Metagame SM Monotype Metagame Discussion

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Dharma

komorebi
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I honestly feel that Mewnium Z should be the next consideration for a suspect. Although Mega Medicham is what broke Psychic in a sense, Mewnium Z is one of the reasons why Psychic just became way too good. It completely picks apart stall with little to no team support, and breaks most balanced and HO teams with a bit of team support. With priority taken out of the equation, outspeeding it is one of the only ways to beat it, which is very hard considering how easily it is able to set up a Rock Polish given it's bulk, outspeeding the entire boosted metagame aside from Rock Polish Terrakion and Mega Sharpedo that got lucky with two Protects, even outspeeding Modest Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain, Kingdra in rain, Excadrill in sand, and Choice Scarf Greninja. Factoring in the incredible team support that Psychic has to offer in Deoxys-S, Victini, Alakazam, Mega Alakazam, etc., Mew has little trouble setting up for a sweep. With the only viable counters being Mega Sableye, Alolan Muk to an extent, and specially defensive Psychic types like Mew, and checks being very scarce, I feel that Mewnium Z Mew is definitely something that should be looked into.


Mew @ Mewnium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Rock Polish
 
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I honestly feel that Mewnium Z should be the next consideration for a suspect. Although Mega Medicham is what broke Psychic in a sense, Mewnium Z is one of the reasons why Psychic just became way too good. It completely picks apart stall with little to no team support, and breaks most balanced and HO teams with a bit of team support. With priority taken out of the equation, outspeeding it is one of the only ways to beat it, which is very hard considering how easily it is able to set up a Rock Polish given it's bulk, outspeeding the entire boosted metagame aside from Rock Polish Terrakion and Mega Sharpedo that got lucky with two Protects, even outspeeding Modest Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain, Kingdra in rain, Excadrill in sand, and Choice Scarf Greninja. Factoring in the incredible team support that Psychic has to offer in Deoxys-S, Victini, Alakazam, Mega Alakazam, etc., Mew has little trouble setting up for a sweep. With the only viable counters being Mega Sableye, Alolan Muk to an extent, and specially defensive Psychic types like Mew, and checks being very scarce, I feel that Mewnium Z Mew is definitely something that should be looked into.

While i agree that Mewnium Z could be up for consideration as a potential suspect candidate i don't think we should even consider any suspect candidates before we have let the metagame settle in and see how it shifts. The last suspect ended on wednesday.
 
I don't think we need to be considering anything for suspect, per se, since like Azelea said it's a bit premature. Mega Medicham's ban isn't even implemented on Showdown yet.

But I definitely think Mewnium Z is one of the "borderline" threats we should be keeping an eye on these next few weeks as the metagame settles.

Mewnium Z

While Mega Medicham was ridiculous, Z-Move Mew had already proven itself a huge threat even before it dropped. Genesis Supernova sports a ridiculous 195 BP, extremely powerful even for a Z-Move, and sets Psychic Terrain to boost subsequent Psychics by 1.5x. Backed by Nasty Plot and Rock Polish, Mewnium Z is capable of effortlessly tearing apart slow, bulky teams seen on types such as Flying, Water, and Normal. But Z-Move Mew isn't limited to hazarding bulky teams; it also serves as a tremendous threat against Offense (especially with Deo-S screens support). With great 100/100/100 bulk and solid defensive typing Mew is able to set up and clean offensive teams (such as those seen on Electric, Fire, Ground, Flying, and Water) with extreme ease, often with just Rock Polish.

Mewnium Z is extremely dangerous against builds of all kinds, especially with the support it enjoys on Psychic. I definitely think people should keep their ear to the ground going forward to see if Genesis Supernova proves too difficult for the meta to manage.
 
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So Mega Houndoom and Mega Heracross have been released out of the blue, and I thought I'd take a hot minute to speculate on the kind of splash they'll make in the meta


Dark: Mega Houndoom seems like an interesting option for offensive Dark teams looking to utilize more flexible speed control. While it'd compete with Mega Sharpedo, Mega Houndoom's Fire-typing gives Dark a tool against Fairy- and Steel-type teams; putting pressure on Magearna and checking Mega Scizor.

Fire: It probably won't compete with the Zards, but Mega Houndoom may have a niche on Fire as flexible speed control. Now that Torkoal has drought, Mega Houndoom won't cost you Sun anymore, and will put out wicked offensive pressure with Solar Power boosts. It doesn't offer any of the defensive utility of either Zard, of course, nor does it have X's excellent sweeping potential, but it'll hit ridiculously hard with a good immediate speed tier, and that might be enough for Mega Houndoom to see some usage.


Bug: I'm curious to see how Mega Heracross fares in the current metagame now that many of the balanced builds it preyed on have fallen out of usage, such as Water. It could offer Bug a handy check to offensive threats such with its bulk, or it could serve as a momentum drain whose wallbreaking capacity doesn't offset the opportunity cost of M-Pinsir or M-Scizor..

Fighting: It'll definitely be used, but I don't think it'll help Fighting rise from trash-tier. It's a strong wallbreaker (outclassing band buzzwole) and has solid defenses for checking offensive threats to the team like Mega Scizor, Excadrill, and Azumarill. But Mega Heracross suffers from the same problem as most of Fighting: mediocre speed, which alongside exploitable defensive typing means it'll be forced out pretty often without a defensive backbone to fall back on. I doubt it'll be gamechanging on Fighting.


So yeah those were just some quick thoughts, hopefully we'll be seeing releases for mega evolutions more often going forward. What do you guys think about Mega Houndoom and Mega Heracross?
 
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Acast

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I mostly agree with Tyke on his assessment, but I just wanted to mention one thing I noticed about Houndoom. Its STABs paired with Sludge Bomb hit all three of the most prominent types (Psychic, Steel, and Fairy) for super effective damage. Of course Dark will still struggle with Azumarill, but I'm very excited to test Mega Houndoom on both Fire and Dark, since it seems like it has the potential to be anti-meta.
 
I do agree with the fact that Mega Houndoom will be seen quite a lot on offensive Dark teams. An immediate 115 Speed stat along with amazing coverage is definitely going to help out Dark a lot. Its part Fire typing along with Nasty Plot can allow it to tear through many types that Dark tends to struggle with, like Steel and Fairy, while also doing really well against annoying balanced types like Poison and Grass. Here are some calcs that I thought were pretty cool:

252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Magearna: 338-398 (112.2 - 132.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Magearna: 446-528 (122.8 - 145.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO


+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Thick Fat Venusaur-Mega: 318-374 (87.3 - 102.7%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Porygon2: 262-310 (70 - 82.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 376-444 (95.4 - 112.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 248 HP / 16+ SpD Tapu Fini: 296-350 (86.2 - 102%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO


On Fire, it definitely won't be up to par with the Charizards. But on Dark, it can definitely find a place for itself.
 

Yooo, it's Jo' Z. Not used to talking on the forums but let's talk about Magearna. Right now, I believe that Magearna is the best mon in the meta, hands down. Not only is it on two of the best types in the meta, but it also gains a ton of support from both.

With Fairy, Grassy Terrain + Electric Terrain or even Misty Terrain & Screens allows Magearna to set up way more easily than it already could. A Calm Mind or Shift Gear set on Fairy with the ideal Terrain + Screens allows it to force a good match-up vs pretty much every type, bar possibly Fire.

On the Steel side, A Trick Room or Shift Gear set allows it to beat otherwise troublesome match-ups such as Water, Electric, Dark et cetera, often times with ease.

Overall, it's scary for any type to face and I think it deserves the spot for most threatening mon in Monotype.

With all of that in mind though, do I think it deserves a ban or is broken? I'll be honest, often times I feel it is more threatening than Mega Cham was - which I did vote Ban for - but regardless, I don't particularly see it as ban-worthy, not as yet. Do I have a reason for thinking it's not ban-worthy? I can't say I do lol. Since I just recently got back into the battling scene, I don't know if I can correctly formulate an opinion it so it would be illogical to see it is. All I know is that this mon is highly responsible for the massive prominence of both Fairy and Steel(keep in mind I didn't say it was solely responsible). What I do know though is that I want to see the opinions of other people in the meta to see how they see this massive threat so I and possibly others can have a better understanding on how healthy this is for the meta-personally, I love this mon and how interesting it can make some games but I do dislike the way it completely trashes Dark: one of my favourite types.

So, all in all, what do you think about Magearna?



I'll leave some reference sets that I believe are the most threatening below if you want a specific set to give your opinion on.

Trick Room
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 236 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere

Calm Mind : Fairy
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 92 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Thunderbolt

Shift Gear : Steel Mainly
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Thunderbolt
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
 
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Havens

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Yooo, it's Jo' Z. Not used to talking on the forums but let's talk Magearna. Right now, I believe that Magearna is the best mon in the meta, hands down. Not only is it on two of the best types in the meta, but it also gains a ton of support from both.

With Fairy, Grassy Terrain + Electric Terrain or even Misty Terrain & Screens allows Magearna to set up way more easily than it already could. A Calm Mind or Shift Gear set on Fairy with the ideal Terrain + Screens allows it to force a good match-up vs pretty much every type, bar possibly Fire.

On the Steel side, A Trick Room or Shift Gear set allows it to beat otherwise troublesome match-ups such as Water, Electric, Dark et cetera, often times with ease. Overall, it's scary for any type to face and I think it deserves the spot for most threatening mon.

With all of that in mind though, do I think it deserves a ban or is broken? I'll be honest, often times I feel it is more threatening than Mega Cham was - which I did vote Ban for - but regardless, I don't particularly see it as ban-worthy, not as yet. Do I have a reason for thinking it's not ban-worthy? I can't say I do lol. Since I just recently got back into the battling scene, I don't know if I can correctly formulate an opinion it so it would be illogical to see it is. All I know is that this mon is highly responsible for the massive prominence of both Fairy and Steel(keep in mind I didn't say it was solely responsible). What I do know though is that I want to see the opinions of other people in the meta to see how they see this massive threat so I and possibly others can have a better understanding on how healthy this is for the meta-personally, I love this mon and how interesting it can make some games but I do dislike the way it completely trashes Dark: one of my favourite types.

So, all in all, what do you think about Magearna?



I'll leave some reference sets that I believe are the most threatening below if you want a specific set to give your opinion on.

Trick Room
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 236 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere

Calm Mind : Fairy
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 92 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Thunderbolt

Shift Gear : Steel Mainly
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Thunderbolt
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
Tbh I completely agree with the idea that Magearna is in many ways versatile. Its dangerous typing, decent yet powerful movepool and an ability that is a Special Attack boosting Moxie (that triggers when its opponent dies to ANYTHING) definitely makes it in my eyes the most threatening mon in the meta today. It could be said that it's unhealthy for the game, as it restricts teambuilding to the extent where you have to keep in mind of how to defeat this mon, for either type it is used on.

Would I say it deserves a suspect? Yes.

Would I say it deserves a ban? ...Also Yes.

Why? There's just too much this mon(ster) can do. From Jo' Z's previous mentions, Magearna could run quite a list of moves/sets depending on the type; Fleur Cannon/Flash Cannon and Ice Beam are common moves that it can run, however momentum switching moves such as Volt Switch and Trick Room can be beneficial as well: both Steel and Fairy have reliable U-turners such as M-Scizor and Tapu Koko that always do their best to keep the power in the hands of the player that wields them. Trick Room for Slower Fairy (primarily) and Steel teams also provide a huge benefit, especially considering the teammates that could benefit from it. In terms of Fairy, Brave Mimikyu and Azumarill make up for Specially Defensive Walls such as Chansey that Magearna can't normally break unless it has Calm Mind (Even though most TR Mags carry it anyway).

Offensively, it has the capabilities to Wallbreak nearly every bulky team along with its teammates. Great Base 115 Defenses on each side and a Decent Base 80 HP stat make it so that you're at least living one hit from nearly everything, bar other offensive powerhouses or defensive counters: most notably Sheer Force LO Lando-I, Specs Volcanion, Specially Defensive Heatran and so forth. Defensively, the mon provides for an extra poison immunity that Fairy types need and could use more of (let's face it, Klefki only does so much).

If it's not "broken" now, think further down the road when Mega Diancie and Gardevoir get released and open up an enormous realm of possibilities for Fairy types. With Mega Garde, Poison really doesn't have the upper edge, Dark would have an unwinnable MU without Greninja (granted that MU was already its worst),
Steel would even be threatened by the HP Fire/Focus Blast Nukes it could drop, and make a relatively difficult MU perhaps almost even. Mega Diancie would most likely replace Clefable as a Stealth Rocker, as the new speed mechanics make it less reliant on Protect, and the huge buff to Diamond Storm already makes this prominent force in the past generation even deadlier than it was before (and very suspect).

I don't want to deal with the can of worms that Fairy could have in store if Magearna stays around. Just think about it: Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Azumarill, Klefki, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Diancie, Mimikyu, Clefable, Togekiss, Tapu Fini. Pick any five of these already meta changing threats and add Magearna, the crux of Fairy and its rising dominance. For these reasons, I feel as if Magearna should be banned (or at the very least, suspected.)
 
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Tbh I completely agree with the idea that Magearna is in many ways versatile. Its dangerous typing, decent yet powerful movepool and an ability that is a Special Attack boosting Moxie (that triggers when its opponent dies to ANYTHING) definitely makes it in my eyes the most threatening mon in the meta today. It could be said that it's unhealthy for the game, as it restricts teambuilding to the extent where you have to keep in mind of how to defeat this mon, for either type it is used on.

Would I say it deserves a suspect? Yes.

Would I say it deserves a ban? ...Also Yes.

Why? There's just too much this mon(ster) can do. From Jo' Z's previous mentions, Magearna could run quite a list of moves/sets depending on the type; Fleur Cannon/Flash Cannon and Ice Beam are common moves that it can run, however momentum switching moves such as Volt Switch and Trick Room can be beneficial as well: both Steel and Fairy have reliable U-turners such as M-Scizor and Tapu Koko that always do their best to keep the power in the hands of the player that wields them. Trick Room for Slower Fairy (primarily) and Steel teams also provide a huge benefit, especially considering the teammates that could benefit from it. In terms of Fairy, Brave Mimikyu and Azumarill make up for Specially Defensive Walls such as Chansey that Magearna can't normally break unless it has Calm Mind (Even though most TR Mags carry it anyway).

Offensively, it has the capabilities to Wallbreak nearly every bulky team along with its teammates. Great Base 115 Defenses on each side and a Decent Base 80 HP stat make it so that you're at least living one hit from nearly everything, bar other offensive powerhouses or defensive counters: most notably Sheer Force LO Lando-I, Specs Volcanion, Specially Defensive Heatran and so forth. Defensively, the mon provides for an extra poison immunity that Fairy types need and could use more of (let's face it, Klefki only does so much).

If it's not "broken" now, think further down the road when Mega Diancie and Gardevoir get released and open up an enormous realm of possibilities for Fairy types. With Mega Garde, Poison really doesn't have the upper edge, Dark would have an unwinnable MU without Greninja (granted that MU was already its worst),
Steel would even be threatened by the HP Fire/Focus Blast Nukes it could drop, and make a relatively difficult MU perhaps almost even. Mega Diancie would most likely replace Clefable as a Stealth Rocker, as the new speed mechanics make it less reliant on Protect, and the huge buff to Diamond Storm already makes this prominent force in the past generation even deadlier than it was before (and very suspect).

I don't want to deal with the can of worms that Fairy could have in store if Magearna stays around. Just think about it: Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Azumarill, Klefki, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Diancie, Mimikyu, Clefable, Togekiss, Tapu Fini. Pick any five of these already meta changing threats and add Magearna, the crux of Fairy and its rising dominance. For these reasons, I feel as if Magearna should be banned (or at the very least, suspected.)
I agree 100%, C9. Magearna can be used to fill nearly every common role except lead/antilead-- and who needs more of those on Steel and Fairy, which get Klefki, Clefable, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Jirachi. Mega Diancie or Mega Gardevoir would cause Fairy to only skew further towards having the advantage in theoretically-disadvantageous match ups. If you ask me, there's a reason that one Monotype article uses Fairy vs Steel as the example for why type matchups aren't everything.

If Magearna were EITHER a powerful special wallbreaker a la Serperior OR a bulky pivot like Rotom-W or Jirachi, then it would be okay, in my opinion.

Actually, since I mentioned Jirachi, take a look at it. Jirachi can be a bulky pivot, a sweeper with Z-Happy Hour, or a... well, a Jirachi, with its trademark paraflinch. But, it has to sacrifice one for the opportunity to do the other. Magearna, meanwhile, doesn't have to choose, and can serve all of these roles better than it should.

Consider this alongside the fact that neither Steel nor Fairy will particularly lose much without Magearna in their Pokemon pool. Fairy still has a Poison immunity in Klefki, and will have another Poison counter when Mega Gardevoir is released. Fairy also has arguably every role filled, from breakers like Tapu Bulu and Azumarill to pivots like Tapu Koko to even its very own paraflincher in Togekiss. As far as special breakers go, both Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir are special breakers.

Steel, meanwhile, doesn't lose out much either. Jirachi can pivot and check Fighting-types, Celesteela and Skarmory also check Fighting-types, and much of the standard Steel lineup can take Ghost and Dark-type attacks fairly easily (and Mega Scizor outright counters one or the other type on the offensive side, depending on if it runs Knock Off or Bug Bite). Plus, seeing as one of Steel's most (and only) troublesome matchups is versus Fire, Magearna is actually a detriment in that regard.

Also, incidentally, this might make the Dragon vs Steel matchup a tad more bearable for Dragon teams, instead of getting swept by Shift Gear Magearna once your Garchomp is out.

Combining the fact that A) Magearna is too versatile for its power level, or too powerful for its versatility, and B) once Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie are released, neither Steel nor Fairy will lose any important role-players or must-have checks if Magearna is removed, I agree that it should be at least suspected. The impact of Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie may be different than we anticipate, but Magearna should at least be suspected.
 
While hoopa-u and megacham demolished defensive/balance types with no checks, magearna obliterates many offensive and some balance teams with shift gear/tr and twinkle tackle+fluer cannon. Its only flaw is that it only has 4 moves and can't hit everything supereffective, but does that really matter when you have aura sphere, tbolt, z fluer, ice beam and 5 other mons to take out anything that could possibly tank your mag set at +1. Any type that doesn't resist fairy is threatened by mag sweep especially the ones that tend to be offensive (fighting, flying, dark, ice, electric).
 

twinkay

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Okay, four posts on Magearna so I figured I should respond to them. These reasons are I (and I believe some others) do not believe Magearna should be suspected.

First of all, people seem to be thinking that versatility = brokenness which is definitely not the case. Magearna's pool of checks and counters stay roughly the same no matter what set, because the attacking move Magearna runs aren't that different from set to set (and yes you theoretically could run subpar moves like Ice Beam and Energy Ball but you are going to be losing to many more Pokemon and using these moves in your argument is not helping your case). Also these posts are implying that it is super easy for Magearna to set up which it is obviously untrue; it's pretty easy to wear down with the combination of hazards + offensive pressure and not to mention the fact that it's an important switch-in to moves for both Steel and Fairy. Setting up also is risky when the reward is probably not that great (Calm Mind is easy to revenge kill and Shift Gear is easy to live a hit from). Before breaking down other people's arguments, I'd like to give the reasons why I think Magearna is not a broken threat in this meta. Magearna does not do any job absurdly well; as a wallbreaker and cleaner it's stupidly slow and even at +2 is outsped by some common threats like +1 M-Sharpedo, +1 Scolipede, Scarf Terrakion, Scarf Greninja, Scarf Latios, Sand Rush Excadrill, and Surge Surfer Raichu-A. Shift Gear's main problem, however, is how easy it is to wall or live a hit from. Common walls in Mono right now can easily deal with it (e.g. Heatran, Chansey, M-Scizor, Celesteela, Zapdos, Mew) and the fact that Fleur Cannon lowers Special Attack means that it's hard to consistently pressure walls with your STAB move, definitely a downside. Specs and AV are easily revenged (which means the whole "Magearna kills offense" argument is false but I'll get into that later) and OTR is just a worse Shift Gear, not sure why that is being brought up as much as it is. Anyway, onto the arguments:

To start with...
Mega Diancie or Mega Gardevoir would cause Fairy to only skew further towards having the advantage in theoretically-disadvantageous match ups.
If it's not "broken" now, think further down the road when Mega Diancie and Gardevoir get released and open up an enormous realm of possibilities for Fairy types.
We are talking about the metagame right now, so bringing up future Mega releases that we have no idea are going to happen is neither improving the validity of your argument nor making an actual decent argument.

There's just too much this mon(ster) can do. From Jo' Z's previous mentions, Magearna could run quite a list of moves/sets depending on the type; Fleur Cannon/Flash Cannon and Ice Beam are common moves that it can run, however momentum switching moves such as Volt Switch and Trick Room can be beneficial as well: both Steel and Fairy have reliable U-turners such as M-Scizor and Tapu Koko that always do their best to keep the power in the hands of the player that wields them. Trick Room for Slower Fairy (primarily) and Steel teams also provide a huge benefit, especially considering the teammates that could benefit from it.
magearna obliterates many offensive and some balance teams with shift gear/tr and twinkle tackle+fluer cannon. Its only flaw is that it only has 4 moves and can't hit everything supereffective, but does that really matter when you have aura sphere, tbolt, z fluer, ice beam and 5 other mons to take out anything that could possibly tank your mag set at +1. Any type that doesn't resist fairy is threatened by mag sweep especially the ones that tend to be offensive (fighting, flying, dark, ice, electric).
As I've stated before, versatility isn't necessarily indicative of anything does not mean Magearna is broken. This is definitely not a good main argument. Magearna has a very similar pool of checks no matter which set it is running, it is not like you have to dedicate a Choice Specs check and an AV check and a Shift Gear check because they all essentially have the same coverage: Fairy / Fighting / Electric / (maybe) Steel. This is not that hard to check, as I have said previously. Don't want to parrot myself too much so I'll just leave that at that, but this argument is just plain unconvincing.

Also, incidentally, this might make the Dragon vs Steel matchup a tad more bearable for Dragon teams, instead of getting swept by Shift Gear Magearna once your Garchomp is out.
Any type that doesn't resist fairy is threatened by mag sweep especially the ones that tend to be offensive (fighting, flying, dark, ice, electric).
Overall, it's scary for any type to face and I think it deserves the spot for most threatening mon in Monotype.
No, Magearna is not responsible for how Dragon, Ice, Dark, and Fighting aren't good types right now. People tend to point fingers at Magearna as it happens to be a good mon on both types that threaten this list of types but it's the entirety of these types, not Magearna itself, holding them back. Magearna exploits the general weakness of many of these types to powerful Fairy STAB but that does not make it banworthy. Face it, these matchups would not be much better without Magearna.
Also, many seem to believe that Magearna is a huge threat to every type when it's definitely not, I'm just going to say a few off the top of my head: Steel, Normal, Ground, Water, Electric, Flying, Psychic, Fire. Keep in mind that all of these are top-tier or decent types in this metagame.

Closing thoughts on Magearna (use this as your tl;dr): Magearna is definitely a good Pokemon, but not suspect-worthy. It capitalizes on weaknesses of subpar or bad types and has weaknesses no matter which set it runs. Pretty much every type has one or two checks to it and can succesfully revenge kill it. Soul-Heart, while a good ability, is basically special Moxie which people are over-dramatizing in my opinion; Magearna has a low speed tier and relies on set up to actually sweep the opposing team (unless it is super slow like Water Stall). Except wait! Don't quote me on saying that Magearna invalidates stall which it does not--the format of Monotype makes it extremely hard to be effective. Balanced or offensive, teams have checks to Magearna that aren't uncommon or bad. The arguments for suspecting Magearna are the same and really are not that great, and I have yet to be convinced that Magearna is even remotely deserving of a suspect.

Sorry for the long post!
 
Okay, four posts on Magearna so I figured I should respond to them. These reasons are I (and I believe some others) do not believe Magearna should be suspected.

First of all, people seem to be thinking that versatility = brokenness which is definitely not the case. Magearna's pool of checks and counters stay roughly the same no matter what set, because the attacking move Magearna runs aren't that different from set to set (and yes you theoretically could run subpar moves like Ice Beam and Energy Ball but you are going to be losing to many more Pokemon and using these moves in your argument is not helping your case). Also these posts are implying that it is super easy for Magearna to set up which it is obviously untrue; it's pretty easy to wear down with the combination of hazards + offensive pressure and not to mention the fact that it's an important switch-in to moves for both Steel and Fairy. Setting up also is risky when the reward is probably not that great (Calm Mind is easy to revenge kill and Shift Gear is easy to live a hit from). Before breaking down other people's arguments, I'd like to give the reasons why I think Magearna is not a broken threat in this meta. Magearna does not do any job absurdly well; as a wallbreaker and cleaner it's stupidly slow and even at +2 is outsped by some common threats like +1 M-Sharpedo, +1 Scolipede, Scarf Terrakion, Scarf Greninja, Scarf Latios, Sand Rush Excadrill, and Surge Surfer Raichu-A. Shift Gear's main problem, however, is how easy it is to wall or live a hit from. Common walls in Mono right now can easily deal with it (e.g. Heatran, Chansey, M-Scizor, Celesteela, Zapdos, Mew) and the fact that Fleur Cannon lowers Special Attack means that it's hard to consistently pressure walls with your STAB move, definitely a downside. Specs and AV are easily revenged (which means the whole "Magearna kills offense" argument is false but I'll get into that later) and OTR is just a worse Shift Gear, not sure why that is being brought up as much as it is. Anyway, onto the arguments:

To start with...


We are talking about the metagame right now, so bringing up future Mega releases that we have no idea are going to happen is neither improving the validity of your argument nor making an actual decent argument.



As I've stated before, versatility isn't necessarily indicative of anything does not mean Magearna is broken. This is definitely not a good main argument. Magearna has a very similar pool of checks no matter which set it is running, it is not like you have to dedicate a Choice Specs check and an AV check and a Shift Gear check because they all essentially have the same coverage: Fairy / Fighting / Electric / (maybe) Steel. This is not that hard to check, as I have said previously. Don't want to parrot myself too much so I'll just leave that at that, but this argument is just plain unconvincing.





No, Magearna is not responsible for how Dragon, Ice, Dark, and Fighting aren't good types right now. People tend to point fingers at Magearna as it happens to be a good mon on both types that threaten this list of types but it's the entirety of these types, not Magearna itself, holding them back. Magearna exploits the general weakness of many of these types to powerful Fairy STAB but that does not make it banworthy. Face it, these matchups would not be much better without Magearna.
Also, many seem to believe that Magearna is a huge threat to every type when it's definitely not, I'm just going to say a few off the top of my head: Steel, Normal, Ground, Water, Electric, Flying, Psychic, Fire. Keep in mind that all of these are top-tier or decent types in this metagame.

Closing thoughts on Magearna (use this as your tl;dr): Magearna is definitely a good Pokemon, but not suspect-worthy. It capitalizes on weaknesses of subpar or bad types and has weaknesses no matter which set it runs. Pretty much every type has one or two checks to it and can succesfully revenge kill it. Soul-Heart, while a good ability, is basically special Moxie which people are over-dramatizing in my opinion; Magearna has a low speed tier and relies on set up to actually sweep the opposing team (unless it is super slow like Water Stall). Except wait! Don't quote me on saying that Magearna invalidates stall which it does not--the format of Monotype makes it extremely hard to be effective. Balanced or offensive, teams have checks to Magearna that aren't uncommon or bad. The arguments for suspecting Magearna are the same and really are not that great, and I have yet to be convinced that Magearna is even remotely deserving of a suspect.

Sorry for the long post!
Of course Magearna isn't singlehandedly responsible for making those four types bad. Fairy's power in general and the fact that Ice is kinda just terrible account for that. And yes, it is possible to check Magearna. I think the reason people are talking about the ability is because Magearna can set up fairly easily with either SG or CM, but it's not particularly risky to do so, compared to setting up Salamence with a DD or choice-locking yourself into Scarfacross.

Now that I think about it, I think Magearna kinda got the short end of the stick because of how good Fairy is in general. After thinking about it last night and reading your post today, I'm thinking Magearna may be borderline suspectable, but also is just in the spotlight by accident. Steel/Fairy is one of those typings you really really need to make something mono-viable (see also: Poison/Dark Alolan Muk; Ghost/Dark Sableye), and Klefki isn't very good as a straight-up counter (and Mawile isn't very good without the banned mega). Magearna just seems like it can play too many roles purely from an optics point of view. Hell, if it wasn't for the typing, I could make a team without Magearna, since there are other breakers and pivots that can only play that role, but do it better than Magearna could.

Also, after thinking about it, I feel like Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie may actually make Magearna more necessary as a counter for Steel-types, because the always-present Mega Scizor and Celesteela can crush both of the upcoming megas in their own way.

I don't think the metagame would change all that much if Magearna was suspected save for the likely toning-down of Fairy as a dominant type. I do think that Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir could rebalance the game if Magearna was banned by providing Poison counters (both neutrality; Epower for MD and Psychic for MG), but it's hard to tell.

My revised opinion: Don't suspect Magearna until Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie are released, and then wait to see what role it plays alongside the megas. Like I mentioned, Magearna could cause Fairy to become too overpowered with the new megas, but it could also become more necessary for the Fairy-Steel matchup.
 
Also, many seem to believe that Magearna is a huge threat to every type when it's definitely not, I'm just going to say a few off the top of my head: Steel, Normal, Ground, Water, Electric, Flying, Psychic, Fire. Keep in mind that all of these are top-tier or decent types in this metagame.
I believe this was to rebut my post but you fail to show how it cannot be a huge threat to every type. You name a lot of types but lack the proof to show me that it's not a huge threat to said types. Two mains subjects you seem to not pay heed to is that Magearna doesn't run/need to run one particular set and it also gains a lot of support from other Mons on the team, which was a main point of my original post. I don't know the best way to respond but here goes.

Steel : Well, Steel handles Magearna relatively well but a Shift Gear Fightinium Z Shift Gear Set could tear through Steel with the right support. I'll give you this one though as the set is not all too common and is not as widely viable.
Normal: Chansey, fair enough.
Ground: This, I have to disagree with. When paired with Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain, a Trick Room set could tear through more than half of Ground. It is obviously not the main threat that ground has to deal with, but it's a huge threat none-the-less, especially when not paying attention to it as if it were one.
Water: Again, hugely disagree. A Calm Mind/Shift Gear Set can mess up Water quite easily as Swampert and Lanturn - the main switch ins to Thunderbolt - don't appreciate a boosted Fleur Cannon/Twinkle Tackle by any means.
Electric: Trick Room Magearna, again, can wreak havoc on Electric as it can take out the standard Zapdos after rocks with Twinkle Tackle and none of the team appreciates the combination of Fighting Move + Fleur. Furthermore, it doesn't fall to any one hit from any mon on Electric, unless they're running some unorthodox set.
Flying: Again, Fleur Cannon/Twinkle Tackle + TBolt is not easy to switch into and it can set up on quite a few Mons like Mantine, especially with the support that Fairy gives.
Psychic: Handles Magearna fairly well as Scarf Tini is a pretty solid answer to it and an overall threat to both types overall. I'll say fair enough on this one but Magearna can still weaken Tini for a Late Game sweep.
Fire: Not much to say here. Magearna doesn't set up on anything, which I stated earlier.

You seem to be taking Magearna way too lightly. I can obviously see your argument of why it's not broken, which is valid, but saying it's not a huge threat to most types is not sound in my opinion. Magearna, alone and in conjunction with all the partners it gets, can make itself a threat to most types and shouldn't be underestimated.
 
I believe this was to rebut my post but you fail to show how it cannot be a huge threat to every type. You name a lot of types but lack the proof to show me that it's not a huge threat to said types. Two mains subjects you seem to not pay heed to is that Magearna doesn't run/need to run one particular set and it also gains a lot of support from other Mons on the team, which was a main point of my original post. I don't know the best way to respond but here goes.

Steel : Well, Steel handles Magearna relatively well but a Shift Gear Fightinium Z Shift Gear Set could tear through Steel with the right support. I'll give you this one though as the set is not all too common and is not as widely viable.
Normal: Chansey, fair enough.
Ground: This, I have to disagree with. When paired with Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain, a Trick Room set could tear through more than half of Ground. It is obviously not the main threat that ground has to deal with, but it's a huge threat none-the-less, especially when not paying attention to it as if it were one.
Water: Again, hugely disagree. A Calm Mind/Shift Gear Set can mess up Water quite easily as Swampert and Lanturn - the main switch ins to Thunderbolt - don't appreciate a boosted Fleur Cannon/Twinkle Tackle by any means.
Electric: Trick Room Magearna, again, can wreak havoc on Electric as it can take out the standard Zapdos after rocks with Twinkle Tackle and none of the team appreciates the combination of Fighting Move + Fleur. Furthermore, it doesn't fall to any one hit from any mon on Electric, unless they're running some unorthodox set.
Flying: Again, Fleur Cannon/Twinkle Tackle + TBolt is not easy to switch into and it can set up on quite a few Mons like Mantine, especially with the support that Fairy gives.
Psychic: Handles Magearna fairly well as Scarf Tini is a pretty solid answer to it and an overall threat to both types overall. I'll say fair enough on this one but Magearna can still weaken Tini for a Late Game sweep.
Fire: Not much to say here. Magearna doesn't set up on anything, which I stated earlier.

You seem to be taking Magearna way too lightly. I can obviously see your argument of why it's not broken, which is valid, but saying it's not a huge threat to most types is not sound in my opinion. Magearna, alone and in conjunction with all the partners it gets, can make itself a threat to most types and shouldn't be underestimated.
Although I agree magearna is a threat, I think you are over-estimating it's abilities. It doesnt go beyond what it is, a set-up sweeper. It relies heavily on it's teammates for support to let itself do an end game sweep. In your above post you are making it sound like a much bigger threat than it is by naming a few different sets. CM, Shift Gear, TR, Fairium Z , Fightinium Z. The problem with magearna is that it can really only run about 3 coverage moves, and even then it is very restricted. I also think you are underestimating how weak an aurasphere from a magearna is. Fleur cannon is strong ill give you that, but unboosted coverage is really weak.
Also in all those types mentioned above, none of them really have magearna as the main threat. Steel, Normal, Ground, Psychic, Flying, for the most part all care more about azumarill,bulu, or koko. Magearna is more of a second hand threat in those matches, and doesnt shine through as the main one. I'm speaking on behalf of fairy only rn.
KittenGaming said pretty much all I could say, so I went dwell on it too much. But to re-iterate, it is too slow, and requires a lot of team support to be able to function.

To avoid making this a short post, I'd like to point out that on steel, I think magearna's best set is definitely TR. It's late game sweeping capabilities are amazing, as steel does a pretty good job of whittling down opposing teams. It handles types like fighting, dark, flying, dragon that usually beat steel. It also grants TR, which steel appreciates as it isn't the speediest type. It's amazing typing and hp invested bulk allow it to live strong hits and almost always get a TR off. I sugget trying it out and seeing how much better it is than shift gear.
 
Although I agree magearna is a threat, I think you are over-estimating it's abilities. It doesnt go beyond what it is, a set-up sweeper. It relies heavily on it's teammates for support to let itself do an end game sweep. In your above post you are making it sound like a much bigger threat than it is by naming a few different sets. CM, Shift Gear, TR, Fairium Z , Fightinium Z. The problem with magearna is that it can really only run about 3 coverage moves, and even then it is very restricted. I also think you are underestimating how weak an aurasphere from a magearna is. Fleur cannon is strong ill give you that, but unboosted coverage is really weak.
Also in all those types mentioned above, none of them really have magearna as the main threat. Steel, Normal, Ground, Psychic, Flying, for the most part all care more about azumarill,bulu, or koko. Magearna is more of a second hand threat in those matches, and doesnt shine through as the main one. I'm speaking on behalf of fairy only rn.
KittenGaming said pretty much all I could say, so I went dwell on it too much. But to re-iterate, it is too slow, and requires a lot of team support to be able to function.

To avoid making this a short post, I'd like to point out that on steel, I think magearna's best set is definitely TR. It's late game sweeping capabilities are amazing, as steel does a pretty good job of whittling down opposing teams. It handles types like fighting, dark, flying, dragon that usually beat steel. It also grants TR, which steel appreciates as it isn't the speediest type. It's amazing typing and hp invested bulk allow it to live strong hits and almost always get a TR off. I sugget trying it out and seeing how much better it is than shift gear.
I've actually never tried the TR set despite being a Steel main; would you recommend it? I tend to run Scarf Drill for decent speed and beyond that I've never had speed be an issue, since Heatran, Jirachi, and others are very tanky, and skillful Bisharp play more or less negates speed. But, I've never tried this TR set, and maybe it would be useful (especially since Bisharp makes an excellent cleaner after SD, and its base speed is even lower than Mag's).
 
With Houndoomite and Heracrossite my major opinions on the two stand as this
Houndoomite only has viability on Dark teams, as it can handle Steel, (and the aftermentioned Magerena) Fairy, and such, but as said before it competes with Sharpedonite... and with the most (broken) used Dark type mega, Sableite, which is where it basically finds a niche for handling magerena and that's it.
For fire it cannot beat its way past the wall that is known as the Mega Zards and might be used for less "serious" fire mono teams.

Heracrossite will be used next to none on both Bug and Fighting, as with Bug it needs to compete with the valuable Pinsirite, and the rather used Scizorite, and the only major niche it can use, is banned by Monotype, which is Baton pass support. If BP wasn't banned it might be a big threat, but since it is, then it basically has to rely on web support, which only helps against Fire, and Steel two types that essentially make Bug look like a joke. Flying however is arguably Bugs biggest threat as without genesect, flying mows through bug quickly.

for fighting it will find next to no useage (unless on "less serious" fighting teams...) as it has flying to worry about, and has absoultly zero above mentioned web support, making it a weak addition to fighting's roster, Essentially its more worth it to not USE mega heracross than using NORMAL heracross with a scarf.
 
I've actually never tried the TR set despite being a Steel main; would you recommend it? I tend to run Scarf Drill for decent speed and beyond that I've never had speed be an issue, since Heatran, Jirachi, and others are very tanky, and skillful Bisharp play more or less negates speed. But, I've never tried this TR set, and maybe it would be useful (especially since Bisharp makes an excellent cleaner after SD, and its base speed is even lower than Mag's).
Well speed isn't that much an issue for steel. There are a bunch of tank pokemon on steel to make up for that fact. However, when it comes to sweeping, steel relies mainly on priority, from the likes of SD scizor and Bisharp. Magearna offers an alternative way to sweep, and with its coverage moves that are rare on steel, it does a great job at it. The reason I think it outclasses shift gear is because you are able to invest in hp, which is a huge plus, as it allows mag to become that much tankier with its great typing. And the second is because using shift gear pressures you into playing recklessly, as setting it up usually means you already took damage and now you want to make sure that mag does something atleast. And also because +2 speed mag doesn't out speed everything relevant. After using TR you can switch out and also maintain momentum as Ur bulky mons will now move first. I would definitely recommend it, try the set Jo'z posted. I like to use it as a late game sweeper.
 
Well speed isn't that much an issue for steel. There are a bunch of tank pokemon on steel to make up for that fact. However, when it comes to sweeping, steel relies mainly on priority, from the likes of SD scizor and Bisharp. Magearna offers an alternative way to sweep, and with its coverage moves that are rare on steel, it does a great job at it. The reason I think it outclasses shift gear is because you are able to invest in hp, which is a huge plus, as it allows mag to become that much tankier with its great typing. And the second is because using shift gear pressures you into playing recklessly, as setting it up usually means you already took damage and now you want to make sure that mag does something atleast. And also because +2 speed mag doesn't out speed everything relevant. After using TR you can switch out and also maintain momentum as Ur bulky mons will now move first. I would definitely recommend it, try the set Jo'z posted. I like to use it as a late game sweeper.
Maybe I'll try it. Min speed Mag plus min speed Bisharp plus min speed Gyro Ball Doublade, maybe.
 
Maybe I'll try it. Min speed Mag plus min speed Bisharp plus min speed Gyro Ball Doublade, maybe.
There's a difference between a TR team and a TR sweeper. Your entire team is not supposed to be TR based just because you have a TR mon. TR is an alternative to shift gear, with a few benefits like extra bulk and being able to run modest. Magearna is an add-on to ur team in this case, not what you should be building around.
Sorry for these short posts but just wanted to clarify. PM me if you need extra help.
 
Although I agree magearna is a threat, I think you are over-estimating it's abilities. It doesnt go beyond what it is, a set-up sweeper. It relies heavily on it's teammates for support to let itself do an end game sweep. In your above post you are making it sound like a much bigger threat than it is by naming a few different sets. CM, Shift Gear, TR, Fairium Z , Fightinium Z. The problem with magearna is that it can really only run about 3 coverage moves, and even then it is very restricted. I also think you are underestimating how weak an aurasphere from a magearna is. Fleur cannon is strong ill give you that, but unboosted coverage is really weak.
Also in all those types mentioned above, none of them really have magearna as the main threat. Steel, Normal, Ground, Psychic, Flying, for the most part all care more about azumarill,bulu, or koko. Magearna is more of a second hand threat in those matches, and doesnt shine through as the main one. I'm speaking on behalf of fairy only rn.
KittenGaming said pretty much all I could say, so I went dwell on it too much. But to re-iterate, it is too slow, and requires a lot of team support to be able to function.

To avoid making this a short post, I'd like to point out that on steel, I think magearna's best set is definitely TR. It's late game sweeping capabilities are amazing, as steel does a pretty good job of whittling down opposing teams. It handles types like fighting, dark, flying, dragon that usually beat steel. It also grants TR, which steel appreciates as it isn't the speediest type. It's amazing typing and hp invested bulk allow it to live strong hits and almost always get a TR off. I sugget trying it out and seeing how much better it is than shift gear.
I do agree with you. Fairy does have other Mons that threaten the other types more greatly than Magearna does. My main point, however, is that you cannot forget the damage that Magearna can do if you don't treat it as a threat. If you focus on any one Mon too hard, you can end up sacking the mon that stops Magearna from actually winning. This is what I mean by support. The fact that other Mons on the team are more threatening for certain types is evident but I was trying to show how sidelining Magearna is not an option for the opponent.


By the way, if anyone thinks I'm in favour of wanting a ban or a suspect, I'm not. I just want to highlight the prevalence of Magearna in the meta.
 
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With Houndoomite and Heracrossite my major opinions on the two stand as this
Houndoomite only has viability on Dark teams, as it can handle Steel, (and the aftermentioned Magerena) Fairy, and such, but as said before it competes with Sharpedonite... and with the most (broken) used Dark type mega, Sableite, which is where it basically finds a niche for handling magerena and that's it.
For fire it cannot beat its way past the wall that is known as the Mega Zards and might be used for less "serious" fire mono teams.

Heracrossite will be used next to none on both Bug and Fighting, as with Bug it needs to compete with the valuable Pinsirite, and the rather used Scizorite, and the only major niche it can use, is banned by Monotype, which is Baton pass support. If BP wasn't banned it might be a big threat, but since it is, then it basically has to rely on web support, which only helps against Fire, and Steel two types that essentially make Bug look like a joke. Flying however is arguably Bugs biggest threat as without genesect, flying mows through bug quickly.

for fighting it will find next to no useage (unless on "less serious" fighting teams...) as it has flying to worry about, and has absoultly zero above mentioned web support, making it a weak addition to fighting's roster, Essentially its more worth it to not USE mega heracross than using NORMAL heracross with a scarf.
I would have to disagree about Mega Heracross on Fighting. Fighting literally has no competition for a Mega slot, so it isn't as tough to fit onto a team as it is on Bug. It serves as a better wallbreaker than Buzzwole in certain cases due to being more consistent in one of the main matchups that Buzzwole is supposed to aid: Ground. Scarf sets are walled by Hippowdon, and Banded sets aren't too difficult to revenge kill. Mega Heracross also has higher special bulk, making it more equipped to handle special threats than Buzzwole. And even in the Psychic matchup, Mega Heracross does a nice job of breaking through pesky Pokemon on balanced Psychic teams like Mega Slowbro and Jirachi, and against offensive Psychic, it can make sure Deoxys-Speed will only get off 1 hazard/screen before it dies to Pin Missile (Jolly sets have a 93% chance even behind Reflect). Mega Heracross is capable of breaking through certain cores/Pokemon that Scarf Heracross has trouble with, like Swampert+Mantine, Hippowdon+Gastrodon, SubToxic Zapdos, and the aforementioned Mega Slowbro+Jirachi on balanced Psychic.

Mega Heracross is far from useless, and I can definitely see it being prevalent even on "serious" Fighting teams.
 
I would have to disagree about Mega Heracross on Fighting. Fighting literally has no competition for a Mega slot, so it isn't as tough to fit onto a team as it is on Bug. It serves as a better wallbreaker than Buzzwole in certain cases due to being more consistent in one of the main matchups that Buzzwole is supposed to aid: Ground. Scarf sets are walled by Hippowdon, and Banded sets aren't too difficult to revenge kill. Mega Heracross also has higher special bulk, making it more equipped to handle special threats than Buzzwole. And even in the Psychic matchup, Mega Heracross does a nice job of breaking through pesky Pokemon on balanced Psychic teams like Mega Slowbro and Jirachi, and against offensive Psychic, it can make sure Deoxys-Speed will only get off 1 hazard/screen before it dies to Pin Missile (Jolly sets have a 93% chance even behind Reflect). Mega Heracross is capable of breaking through certain cores/Pokemon that Scarf Heracross has trouble with, like Swampert+Mantine, Hippowdon+Gastrodon, SubToxic Zapdos, and the aforementioned Mega Slowbro+Jirachi on balanced Psychic.

Mega Heracross is far from useless, and I can definitely see it being prevalent even on "serious" Fighting teams.
True I suppose (would like to say who actually uses fighting anymore but... yeah) but that's counting on those things, he makes a good wall breaker but Jirachi is normally faster, plus for Fighting, Ground isn't a worry, Flying, Psychic, and Ghost are worries, while one is almost neverused (Ghost) the other two are used considerably more and make up big threats in the metagame, Heracross M can live a hit or two before going down, I'm sorry I forgot about that, but on fighting as it stands, I don't know if Mega Hera is going to make a big difference in the long run.
 
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/azure-gen7monotype-120828

If one more person tells me Magearna doesn't need to be banned. I'll scream; and I was the one using it.
Literally ran the stupidest set I could think of (frustration was an accident, it was supposed to be fleur cannon)
Guess what. It swept.
If you are going to post a replay, atleast post one where both players are using team that atleast somewhat represent the type. Your opponent made very dumb plays. The grass team was also pretty bad. The reason magearna swept was because it got 2 flinches with iron head, as well as a sleep powder miss. Your opponent also lacked staple mons like ferrothorn that would completely check the "stupidest" set that you were running. I have no issue with you making a statement about magearna being banned, but please do so with legitimate evidence. This was an extremely bad example to back up ur argument.

Again, to avoid making this a short post, I'd like to comment about magearna's impact on the metagame so far. I have realized that whenever I am building a team, I have to keep in mind magearna's TR steel set whenever I build. I think late game, it is able to completely sweep types like Dragon, Dark, Water, Fighting, and Electric (Ice and Rock too but lol). And it can sweep those without much effort. With good plays, I believe it can also turn matchups like ground, psychic, and flying around as well. Although I don't think its broken, I am seeing the impact it is having, and is forcing me to build teams that have a check to it.
 
Galladite, Gardevoirite, and Lopunnite have been announced as the next three mega stones to be released in-game, and will be distributed in late June as a reward for participation in the "Tiny Tourney".

So I thought I'd share some brief thoughts on each and the splash they might make in the metagame. Hooray for relevant megas!


Mega Gallade is a strong set up sweeper with excellent STAB coverage, speed, and solid mixed bulk and will likely see relevant usage on both types. I think it need go unsaid why Mega Gallade will be appreciated by Fighting teams, with it's capacity to hazard Poison, Psychic, etc. And while it's not the wallbreaker Megacham was, Mega Gallade offers Psychic valuable Fighting-type STAB for Steel, Normal, and Dark matchups, and any Psychic-type that isn't easily trapped by Alola Muk is neat. However, it'll face stiff competition for the Mega Slot with the following...


Mega Gardevoir is a potent wallbreaker for Psychic and Fairy teams with a monstrous 165 Special Attack and Pixilate. Fairy appreciates Psychic-type STAB to hazard Poison teams, and Fairy-STAB ofc will also be nice for Psychic teams in the Dark matchup. Mega Voir has good utility options as well, such as Will o Wisp to cripple Alola Muk or Taunt or Healing Wish. Trace Utility isn't to be scoffed at either, allowing Gardevoir to revenge kill threats such as Excadrill and Kingdra. Mega Gardevoir is definitely going to see usage on both Fairy and Psychic teams, but I'm curious to see how all these psychic megas end up stacking up over the next few months and what ends up being the "generic" build.


Mega Lopunny was a staple of Normal teams in gen 6 and I see no reason this gen will be any different. Scrappy Fighting-type STAB offers a lot to Normal teams by hazarding Steel, Ghost, and Dark. The perfect coverage Mega Lop's STABs create gives her the room to make use of a wide movepool: Fake Out, Ice Punch, Encore, etc. On top of priority, Mega Lopunny is fast even in a gen with speedsters as such as Greninja and Tapu Koko. All this lets the bunny fit comfortably onto both Balanced and more Offensive builds, poising Mega Lopunny to be the Mega Evolution of choice for Normal once again this gen.

-

P.S. Oh yeah, also Swampertite and Sceptilite were released and should be usable on Showdown sometime this week.
 
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