The Doctor is in! Mega Audino in NU

By ChrystalFalchion. Art by Sparkl3y.
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Mega Audino

Audino's History

Audino was introduced in BW and was meant to be that generation's Chansey. Unfortunately though, it was nowhere near as bulky as Chansey (or indeed Blissey), and being a pure Normal-type in what some called "the Fighting-type generation" didn't help its viability either. As a result, Audino was passed up in the higher tiers and found itself in NU. It did manage to carve out a niche for itself as a great Wish passer, as Regenerator made it a more consistent choice over Lickilicky. However, it did face major competition from Alomomola, which had better typing and could pass much bigger Wishes. Audino did have Heal Bell and superior special bulk over the fish, however.

Life was much the same for Audino in XY. Once again, the higher tiers passed over Audino in favor of other walls such as Chansey in OU, Blissey in UU, and Registeel in RU. Things were better for it in NU this time, though, as it didn't have to compete with Alomomola.

However, ORAS's release granted a respite for Audino, as it got a Mega Evolution that fixed most of its issues. Its bulk was dramatically increased, making it among the bulkiest Pokémon in the tier. It gained Fairy typing, losing its common Fighting weakness while gaining Bug and Dark resistances and a Dragon immunity. Its Special Attack got a small boost too, making it less passive than before. In RU, UU, OU, and (to a lesser extent) Ubers, choosing which Mega Evolution your team will use can be a daunting task. This is not the case in NU: at the time of writing, Audino is the only Mega Evolution allowed in the NU tier. While this still wasn't enough to get Audino out of NU, its Mega Evolution is now considered one of the best Pokémon in the tier.

Mega Audino's Qualities

When looking at Mega Audino, the first thing that jumps out is that amazing bulk. 103 / 126 / 126 bulk is incredible—to put that into perspective, it actually has better overall bulk than Steelix. Wish offers Mega Audino reliable recovery, and its aforementioned bulk makes it easily the best Wish passer in NU. Its support movepool in general is very good, with Wish backed up by useful utility moves such as Heal Bell, Encore, Knock Off, Thunder Wave, and Toxic. Its offensive movepool isn't lacking either, with STAB Dazzling Gleam backed up by good coverage moves in Fire Blast, Surf, Grass Knot, Psychic, and BoltBeam.

Normal / Fairy typing is solid defensively and offensively. Defensively, it grants Mega Audino Bug and Dark resistances along with Ghost and Dragon immunities. Steel- and Poison-type weaknesses can be problematic, but luckily both are fairly easy to cover. Offensively, Fairy-type moves are tied with Rock-, Dark-, and Flying-type moves for having the best neutral coverage: only three types resist them, with absolutely nothing (bar the rare Shedinja) being immune to them. Regenerator pre-Mega can also help Audino pivot into weaker attacks.

However, Mega Audino has its faults. Base 50 Speed is still pretty slow, and a weak STAB move coupled with an unremarkable base 80 Special Attack means it won't be doing much damage before a Calm Mind or two. Worse yet, Healer is totally useless in single battles.

Playing with Mega Audino

Mega Audino

After a few Calm Minds, this set can be almost unbreakable. Calm Mind boosts Mega Audino's average Special Attack to good levels while taking its Special Defense to untouchable levels. Dazzling Gleam serves as the STAB move, since nothing is immune to it. As for the final two moves, you can use Wish and Protect to have Audino double as a Wish passer. However, this combination makes Mega Audino more susceptible to Toxic. Rest and Sleep Talk trade the utility of Wish for negating poison, burn, and paralysis. 48 Special Attack EVs let Audino 3HKO 252 / 252+ SpD Malamar most of the time. The rest of the EVs are placed in HP and Defense to maximize physical bulk. Since Calm Mind boosts Special Attack and Special Defense, they don't need investment. You could also run Heal Bell with Wish, but Wish is much harder to use without Protect.

This set plays differently depending on what moves you run in the final two slots. If you run Wish and Protect, this set should focus on passing Wishes to its teammates early- or mid-game. Therefore, you'll generally want to delay Mega Evolving until you're ready to start boosting, as Regenerator lets Audino regain health upon switching out. Wait until the Steel- and Poison-types are down before boosting, as many of them can bring this set to a premature halt.

Mega Audino

This set can catch many NU Pokémon off guard with its surprising power and coverage. Calm Mind boosts Mega Audino's average Special Attack, letting it 2HKO most of NU after a boost or two. Dazzling Gleam serves as this set's STAB move, and it does major damage to Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-types. Fire Blast gets great coverage with Dazzling Gleam, handling the Steel-types that resist it. For example, after a Calm Mind, Fire Blast OHKOes standard Steelix after Stealth Rock. The last slot can be tailored to suit your team's needs. Surf hits the Fire-types that resist Dazzling Gleam and Fire Blast while also scoring big hits on the likes of Rhydon and Sandslash. Grass Knot hits bulky Water-types including defensive Carracosta and Gastrodon. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple Pokémon that rely on their Speed such as Tauros and Archeops. Psychic is another notable move this set can run, as it cleanly OHKOes Weezing at +1 after Stealth Rock, which is normally a solid answer to Mega Audino. The EVs simply maximize Speed and power.

While the previous set is a bulky booster often used to close the game, this set is more of a straightforward wallbreaker. It's pretty straightforward to use: boost once or twice with Calm Mind and then KO as much as you can. This set's main goal is not to sweep itself; rather, it's supposed to smash holes in the opponent's team for other sweepers to clean up later. The main thing to bear in mind with this set is that while it isn't fragile, the lack of any sort of recovery means it's quickly worn down.

Mega Audino

Meet what is quite possibly the best wall NU has to offer. Wish provides Audino reliable recovery, which can also be used to heal its teammates. Protect guarantees the Wish will activate. It also lets you scout your opponent's moves. Dazzling Gleam is STAB-boosted and stops Audino from being forced to use Struggle if it gets Taunted. Heal Bell is generally the best option for the last moveslot to protect Audino and its team from status. Toxic can be used instead to cripple walls such as Gastrodon and Regirock, while Thunder Wave can cripple attackers that rely on their Speed such as Archeops and Tauros. 252 HP EVs let Audino pass the biggest Wishes it possibly can. The remaining EVs are split between Defense and Special Defense to let Audino take physical and special damage.

This set's main role is a Wish passer and (if you're running Heal Bell) general cleric. Therefore, hold off Mega Evolving until you need the extra bulk, as Regenerator lets Audino pass Wishes much more efficiently. While forgoing Heal Bell will make Mega Audino more susceptible to status, the utility that Toxic and Thunder Wave can offer is sometimes more valuable. This set is more at home on bulkier, more defensively inclined teams due to its more passive nature.

Playing against Mega Audino

Poison-types generally do well against Mega Audino. For example, Skuntank and Weezing outrun the defensive sets, can Taunt it to prevent it from boosting or healing, and whittle it down with their respective super effective STABs. Garbador only fears the rare Psychic, while it can always 2HKO each set with Gunk Shot. Vileplume and Haunter can beat the defensive sets without too much trouble if the Calm Mind set hasn't gathered too many boosts when they come in. However, the offensive Calm Mind set OHKOes both of them with a +1 Fire Blast.

Steel-types such as Steelix, Aggron, and Klinklang are good answers to the defensive sets. Steelix is immune to Thunder Wave and Toxic, takes little from Dazzling Gleam, and can 2HKO Mega Audino with Heavy Slam. However, a +1 Fire Blast from the offensive set will OHKO Steelix if its Sturdy has been broken. Choice Band Aggron always OHKOes Mega Audino with Heavy Slam while only fearing Surf from the offensive Calm Mind set. Even so, Audino must risk a Speed tie. Klinklang can use Substitute to evade Thunder Wave, easily set up against defensive sets with Shift Gear, and KO with a +1 Gear Grind. Thunder Wave will ruin Klinklang's sweep, however, and Fire Blast 2HKOes, so it has to be careful switching in.

Musharna can Calm Mind alongside Audino if it hasn't attained too many boosts when it comes in and will eventually win thanks to its superior Special Attack and ability to bypass Audino's boosts with its STAB Psyshock or Stored Power.

The defensive set is countered more easily due to its lack of offensive presence; most Taunt users that aren't weak to Fairy-type moves can shut it down.

Fitting Mega Audino onto your team

The support Mega Audino needs depends on what set it's running. The defensive Calm Mind set needs to have the bulky Poison- and Steel-types down to sweep. Therefore, strong Ground-types such as Rhydon, Torterra, and Golurk are good teammates, as they can combat both types of Pokémon. If that set is running Wish and Protect, Rapid Spin or Defog support or a grounded Poison-type is mandatory, as Toxic Spikes will prevent it from setting up. Claydol resists Poison-type moves and has STAB Psychic and Earth Power to take out Weezing and Skuntank, respectively.

The Offensive Calm Mind set is best used as a surprise wallbreaker, which makes sweepers such as Swords Dance Samurott, Rock Polish Rhydon, and Calm Mind Musharna good teammates that can take advantage of the holes it can create. Specifically, Mega Audino does a great job of luring and removing checks and counters to these Pokémon, including Vileplume, Weezing, and Claydol, as well as Dark-types.

The defensive set doesn't need much support to do its job. Walls with no recovery such as Steelix, Weezing, and Claydol greatly appreciate the recovery Audino can pass them with its good-sized Wishes. The latter can also reliably take out many of the Poison- and Steel-types Mega Audino struggles with.

Get out there!

While the higher tiers may have once again passed over Audino, it finally gets a chance to shine in NU with its Mega Stone. Its great bulk, typing, and movepool make it fairly easy to incorporate into most team archetypes. You should always consider using Mega Audino on your NU team.

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