Lotsa cred to MAMP for writing the semi-official analysis a year ago
Major changes since then (tl;dr for QC members):
- Replacing Illusion with Misty Surge
- Removing Psychic Surge mentions
- Night Shade is a staple, it shouldn't be a slash
- Beefing up some explanations
[OVERVIEW]
As the lone legal user of Parental Bond, Mega Kangaskhan finds itself in a potent position as unique wallbreaker that breaks down and 2HKOes almost the entire metagame, making it a huge threat to stall and balance teams. Also, its decent bulk, respectable Speed tier, and ability to wallbreak without fear of common status and Knock Off let it switch in easily on many common walls and pose an immediate threat. However, Mega Kangaskhan still struggles from being one-dimensional, as the two-turn combination of Nature's Madness + Night Shade or Seismic Toss is slow and relatively easy to play around with the right preparation, less efficient than the quick KOs of dedicated wallbreakers, ineffective against the multitude of slow, bulky pivots in the metagame (especially those with Regenerator), and reliant on correct prediction against Normal- and Ghost-types. On top of that, because Parental Bond is restricted to Mega Kangaskhan, Kangaskhan must start out in its normal forme and cannot run any item besides Kangaskhanite if it wants to take advantage of the ability. Additionally, Mega Kangaskhan's poor defensive typing, only decent bulk, and lack of any immediately threatening offensive presence leave it vulnerable to being picked off by faster, stronger enemies such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Rayquaza, and Mega Mewtwo X, all of which outspeed and threaten to OHKO, making Mega Kangaskhan relatively useless against offensive teams. In addition, Mega Kangaskhan suffers a bit from four-moveslot syndrome, as it is usually restricted to only one coverage move after Nature's Madness, Night Shade, and recovery, limiting its ability to confront more niche walls like Shedinja. Finally, its reliance on its ability makes it vulnerable to the plethora of ability-suppressing moves in the metagame, and it is a sitting duck should its ability be neutralized by any of them.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Nature's Madness
move 2: Night Shade
move 3: Strength Sap / Shore Up
move 4: Extreme Speed / Seismic Toss
item: Kangaskhanite
ability: Misty Surge
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Nature's Madness and Night Shade in conjunction with Parental Bond after Mega Evolution is what enables Mega Kangaskhan to 2HKO virtually the entire metagame. Nature's Madness brings opposing Pokemon down to at most only 25% of their maximum HP, leaving them within range to be KOed by Night Shade. Night Shade is the best constant-damage move, as it hits Giratina and other Ghost-types, which are generally a bigger threat than the Normal-types that Seismic Toss hits. The third slot should be used as recovery so Mega Kangaskhan can heal off chip damage and weaker attacks. Strength Sap is the best option, as it takes advantage of the high average Attack stat of Pokemon in Balanced Hackmons to recover massive amounts of damage instantly while lowering the foe's Attack stat and making it even more difficult for them to take Mega Kangaskhan down. Shore Up can also be used as recovery, as it is slightly more reliable, healing a consistent half of Mega Kangaskhan's maximum health. The last slot is typically used for coverage. Extreme Speed is a fantastic STAB move that lets Mega Kangaskhan hit faster threats that switch into Nature's Madness or even Night Shade as well as finish off Normal-types. Mega Kangaskhan can also run Seismic Toss so it can KO Normal-types immune to Night Shade, but this is generally not necessary, as Extreme Speed takes out both Regigigas and Arceus, the only relevant Normal-types Mega Kangaskhan has to deal with, after Nature's Madness. Alternatively, Anchor Shot can trap opposing Pokemon and reliably take them down, while Sunsteel Strike can be used to hit Shedinja and Mega Audino for decent damage, and Taunt can be used to shut down Prankster recovery and generally passive Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Kangaskhanite enables Mega Kangaskhan to take advantage of Parental Bond. With Parental Bond, Nature's Madness reduces the target's HP to only 25%, while Night Shade and Seismic Toss deal 200 HP of damage, letting Mega Kangaskhan 2HKO the entire metagame, barring foes with passive recovery. Misty Surge is the best ability to use before Mega Evolution, protecting Mega Kangaskhan from being statused (in particular, with sleep) and weakening Dragon-type attacks that it might have to face. It also prevents opposing Toxic Orbs from activating, letting Mega Kangaskhan break down Poison Heal users such as Giratina and Xerneas. Intimidate can also be used to weaken opposing physical attacks and create more safe opportunities for Kangaskhan to come in and Mega Evolve. A Jolly nature is used to maximize Mega Kangaskhan's Speed so it can beat up to maximum investment base 99 Speed Pokemon such as Yveltal and Xerneas. If no physical attacks are used, a Timid nature with 0 Attack EVs is preferred to minimize confusion damage and reduce opposing Strength Sap healing from typical users such as Giratina.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best used as a liberal check to most common metagame walls, especially before it Mega Evolves, and can still take advantage of Misty Surge to prevent itself from being crippled by status they tend to carry. Early-game, Kangaskhan can serve as an immediate offensive threat whose Misty Terrain can prevent opposing Toxic Orb Poison Heal users from activating their abilities. This is also the ideal time to take advantage of Mega Kangaskhan's wallbreaking ability, as it can be used to easily bring down opposing walls within KO range of partner sweepers. Use Nature's Madness only if Night Shade and Seismic Toss don't 2HKO, as they have far more PP, won't miss, and generally 2HKO most of the metagame anyway. Use recovery moves when there is a free opportunity to—that is, on a predicted switch or against more passive Pokemon that can't deal much damage. Avoid recklessly Mega Evolving unless you plan on staying in, as Kangaskhan can be switched in and out to support its teammates with Misty Terrain. Once Misty Terrain has ended, be wary of status effects, as sleep shuts Kangaskhan down, burn reduces the power of Extreme Speed, poison reduces its longevity, and paralysis makes it easier to pick off. Be wary of slow pivots, as Mega Kangaskhan struggles to confront offensive Pokemon that they can pivot to, especially if they pivot out the turn Mega Kangaskhan switches in. Mega Kangaskhan also generally has difficulty wearing them down anyway, especially if they have Regenerator. If Strength Sap and Extreme Speed are used, Mega Kangaskhan can even check Imposter Chansey, as it cannot be KOed by its own Nature's Madness and Night Shade, and it does not have to fear Extreme Speed once the opposing Imposter user's Attack is lowered. Alternatively, if Anchor Shot is used, this set can even trap Imposter users to PP stall them to death while healing off attacks.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with passive recovery, mainly Poison Heal Giratina and Regigigas, or Prankster make great partners to shut down Imposter users. For example, offensive Poison Heal users like Xerneas have great offensive synergy with Mega Kangaskhan as well, as they can reliably put opposing Pokemon to sleep, granting Mega Kangaskhan an easy switch in while it counters bulkier checks and counters in return. Alternatively, Prankster Ghost-types can easily switch into Nature's Madness and recover without fear of being picked off by Extreme Speed. Shedinja can also fulfill this function if Mega Kangaskhan does not use Sunsteel Strike, but its vulnerability to entry hazard damage makes it unreliable. Mega Kangaskhan also appreciate counters to Shedinja itself, as Shedinja is one of the only walls that it cannot break down. Mold Breaker Pokemon such as Mega Gengar as well as surprise Mold Breaker moves work well for this, and Ghost-types such as Giratina also serve as good defensive teammates for this reason. Powerful, fast sweepers like -ate users, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Mega Gengar enjoy having walls weakened and can help check offensive Pokemon that threaten Mega Kangaskhan. Slow pivots work well to shield Mega Kangaskhan from attacks and bring it in safely, and they can neutralize annoying abilities such as Poison Heal and Regenerator to help Mega Kangaskhan wallbreak. Toxic Spikes support, though a niche option that is relatively rare, can also be useful, as it lets Mega Kangaskhan wallbreak more easily without needing to waste two turns to KO opposing Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
On the wallbreaker set, Mega Kangaskhan can also use Magic Guard as an ability to prevent entry hazard damage, but Misty Surge is generally more useful, as it provides lasting benefits. Pursuit along with Mold Breaker before Mega Evolution can be used to trap Shedinja before Mega Evolving and nail foes that try to flee after Nature's Madness, but it has very limited use and is rarely seen. Unfortunately, Pursuit also doesn't otherwise deal much damage to Ghost- and Normal-types that give Mega Kangaskhan the most problems, so it doesn't really have the space to fit in. Besides the wallbreaker set, Mega Kangaskhan has few viable options to use that aren't simply outclassed by other sets on other Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
========
**Shedinja**: Sturdy Shedinja takes no damage from any of the attacks that Mega Kangaskhan uses bar Sunsteel Strike, which is relatively rare.
**Passive Healing**: Because Mega Kangaskhan cannot OHKO opposing Pokemon with Nature's Madness or Night Shade, Pokemon with extraordinary healing capabilities can usually shrug off its attacks and counterattack. For example, Poison Heal users, particularly Regigigas for its immunity to Night Shade and Giratina for its massive HP stat, can use Poison Heal to prevent the 2HKO from Nature's Madness + Night Shade / Seismic Toss. Regenerator Pokemon can heal off damage while pivoting out and bringing in an offensive threat to KO Mega Kangaskhan.
**Ability Suppression**: Mega Kangaskhan relies on Parental Bond to break down walls, so any move that suppresses abilities, such as Worry Seed, Entrainment, or slow Core Enforcer, can neuter it. This is especially effective because Mega Kangaskhan cannot OHKO its targets, giving them ample time to suppress its ability.
**Powerful Offense**: Mega Kangaskhan is slow for an attacker and only decently bulky and will fall to any even neutral powerful attack. Thus, Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Rayquaza can easily defeat it before it can attack. Triage Mega Rayquaza, in particular, can heal off damage taken without fear of being KOed in the process.
**Prankster**: Prankster Pokemon such as Registeel and Giratina move before Mega Kangaskhan, easily shut it down by removing Parental Bond with Entrainment, and can recover from its attacks, even if they switch into Nature's Madness, as their moves receive priority. They can even bring it down with them with using Destiny Bond. However, they have to be careful of being picked off by Extreme Speed when at low health.
**Setup Sweepers**: Mega Kangaskhan is complete setup bait for any faster Pokemon that won't fall to Nature's Madness + Extreme Speed. Though they will find it difficult to switch in, setup sweepers resistant or immune to Extreme Speed such as Mega Gengar, Mega Tyranitar, Necrozma-DM, and Dazzling users can easily set up and OHKO Mega Kangaskhan if they get a free switch in.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Electrolyte, 148071]]
- Quality checked by: [[GL Volkner, 330455], [Funbot28, 255984], [Gurpreet Patel (Sent you a Friend Request), 233142]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Kris, 241023]]
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