is still a fairly strong move without investment thanks to Ampharos's insane base 165 Special Attack. Dragon Pulse allows Ampharos to hit hard and stay in. Heal Bell allows Ampharos to provide cleric support to its team and it has multiple resistances to switch in on to provide this support. The last slot is for a status move. Thunder Wave allows Ampharos to cripple faster Pokemon attempting to break through it while Toxic can cripple opposing walls thinking Ampharos is a typical offensive variant. The EV spread maximizes Ampharos's special bulk since most of its resistances fall on the special side, but a physically defensive spread can be used to better check the likes of Darmanitan, Victini, and Entei. Wish Support is vital for this set to succeed, but Ampharos has great synergy with two of the best Wish users in Vaporeon and Florges. It's certainly not Mega Ampharos's best set, but it can be effective when supported with Wish and the cleric support it brings can be invaluable to more balanced or stall based teams.

Don't forget its resistance to Flying, which helps it switch into Hawlucha and Honchkrow, and others. I definitely like the set, as it's a bulky pivot that doesn't
sacrifice that much offense. My only suggestion is to use a Sassy nature instead of Calm, as Bulky pivots typically want to go last. (This isn't vital, though, as there are very few offensive Pokemon slower than Calm M-Amphy but faster than Sassy.

 

[ryan]

Really interesting post! Do you think mega aerodactyl should steer away from investing in attack if he is running a crobat-esque support set? When fully invested he hits pretty damn hard considering he can afford to run an adamant nature also. Just wondering if you had discovered any decent defense values to reach that allows you to avoid 2hkos.. although I guess a good number of 2hkos can also be achieved just due to roost removing that electric weakness..

I haven't come up with an ideal spread for UU yet, but I'll toy around with it. You can definitely afford some Attack EVs though. As you said, you don't need to run a Jolly nature most of the time, so it would seem ideal either to run some (or max) Attack with an Adamant nature or a ton of defensive investment with an Impish nature. Even so, an Adamant set sounds generally more viable to me, but again, I haven't played around much with potential EV spreads. Although, your spread seems pretty solid.

[edit] just saw rohail's tag. probably something like:
Aero @ Mega Stone
Pressure -> Tough Claws
dunno what EVs would be best. some Speed, lots of HP, probably enough Atk for certain KOs
whatever nature, depends on the EV spread
Stone Edge / Roost / two of: extra Attacking move (EQ, Aerial Ace, Aqua Tail, Fire Fang), Taunt, Defog, Toxic, etc.

 

[Patrick1088]

Ive been running mega amp on a sticky web team and it certainly does shine. Its pretty anti meta too imo. Ive been running the below set as a bulky pivot

Mega amp@ampharosite
Mold breaker
Modest nature
212Hp/ 252 sp atk/ 44 speed
1. Volt swithch
2. Dicharge
3. Dragon pulse
4. Focus blast

44 speed evs outpaces neutral mega aggron with no speed investment by 1 point and ohko with focus blast. I do wish he did get draco meteor though...

 

[Arkian]

I have been using Mega Aerodactyl with a set of Roost / Stone Edge / EQ / Aerial Ace (Jolly nature with 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe; enough Speed for Mega Manectric with Attack maximized and the rest thrown in HP for bulk) and I just think that Mega Aero's defensive typing was much more useful during the earlier stages of UU when things like Staraptor and Diggersby were allowed. Now, it doesn't seem to check anything well, and I would much rather be using an offensive Hone Claws set than a defensive pivot. Mega Ampharos does the job of a defensive pivot much better thanks to its typing imo. Also, the metagame has shifted against Mega Aerodactyl since bulky Waters like Slowbro and Suicune are on quite a lot of teams, and other common things like Mega Aggron don't care about it at all (Mega Aggron takes pitiful damage from EQ and can easily OHKO Mega Aero with Heavy Slam). Overall, while Mega Aerodactyl checks things like Tornadus-T and Crobat well, I don't think it's too good for the metagame at hand, and people are better off using offensive sets.

 

[Kushalos]

Another mega set that I've tested a little is mixed Mega Absol:

Absol @ Absolite
Ability: Justified --> Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty or Naive nature
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough / Superpower / Psycho Cut
- Fire Blast / Ice Beam
- Night Slash / Knock Off

Honestly, I just feel that Mega Absol is too frail to effectively setup up and sweep. However, it has great mixed offenses and the movepool to take advantage of it. This set is geared more toward breaking down defensive cores than it is sweeping. Sucker Punch is the obvious STAB move and it's much easier to use now thanks to Magic Bounce making it impossible to use Will-o-Wisp, Thunder Wave, etc. Play Rough is the primary physical coverage move to crush Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type Pokemon that are quite common in the tier. However, because it is illegal with Knock Off, there are two other options to handle portions of these threats. Superpower nails Dark-type Pokemon for heavier damage, but also makes it harder to stay in for long periods of time. Psycho Cut can drill Fighting-types, but leaves Absol completely helpless against Dark-types that have any kind of bulk. The 3rd slot gives Absol coverage against defensive Pokemon. Fire Blast hits Mega Aggron for heavy damage, a serious defensive threat that Absol has no real way of hurting otherwise. However, Ice Beam is a solid alternative to seriously dent Hippowdon. It's also nice to smash Haxorus, Hydreigon, and Zygarde when Play Rough is not being used. The last move gives Absol a more reliable STAB in the presence of a Sub user or stat booster. Night Slash is slashed first as Absol can't run Knock Off with Play Rough due to legality issues. However, Knock Off is the better move by far and should be used under any circumstance when Absol isn't running Play Rough. EVs focus on Absol's physical attack without gimping the power of the Special Attack is uses. Hasty is preferred so the Download boost for Porygon-Z(2) boosts physical Attack instead of Special Attack. Oh, and if it looks familiar, it should. It's basically Absol's mixed set from BW RU updated with changes in XY UU.

Does Mega-Absol really need max speed? Cause i mean, it really needs only enough to outspeed keldeo (200 speed evs). Faster Pokemon like Latias are Sucker Punched anyway and this way it can maybe invest a bit more in special attack. Prove me wrong but i don't think you need to speed tie with Ambipom or something xD.