Let's clear the misconception that this thing is somehow not one of the best Pokemon in the format.
[OVERVIEW]
Rayquaza is one of the most dangerous restricted Pokemon in the format, boasting nearly unparalleled offensive prowess thanks to its Mega Evolution. Mega Rayquaza's dual base 180 offenses are the highest combined offenses in the format, and with its diverse movepool, it can threaten everything in the metagame. A high base 115 Speed complements Mega Rayquaza's offenses well, only leaving it outsped by a few unboosted threats such as Mega Salamence and Weavile. As the only Mega to have the freedom of choosing its item, Rayquaza is also easy to fit on teams with another Mega such as Kangaskhan or Gengar, and it's one of few viable Mega Evolutions to be a threat without needing to Mega Evolve. Dragon / Flying is a great typing as well, allowing Mega Rayquaza to switch into most attacks from both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Both Air Lock and Delta Stream are incredibly useful abilities that further increase its ability to effectively check both Primals by allowing to shift the weather war in its favor, and unlike the Primals, Mega Rayquaza isn't hindered greatly by the loss of its weather. Delta Stream also lets Mega Rayquaza support its Flying-type teammates, reducing the damage they take from Rock-, Electric-, and Ice-type moves.
However, Mega Rayquaza suffers from a few flaws that keep it from being omnipresent to the same degree as Groudon, Kyogre and Xerneas. While Dragon Ascent is incredibly dangerous with few viable Steel- or Rock-types to switch into it, the stat drops and Life Orb recoil make it much easier to KO Mega Rayquaza despite its respectable bulk and numerous useful resistances. A Fairy-type weakness also makes Xerneas a big threat for Rayquaza if it can't Mega Evolve before Xerneas comes in. Rayquaza's base 95 Speed before it Mega Evolves is solid among most restricted legendaries, but it still leaves it outsped by key threats including Salamence, Timid Xerneas, and Jolly Mega Kangaskhan. This sometimes forces it to rely on Protect to safely Mega Evolve, which can be taken advantage of by the opponent. Rayquaza is also always used on a team with the intent to use its Mega Evolution, so while it's no less dangerous than Mega Kangaskhan or Mega Salamence, the restriction of two legendaries limits it somewhat in terms of team archetypes it can fit on.
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Draco Meteor / Overheat / Waterfall
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Air Lock
nature: Naive / Hasty / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Ascent is necessary to Mega Evolve and it's Rayquaza's best STAB move, doing incredible damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Extreme Speed gives Rayquaza a powerful priority move that beats out Talonflame, Kangaskhan, and Prankster users attempting to hit it with Thunder Wave, and it also mitigates Mega Rayquaza's vulnerability to speed control from the opposing team. Draco Meteor is a secondary STAB option that does massive damage even with no investment, hitting other Dragon-types and OHKOing uninvested Primal Groudon while also letting Mega Rayquaza work around Intimidate a bit. Overheat hits Steel-types like Mega Mawile, which otherwise checks Rayquaza, while OHKOing Ferrothorn and having a chance to OHKO Aegislash. Waterfall is a much more reliable move against any Primal Groudon variant and doesn't risk missing like Draco Meteor. However, this is generally only used when Mega Rayquaza is paired with Primal Kyogre, as Mega Rayquaza benefits from the rain with Waterfall. The utility diminishes greatly without Primal Kyogre, since unlike Draco Meteor, it can no longer hit Primal Groudon if sun is up. Protect is important in the last slot to let Rayquaza scout out for threatening moves, since it will often be targeted due to its average bulk and its dangerous power. It also lets Rayquaza safely Mega Evolve to get past its average Speed before Mega Evolution.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment maximize Mega Rayquaza's damage output while ensuring it's as fast as possible. The leftover EVs are placed in Special Attack for Draco Meteor and Overheat, though they can be moved to Special Defense if you're running Waterfall. A Speed-boosting nature is important to take advantage of Mega Rayquaza's fantastic Speed tier and prevents it from being outsped by Timid Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre on the turn it Mega Evolves. Naive lets Rayquaza handle priority moves better to avoid being revenge killed as easily, and guarantees that Weavile can't OHKO with Icicle Crash after one round of Life Orb damage if Strong Winds are active, as well as surviving Double-Edge from Jolly Mega Kangaskhan after one round of Life Orb recoil. This all assumes that Mega Rayquaza hasn't already suffered Defense drops from Dragon Ascent, though. Alternatively, Hasty lets Rayquaza switch into Primal Groudon's Eruption and Primal Kyogre's Origin Pulse more comfortably, which is useful since it's one of few Pokemon that can comfortably switch into both. Unboosted Dazzling Gleam from Timid Xerneas also has a much lower chance of OHKOing Hasty Mega Rayquaza after one round Life Orb recoil. A Jolly nature is only used with Waterfall, since the Special Attack investment is not important in this case.
Life Orb capitalizes on Mega Rayquaza's offenses and is important for helping it secure OHKOs, such as with Draco Meteor against Primal Groudon and with Dragon Ascent against uninvested Primal Kyogre. The extra power also lets Rayquaza hit Pokemon hard even without Mega Evolving so that it can comfortably be brought into battle with a different Mega Evolution. Focus Sash has a noticeable power drop compared to Life Orb but can be useful for letting Mega Rayquaza serve as an emergency check to boosted Xerneas due to Dragon Ascent's power and Extreme Speed's priority. It also functions as a safe buffer that lets Mega Rayquaza clean more effectively late-game after the rest of the team has weakened the opposing team while also mitigating the issue of Mega Rayquaza falling to a single strong hit after repeated Dragon Ascent drops, which can be critical in such a fast-paced format.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Rayquaza's strengths lie in the ability to punch holes in everything; it has the power and Speed to threaten the entire metagame after Mega Evolving, so capitalizing on that is vital. Mega Evolving early can put immense pressure on the opponent, and even Xerneas is greatly threatened if Rayquaza manages to Mega Evolve before it can come in and set up, since Xerneas can be KOed after very little prior damage. Likewise, saving Rayquaza until late-game is effective, since it's very hard to stop once a team has been weakened. Rayquaza doesn't need to try to sweep the entire team though; sometimes one crucial OHKO is all it needs to have done its job successfully.
While Rayquaza's bulk is somewhat average, its typing coupled with Air Lock and Delta Stream makes it one of the best Primal switch-ins in the format, so don't be too afraid to switch it into dangerous moves if the opportunity presents itself. The freedom of being a Mega Evolution with the ability to hold any item also means Mega Rayquaza can freely be brought along even with a secondary Mega Evolution without compromising its strengths much. Non-Mega Rayquaza still has dual 150 offenses, so it's more than capable of threatening teams with a Life Orb without Mega Evolving if the second Mega Evolution is desired.
Team Options
========
Primal Kyogre is one of Mega Rayquaza's most popular partners, as Mega Rayquaza lets Primal Kyogre fire off Origin Pulse and Water Spout more freely and put huge pressure on Primal Groudon attempting to switch in out of fear of Rayquaza coming in to negate its harsh sunlight. Mega Rayquaza also helps beat Primal Kyogre's best switch-ins such as Ferrothorn and Amoonguss. However, Air Lock will also negate the rain boost from Primal Kyogre, so be aware of the various weather interactions when both are on the field. Xerneas appreciates Mega Rayquaza's ability to threaten Primal Groudon and Steel-types, giving Xerneas less trouble when it's attempting to sweep and also cleaning up late-game if Xerneas can't finish the job. Xerneas also makes up for Mega Rayquaza's lack of spread damage while also beating Mega Salamence. Ho-Oh handles Xerneas very comfortably for Rayquaza due to its monstrous Special Defense, and it also appreciates Delta Stream to lessen the damage of Rock Slide.
Tailwind support from Talonflame or Crobat helps Mega Rayquaza outspeed Mega Salamence and boosted Xerneas. Priority Brave Bird from Talonflame is also useful for helping bring something into KO range for one of Mega Rayquaza's attacks and can put more pressure on Xerneas, while Crobat offers Taunt support to prevent Xerneas from setting up and keep Smeargle in check. Both also benefit from Delta Stream to take Rock-, Electric-, and Ice-type moves more comfortably. Likewise, Landorus-T appreciates Delta Stream to reduce the threat of Hidden Power Ice and provides utility in the form of Intimidate while being able to freely use Earthquake alongside Mega Rayquaza. Steel-types like Aegislash and Ferrothorn threaten Xerneas, while Mega Rayquaza threatens Primal Groudon for them. Thundurus does a great job at supporting Mega Rayquaza with Prankster Thunder Wave to cover Xerneas and Salamence and has Taunt to deter Smeargle, while Mega Rayquaza's Delta Stream removes its weaknesses to make it more difficult to beat.
Redirection from Togekiss or Amoonguss can be deadly against teams that lack many answers to Mega Rayquaza and notably prevents Mega Salamence from taking it out reliably. Amoonguss handles Xerneas with Spore and Clear Smog, whereas Togekiss benefits greatly from Delta Stream and is also immune to Dragon-type moves aimed at Rayquaza. Mega Gengar functions as a great secondary Mega Evolution that has a better matchup against Xerneas. Both Gengar and Rayquaza are still good without Mega Evolving, so bringing both is not overly limiting either. Weavile is also popular as a Fake Out partner, and it also provides Feint support while threatening Mega Salamence with Icicle Crash. Feint lets Rayquaza safely break through anything trying to Protect, and Weavile is the only Feint user that outspeeds Mega Rayquaza, which allows it to use Extreme Speed more freely in front of Quick Guard users. This also provides valuable, albeit minor, chip damage to secure KOs against threats investing in bulk to otherwise survive a hit from Mega Rayquaza, and it can turn rolls into safe KOs. The combination of Mega Rayquaza and Weavile is also one of the few pairs that can stop Mental Herb Cresselia from setting up Trick Room.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Dragon Ascent
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Protect Protect
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Air Lock
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
While Mega Rayquaza generally does not need boosting moves, it can utilize Swords Dance to function as powerful wincon that's difficult to stop once it gets a chance to set up. Dragon Ascent is Mega Rayquaza's primary STAB move and necessary for Mega Evolution, and it also OHKOes anything that doesn't resist it after a boost. There are few relevant threats in the format that resist Flying, including Thundurus, Mawile, and Dialga, so it provides fantastic neutral coverage. Extreme Speed is a powerful priority move that outprioritizes all common priority users, and since Rayquaza is faster than all redirection users, this makes it difficult to stop it from picking off threats with a boosted Extreme Speed, even under Trick Room, which Mega Rayquaza normally hates dealing with. Protect is useful for scouting out moves and letting Rayquaza Mega Evolve more reliably. It's also good for baiting attacks after setting up with Swords Dance, as the opponent will likely want to target Mega Rayquaza before it starts breaking through the opposing team.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment is necessary to take advantage of Mega Rayquaza's incredible offensive stats; defensive investment is counterintuitive with Life Orb and Dragon Ascent drops. The leftover EVs are placed in Special Defense. A Jolly nature ensures that Mega Rayquaza outspeeds Timid Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre before Mega Evolving and prevents it from being outsped by the Pokemon edging right below its Speed range such as Infernape, Raichu, Liepard, and opposing Mega Rayquaza. However, Adamant can be used for the extra power, since Mega Rayquaza still outspeeds all restricted legendaries bar Mewtwo, which outspeeds Mega Rayquaza regardless of its nature. However, this comes at the cost of being outsped by maximum Speed Primals on the turn it Mega Evolves. Adamant also ensures that +2 Dragon Ascent will always OHKO standard Cresselia, since most don't run full Defense investment, while also having a much larger chance of OHKOing uninvested Xerneas before setting up.
Life Orb gives Rayquaza a noticeable power boost, which is necessary for securing the aforementioned KOs. Life Orb also guarantees that +2 Dragon Ascent OHKOes 252 HP Primal Groudon. While Focus Sash gives up Life Orb's greater power, it lets Mega Rayquaza set up more comfortably and makes it easier to clean the opposing team even if there's no redirector to protect it, assuming it hasn't already taken damage from spread moves. This makes Mega Rayquaza more difficult to stop once it sets up, since the opponent won't even be able to double target it if Mega Rayquaza is KOing a foe each turn.
Usage Tips
========
Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza will often try to clean up teams, so it's effective later in the game once its checks have been weakened. However, Mega Rayquaza can still finish off many threats even without a boost after just a bit of prior damage, so setting up isn't always necessary late-game. As dangerous as a boosted Rayquaza is, it doesn't need to prioritize setting up every game. Dragon Ascent still does huge damage without setting up, and Extreme Speed offers utility in the form of a priority move that outprioritizes other priority users and redirection. Setting up early is also a viable approach, as it can put huge pressure on checks like Xerneas and forces the opponent to play more aggressively to try to take Mega Rayquaza down. Mega Rayquaza will often be paired with a Fake Out user or redirection to help it set up, so taking advantage of this pressure is vital, since a well-supported Mega Rayquaza is difficult to take down, especially for teams that lack Xerneas.
Team Options
========
This set greatly benefits from redirection to help it find more setup opportunities. Amoonguss and Togekiss are both good options for this, as the former checks Xerneas effectively while the latter offers Tailwind and an immunity to Draco Meteor from Dragon-types like Salamence. Fake Out users such as Weavile and Raichu help ease setup as well. Both also have Feint to break through an opponent trying to Protect itself from Mega Rayquaza, and the chip damage reduces the risk of a foe surviving a hit from Mega Rayquaza otherwise. Mega Rayquaza appreciates Steel-types to threaten Xerneas like Ferrothorn and Aegislash. Aegislash forces mind games with Wide Guard, while Ferrothorn doesn't suffer as much attacking into Xerneas using Protect. In return, Mega Rayquaza threatens Primal Groudon, though it can't OHKO it without a Swords Dance boost. Similarly, Mega Rayquaza lacks the moveslot to cover Steel-types, so Pokemon that can threaten them such as Landorus-T, Talonflame, and Ho-Oh make for effective teammates. Talonflame and Ho-Oh both pressure Xerneas from trying to set up due to their Fairy resistance and strong physical attacks, and they can offer Tailwind support to allow Mega Rayquaza to outspeed a boosted Xerneas. Landorus-T offers Intimidate support while also being able to use Earthquake alongside Mega Rayquaza. All three also benefit from Delta Stream to remove some of their weaknesses, and they appreciate Mega Rayquaza's ability to check Primal Kyogre. Crobat functions similarly to Talonflame by providing Tailwind support, and it has Super Fang to help Mega Rayquaza threaten opposing Xerneas. Super Fang in general makes Mega Rayquaza's job of cleaning late-game much easier too.
Xerneas pairs well with Mega Rayquaza to form an aggressive core of setup sweepers. They both have enough power to muscle through their usual checks together, though this combination lacks a reliable way to beat Steel-types without support, especially if they can't find an opportunity to set up. Primal Kyogre can fire off Origin Pulse and Water Spout more safely with Rayquaza's Air Lock to threaten Primal Groudon switch-ins. Air Lock also nullifies Primal Kyogre's rain boost, though the ability to keep Primal Groudon hesitant to switch in outweighs that drawback. Mega Rayquaza helps Kyogre break past Ferrothorn and Amoonguss as well, which otherwise prove problematic for it. Paralysis support from Thundurus helps Mega Rayquaza beat faster threats such as Mega Salamence and Weavile. It also benefits from Delta Stream removing its troublesome Ice weakness and appreciates Mega Rayquaza's ability to threaten Primal Groudon, which walls Thundurus otherwise. Mega Gengar deals with Xerneas and functions as an effective secondary Mega Evolution to handle matchups that Rayquaza struggles with. It's also possible to safely bring both Mega Evolutions along due to the fact that either one is still effective without Mega Evolving.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flamethrower is a safer alternative to Overheat if missing is a concern. The Steel-types that Overheat hits are still hit hard by Flamethrower, though it can miss out on OHKOs against bulkier Ferrothorn and Mega Mawile, especially if Mega Rayquaza lacks Life Orb. Earth Power KOes Mega Mawile while also hitting Primal Groudon without the risk of missing like Draco Meteor. However, unless Mega Rayquaza is needed to hit both of these, it's better off with either Overheat or Draco Meteor, since Earth Power is much weaker against other threats. Earthquake is a coverage option on the Swords Dance set that lets Mega Rayquaza hit Steel-types like Mega Mawile, Dialga, and Aegislash, though this is difficult to fit on a set, since that means giving up Extreme Speed or Protect, which are both very important. Lum Berry is an option on the Swords Dance set that gives Mega Rayquaza a buffer against status moves such as Dark Void and Thunder Wave, allowing it to set up more easily. However, the power drop from Life Orb and the lack of a safety net that Focus Sash offers make it a less popular choice than those items. Choice Band lets Mega Rayquaza hit incredibly hard without having to worry about Life Orb recoil, at the cost of being locked into a move and losing out on Protect. Dragon Ascent is a very safe move to be locked into as well due to how few threats resist it, and a boosted Extreme Speed is deceptively powerful. Most Pokemon that run bulky spreads also use Life Orb Mega Rayquaza as a benchmark, so the extra power is effective at picking up surprise OHKOs on bulky variants of Xerneas and Primal Kyogre. However, the inability to use Protect can be taken advantage of once the surprise factor is gone.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Xerneas**: Xerneas does not take Dragon Ascent very well and risks a possible OHKO if it doesn't run any bulk investment, but it can outspeed Rayquaza before it Mega Evolves and threatens it with Moonblast or Dazzling Gleam even without setting up. After a Geomancy, Mega Rayquaza struggles to win unless Xerneas has been put in range of Extreme Speed. However, Timid Xerneas is unlikely to OHKO it with an unboosted Dazzling Gleam after a round of Life Orb recoil. It must also be wary of Focus Sash Mega Rayquaza, as the combination of Dragon Ascent and Extreme Speed has a good chance to KO Xerneas.
**Mega Salamence**: Salamence outspeeds Rayquaza before and after they both Mega Evolve, so it can threaten to OHKO it with Draco Meteor. Even if it comes in after Rayquaza has Mega Evolved, it can just use Protect to safely Mega Evolve itself and gain the Speed advantage. Intimidate also reduces Mega Rayquaza's damage output, though Salamence must be wary of Mega Rayquaza hitting it with a Draco Meteor of its own. Redirection support also forces Mega Salamence to use Hyper Voice, which is unable to beat Mega Rayquaza unless it's been weakened.
**Status Ailments**: Mega Rayquaza is very vulnerable to status moves; Thunder Wave from Thundurus and Dark Void from Smeargle are big problems for it, since it can't do much to prevent them unless it runs a Lum Berry. However, Extreme Speed can still pressure many of these status users and a paralyzed Mega Rayquaza can still be threatening with Extreme Speed if it sets up, since it can no longer be put to sleep.
**Steel-types**: Mega Rayquaza struggles with Steel-types if it lacks Overheat or Earth Power, so Dialga, Mega Mawile, and Aegislash can check it effectively. Mega Mawile in particular has Intimidate before it Mega Evolves and it's often used under Trick Room, which gives Mega Rayquaza a difficult time. Ferrothorn still takes huge damage from Dragon Ascent due to its Grass-typing, though if it doesn't get KOed it can retaliate with Gyro Ball.
**Priority Moves**: Mega Rayquaza outprioritizes all relevant priority users with Extreme Speed, but if they're not in range of being KOed by it, Talonflame, Mega Kangaskhan, and Weavile can pick it off with their respective priority moves after Dragon Ascent drops.
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