[SET]
Bulky Offensive (Metagross) @ Lum Berry / Occa Berry / Shuca Berry
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 116 Atk / 148 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch / Earthquake
- Explosion / Earthquake
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
* Metagross is a strong attacker with a wide movepool, excellent stats, and a beneficial ability in Clear Body, which prevents its stats from being lowered by common effects like Intimidate and Icy Wind. With its Steel / Psychic typing, Metagross has valuable resistances to popular attacks such as Explosion, Draco Meteor, Blizzard, and Rock Slide. Metagross has a Speed stat that allows it to benefit from all forms of speed control, but most notably, it appreciates Thunder Wave and Trick Room support from its teammates. These traits make Metagross a centralizing force in the VGC 2009 metagame that is easy to fit onto many different styles of teams.
* Meteor Mash is Metagross's strongest damage option, Bullet Punch offers priority to finish off weakened foes, and Earthquake is the best way to trade damage against opposing Metagross while additionally giving coverage for Heatran.
* Explosion allows Metagross to readily trade itself for an opposing Pokemon and position a more advantageous Pokemon onto the field.
* Lum Berry is the most popular item for lead Metagross; curing the sleep from Smeargle's Dark Void makes Metagross one of the most consistent answers to Smeargle, as it can easily bypass Smeargle's Focus Sash with Bullet Punch.
* Shuca Berry allows Metagross to always survive Latios's Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power Ground as well as Earthquake from Trick Room sweepers such as opposing Metagross and Rhyperior. Occa Berry lets Metagross trade favorably against lead Infernape, taking it down to its Focus Sash with Earthquake then following up with a priority Bullet Punch. It also lets Metagross use Earthquake more freely against lead Heatran and deny it a potential Substitute.
* The bulk EV investment gives Metagross the ability to almost always survive two unboosted Adamant Metagross Earthquakes and maximizes the chance of surviving two Modest Zapdos Thunderbolts, while the Attack investment lets it KO Latios with Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch most of the time.
Teambuilding
=========
* Bulky Metagross appreciates speed control from partners such as Cresselia, Bronzong, and Gengar, as without it, Metagross will rarely move first due to middling Speed.
* Ground-immune partners such as Latios, Cresselia, and Gyarados help to dissuade foes from targeting Metagross with Earthquake and enable Metagross itself to freely use Earthquake without damaging its partner.
* Snorlax has strong synergy with Metagross, as it's a slow Fire-resistant Pokemon capable of taking on Water-types as well as checking Trick Room strategies.
* Water-types such as Gyarados, Suicune, Swampert, Kingdra, and Ludicolo resist Metagross's Meteor Mash and threaten Metagross in return with powerful attacks. Zapdos similarly fears little from bulky offensive Metagross and can threaten significant damage.
* Bronzong can freely set up Trick Room against Metagross, so reliable Trick Room counterplay is required if you're leading with it.
* Heatran and Infernape threaten to OHKO Metagross if it is not holding the Occa Berry.
[SET]
Choice Scarf (Metagross) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head / Meteor Mash
- Rock Slide
- Explosion
- Trick / Earthquake
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
* With a Choice Scarf, Metagross outspeeds most of the top threats in the VGC 2009 metagame; most notably, it is faster than Latios, Infernape, and Zapdos. Choice Scarf Metagross excels at disrupting the opposing team and dealing crucial chip damage to enable other strong and fast attackers.
* Iron Head is usually the best choice for Choice Scarf Metagross due to its frequent flinch rate and reliability. Meteor Mash can be used as an alternative to deal more damage.
* Rock Slide lets Metagross deal strong spread damage, disrupt the opposing team with flinches, and target usual Metagross checks such as Zapdos and Gyarados.
* With Choice Scarf, Explosion can be used before the opposing Pokemon acts to quickly eliminate them.
* Trick gives Choice Scarf Metagross the option to cripple an opposing support such as Cresselia or Bronzong, which it would otherwise be powerless against. Alternatively, Earthquake lets Metagross damage opposing Steel-types.
* With 252 Speed EVs and an Adamant nature, Metagross outspeeds Latios and anything slower while Speed tying with Azelf and Raikou. An Adamant nature is typically preferred over Jolly to maximize damage, but a Jolly nature can be used to consistently outspeed Azelf and Raikou, in addition to Adamant Dragon Dance-boosted Gyarados, Modest Choice Scarf Togekiss, Weavile, Crobat, and Aerodactyl.
Teambuilding
=========
* Focus Sash Infernape has strong synergy with Choice Scarf Metagross. It threatens opposing Metagross as well as other bulky threats such as Snorlax, and the pairing enables a popular strategy: using Feint with Infernape and Explosion with Metagross on the first turn to immediately clear the opposing Pokemon while also activating Infernape's Blaze.
* Strong Psychic-types like Latios and Azelf pair nicely with Metagross. Latios is a very effective partner for Choice Scarf Metagross, as it can exploit the chip damage inflicted onto the opposing team by Metagross and KO threats to Metagross that may otherwise be invested to survive Latios's attacks such as Snorlax, Suicune, or Swampert. Azelf forms a potent Explosion spam core with Metagross that can overwhelm unprepared teams. Metagross appreciates that both Pokemon beat Infernape and have Ground immunities with Levitate.
* Gengar appreciates the disruption of Choice Scarf Metagross, which can enable it to set up Rain Dance, harass opposing support Pokemon with Taunt, or just attack with Shadow Ball. Gengar's Ghost typing makes Explosion a constant threat that the opponent has to play around very carefully.
* Opposing Metagross threatens significant damage with Earthquake and fears little from Choice Scarf Metagross. Even if Earthquake is used by Choice Scarf Metagross, the damage trade will typically favor a bulky Metagross.
* Even after using Trick, Choice Scarf Metagross can be vulnerable to Trick Room cores such as Bronzong and Rhyperior. When building with Choice Scarf Metagross, it is essential to ensure the team has reliable Trick Room counterplay.
* Certain Water-types such as Suicune, Swampert, Empoleon, Ludicolo, and Kingdra are only threatened by Metagross if it uses Explosion, and due to the Choice Scarf, that can be scouted freely on the first turn.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/oopsgtg.567986/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ned.353628/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300/
Bulky Offensive (Metagross) @ Lum Berry / Occa Berry / Shuca Berry
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 116 Atk / 148 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch / Earthquake
- Explosion / Earthquake
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
* Metagross is a strong attacker with a wide movepool, excellent stats, and a beneficial ability in Clear Body, which prevents its stats from being lowered by common effects like Intimidate and Icy Wind. With its Steel / Psychic typing, Metagross has valuable resistances to popular attacks such as Explosion, Draco Meteor, Blizzard, and Rock Slide. Metagross has a Speed stat that allows it to benefit from all forms of speed control, but most notably, it appreciates Thunder Wave and Trick Room support from its teammates. These traits make Metagross a centralizing force in the VGC 2009 metagame that is easy to fit onto many different styles of teams.
* Meteor Mash is Metagross's strongest damage option, Bullet Punch offers priority to finish off weakened foes, and Earthquake is the best way to trade damage against opposing Metagross while additionally giving coverage for Heatran.
* Explosion allows Metagross to readily trade itself for an opposing Pokemon and position a more advantageous Pokemon onto the field.
* Lum Berry is the most popular item for lead Metagross; curing the sleep from Smeargle's Dark Void makes Metagross one of the most consistent answers to Smeargle, as it can easily bypass Smeargle's Focus Sash with Bullet Punch.
* Shuca Berry allows Metagross to always survive Latios's Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power Ground as well as Earthquake from Trick Room sweepers such as opposing Metagross and Rhyperior. Occa Berry lets Metagross trade favorably against lead Infernape, taking it down to its Focus Sash with Earthquake then following up with a priority Bullet Punch. It also lets Metagross use Earthquake more freely against lead Heatran and deny it a potential Substitute.
* The bulk EV investment gives Metagross the ability to almost always survive two unboosted Adamant Metagross Earthquakes and maximizes the chance of surviving two Modest Zapdos Thunderbolts, while the Attack investment lets it KO Latios with Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch most of the time.
Teambuilding
=========
* Bulky Metagross appreciates speed control from partners such as Cresselia, Bronzong, and Gengar, as without it, Metagross will rarely move first due to middling Speed.
* Ground-immune partners such as Latios, Cresselia, and Gyarados help to dissuade foes from targeting Metagross with Earthquake and enable Metagross itself to freely use Earthquake without damaging its partner.
* Snorlax has strong synergy with Metagross, as it's a slow Fire-resistant Pokemon capable of taking on Water-types as well as checking Trick Room strategies.
* Water-types such as Gyarados, Suicune, Swampert, Kingdra, and Ludicolo resist Metagross's Meteor Mash and threaten Metagross in return with powerful attacks. Zapdos similarly fears little from bulky offensive Metagross and can threaten significant damage.
* Bronzong can freely set up Trick Room against Metagross, so reliable Trick Room counterplay is required if you're leading with it.
* Heatran and Infernape threaten to OHKO Metagross if it is not holding the Occa Berry.
[SET]
Choice Scarf (Metagross) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head / Meteor Mash
- Rock Slide
- Explosion
- Trick / Earthquake
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
* With a Choice Scarf, Metagross outspeeds most of the top threats in the VGC 2009 metagame; most notably, it is faster than Latios, Infernape, and Zapdos. Choice Scarf Metagross excels at disrupting the opposing team and dealing crucial chip damage to enable other strong and fast attackers.
* Iron Head is usually the best choice for Choice Scarf Metagross due to its frequent flinch rate and reliability. Meteor Mash can be used as an alternative to deal more damage.
* Rock Slide lets Metagross deal strong spread damage, disrupt the opposing team with flinches, and target usual Metagross checks such as Zapdos and Gyarados.
* With Choice Scarf, Explosion can be used before the opposing Pokemon acts to quickly eliminate them.
* Trick gives Choice Scarf Metagross the option to cripple an opposing support such as Cresselia or Bronzong, which it would otherwise be powerless against. Alternatively, Earthquake lets Metagross damage opposing Steel-types.
* With 252 Speed EVs and an Adamant nature, Metagross outspeeds Latios and anything slower while Speed tying with Azelf and Raikou. An Adamant nature is typically preferred over Jolly to maximize damage, but a Jolly nature can be used to consistently outspeed Azelf and Raikou, in addition to Adamant Dragon Dance-boosted Gyarados, Modest Choice Scarf Togekiss, Weavile, Crobat, and Aerodactyl.
Teambuilding
=========
* Focus Sash Infernape has strong synergy with Choice Scarf Metagross. It threatens opposing Metagross as well as other bulky threats such as Snorlax, and the pairing enables a popular strategy: using Feint with Infernape and Explosion with Metagross on the first turn to immediately clear the opposing Pokemon while also activating Infernape's Blaze.
* Strong Psychic-types like Latios and Azelf pair nicely with Metagross. Latios is a very effective partner for Choice Scarf Metagross, as it can exploit the chip damage inflicted onto the opposing team by Metagross and KO threats to Metagross that may otherwise be invested to survive Latios's attacks such as Snorlax, Suicune, or Swampert. Azelf forms a potent Explosion spam core with Metagross that can overwhelm unprepared teams. Metagross appreciates that both Pokemon beat Infernape and have Ground immunities with Levitate.
* Gengar appreciates the disruption of Choice Scarf Metagross, which can enable it to set up Rain Dance, harass opposing support Pokemon with Taunt, or just attack with Shadow Ball. Gengar's Ghost typing makes Explosion a constant threat that the opponent has to play around very carefully.
* Opposing Metagross threatens significant damage with Earthquake and fears little from Choice Scarf Metagross. Even if Earthquake is used by Choice Scarf Metagross, the damage trade will typically favor a bulky Metagross.
* Even after using Trick, Choice Scarf Metagross can be vulnerable to Trick Room cores such as Bronzong and Rhyperior. When building with Choice Scarf Metagross, it is essential to ensure the team has reliable Trick Room counterplay.
* Certain Water-types such as Suicune, Swampert, Empoleon, Ludicolo, and Kingdra are only threatened by Metagross if it uses Explosion, and due to the Choice Scarf, that can be scouted freely on the first turn.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/oopsgtg.567986/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ned.353628/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300/
Last edited:
