DPP Metagross (Update) +

Blue Kirby

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Alright, I'm not going to do the whole "highlight what I've added" thing since I've actually gone and changed the prose on most of the sets, as well as discussing further options while removing redundant ones. Let me know what you think. :)

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[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: ThunderPunch / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross has a high Attack stat and great typing defensively, making it a natural candidate for the use of a Choice Band. Meteor Mash is your primary attacking option as it is capable of dealing great amount of damage to most Pokémon regardless of whether they resist the hit or not. Earthquake provides Metagross with a great way of hitting Fire-types and Steel-types who would otherwise have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash. Explosion benefits greatly from the boost Choice Band provides - there are very few Pokémon that can withstand its power. Even the standard 334 HP / 396 Def Skarmory is crippled, losing a whopping 82.04% - 96.41% of it's HP.</p>

<p>Metagross' fourth move should be selected based on what role you want it to play. ThunderPunch gives you a good method of dealing with Pokémon such as Suicune and Skarmory, who otherwise have no problem switching in on Meteor Mash and Earthquake. Of course, you will be placed in a bad position if a Ground-type such as Dugtrio or an immune Pokémon such as Electivire switches in. Bullet Punch allows Metagross to eliminate fast threats such as Azelf and Gengar, but neither is OHKOed when running a neutral defensive nature, even if you've set up Stealth Rock. Explosion can be dropped to run both ThunderPunch and Bullet Punch, but it is difficult to give up the raw power that Explosion provides for this set. Dropping Explosion is only recommended if your team benefits from the added type coverage ThunderPunch provides along with having an effective priority move. Other options for the last slot include Ice Punch, Pursuit, and Trick. Ice Punch allows you to threaten with Gliscor and Zapdos; in fact, you have a 79.49% chance of OHKOing Zapdos with Ice Punch provided Stealth Rock is in play. Pursuit is really only recommended in the Ubers metagame, where most threatening Pokémon are Psychic-typed. Trick is also an option to cripple Pokémon hoping to switch in and wall Metagross.</p>

<p>Although ThunderPunch does allow you to deal good damage to bulky Water Pokémon, they can switch in on Meteor Mash and Earthquake and cause you problems. Swampert can switch in on Metagross all day long regardless of which moves it decides to pack, really only fearing the odd Trick. Bulky Steel-types such as Skarmory and Forretress are not worried by Metagross' attacks for the most part. Although you can hit Skarmory with ThunderPunch, it has Roost to increase its longevity, and being locked into one move makes it much harder to put it in a compromising situation. Forretress is worn down by repeated Earthquakes, but can simply set up Spikes while you're trying to weaken it. Hippowdon, Gliscor and other bulky Ground-types can also sponge hits from Metagross (although Gliscor has to watch for Ice Punch). The Rotom-formes resist any attack Metagross can throw at them - even Explosion is useless as a last resort option. Zapdos also gives Metagross a hard time, as Roost can buy it a resistance to Ice Punch while it wears Metagross down.</p>

<p>Latias can freely Calm Mind against most of the aforementioned Pokémon before proceeding to launch boosted Dragon Pulses and Surfs, only really having trouble with the Rotom-formes if it cannot get a Calm Mind in before being hit by Shadow Ball. In the same vein, Celebi can also Calm Mind, utilizing Grass Knot and Hidden Power Fire to pose a threat to the opponent's team. Zapdos can use a combination of Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, Hidden Power Grass and Roost to provide a good balance between offense and defense. While you may consider using Magnezone to trap the likes of Skarmory and Forretress, Shed Shell is becoming increasingly popular on these Pokémon for that very reason - you may just find yourself left with a dead weight, especially taking into account that Magnezone shares Metagross' defensive weaknesses.</p>

[SET]
name: Agiligross
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch / Ice Punch / Explosion
item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Lum Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 132 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross makes for an effective late-game sweeper once your opponent's Pokémon have been sufficiently weakened. The basic gist of this set is to use Agility, which makes Metagross faster than just about everything, and sweep. Meteor Mash, once again, will be your main attacking option. Earthquake allows you to deal with Fire-types and Steel-types who may attempt to wall Metagross.</p>

<p>For the last slot, either of the three recommended moves can be used depending on what Pokémon you want to cover. ThunderPunch is the recommended option, as it allows Metagross to hit everything for at least neutral damage, barring Rotom and Shedinja, as well as Water-types attempting to wall this set. Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Gliscor who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most of the metagame, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>

<p>Life Orb exchanges survivability for power, and Leftovers is always a usable option. Lum Berry helps against burn and paralysis, although your damage output is lowered considerably.</p>

<p>The provided EVs allow you to outspeed max speed Timid Choice Scarf Heatran, who is the biggest threat to this set. 112 HP EVs places you at 329 HP, reducing the amount of Life Orb recoil from 33 to 32. One also has the option of dropping HP EVs and adding onto Metagross' Speed; 196 Speed EVs let allows you to outspeed neutral natured, base 100 Speed Pokémon such as Flygon and Salamence that have a single Speed boost.</p>

<p>Although this variety of Metagross is an absolute menace lategame, thanks to the drop in power as a result of using Life Orb instead of Choice Band, the Pokémon that countered the previous set now have an even easier time doing so. The recoil from Life Orb as well as the free switch Agility gives them if mistimed doesn't help. Additionally, certain physically bulky Pokémon that had a harder time switching into the Choice Band set now become much more of a problem. Cresselia and Celebi can both now freely set up Reflect and nullify your Speed boosts with Thunder Wave.</p>

<p>U-turn coming from a Choice Band Scizor works wonders here, allowing you to cause major damage and additionally keep the pressure on your opponent by allowing you to switch in a Pokémon depending on how your opponent reacted. Celebi can take out the bulky Water Pokémon that give this set problems, and even Baton Pass a Swords Dance back when you're done. Infernape can come in on an appliance Rotom's Will-O-Wisp and Nasty Plot to really put the hurt on your opponent.</p>

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake / Meteor Mash
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Occa Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main purpose of this set is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible while dealing with the most common leads in today's metagame. Metagross is one of the most reliable leads due to its great typing and defenses, and will almost guarantee that you get Stealth Rock up near the beginning of a match.</p>

<p>Metagross functions so well as a lead because very few of the common leads can OHKO it. With its great bulk, it is not OHKOed by Earthquake from the likes of Hippowdon and Swampert, and by running an Occa Berry, Metagross can survive in the face of Fire-types and live to hit them back. Bullet Punch is essential to the set in that it allows Metagross to get rid of Focus Sash users such as Azelf and Aerodactyl without having to take another hit. The choice between Earthquake and Meteor Mash as Metagross' other attacking option comes down to whether you want it to serve as an efficient suicide lead, or if you plan on attempting a sweep with it later on. For players who want it to simply beat as many of the other common leads as possible, Earthquake is the preferable choice, as it allows you to hit Infernape, Heatran, Jirachi, and other Metagross for super effective damage. On the other hand, Meteor Mash means you have a much stronger STAB attack, but won't be able to hit as large a variety of Pokemon for neutral damage. Meteor Mash also leaves you a lot more vulnerable to Infernape and Heatran, and you are almost always forced to switch when faced with them. Metagross' Explosion is just a devastating move, and any lead that is not a Ghost-type will lose a big chuck of their health. The defensive behemoth that is Hippowdon has a high chance of being OHKOed, and Explosion also does up to 87% damage to the standard Bronzong lead.</p>

<p>The choice of item on Lead Gross is really dependent on what you need it to deal with. Occa Berry is the preferred item for dealing with the aforementioned Fire-types, but it is only of real use if you are also running Earthquake as well in order to do something back to them. With the given EV spread, Metagross will never be OHKOed by a Modest Life Orb Heatran's Fire Blast taking Occa Berry into account. If you choose to forego Earthquake for Meteor Mash, other Berries, such as Lum and Shuca, are viable choices as well. Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on Roserade, Yanmega, and Gengar leads, and also helps deal with the rare Hypnosis from Bronzong. It can also be very useful in healing Metagross of random burns and paralysis. Shuca Berry allows Metagross to take Earthquakes easier, but with its impressive Defense, they won't be OHKOing even without it.</p>

<p>In the leading position, Metagross is likely to come up against several Pokémon which can cause it problems. Heatran can survive Metagross' Earthquake with Focus Sash or Shuca Berry and threaten with a powerful STAB Fire attack of its own. As it is faster, you will be 2HKOed before you 2HKO in return unless it decides to set up Stealth Rock on the first turn. Having a bulky Water-type to switch to is helpful here. Swampert and Hippowdon are also common leads that aren't worried by Metagross in the slightest. Celebi and Latias in particular are great Pokemon to switch to, as previously mentioned. Latias does shine, however, for its ability to also take on Heatran effectively, something which Celebi cannot boast. Interestingly, Bronzong is also more of a pain than usual for Metagross with this set. Although it can't do much damage to you without Earthquake, it can also potentially put you to sleep with Hypnosis while you can't really do a whole lot back unless it is Heatproof. Even then, you need to risk a turn in order to find out, and that will more often than not be for naught.</p>

<p>Choice Specs Latias makes an excellent partner for a leading Metagross, as it can switch in easily on Heatran, Swampert and Hippowdon before proceeding to fire boosted Draco Meteors and Surfs. It is also a great Pokémon to go to against lead Infernape should you want to save your Occa Berry for later use, or if you had decided not to use one at all. Bulky Sleep Talking Rotom-formes work particularly well with this set, as they can not only take Hypnosis and Sleep Powder from other leads, but also carry a handy immunity to Explosion.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Metagross' main purpose is to serve as a check against some of the OU metagame's top threats. Explosion, combined with Metagross' extremely high Attack, allows Metagross to OHKO many Pokemon. Explosion is best used when Metagross is at low HP or when the opposing Pokemon presents a significant threat to the team. Earthquake hits those Steel and Fire-types who resist Meteor Mash. However, Metagross must rely on ThunderPunch to dent Skarmory. ThunderPunch also allows Metagross to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados with +1 Speed. Ice Punch is mainly used as a quick OHKO against Salamence and Dragonite, while ThunderPunch's main purpose is to dispose of Gyarados while also providing Metagross with a way to dent bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon, without using Explosion on them. Explosion can be dropped to allow for both Thunderpunch and Ice Punch if revenge killing is the priority, although it will be useless if the Dragons you're attempting to revenge kill have a Speed boost of any sort, save for bulkier Dragonite. Zen Headbutt can work in place of Meteor Mash if you're using Ice Punch, as being able to hit more Pokémon for super effective damage (notably the Rotom-formes) will make up for the loss of raw power Meteor Mash provides.</p>

<p>This set also functions very well in the Ubers metagame by, once again, fulfilling the role of "revenge killer". Metagross is able to switch into Rayquaza's Swords Dance or Outrage and OHKO with Ice Punch. Choice Scarf also gives Metagross the ability to outspeed Latias and Latios and hit them with a Meteor Mash before they have the chance to launch a Hidden Power Fire or Thunder. Another common use for Choice Scarf Metagross is Exploding on Calm Mind Kyogre.</p>

<p>With a Jolly nature, 228 EVs in Speed, and a Choice Scarf, Metagross reaches 384 Speed. While this might not seem all that impressive, it allows Metagross to outspeed all Pokemon with base Speed lower than 130. Metagross is capable of revenge killing common OU Pokemon such as Infernape, Life Orb Gengar, and Salamence without a Dragon Dance. Maximum Attack is a given on such an offensive set.</p>

<p>Alternatively, one can opt to make Metagross bulkier by dropping Speed EVs to reach other important Speed tier marks. 204 HP / 72 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature allows Metagross to surpass the 350 mark, outspeeding Gengar; at the same time, you always survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Dugtrio, and a neutral natured Azelf's Fire Blast 100% of the time, even with Stealth Rock factored in. 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed Azelf and friends.</p>

<p>The key to this set is its surprise value - Metagross has a much lower damage output, and therefore requires proper support to make it work. The advantage, however, is when the surprise does pay off, Metagross can pave the way for a teammate to sweep. When using Zen Headbutt to weaken opposing Rotom-formes, Calm Mind Latias is a great complement to this set, as it not only defeats the Pokémon that counter Metagross (and vice-versa), but it also has sweeping potential of its own. With Pokémon such as Starmie and Gengar removed from the picture, the way is paved for an offensive Life Orb Gyarados to come in and continue to weaken the opponent.</p>

[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Reflect
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses more on Metagross' support capabilities and functions extremely well as a lead. Trick allows Metagross to incapacitate common Stealth Rock leads such as Azelf and Bronzong by locking them into a support move. However, Metagross should be wary of Azelf using Fire Blast. Explosion allows Metagross to eliminate one of the opponent's Pokemon after it has finished Tricking Choice Scarf and setting up Stealth Rock or Reflect. Stealth Rock and Reflect are both excellent support choices that Metagross can utilize to aid the team. Pursuit can be used over Explosion, if only to KO fleeing lead Azelf. Most Azelf will switch after being locked into Stealth Rock by Trick, meaning Pursuit will deal 84 - 97% damage. If Metagross manages to set up Stealth Rock, Azelf has a 58% chance of being KOed upon switching into Stealth Rock on a later turn.</p>

<p>With 393 Speed after Choice Scarf, Metagross is able to Trick its Choice Scarf onto Azelf and other lead support Pokemon before they have the chance to attack, locking them into whatever move they had chosen that turn. It is also important to note that Metagross with Choice Scarf outspeeds Azelf and Gengar, two of the most common Pokemon in OU. Metagross will most likely be Exploding before late-game, so max Attack is used to bolster Explosion's damage instead of focusing on HP. If outspeeding Azelf is not an issue, Metagross can use an EV spread of 168 HP / 108 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature. This allows Metagross to outspeed Scarfless Gengar while never being 2HKOed by unboosted Shadow Ball.</p>

<p>The beauty of Trick is that Metagross can now cripple one of its counters if played correctly. You can now lure in all those physically bulky Pokémon and give yourself some breathing room, but more importantly, important setup time. Salamence is a fantastic Pokémon to take advantage this set offensively - it can come in on any Ground of Fire move aimed at Metagross and proceed to start an assault of its own, either by Dragon Dancing or utilizing mixed attacking. It will also appreciate the free switch in provided by a successful Trick.</p>


[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 124 SpA / 132 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross, while normally a physical attacker, can suprise many of its counters by running a mixed attacking set with Hidden Power Fire and Grass Knot. With these two attacks, Metagross can 2HKO unsuspecting Skarmory, Hippowdon, Donphan, and Rhyperior and OHKO Forretress and Swampert. Basically, bulky Ground, Rock, Water, and Steel-types will have trouble switching in. With Shadow Ball, bulky Ghosts, like the appliance formes of Rotom, will also have a hard time switching into Metagross. Without Shadow Ball, they can easily come in on resisted Meteor Mashes, evade Earthquakes with Levitate, and low BP special attacks, and subsequently burn Metagross or set up a Reflect.</p>

<p>Earthquake is primarily for Magnezone and Heatran, though you'll have to catch the latter on the switch-in, as most Heatran will outspeed you. Earthquake provides good type coverage with Meteor Mash, hitting Electric-types and Empoleon for super-effective damage.</p>

<p>Running a Naughty nature along with 252 Atk EVs allows Metagross to reach an impressive Attack stat of 405, letting it deal an insane amount of damage to Pokémon who don't resist Meteor Mash, while 124 SpA EVs provides enough Special Attack to OHKO or 2HKO common counters to Metagross, listed in the initial paragraph. With 132 Speed EVs, Metagross hits a Speed stat of 208, allowing it outspeed most Magnezone as they usually only run up to 207 Speed. This allows you to OHKO them with Earthquake before they can Magnet Rise.</p>

<p>Both Life Orb and Expert Belt can be used on this set, depending on one's preferences. Life Orb ensures your attacks hit as hard as possible in exchange for survivability while Expert Belt still allows you to deal with Metagross's usual counters; however, you will obviously be dealing less damage to Pokémon who are not hit super effective by any of your attacks.</p>

<p>Mixed Metagross is a perfect lure to many of its traditional counters. Hidden Power Fire takes out those pesky Steel-types, and Grass Knot will leave a huge dent in most bulky Water Pokémon, notably OHKOing Swampert. This set allows the advantage of using Metagross with a Pokémon that is countered by similar threats. Many teams will only have one answer to Pokémon such as Swords Dance Lucario and Dragon Dance Tyranitar, so by removing their counters using the surprise value of this set, you can leave your opponent wide open to a sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Light Screen / Stealth Rock
move 4: Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross' magnificent Attack score often overshadows its above average defenses, which are collectively higher than Skarmory's. This set shows many advantages over other walls such as Forretress, Skarmory, and Swampert, albeit with a few disadvantages as well. It comes down to what your team requires as to which Pokemon you choose.</p>

<p>Some advantages Metagross possesses is its resistance to Rock and Ice attacks, which lets it fare well against Tyranitar, Weavile, and Aerodactyl. The monstrous Tyranitar fails to 2HKO you with a Choice Band Crunch, meaning it must resort to the risky Earthquake (risky because of all the Pokemon that are immune to it in the OU metagame). The 12 Speed EVs come into play here, allowing you to outpace 80 Speed EV Tyranitar and knock it out before it can knock you out. Metagross also makes a decent counter to Salamence. A +1 Life Orb Salamence fails to OHKO you with both Earthquake and Fire Blast if you are at full health, and Metagross can easily shrug off Choiced Outrage. However, Meteor Mash won't OHKO Salamence, doing about 60% at the maximum. This means you'll have to damage it prior or force it to come in on Stealth Rock twice. You also make a semi-reliable check against Mamoswine, Scizor, Heracross, and Lucario. On a lucky day, Metagross can survive even a Choice Band Earthquake from Mamoswine, and thanks to your resistance to Rock and Stealth Rock, a +2 Life Orb Close Combat from Lucario has only a very low chance of killing you while the standard Skarmory has more than a 50% chance of being OHKOed.</p>

<p>The attacks are rather standard. They achieve good coverage in the OU metagame, but if you want to counter and kill more specific threats, then Ice Punch and ThunderPunch are alternatives to the moves listed. Just be sure to use Earthquake and Ice Punch in tandem. Light Screen is what really sets Metagross apart from the aforementioned bulky Pokemon. With a Light Screen in place, Metagross can survive a multitude of special attacks, such as STAB Fire Blasts from Heatran and Infernape. It also makes Metagross a real team player, since the rest of the team can benefit from the temporary Special Defense boost as well. If your team requires it, Stealth Rock can also be used here in place of Light Screen, but there are many other Pokemon that utilize it as well. That being said, Metagross makes a fine mid-game user of Stealth Rock, since with its resistances and high defenses, it nearly guarantees they will go up. In the last slot, Explosion allows Metagross to go out with a bang, and will more often than not be taking something down with it. Even with no investment, Metagross still has a massive base 135 Attack stat. However, if you would rather keep Metagross intact for longer, other options such as Reflect and Toxic are viable in that slot too. Behind Reflect, Metagross is pretty much impervious to all physical attacks bar STAB Earthquakes. Toxic, on the other hand, badly cripples many of Metagross' common switch-ins, such as Rotom-A, Zapdos, and bulky Ground-types such as Swampert and Hippowdon. Another interesting option is Rest and Chesto Berry, which is Metagross' only reliable method of recovery, albeit a one-time one.</p>

<p>Vaporeon is a great candidate to pair with this set for a number of reasons. Behind Light Screen, Vaporeon and Metagross are a defensive combination to be reckoned with. It can also take out problematic bulky Water Pokémon using either Toxic or Hidden Power Electric, and most of the Steel-types that wall Metagross will not appreciate STAB Surf. Additionally, Vaporeon can utilize Wish to keep both itself and Metagross healthy. Choice Band Heracross is a great partner to cripple Cresselia and Celebi, which can use both screens and status in an attempt to outstall you.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>More than most offensive Pokémon, Metagross really appreciates entry hazards such as Stealth Rock being set up. This turns many 3HKOs into 2HKOs when using a boosted ThunderPunch against bulky Water Pokémon, and discourages Flying-types such as Zapdos from switching in as they lose 25% just to switch into Metagross and take one of its attacks. Metagross' natural bulk is emphasized by Reflect and Light Screen - if you can get both set up, you will be aiding it greatly defensively, which in turn allows it to dish out much more damage due to being around for much longer.</p>

<p>In the offensive department, Metagross generally has problems with bulky Water, Ground and Steel-type Pokémon. Additionally, Zapdos and the Rotom-formes resist just about anything Metagross can throw at them. Latias can open up a sweep for Metagross by taking the majority of these threats with either Calm Mind or Choice Specs. Celebi functions in the same manner. Tyranitar can scout for Metagross' counters and weaken them with its boosted attacks, whether through Choice Band or Dragon Dance. It also fares much better against Zapdos and appliance Rotom, although it must watch out for Will-O-Wisp in the case of the latter. Life Orb Heatran does a lot of damage to all the Pokémon that counter Metagross by picking on their generally weaker Special Defense stats, and can also use Explosion to take out bulky Water Pokémon. Salamence can come in on Ground and Fire attacks, and proceed to fire off a mixed assault or Dragon Dance, leaving a large dent in the opponent's team. Choice Band Scizor can reveal and weaken your opponent with U-turn, and finish off threats such as opposing Salamence with a heavily boosted Bullet Punch.</p>

<p>Steel is a great defensive typing - Metagross only sports weaknesses to Ground and Fire-type attacks. It can freely switch in without fear of Poison-type attacks, and by extension, Toxic Spikes. While Celebi takes Ground-type attacks for it, Metagross can return the favor by nullifying the odd Sludge Bomb thrown Celebi's way. Any Pokémon that resists or can otherwise come in on these attacks makes a good partner. The aforementioned Latias and Salamence are great candidates for this, as they can come in on both types, while Metagross can take Dragon and Ice attacks in return (and also Rock attacks in Salamence's case). Tyranitar resists Fire moves and can take repeated assaults from Pokémon like Zapdos thanks to the Special Defense boost provided by its Sandstream ability.</p>

<p>Generally, the partners to the physically defensive Ground-types and Steel-types that give Metagross trouble are specially defensive, such as Blissey and Tyranitar. Metagross can handle these guys no problem, and when paired with a powerful mixed attacking force such as Salamence, you'll have punched a hole through your opponent's team in no time. In the case of bulky Waters, they are generally partnered with Scizor and Salamence. Zapdos can handle Scizor no problem, and a Choice Band Scizor of your own can end the threat of any given Salamence provided Stealth Rock is in play. U-turn also goes a long way to swing any given battle to your advantage; not only does it soften the opposition, but it can also reveal potentially vital information about your opponent's team and how exactly they handle Metagross. This will allow you to formulate a plan of attack in advance.</p>
 

Blue Kirby

Never back down.
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
I do not see Shadow Ball as a primary option for the mixed set, as the coverage lost isn't worth it as far as I'm concerned - I was just mentioning it in passing as is done in many analysis pages for the sake of completeness.
 
Very well written. I made some grammatical corrections and such in the following quote (changes noted in bold), although some are, I suppose, subjective.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: ThunderPunch / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross has a high Attack stat and great typing defensively, making it a natural candidate for the use of a Choice Band. Meteor Mash is your primary attacking option as it is capable of dealing great amount of damage to most Pokémon regardless of whether they resist the hit or not. Earthquake provides Metagross with a great way of hitting Fire-types and Steel-types who would otherwise have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash. Explosion benefits greatly from the boost Choice Band provides - there are very few Pokémon that can withstand its power. Even the standard 334 HP / 396 Def Skarmory is crippled, losing a whopping 82.04% - 96.41% of it's HP.</p>

<p>Metagross' fourth move should be selected based on what role you want it to play. ThunderPunch gives you a good method of dealing with Pokémon such as Suicune and Skarmory, who otherwise have no problem switching in on Meteor Mash and Earthquake. Of course, you will be placed in a bad position if a Ground-type such as Dugtrio or an immune Pokémon such as Electivire switches in. Bullet Punch allows Metagross to eliminate fast threats such as Azelf and Gengar, but neither is OHKOed when running a neutral defensive nature, even if you've set up Stealth Rock. Explosion can be dropped to run both ThunderPunch and Bullet Punch, but it is difficult to give up the raw power that Explosion provides for this set. Dropping Explosion is only recommended if your team benefits from the added type coverage ThunderPunch provides along with having an effective priority move. Other options for the last slot include Ice Punch, Pursuit, and Trick. Ice Punch allows you to threaten with Gliscor and Zapdos; in fact, you have a 79.49% chance of OHKOing Zapdos with Ice Punch provided Stealth Rock is in play. Pursuit is really only recommended in the Ubers metagame, where most threatening Pokémon are Psychic-typed. Trick is also an option to cripple Pokémon hoping to switch in and wall Metagross.</p>

<p>Although ThunderPunch does allow you to deal good damage to bulky Water Pokémon, they can switch in on Meteor Mash and Earthquake and cause you problems. Swampert can switch in on Metagross all day long regardless of which moves it decides to pack, really only fearing the odd Trick. Bulky Steel-types such as Skarmory and Forretress are not worried by Metagross' attacks for the most part. Although you can hit Skarmory with ThunderPunch, it has Roost to increase its longevity, and being locked into one move makes it much harder to put it in a compromising situation. Forretress is worn down by repeated Earthquakes, but can simply set up Spikes while you're trying to weaken it. Hippowdon, Gliscor and other bulky Ground-types can also sponge hits from Metagross (although Gliscor has to watch for Ice Punch). The Rotom-formes resist any attack Metagross can throw at them - even Explosion is useless as a last resort option. Zapdos also gives Metagross a hard time, as Roost can buy it a resistance to Ice Punch while it wears Metagross down.</p>

<p>Latias can freely Calm Mind against most of the aforementioned Pokémon before proceeding to launch boosted Dragon Pulses and Surfs, only really having trouble with the Rotom-formes if it cannot get a Calm Mind in before being hit by Shadow Ball. In the same vein, Celebi can also Calm Mind, utilizing Grass Knot and Hidden Power Fire to pose a threat to the opponent's team. Zapdos can use a combination of Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, Hidden Power Grass and Roost to provide a good balance between offense and defense. While you may consider using Magneton to trap the likes of Skarmory and Forretress, Shed Shell is becoming increasingly popular on these Pokémon for that very reason - you may just find yourself left with a dead weight, especially taking into account that Magnezone shares Metagross' defensive weaknesses.</p>

[SET]
name: Agiligross
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch / Ice Punch / Explosion
item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 132 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross makes for an effective late-game sweeper once your opponent's Pokémon have been sufficiently weakened. The basic gist of this set is to use Agility, which makes Metagross faster than just about everything, and sweep. Meteor Mash, once again, will be your main attacking option. Earthquake allows you to deal with Fire-types and Steel-types who may attempt to wall Metagross.</p>

<p>For the last slot, either of the three recommended moves can be used depending on what Pokémon you want to cover. ThunderPunch is the recommended option, as it allows Metagross to hit everything for at least neutral damage, barring Rotom and Shedinja, as well as Water-types attempting to wall this set. Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Salamence who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most of the metagame, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>

<p>Life Orb exchanges survivability for power, and Leftovers is always a usable option. Lum Berry helps against burn and paralysis, although your damage output is lowered considerably.</p>

<p>The provided EVs allow you to outspeed max speed Timid Choice Scarf Heatran, who is the biggest threat to this set. 112 HP EVs places you at 329 HP, reducing the amount of Life Orb recoil from 33 to 32. One also has the option of dropping HP EVs and adding onto Metagross' Speed; 200 Speed EVs let allows you to outspeed neutral natured, base 100 Speed Pokémon such as Flygon and Salamence that have a single Speed boost, and surprisingly enough, allows you outrun Modest Choice Scarf Gengar as well.</p>

<p>Although this variety of Metagross is an absolute menace lategame, thanks to the drop in power as a result of using Life Orb instead of Choice Band, the Pokémon that countered the previous set now have an even easier time doing so. The recoil from Life Orb as well as the free switch Agility gives them if mistimed doesn't help. Additionally, certain physically bulky Pokémon that had a harder time switching into the Choice Band set now become much more of a problem. Cresselia and Celebi can both now freely set up Reflect and nullify your Speed boosts with Thunder Wave.</p>

<p>U-turn coming from a Choice Band Scizor works wonders here, allowing you to cause major damage and additionally keep the pressure on your opponent by allowing you to switch in a Pokémon depending on how your opponent reacted. Celebi can take out the bulky Water Pokémon that give this set problems, and even Baton Pass a Swords Dance back when you're done. Infernape (removed “using”) can come in on an appliance Rotom's Will-O-Wisp and Nasty Plot to really put the hurt on your opponent.</p>

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake / Meteor Mash
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Occa Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main purpose of this set is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible while dealing with the most common leads in today's metagame. Metagross is one of the most reliable leads due to its great typing and defenses, and will almost guarantee that you get Stealth Rock up near the beginning of a match.</p>

<p>Metagross functions so well as a lead because very few of the common leads can OHKO it. With its great bulk, it is not OHKOed by Earthquake from the likes of Hippowdon and Swampert, and by running an Occa Berry, Metagross can survive in the face of Fire-types and live to hit them back. Bullet Punch is essential to the set in that it allows Metagross to get rid of Focus Sash users such as Azelf and Aerodactyl without having to take another hit. The choice between Earthquake and Meteor Mash as Metagross' other attacking option comes down to whether you want it to serve as an efficient suicide lead, or if you plan on attempting a sweep with it later on. For players who want it to simply beat as many of the other common leads as possible, Earthquake is the preferable choice, as it allows you to hit Infernape, Heatran, Jirachi, and other Metagross for super effective damage. On the other hand, Meteor Mash means you have a much stronger STAB attack, but won't be able to hit as large a variety of Pokemon for neutral damage. Meteor Mash also leaves you a lot more vulnerable to Infernape and Heatran, and you are almost always forced to switch when faced with them. Metagross' Explosion is just a devastating move, and any lead that is not a Ghost-type will lose a big chuck of their health. The defensive behemoth that is Hippowdon has a high chance of being OHKOed, and Explosion also does up to 87% damage to the standard Bronzong lead.</p>

<p>The choice of item on Lead Gross is really dependent on what you need it to deal with. Occa Berry is the preferred item for dealing with the aforementioned Fire-types, but it is only of real use if you are also running Earthquake as well in order to do something back to them. With the given EV spread, Metagross will never be OHKOed by a Modest Life Orb Heatran's Fire Blast taking Occa Berry into account. If you choose to forego Earthquake for Meteor Mash, other Berries, such as Lum and Shuca, are viable choices as well. Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on Roserade, Yanmega, and Gengar leads, and also helps deal with the rare Hypnosis from Bronzong. It can also be very useful in healing Metagross of random burns and paralysis. Shuca Berry allows Metagross to take Earthquakes easier, but with its impressive Defense, they won't be OHKOing even without it.</p>

<p>In the leading position, Metagross is likely to come up against several Pokémon which can cause it problems. Heatran can survive Metagross' Earthquake with Focus Sash or Shuca Berry and threaten with a powerful STAB Fire attack of its own. As it is faster, you will be 2HKOed before you 2HKO in return unless it decides to set up Stealth Rock on the first turn. Having a bulky Water-type to switch to is helpful here. Swampert and Hippowdon are also common leads that give Metagross a lot of trouble unless it is running a mixed attacking set (“regardless of its position on a team” was removed as it seems unnecessary if there is in fact a set that can counter those two leads.). Celebi and Latias in particular are great Pokemon to switch to, as previously mentioned. Latias does shine, however, for its ability to also take on Heatran effectively, something which Celebi cannot boast. Interestingly, Bronzong is also more of a pain than usual for Metagross with this set. Although it can't do much damage to you without Earthquake, it can also potentially put you to sleep with Hypnosis while you can't really do a whole lot back unless it is Heatproof. Even then, you need to risk a turn in order to find out, and that will more often than not be for naught.</p>

<p>Choice Specs Latias makes an excellent partner for a leading Metagross, as it can switch in easily on Heatran, Swampert and Hippowdon before proceeding to fire boosted Draco Meteors and Surfs. It is also a great Pokémon to go to against lead Infernape should you want to save your Occa Berry for later use, or if you had decided not to use one at all. Bulky Sleep Talking Rotom-formes work particularly well with this set, as they can not only take Hypnosis and Sleep Powder from other leads, but also carry a handy immunity to Explosion.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Metagross' main purpose is to serve as a check against some of the OU metagame's top threats. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack (just a note, but isn’t it not a given considering the Lead Gross analysis and the slashed option here?). Explosion, combined with Metagross' extremely high Attack, allows Metagross to OHKO many Pokemon. Explosion is best used when Metagross is at low HP or when the opposing Pokemon presents a significant threat to the team. Earthquake hits those Steel and Fire-types who resist Meteor Mash. However, Metagross must rely on ThunderPunch to dent Skarmory. ThunderPunch also allows Metagross to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados with +1 Speed. Ice Punch is mainly used as a quick OHKO against Salamence and Dragonite, while ThunderPunch's main purpose is to dispose of Gyarados while also providing Metagross with a way to dent bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon, without using Explosion on them. Explosion can be dropped to allow for both Thunderpunch and Ice Punch if revenge killing is the priority, although it will be useless if the Dragons you're attempting to revenge kill have a Speed boost of any sort, save for bulkier Dragonite. Zen Headbutt can work in place of Meteor Mash if you're using Ice Punch, as being able to hit more Pokémon for super effective damage (notably the Rotom-formes) will make up for the loss of raw power Meteor Mash provides.</p>

<p>This set also functions very well in the Ubers metagame by, once again, fulfilling the role of "revenge killer". Metagross is able to switch into Rayquaza's Swords Dance or Outrage and OHKO with Ice Punch. Choice Scarf also gives Metagross the ability to outspeed Latias and Latios and hit them with a Meteor Mash before they have the chance to launch a Hidden Power Fire or Thunder. Another common use for Choice Scarf Metagross is Exploding on Calm Mind Kyogre.</p>

<p>With a Jolly nature, 228 EVs in Speed, and a Choice Scarf, Metagross reaches 384 Speed. While this might not seem all that impressive, it allows Metagross to outspeed all Pokemon with base Speed lower than 130. Metagross is capable of revenge killing common OU Pokemon such as Infernape, Life Orb Gengar, and Salamence without a Dragon Dance. Maximum Attack is a given on such an offensive set.</p>

<p>Alternatively, one can opt to make Metagross bulkier by dropping Speed EVs to reach other important Speed tier marks. 204 HP / 72 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature allows Metagross to surpass the 350 mark, outspeeding Gengar; at the same time, you always survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Dugtrio, and a neutral natured Azelf's Fire Blast 100% of the time, even with Stealth Rock factored in. 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed Azelf and friends.</p>

<p>The key to this set is its surprise value - Metagross has a much lower damage output, and therefore requires proper support to make it work. The advantage, however, is when the surprise does pay off, Metagross can pave the way for a teammate to sweep. When using Zen Headbutt to weaken opposing Rotom-formes, Calm Mind Latias is a great complement to this set, as it not only defeats the Pokémon that counter Metagross (and vice-versa), but it also has sweeping potential of its own. With Pokémon such as Starmie and Gengar removed from the picture, the way is paved for an offensive Life Orb Gyarados to come in and continue to weaken the opponent.</p>

[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Reflect
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses more on Metagross' support capabilities and functions extremely well as a lead. Trick allows Metagross to incapacitate common Stealth Rock leads such as Azelf and Bronzong by locking them into a support move. However, Metagross should be wary of Azelf using Fire Blast. Meteor Mash is a given on any Metagross set due to its high base power and chance to boost Attack (second instance of this exact comment; it just doesn’t make sense to me.). Explosion allows Metagross to eliminate one of the opponent's Pokemon after it has finished Tricking Choice Scarf and setting up Stealth Rock or Reflect. Stealth Rock and Reflect are both excellent support choices that Metagross can utilize to aid the team. Pursuit can be used over Explosion, if only to KO fleeing lead Azelf. Most Azelf will switch after being locked into Stealth Rock by Trick, meaning Pursuit will deal 84 - 97% damage. If Metagross manages to set up Stealth Rock, Azelf has a 58% chance of being KOed upon switching into Stealth Rock on a later turn.</p>

<p>With 393 Speed after Choice Scarf, Metagross is able to Trick its Choice Scarf onto Azelf and other lead support Pokemon before they have the chance to attack, locking them into whatever move they had chosen that turn. It is also important to note that Metagross with Choice Scarf outspeeds Azelf and Gengar, two of the most common Pokemon in OU. Metagross will most likely be Exploding before late-game, so max Attack is used to bolster Explosion's damage instead of focusing on HP. If outspeeding Azelf is not an issue, Metagross can use an EV spread of 168 HP / 108 Atk / 232 Spe with an Adamant nature. This allows Metagross to outspeed Scarfless Gengar while never being 2HKOed by unboosted Shadow Ball.</p>

<p>The beauty of Trick is that Metagross can now cripple one of its counters if played correctly. You can now lure in all those physically bulky Pokémon and give yourself some breathing room, but more importantly, important setup time. Salamence is a fantastic Pokémon to take advantage this set offensively - it can come in on any Ground of Fire move aimed at Metagross and proceed to start an assault of its own, either by Dragon Dancing or utilizing mixed attacking. It will also appreciate the free switch in provided by a successful Trick.</p>


[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 124 SpA / 132 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross, while normally a physical attacker, can surprise many of its counters by running a mixed attacking set with Hidden Power Fire and Grass Knot. With these two attacks, Metagross can 2HKO unsuspecting Skarmory, Hippowdon, Donphan, and Rhyperior and OHKO Forretress and Swampert. Basically, bulky Ground, Rock, Water, and Steel-types will have trouble switching in. With Shadow Ball, bulky Ghosts, like the appliance formes of Rotom, will also have a hard time switching into Metagross. Without Shadow Ball, they can easily come in on resisted Meteor Mashes, evade Earthquakes with Levitate, and low BP special attacks, and subsequently burn Metagross or set up a Reflect.</p>

<p>Earthquake is primarily for Magnezone and Heatran, though you'll have to catch the latter on the switch-in, as most Heatran will outspeed you. Earthquake provides good type coverage with Meteor Mash, hitting Electric-types and Empoleon for super-effective damage.</p>

<p>Running a Naughty nature along with 252 Atk EVs allows Metagross to reach an impressive Attack (I guess?) stat of 405, letting it deal an insane amount of damage to Pokémon who don't resist Meteor Mash, while 124 SpA EVs provides enough Special Attack to OHKO or 2HKO common counters to Metagross, listed in the initial paragraph. With 132 Speed EVs, Metagross hits a Speed stat of 208, allowing it outspeed most Magnezone as they usually only run up to 207 Speed. This allows you to OHKO them with Earthquake before they can Magnet Rise.</p>

<p>Both Life Orb and Expert Belt can be used on this set, depending on one's preferences. Life Orb ensures your attacks hit as hard as possible in exchange for survivability while Expert Belt still allows you to deal with Metagross's usual counters; however, you will obviously be dealing less damage to Pokémon who are not hit super effective by any of your attacks.</p>

<p>Mixed Metagross is a perfect lure to many of its traditional counters. Hidden Power Fire takes out those pesky Steel-types, and Grass Knot will leave a huge dent in most bulky Water Pokémon, notably OHKOing Swampert. This set allows the advantage of using Metagross with a Pokémon that is countered by similar threats. Many teams will only have one answer to Pokémon such as Swords Dance Lucario and Dragon Dance Tyranitar, so by removing their counters using the surprise value of this set, you can leave your opponent wide open to a sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch / Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 80 Atk / 188 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross is one of the few Pokémon who can effectively keep threatening special sweepers such as Gengar and Starmie in check. Metagross can switch into Gengar and KO with Pursuit as it switches out, but be warned that minimum HP and Defense Starmie will never be OHKOed even as it switches out; however, Starmie can be taken out with a combination of Pursuit, Stealth Rock damage, and Bullet Punch as Pursuit still does a minimum of 76.34% to Starmie if it switches. Lum Berry allows Metagross to absorb one Hypnosis and hit Gengar with Pursuit, but Leftovers still remains a reliable option.</p>

<p>This set can attempt to switch in on Zapdos and wall it, but one has to be cautious of Heat Wave as it hits Metagross much harder than Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos can usually be taken out with a combination of Ice Punch and Earthquake as it uses Roost. In any case, if walling Zapdos is not a concern, Explosion is the preferred option for the fourth slot.</p>

<p>The given EVs allow Metagross to never be 2HKOed by a Life Orb Timid Gengar's Shadow Ball (even with Stealth Rock, the 2HKO still occurs less than 24% of the time). 358 Attack allows Metagross to always OHKO a fleeing 4 HP / 0 Def Gengar with Pursuit.</p>

<p>While Pursuit is a great way of taking out particular Pokémon early, it unfortunately leaves the user open to whatever the opponent switches in next. Cresselia pairs well with this set when running Psychic, Reflect, Light Screen and Thunder Wave. Its natural bulk will give you time to cripple your opponent's next threat with Thunder Wave or set up a screen. It will also appreciate the removal of Gengar. With particularly troublesome faster Pokémon such as the aforementioned Gengar and Starmie removed, Infernape complements this set offensively by being able to take advantage of the cracks created in your opponent's defenses.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Light Screen / Stealth Rock
move 4: Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross' magnificent Attack score often overshadows its above average defenses, which are collectively higher than Skarmory's. This set shows many advantages over other walls such as Forretress, Skarmory, and Swampert, albeit with a few disadvantages as well. It comes down to what your team requires as to which Pokemon you choose.</p>

<p>Some advantages Metagross possesses is its resistance to Rock and Ice attacks, which lets it fare well against Tyranitar, Weavile, and Aerodactyl. The monstrous Tyranitar fails to 2HKO you with a Choice Band Crunch, meaning it must resort to the risky Earthquake (risky because of all the Pokemon that are immune to it in the OU metagame). The 12 Speed EVs come into play here, allowing you to outpace 80 Speed EV Tyranitar and knock it out before it can knock you out. Metagross also makes a decent counter to Salamence. A +1 Life Orb Salamence can OHKO you with neither Earthquake nor Fire Blast if you are at full health (“cannot” creates a double negative), and Metagross can easily shrug off Choiced Outrage. However, Meteor Mash won't OHKO Salamence, doing about 60% at the maximum. This means you'll have to damage it prior or force it to come in on Stealth Rock twice. You also make a semi-reliable check against Mamoswine, Scizor, Heracross, and Lucario. On a lucky day, Metagross can survive even a Choice Band Earthquake from Mamoswine, and thanks to your resistance to Rock and Stealth Rock, a +2 Life Orb Close Combat from Lucario has only a very low chance of killing you while the standard Skarmory has more than a 50% chance of being OHKOed.</p>

<p>The attacks are rather standard. They achieve good coverage in the OU metagame, but if you want to counter and kill more specific threats, then Ice Punch and ThunderPunch are alternatives to the moves listed. Just be sure to use Earthquake and Ice Punch in tandem. Light Screen is what really sets Metagross apart from the aforementioned bulky Pokemon. With a Light Screen in place, Metagross can survive a multitude of special attacks, such as STAB Fire Blasts from Heatran and Infernape. It also makes Metagross a real team player, since the rest of the team can benefit from the temporary Special Defense boost as well. If your team requires it, Stealth Rock can also be used here in place of Light Screen, but there are many other Pokemon that utilize it as well. That being said, Metagross makes a fine mid-game user of Stealth Rock, since with its resistances and high defenses, it nearly guarantees they will go up. In the last slot, Explosion allows Metagross to go out with a bang, and will more often than not be taking something down with it. Even with no investment, Metagross still has a massive base 135 Attack stat. However, if you would rather keep Metagross intact for longer, other options such as Reflect and Toxic are viable in that slot too. Behind Reflect, Metagross is pretty much impervious to all physical attacks bar STAB Earthquakes. Toxic, on the other hand, badly cripples many of Metagross' common switch-ins, such as Rotom-A, Zapdos, and bulky Ground-types such as Swampert and Hippowdon. Another interesting option is Rest and Chesto Berry, which is Metagross' only reliable method of recovery, albeit a one-time one.</p>

<p>Vaporeon is a great candidate to pair with this set for a number of reasons. Behind Light Screen, Vaporeon and Metagross are a defensive combination to be reckoned with. It can also take out problematic bulky Water Pokémon using either Toxic or Hidden Power Electric, and most of the Steel-types that wall Metagross will not appreciate STAB Surf. Additionally, Vaporeon can utilize Wish to keep both itself and Metagross healthy. Choice Band Heracross is a great partner to cripple Cresselia and Celebi, which can use both screens and status in an attempt to outstall you.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>More than most offensive Pokémon, Metagross really appreciates entry hazards such as Stealth Rock being set up. This turns many 3HKOs into 2HKOs when using a boosted ThunderPunch against bulky Water Pokémon, and discourages Flying-types such as Zapdos from switching in as they lose 25% just to switch into Metagross and take one of its attacks. Metagross' natural bulk is emphasized by Reflect and Light Screen - if you can get both set up, you will be aiding it greatly defensively, which in turn allows it to dish out much more damage due to being around for much longer.</p>

<p>In the offensive department, Metagross generally has problems with bulky Water, Ground and Steel-type Pokémon. Additionally, Zapdos and the Rotom-formes resist just about anything Metagross can throw at them. Latias can open up a sweep for Metagross by taking the majority of these threats with either Calm Mind or Choice Specs. Celebi functions in the same manner. Tyranitar can scout for Metagross' counters and weaken them with its boosted attacks, whether through Choice Band or Dragon Dance. It also fares much better against Zapdos and appliance Rotom, although it must watch out for Will-O-Wisp in the case of the latter. Life Orb Heatran does a lot of damage to all the Pokémon that counter Metagross by picking on their generally weaker Special Defense stats, and can also use Explosion to take out bulky Water Pokémon. Salamence can come in on Ground and Fire attacks, and proceed to fire off a mixed assault or Dragon Dance, leaving a large dent in the opponent's team. Choice Band Scizor can reveal and weaken your opponent with U-turn, and finish off threats such as opposing Salamence with a heavily boosted Bullet Punch.</p>

<p>Steel is a great defensive typing - Metagross only sports weaknesses to Ground and Fire-type attacks. It can freely switch in without fear of Poison-type attacks, and by extension, Toxic Spikes. While Celebi takes Ground-type attacks for Metagross, Metagross can return the favor by nullifying the odd Sludge Bomb thrown Celebi's way. Any Pokémon that resists or can otherwise come in on these attacks makes a good partner. The aforementioned Latias and Salamence are great candidates for this, as they can come in on both types, while Metagross can take Dragon and Ice attacks in return (and also Rock attacks in Salamence's case). Tyranitar resists Fire moves and can take repeated assaults from Pokémon like Zapdos thanks to the Special Defense boost provided by its Sandstream ability.</p>

<p>Generally, the partners to the physically defensive Ground-types and Steel-types that give Metagross trouble are specially defensive, such as Blissey and Tyranitar. Metagross can handle these guys no problem, and when paired with a powerful mixed attacking force such as Salamence, you'll have punched a hole through your opponent's team in no time. In the case of bulky Waters, they are generally partnered with Scizor and Salamence. Zapdos can handle Scizor no problem, and a Choice Band Scizor of your own can end the threat of any given Salamence provided Stealth Rock is in play. U-turn also goes a long way to swing any given battle to your advantage; not only does it soften the opposition, but it can also reveal potentially vital information about your opponent's team and how exactly they handle Metagross. This will allow you to formulate a plan of attack in advance.</p>
 
The lead metagross set should have earthquake, meteor mash, and bullet punch. It's way better to save him to late game, and even get a kill with that 3rd move at the start, so how about:

name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Earthquake / Explosion
item: Occa Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
 
All on the Agiligross set.

Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Salamence who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most of the metagame, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>
I wouldn't have Salamence as an example here, I suspect most Salamence won't risk taking a Meteor Mash, even if you don't have an Agility up. It is probably easier to put Gliscor and be done =)

Also, only 196 Speed EVs are needed to beat neutral +1 base 100s
 
and any lead that is not a Ghost-type will lose a big chunk of their health.
that aren't worried by Metagross in the slightest.
Personal preference but I think it would sound better if you replace worried with threatened or something. You choice ^^.

Latias does shine, however, for its ability to also take on Heatran effectively, something which Celebi cannot boast.
Preference again but seeing as Latias only has one possible gender wouldn't it be better to use her>it kinda like what we do with Blissey?

it can also potentially put you to sleep with Hypnosis while you can't really do a whole lot back unless it is Heatproof.
I don't think "also" is necessary here.

or if you had decided not to use one at all.
Unsure here so please forgive me if I'm wrong but perhaps have>had?

common OU Pokemon such as Infernape
I suggest you just ditch the "marked" e. So far you've been using it so just in case wanted to point this out to you. Sorry nitpicky x_x;;.

as it not only defeats the Pokémon that counter Metagross (and vice-versa), but it also has sweeping potential of its own.
If you agree with me she>it.

Salamence is a fantastic Pokémon to take advantage this set offensively - it can come in on any Ground of Fire move aimed at Metagross and proceed to start an assault of its own, either by Dragon Dancing or utilizing mixed attacking. It will also appreciate the free switch in provided by a successful Trick.
Rephrasing... "Salamence is a fantastic Pokémon that will appreciate the free switch in provided by a successful Trick - allowing it to come in on any Ground or Fire moves aimed at Metagross and proceed to start an assault of its own, either by Dragon Dancing or by Mixed Attacking."

and Rhyperior while OHKOing Forretress and Swampert.
Nitpick.

allowing it to outspeed most Magnezone as they usually only run up to 207 Speed.
while Expert Belt still allows you to deal with Metagross's usual counters
For uniformity sake Metagross' like what you used in all the above paragraphs.

Many teams will only have one answer to a particular Pokémon
Sounds better if you get rid of "will".

I'm so sorry I'll get back to this later installing Windows XP SP 3 so i have to close all open programs (according to Microsoft!). All in all good work as usual BK ^^. I'm sorry I'm such a nitpick. Have a nice day ^^.
 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
EDIT: damn font tags.. getting them off...

You know what happened to my innitial edits... down the drain. I'm back to where I was but tired as hell. I'll continue it tomorrow if you need??? Sorry for the lack of fulfillment to commitments. =[

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: ThunderPunch / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
You know what happened, and I'm seriously not bothered typing into the most minute detail right now. :(
  1. Zen Headbutt alongside TPunch - despite the lack of coverage if the set includes Zen Headbutt, there are advantages like hitting Swampert and Rotom rather hard, notably the latter. Thunderpunch is only really advantageous on Skarmory, but it Roosts off the damage and halves the power of TPunch on it.
  2. This doesn't matter as much, but I would prioritize Bullet Punch as there is an influx of offensive teams - priority attacks will be extremely helpful.
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>...Earthquake provides Metagross with a great way of hitting Fire-types and Steel-types who would otherwise have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash. …</p>
I wouldn't really bother stating "Fire-types" at all, because frankly, most couldn't even switch into a non-boosted Meteor Mash. Instead, I would elaborate more on Heatran in the place of Fire-types, as it is the only one that can somewhat take a CB STAB Meteor Mash.
[20:17] <@junior> is one of my suggestions
[20:17] <@BlueKirby> well that is true but also consider how many fire types appear in ou to begin with
[20:18] <@BlueKirby> i am pretty much talking about heatran but keeping it general at the same time
[20:18] <@junior> the thing is
[20:18] <@junior> they wont be switching in
[20:18] <@BlueKirby> heatran is the only fire type ou iirc
[20:18] <@junior> infernape
[20:18] <@BlueKirby> infernape doesnt switch into anything from anyone
[20:18] <@BlueKirby> so he doesnt count
[20:18] <@junior> exactly
[20:18] <@junior> lol

;D

<p>Metagross' fourth move should be selected based on what role you want it to play. ThunderPunch gives you a good method of dealing with Pokémon such as Suicune and Skarmory, who otherwise have no problem switching in on Meteor Mash and Earthquake. Of course, you will be placed in a bad position if a Ground-type, such as Dugtrio, or an immune Pokémon, such as Electivire, switches in.
Very minor edits and nitpicky of me, but edited in commas to separate descriptions that doesn’t really flow in a sentence without them.

Bullet Punch allows Metagross to eliminate fast threats such as Azelf and Gengar, but neither is OHKOed when running a neutral defensive nature, even if you've set up Stealth Rock.
There shouldn’t be a comma after “nature”.

Other options for the last slot include Ice Punch, Pursuit, and Trick. Ice Punch allows you to threaten with Gliscor and Zapdos; in fact, you have a 79.49% chance of OHKOing Zapdos with Ice Punch, provided Stealth Rock is in play. Pursuit is really only recommended in the Ubers metagame, where most threatening Pokémon are Psychic-type. Trick is also an option to cripple Pokémon hoping to switch in and wall Metagross.</p>
Too perfect of the actual analysis means nitpicking required. And lol, “Psychic-typed” had me chuckling. NoobKirby.

Bulky Steel-types, such as Skarmory and Forretress, do not dread switching into Metagross’ attacks.
“worried by” doesn’t sound right – I was thinking of it as you get worried because of something. I suggest something along the lines of the bolded bit.

Forretress is worn down by repeated Earthquakes, but can simply set up Spikes while you're trying to weaken it.
Remove Spikes from here as Forretress can have a lot more roles than that. “…but can simply set up while…” is fine.

Zapdos also gives Metagross a hard time, as Roost can buy it a resistance to Ice Punch while it wears Metagross down.</p>
Zapdos neither gets resistance nor immunity to Ice Punch after Roost.

Zapdos can use a combination of Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, Hidden Power Grass and Roost to provide a good balance between offense and defense.
I think you should promulgate the reasons as to why this is the set to use on Zapdos in conjunction to CB Metagross, just for the consistency – I acknowledge the reasoning are obvious though.

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Metagross makes for an effective late-game sweeper once your opponent's Pokémon have been sufficiently weakened. The basic gist of this set is to use Agility, which makes Metagross faster than just about everything, and sweep.
I would, personally, be more precise about this. What tier speed with Scarf would it lose to, or what commonly scarf Pokemon would outspeed it?

Meteor Mash, once again, will be your main attacking option. Earthquake allows you to deal with Fire-types and Steel-types who may attempt to wall Metagross.</p>
Same stuff as above’s set I guess.

ThunderPunch is the recommended option, as it allows Metagross to hit everything for at least neutral damage, barring Rotom and Shedinja, as well as Water-types attempting to wall this set.
I suggest you remove the underlined section as it doesn’t fit into the sentence at all, it is the same problem as that of the third fix I gave you in this whole post.

Ice Punch allows you to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Gliscor who may try to set up on you otherwise. Since Metagross will be faster than most Pokemon, Explosion is also a worthwhile option when low on health.</p>
I’m not sure, but analysis wasn’t supposed to be based on a metagame was it? If this is the case, I suggest you take the fixes (bolded bit) into account.

Bullet Punch is essential to the set in that it allows Metagross to get rid of Focus Sash users, such as Azelf and Aerodactyl, without having to take another hit. The choice between Earthquake and Meteor Mash as Metagross' other attacking option comes down to whether you want it to serve as an efficient suicide lead, or if you plan on attempting a sweep with it later on.
I just don’t see how Metagross can sweep with two Steel STABs. I would rephrase the last bit, stating that their options should base on what they want to hit for better damage.

In the end, Meteor Mash is just redundant with Bullet Punch in terms of countering majority other leads. I would remove it from the set and slash and/or mention Explosion instead – it isn’t as effective as EQ, but more effective than Meteor Mash.

After looking on, I see you did mention Explosion. :d

<p>The choice of item on Lead Metagross is really dependent on what you need it to deal with.
With the given EV spread, Metagross will never be OHKOed by a Modest Life Orb Heatran's Fire Blast, taking Occa Berry into account.
Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on Roserade, Yanmega, and Gengar leads, and also helps deal with the rare Hypnosis from Bronzong.
I would rephrase this to, “Lum Berry allows Metagross to take on the common Sleep inducing leads in the game, notably Roserade, Yanmega, Gengar and Bronzong.”

<p>Choice Specs Latias makes an excellent partner for a leading Metagross, as it can switch in easily on Heatran, Swampert and Hippowdon before proceeding to fire boosted Draco Meteors and Surfs.
I would remove “Choice Specs” as other variants also does well with it (Life Orb, Calm Mind etc.)

[SET]
name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
What difference does 6 stat points an “indiscreet” stat such as HP do? Instead I would just max out the Speed “just incase”.
 

cim

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I've never been convinced by the reasons not to run 252 Attack EVs on the Choice Band set. The EVs were originally created for Adamant CB Dugtrio not factoring in SR so I don't see how they are relevant at all today.
 

Blue Kirby

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Just going through all the subjective edits now ... there are a few I will edit in shortly. Writing style is always going to come into it, so there will be those that aren't implemented because it makes no difference.

As for your comment Chris, what exactly are you missing in terms OHKOs and 2HKOs by dropping a few Attack EVs? As arbitrary as it may be to "not be OHKOed by anything except a Fire attack", I would prefer the current spread based purely on the fact that you don't lose anything and actually do potentially gain something. This discussion has been had upon checking, and they weren't overturned then. I see no reason to overturn it now. If you want to run 252 Attack, that's your prerogative I guess - it really makes little difference in the long run.
 
I think you can put a more offensive EV spread in the EV section. 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe.

"A more offensive EV spread to the Choice Band and lead set is 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe. This spread allows you to outspeed Adamant Scizor, no Speed Suicune, 212 Speed Breloom, in addition to the standard 88 Speed Rotom-A. If you are using Zen Headbutt, you can then 2HKO Rotom-A and hit Breloom before it is able to put you to sleep. Even 252 Speed Adamant Tyranitar, and all defensive Skarmory are also outsped."

The Skarmory EV spread in the analysis actually uses more Speed EVs than Metagross.
 
Nice write up, just one little nitpick that no one mentioned

...While you may consider using Magneton to trap the likes of Skarmory and Forretress, Shed Shell is becoming increasingly popular on these Pokémon for that very reason - you may just find yourself left with a dead weight, especially taking into account that Magnezone shares Metagross' defensive weaknesses
Shouldn't Magneton be Magnezone?

EDIT: Also, can't Rock Slide be mentioned on the Choice Band set? It hits all around Flyers (OHKOing Salamence and Gyarados after Stealth Rock while 2HKOing defensive Zapdos) and can hit CS Heatran for a bit of damage if it decides to switch in (a 3HKO - 40% min).
 
Kind of odd to mention... but Metagross is the quintessential receiver of Baton Pass chains due to Clear Body, resistance to priority, and solid movepool. Any worth to a receiver set? Those kind of teams are quite popular in phases, and some people would probably like to know how to use it.
 

Blue Kirby

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I had considered it, having used Metagross in that same vein throughout part of my ST5 run. I'm not sure that there is really that much explanation required to a receiver set, and on its own such a set does not really stand out from any of the other sets.
 

Colonel M

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Probably best to mention it on AgiliGross and talk about dropping Agility for another Attack. Also, mention how other attacks (Zen Headbutt comes to mind) can benefit in there since the one thing Metagross doesn't want to be stopped by is a Rotom-A.
 
The lead metagross set should have earthquake, meteor mash, and bullet punch. It's way better to save him to late game, and even get a kill with that 3rd move at the start, so how about:

name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Earthquake / Explosion
item: Occa Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Yeah that's true most people keep meteor mash for the kill, on azelf along with bullet punch to finish it off. Yeah they usually have a switch on earthquake, and explosion. Agreed with this.
 
I am absolutely loving this analysis Blue Kirby. Im using it as a template for my own. I had the idea to include in the team options that metagross is an excellent Pokemon to receive stat boosts from the likes of Gliscor. With enough it can 2hko everything in the game. Food for thought.
 

Erazor

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Meteor Mash is your primary attacking option as it is capable of dealing great amount(s) of damage to most Pokémon regardless of whether they resist the hit or not.
Earthquake provides Metagross with a great way of hitting Fire-types and Steel-types who would otherwise have no problem freely switching into Meteor Mash.
Those bolded parts sound contradictory, perhaps you could phrase it like this:
<p>Meteor Mash is your main attacking option as it deals great amounts of damage to anything that does not outright resist it, and even to a few that do</p>
<p>Earthquake provides Metagross with a great way of hitting the Fire and Steel-types who would otherwise switch into Meteor Mash with relative ease</p>

But otherwise a really good analysis. Nice job.
 

TAY

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The Trapper set should not be included in the analysis. It was created when Deoxys-e and Gengar were tearing up the metagame, and although it was a total monster then, its use is extremely limited now. Deoxys-e is obviously no longer a threat, and Gengar is much more rarely seen since offensive teams can already deal with it with Scizor, Scarf Heatran, and Tyranitar, if either is scarfed. These Pokemon (particularly Scizor) also make the need for an anti-Gengar offensive Pokemon much less felt.

Using it against Starmie is a liability since it can't beat Starmie without Explosion if Starmie stays in.

This set's time is past, and it is now generally inferior to a simple defensive attacking set. It should not be included in this analysis.
 
Agreeing with what TAY said.

Also, can you provide an EV spread for Metagross in Ubers. I know there was a specific spread for the Choice Band for countering Lati@ back in the old analysis. That information would be useful.
 

Caelum

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Agreeing with what TAY said.

Also, can you provide an EV spread for Metagross in Ubers. I know there was a specific spread for the Choice Band for countering Lati@ back in the old analysis. That information would be useful.
If BK wants to include it in the EV section, I always just ran 200 HP / 176 Atk / 132 SpD, Adamant for the Choice Band set in ubers

577 Attack (176 Atk EVs + Choice Band) OHKOes 329 HP / 216 Def (112 HP / 0 Def EVs) Timid Latias 100% of the time with Stealth Rock damage, and will obviously then always OHKO Latios without SR. 351 HP / 249 SpD (200 HP / 132 SpD EVs) allows Metagross to always survive a Timid Latios +1 Soul Dew Thunder after Stealth Rock.

There was a spread used that allowed Metagross to survive a Modest Latios CM Thunder; but I always found it too weak offensively and very few run Modest Latios.
 

Lutra

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name: Offensive Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: ThunderPunch / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe

I'd personally slash Ice Punch with ThunderPunch because Thunderpunch isn't really a given in this set. For one, this can't outspeed max speed adamant Gyarados without 252 Speed evs. Secondly, it's a 74.36% chance it will be KOed with SR from a Leftovers Jolly Gyarados and a definite KO from a Life Orb Gyarados without SR. Anything like a Wacan Berry would also destroy the hopes of Metagross countering it. Thunderpunch is useful in countering Skarmory/Water-types etc. but sometimes you need a sure solution to Dragons/Gliscor by using Ice Punch. So I'm saying I don't see a reason why Thunderpunch is any more than a given than ice punch.

So I'd keep this suitable spread and just mention 252 spe to outspeed Adamant Gyarados. Other than that, the paragraph needs to be fixed below the set. The description doesn't totally agree with what is mentioned above.
 

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