[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its high Attack stat and great offensive typing, Mega Gyarados is a very dangerous offensive threat in Balanced Hackmons. Very few Pokemon can safely switch into its STAB Knock Off, and those that can are crippled by the loss of their item. Mega Gyarados also has good special bulk and a beneficial defensive typing, which allows it to take hits from a lot of dangerous offensive threats and proceed to smack them back with its high-powered STAB moves. However, it is held back significantly by its poor Speed and low physical bulk, meaning it can easily be taken down by many common physical attackers.
[SET]
name: Mold Breaker
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Crabhammer / Sucker Punch
move 4: Spore / Stealth Rock / King's Shield
item: Safety Goggles / Focus Sash / Rocky Helmet
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 204 Atk / 56 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The biggest reason to use this set is Pursuit, which in conjunction with Mold Breaker is one of the only reliable means of KOing Sturdy Shedinja. It also does a ton of damage to Pokemon such as Giratina, Aegislash, and Mega Slowbro, which will often switch out of Mega Gyarados fearing Knock Off. Speaking of, Knock Off is a powerful STAB move with excellent coverage, and it cripples Mega Gyarados's switch-ins by removing their items. In particular, Chansey hates taking a Knock Off, as it will lose its Eviolite, severely reducing its bulk. Crabhammer smacks Primal Groudon and Mega Diancie and is Mega Gyarados's most powerful option against neutral targets once their item has been removed. Sucker Punch is a very powerful priority move that is quite helpful against the likes of Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Latios, and Mega Latias. Spore is a great option that allows Mega Gyarados to cripple a lot of its common switch-ins by putting them to sleep, and thanks to Mold Breaker it ignores Magic Bounce. It has good synergy with Knock Off, which removes foes' Safety Goggles. Mega Gyarados can also run Stealth Rock quite effectively, as Mold Breaker allows it to bypass Magic Bounce. King's Shield is an option to help patch up Mega Gyarados's mediocre physical bulk and give it a better matchup against dangerous physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Rayquaza that otherwise would check it easily.
Set Details
========
This spread guarantees that Mega Gyarados survives Timid Protean Mega Mewtwo Y's Moonblast and +1 Modest Primal Kyogre's Moonblast 100% of the time while still being able to deal a lot of damage. Rocky Helmet will KO a Shedinja that uses Endeavor against Gyarados and gets chip damage against Pokemon that use contact moves. Alternatively, Focus Sash can be used to make Mega Gyarados a solid check to a lot of offensive threats provided that it is at full health, including Pixilate Mega Diancie, Aerilate Mega Rayquaza, Psychic-type Contrary users such as Mega Latios, and Protean users. Safety Goggles is a good choice if you are running Spore, as it allows you to put an Imposter user to sleep while it cannot do the same to Mega Gyarados. However, the Imposter user will be able to use Spore on Mega Gyarados if the Safety Goggles gets removed by Knock Off.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Gyarados's main role is to take out Shedinja, so if the opponent has one, try to preserve Mega Gyarados until Shedinja has been KOed. In addition, do not switch Mega Gyarados directly into Shedinja, as Shedinja will either KO it with Endeavor + priority or get momentum by pivoting out. Try to either get Mega Gyarados in with a pivoting move or switch it in on a predicted switch to Shedinja. Once the foe's item has been removed with Knock Off, Crabhammer is far more powerful than Knock Off against a neutral target. If you are running Focus Sash, try to avoid letting Mega Gyarados take damage in order to keep the Focus Sash intact. Try to keep entry hazards off your side of the field, and be wary of stray U-turns from defensive Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Good partners for this set are Pokemon that appreciate Shedinja being removed, such as Protean and -ate ability users. Mega Gyarados has difficulty switching in, so Pokemon with pivoting moves that can bring it in safely make for good teammates, such as U-turn Registeel or Baton Pass Shedinja. Mega Gyarados is quite prone to being revenge killed by -ate ability users, so Pokemon that can take those on make for good partners. Examples include Registeel and Imposter Chansey. It's important to have a Pokemon that can take on an Imposter user that is copying Mega Gyarados. Exactly what you use for this is largely dependent on what moves Mega Gyarados is running, but in general a bulky Poison Heal Pokemon will work well. Yveltal and Mega Audino are good choices. If you do choose to use a Poison Heal Pokemon for this role, make sure to activate its Toxic Orb before sending it in, or else the Imposter user may remove it with Knock Off and render the Poison Heal Pokemon useless.
[SET]
name: Poison Heal
move 1: Shift Gear / Coil
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Crabhammer
move 4: Sacred Fire / Will-O-Wisp
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
[SET COMMENTS] (first bit is c/ped from p^2's check fwiw because you missed it while implementing and that was easier than redoing it by hand)
Moves
========
Shift Gear allows Mega Gyarados to boost its Attack and Speed to ludicrous levels in a single turn. At +2 Speed, Mega Gyarados outspeeds almost every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame. Coil is a more niche option in place of Shift Gear. Coil gives Mega Gyarados an easier time against Imposter Pokemon and makes it more difficult for Aerilate Mega Rayquaza to revenge kill it, but it is prone to being outsped and KOed by a lot of common offensive threats such as Mega Mewtwo Y. If you opt for Coil, a bulkier spread such as 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe with a Careful nature is recommended to better take advantage of the Defense boosts Coil offers. Knock Off is generally the go-to STAB move on the set, hitting the vast majority of the metagame for at least neutral damage and removing pesky items such as Chansey's Eviolite. Crabhammer hits the Pokemon that aren't KOed by Knock Off, such as Primal Groudon, Xerneas, and Mega Audino. Sacred Fire is a powerful option against Steel-types, and it also enables Mega Gyarados to cripple an Imposter user by burning it, while it can't burn Mega Gyarados in return. Will-O-Wisp is an alternative to Sacred Fire that allows Mega Gyarados to more reliably beat Imposter users and Shedinja, as Sacred Fire's 50% burn chance might not always be enough.
Set Details
========
44 Speed EVs are the minimum required for Mega Gyarados to outspeed Timid Mega Mewtwo Y after a Shift Gear. A spread with 128 Speed EVs is an option to allow Mega Gyarados to outspeed Choice Scarf Primal Groudon at +2, but this seriously compromises Mega Gyarados's bulk. Maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature are used for maximum damage output, and the rest of the EVs are put in bulk to allow Mega Gyarados to take hits better, giving it an easier time setting up.
Usage Tips
========
Be careful when you have yet to activate Mega Gyarados's Toxic Orb, as an unexpected Knock Off or status move will leave it with no recovery. Try to get Mega Gyarados in with a slow pivoting move to safely activate its Toxic Orb. Aditionally, try not to boost too much or let Mega Gyarados get too weakened if the opponent's Imposter user is still healthy, as they might be able to break past Mega Gyarados if they get lucky with Speed ties and Sacred Fire's burn chance. People might try to use King's Shield to lower Mega Gyarados's attack stat; if you predict King's Shield, take advantage of it with Shift Gear. If the opponent sends out a Shedinja, go for Knock Off before trying to burn it. Many Shedinja run Lum Berry with Recycle, which will allow them to stall out your Sacred Fire's or Will-o-Wisp's PP. If you Knock Off the Lum Berry, they will not be able to Recycle it.
Team Options
========
This set is hard checked by Pixilate Mega Diancie, so Pokemon that can deal with it make for good partners. Bulky Steel-types and Primal Groudon are good options. Mega Gyarados has a far easier time sweeping if the opponent's Imposter user is weakened, so Pokemon that are able to draw in Imposter Pokemon and wear them down help Mega Gyarados a lot. Examples of these are Protean and -ate Pokemon. Pokemon with pivot moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch can allow Mega Gyarados to safely activate its Toxic Orb and are thus greatly appreciated. It is good to have a Pokemon in reserve to deal with Imposter users, just in case they do manage to get past Mega Gyarados. Pixilate Mega Diancie with Fake Out and Extreme Speed or a Prankster Pokemon with Topsy-Turvy is a good choice for this role.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An offensive Prankster set with Spore and Knock Off can surprise a lot of common checks to Mega Gyarados and is very effective at spreading sleep around opposing teams. This sort of set is generally performed more effectively by Primal Groudon or Mega Mewtwo X, however. The Mold Breaker set can be tailored to your team's needs, and there are a lot of other viable options that it can run. Taunt can be used to shut down defensive Pokemon, but running Taunt makes Imposter users more difficult to deal with. Whirlwind or Gastro Acid can be used to allow Mega Gyarados to more effectively check Poison Heal Primal Kyogre, and Recover can be used to keep Mega Gyarados healthy, although it usually doesn't get many opportunities to use it. A boosting move such as Shift Gear can be run on the Mold Breaker set to good effect, but this is very weak to Imposter users and generally outclassed by the Poison Heal set. A set starting as regular Gyarados that takes advantage of an ability such as Illusion or Simple to set up boosts before Mega Evolving to sweep with the aid of Mega Gyarados's Mold Breaker is a gimmicky but usable option.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Pixilate Mega Diancie**: Mega Diancie with Pixilate has an easy time revenge killing Mega Gyarados thanks to its Fairy-type Extreme Speed.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Mega Gyarados has subpar physical bulk, so Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo X and Primal Groudon can deal huge amounts of damage to it with their powerful physical attacks.
**Bulky Poison Heal Users**: Bulky Pokemon with Poison Heal can usually tank Mega Gyarados's attacks fairly comfortably, can't be Spored, and don't mind losing their item to Knock Off (provided that they have already activated their Toxic Orb). Mega Audino, Yveltal, and physically defensive Primal Kyogre are examples of Pokemon that can perform this role effectively.
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