qc: pk gaming / gary / zamrock
gp: kris / fireflame479
status: Done
[OVERVIEW]
With Adaptability and the ridiculous offensive stats that Beedrill gains upon Mega Evolution, it performs as a fearsome U-turn user that forces in slower checks such as Zapdos and Toxapex for teammates to take advantage of. Mega Beedrill's unique movepool lets it support the team in various ways such as wallbreaking with Swords Dance, trapping with Pursuit, and even setting up Toxic Spikes. However, Mega Beedrill's niche fits poorly with its typing, as it gives it a nasty weakness to Stealth Rock, which is made worse when Spikes is taken into account. Mega Beedrill also struggles in a metagame where Landorus-T runs rampant.
[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Swords Dance / Knock Off / Pursuit
item: Beedrillite
ability: Swarm
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn is a powerful move that provides free turns for strong wallbreakers such as Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B because of how Mega Beedrill tends to force in slower Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Toxapex. Poison Jab is Mega Beedrill's strongest attack, easily 2HKOing Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and Tornadus-T. It even has a 30% chance to poison, meaning that it has applications as a fail-safe move. Drill Run is mandatory, as Magearna, Mega Mawile, Heatran, Magnezone, and specially defensive Toxapex would otherwise wall Mega Beedrill. Swords Dance is the preferred move in the fourth slot to allow it to break Pokemon such as Zapdos and Toxapex while making it a more immediate threat to defensive teams. Knock Off can be used for removing items such as Shed Shell, which is instrumental for teammates such as Magnezone. Finally, Pursuit can be used in the last slot to trap Gengar and get vital chip damage on targets such as Tapu Lele and Heatran.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs are necessary to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature is mandatory, as Mega Beedrill cannot outpace Pokemon such as Tapu Koko and slower Choice Scarf users such as Tapu Bulu, Hoopa-U, and Heatran with an Adamant nature. Swarm is used over Sniper to give Mega Alakazam and Porygon2 useless abilities if Beedrill were to be used as death fodder prior to Mega Evolution.
Usage Tips
========
U-turn should be used most of the time because Mega Beedrill's purpose is to provide free switches. Mega Beedrill will naturally become a threat, as it wears down its checks with the combination of Knock Off and U-turn, so it is recommended to treat it as a supplemental team member more than a standalone Pokemon. Analyze the risk and reward of clicking Poison Jab; it can be the difference between getting a KO and losing momentum, the latter being the opposite of what Mega Beedrill should be doing. Similarly, try not to gamble too much with Pursuit when deciding between using it and Drill Run.
Swords Dance should be used in matchups where teams rely on pivoting in to beat Mega Beedrill with Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Zapdos. It is also important for forcing Skarmory in when playing against stall; many players will be unwilling to bring it in and will just recover with their Mega Sableye or Toxapex, since going into Skarmory completely saps momentum, especially if Stealth Rock is taken into account. Swords Dance completely eliminates this factor in actual gameplay, making it important because wallbreakers such as Garchomp cannot set up on Mega Sableye for example. Despite the weakness to Rock, prioritize getting Mega Beedrill in even if Stealth Rock is up; Mega Beedrill is amazing at maintaining momentum, and entry hazards can always be removed when it actually needs its health. Remember that Mega Beedrill can still come in on Pokemon like Tapu Fini, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Clefable, so take advantage of them.
Team Options
========
Magnezone is an excellent teammate, since it traps Mega Scizor, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn, Pokemon that would otherwise comfortably come in on Mega Beedrill. Mega Beedrill synergizes well with Magnezone, as it can remove Skarmory's Shed Shell with Knock Off and destroy Heatran with Drill Run, which are Pokemon that Magnezone cannot trap (I'm surprised the VoltTurn core isn't mentioned here but it's whatever. Add it if you want to.). Even if entry hazard control is difficult to make use of due to the prevalence of offensive hazard setters and spinblockers such as Greninja and Gengar, respectively, it can still be a necessity, especially late-game. More offensively inclined options of hazard removal are preferred, so Kartana and Latios fill this role quite nicely.
Without a solid wallbreaker, Mega Beedrill is useless. It is great at giving free switches, so look no further for teammates than some of the deadliest threats in the tier, such as Tapu Lele, Kyurem-B, Hoopa-U, Greninja, Choice Band Zygarde, Gengar, and Crawdaunt. Having hazards up makes the game much quicker, so Spikes Greninja, regardless of its ability, and Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T and Heatran make for great teammates. Finally, Rotom-W forms a potent VoltTurn core with Mega Beedrill, as Rotom-W can pivot into Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Mega Pinsir, proceeding to force them out and gain momentum with Volt Switch. Other VoltTurn teammates include Magearna and Tapu Koko. Ice Beam Magearna, in particular, can lure in Landorus-T and KO it, especially if it is holding a Shuca Berry.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
X-Scissor, Fell Stinger, and Tailwind are all appealing options, but they fail to address any of the issues Mega Beedrill currently has. Mega Beedrill should more often use U-turn than Pursuit for chip damage, as the loss in momentum is detrimental to the types of teams it is on. Toxic Spikes is an option to put pressure on teams that rely on defensive cores with Tangrowth, Zygarde, or Tapu Fini.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Mega Beedrill uses U-turn frequently to keep up momentum, so damage from Stealth Rock wears it down quickly.
**Bulky Ground-types**: Landorus-T completely walls Mega Beedrill, setting up Stealth Rock or using it as setup bait if it uses a different move. Rocky Helmet Garchomp and Hippowdon can punish Mega Beedrill for using U-turn. Gliscor also walls Beedrill, but it has to be wary of Knock Off if its Toxic Orb is not activated.
**Priority and Choice Scarf Users**: Mega Beedrill's abysmal Defense means it can be easily picked off by priority from the likes of Mega Mawile and Zygarde. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp and Greninja can also easily revenge kill it.
**Non-Ground-weak Steel-types**: If Magnezone is not paired with Mega Beedrill, non-Ground-weak Steel-types are universal switch-ins. Mega Scizor, physically defensive Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Skarmory completely wall Mega Beedrill, as they take little to no damage from Drill Run.
**Toxapex**: Specially defensive variants are softer checks because they take a ton from Drill Run, but they can still usually force Mega Beedrill out with the threat of a Scald burn.
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