[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Normal)
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Triple Axel
move 4: U-turn
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
A high Attack stat coupled with exceptional coverage and an incredible Speed tier that outpaces major threats such as Tapu Koko, Cinderace, and Greninja makes Mega Lopunny a very strong offensive Pokemon for Normal teams. Fake Out lets Mega Lopunny move first, inflicting chip damage on faster offensive targets like Zeraora and Choice Scarf Greninja and putting Pokemon like Keldeo and Tapu Bulu in KO range from its other moves. Close Combat is Mega Lopunny's go-to attack, nailing Rock-, Steel-, and Dark-type Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, and Mega Sableye. It also 2HKOes most neutral targets by virtue of its raw power. Triple Axel beautifully complements Close Combat, enabling Mega Lopunny to beat Dragon-types like Dragonite and Garchomp while also turning it into a threat against Dark, Flying, and Ground teams by OHKOing Gliscor and Landorus, as well as 2HKOing Mandibuzz, Zapdos, and specially defensive Hippowdon. U-turn rounds off the set, taking advantage of the walls like Slowbro and Torkoal Mega Lopunny forces onto the field as a way to generate momentum for the team while whittling down the opposition. Maximum Attack and Speed investment alongside a Jolly nature bolsters Mega Lopunny's offensive potential. Limber should be used as the pre-Mega ability because it grants Lopunny a useful immunity to paralysis before Mega Evolving. Scrappy gives Mega Lopunny perfect neutral coverage by letting it hit Ghost-types with its STAB moves and lets it ignore Intimidate from Staraptor and Landorus-T.
All of Mega Lopunny's teammates benefit from its capability to take on Steel-, Ghost-, and Rock-type Pokemon that are problematic for Normal teams. Blissey is a great partner, as it can absorb status for Mega Lopunny with its Natural Cure, supply Stealth Rock support, and bring it safely onto the field via Teleport. In return, Mega Lopunny shreds the likes of Mega Sableye and Ferrothorn and is able to comfortably switch into undesired Knock Offs for it. Diggersby forms an exceptional offensive core with Mega Lopunny; with its extreme power, it can defeat certain defensive Pokemon like Toxapex, Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur that stop Mega Lopunny cold. Conversely, Mega Lopunny revenge kills threats faster than Diggersby such as Nidoking and Greninja and can bring it safely onto the field with U-turn. Choice Scarf Ditto is able to outspeed and either beat or force out threats to Mega Lopunny like Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Altaria. Defensive Staraptor shrugs off physical Fighting-type attacks directed at Mega Lopunny such as Choice Scarf Terrakion's Close Combat, blows away entry hazards with Defog, and has U-turn to form a pivoting core with it. Similarly, Porygon2's sheer bulk enables it to comfortably tank attacks from revenge killers like Choice Scarf Excadrill and safely Teleport out, getting Mega Lopunny into battle unscathed as a result. With its Ghost-type Z-Conversion set, Porygon-Z can eliminate Psychic-types like Celebi and physical walls like Skarmory for Mega Lopunny.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker (Normal)
move 1: Power-Up Punch
move 2: Encore
move 3: Return
move 4: Close Combat
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mega Lopunny's access to Power-Up Punch and Encore in conjunction with its offensive perks lets it run a wallbreaking set that can effectively threaten popular defensive cores in the metagame like Steel's Aegislash + Heatran + Celesteela and Dark's Mega Sableye + Mandibuzz + Tyranitar. Power-Up Punch boosts Mega Lopunny's already high Attack stat to astronomical levels while not being stopped by Taunt. Encore is a very useful tool to lock slower Pokemon like Jirachi and Mantine into support or recovery moves, giving Mega Lopunny free setup opportunities with Power-Up Punch or valuable momentum for the team. Return is Mega Lopunny's most reliable STAB move and its main way to dish out damage; after a boost, it can 2HKO most physical walls that don't resist it, such as Zapdos and Clefable, as well as OHKO frailer Pokemon like Nidoking and Volcarona. Close Combat complements Mega Lopunny's perfect coverage, nailing bulky Steel- and Rock-types that resist Return, such as Aegislash and Cradily, as well as Dark-types like Hydreigon. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature make Mega Lopunny as powerful and fast as possible. Limber is Lopunny's pre-Mega ability, which grants it a useful paralysis immunity before it Mega Evolves. Scrappy gives Mega Lopunny perfect STAB neutral coverage while also enabling it to break through Intimidate Pokemon like Staraptor and Landorus-T by ignoring its effect.
Balanced Normal teams greatly appreciate the role compression this Mega Lopunny set provides by being a very effective hole puncher and revenge killer in one slot. Because of this, Z-Conversion Porygon-Z stands out as its best offensive partner, as they form an offensive core capable of covering most matchups. Porygon-Z fondly benefits from Mega Lopunny removing Dark-types and specially defensive Pokemon like Alolan Muk and Gastrodon. In return, Porygon-Z defeats bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types like Jirachi and Galarian Corsola as well as physical walls such as Celesteela and Mega Venusaur. Blissey is a great partner as well, since it can absorb troublesome status conditions with its Natural Cure, set up Stealth Rock so Mega Lopunny can score crucial KOs, and safely bring it onto the field with Teleport. Ditto is able to pick off faster Pokemon that threaten to revenge kill Mega Lopunny, such as Excadrill under sand and Zeraora. Defensive Staraptor switches into physical Fighting-types like Choice Scarf Buzzwole and Infernape, keeps entry hazards off the field with Defog, and can safely get Mega Lopunny in with its U-turn, allowing Mega Lopunny to enter the battlefield unscathed. Porygon2's insane bulk makes it a great switch-in to priority moves such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard and Dragonite's Extreme Speed and opposing revenge killers like Choice Scarf Greninja that can pick off a weakened Mega Lopunny. It can shrug off these assaults and Teleport out, reliably bringing Mega Lopunny back in.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normal
--------
Mega Kick can be used as a Normal-type STAB move if the extra power is desired. Particularly, Mega Kick is able to OHKO Tapu Lele while unboosted and 2HKO Toxapex and Mega Venusaur at +1. However, its accuracy is extremely undesired, and, most of the time, Return scores the same KOs in a more reliable fashion. On the wallbreaker set, Focus Punch is a viable option to surprise some of Mega Lopunny's switch-ins like Celesteela and Skarmory, but it is very prediction reliant and using it means dropping a generally more useful move. Similarly, Substitute fits in over Encore, making Mega Lopunny harder to revenge kill while taking advantage of the switches it forces to get setup opportunities. It also shines in the Normal matchup because of its buffer against Ditto, but Encore's general utility is usually preferred.
Checks and Counters
===================
Normal
--------
**Status**: All status aliments greatly compromise Mega Lopunny's effectiveness. Paralysis takes away its amazing Speed tier, leaving it vulnerable to be outsped and KOed by a myriad of opposing Pokemon. Burn halves its Attack stat, turning it into a liability throughout the match. Last but not least, Toxic poison gradually wears it down.
**Physical Walls**: Although the wallbreaker set can bypass them if well played, physical walls like Hippowdon and Mega Venusaur easily shrug off Mega Lopunny's moves and can severely damage it back or just replenish their health. Toxapex and Slowbro deserve a special mention because aside from stopping unboosted Mega Lopunny in its tracks, they can also threaten to burn it with Scald.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster revenge killers like Zeraora, Mega Aerodactyl, and Choice Scarf Terrakion outspeed and OHKO Mega Lopunny with their super effective moves. If Mega Lopunny is weakened enough, Pokemon like Choice Scarf Excadrill and Greninja can easily dispose of it.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types like Mega Gallade and Victini can take any attack Mega Lopunny launches at them and, in return, are able to defeat it. However, if they're slower, U-turn can do sizable chip damage to them.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Clefable, Mega Altaria, and Tapu Fini are able to shrug off Mega Lopunny's damaging moves and can beat it with their Fairy-type STAB attacks. Frailer ones like Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu do need to be wary of Return and Triple Axel respectively, though.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Normal analysis by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Quality checked by: [[Maple, 473171], [maroon, 305839]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
name: All-out Attacker (Normal)
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Triple Axel
move 4: U-turn
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
A high Attack stat coupled with exceptional coverage and an incredible Speed tier that outpaces major threats such as Tapu Koko, Cinderace, and Greninja makes Mega Lopunny a very strong offensive Pokemon for Normal teams. Fake Out lets Mega Lopunny move first, inflicting chip damage on faster offensive targets like Zeraora and Choice Scarf Greninja and putting Pokemon like Keldeo and Tapu Bulu in KO range from its other moves. Close Combat is Mega Lopunny's go-to attack, nailing Rock-, Steel-, and Dark-type Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, and Mega Sableye. It also 2HKOes most neutral targets by virtue of its raw power. Triple Axel beautifully complements Close Combat, enabling Mega Lopunny to beat Dragon-types like Dragonite and Garchomp while also turning it into a threat against Dark, Flying, and Ground teams by OHKOing Gliscor and Landorus, as well as 2HKOing Mandibuzz, Zapdos, and specially defensive Hippowdon. U-turn rounds off the set, taking advantage of the walls like Slowbro and Torkoal Mega Lopunny forces onto the field as a way to generate momentum for the team while whittling down the opposition. Maximum Attack and Speed investment alongside a Jolly nature bolsters Mega Lopunny's offensive potential. Limber should be used as the pre-Mega ability because it grants Lopunny a useful immunity to paralysis before Mega Evolving. Scrappy gives Mega Lopunny perfect neutral coverage by letting it hit Ghost-types with its STAB moves and lets it ignore Intimidate from Staraptor and Landorus-T.
All of Mega Lopunny's teammates benefit from its capability to take on Steel-, Ghost-, and Rock-type Pokemon that are problematic for Normal teams. Blissey is a great partner, as it can absorb status for Mega Lopunny with its Natural Cure, supply Stealth Rock support, and bring it safely onto the field via Teleport. In return, Mega Lopunny shreds the likes of Mega Sableye and Ferrothorn and is able to comfortably switch into undesired Knock Offs for it. Diggersby forms an exceptional offensive core with Mega Lopunny; with its extreme power, it can defeat certain defensive Pokemon like Toxapex, Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur that stop Mega Lopunny cold. Conversely, Mega Lopunny revenge kills threats faster than Diggersby such as Nidoking and Greninja and can bring it safely onto the field with U-turn. Choice Scarf Ditto is able to outspeed and either beat or force out threats to Mega Lopunny like Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Altaria. Defensive Staraptor shrugs off physical Fighting-type attacks directed at Mega Lopunny such as Choice Scarf Terrakion's Close Combat, blows away entry hazards with Defog, and has U-turn to form a pivoting core with it. Similarly, Porygon2's sheer bulk enables it to comfortably tank attacks from revenge killers like Choice Scarf Excadrill and safely Teleport out, getting Mega Lopunny into battle unscathed as a result. With its Ghost-type Z-Conversion set, Porygon-Z can eliminate Psychic-types like Celebi and physical walls like Skarmory for Mega Lopunny.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker (Normal)
move 1: Power-Up Punch
move 2: Encore
move 3: Return
move 4: Close Combat
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mega Lopunny's access to Power-Up Punch and Encore in conjunction with its offensive perks lets it run a wallbreaking set that can effectively threaten popular defensive cores in the metagame like Steel's Aegislash + Heatran + Celesteela and Dark's Mega Sableye + Mandibuzz + Tyranitar. Power-Up Punch boosts Mega Lopunny's already high Attack stat to astronomical levels while not being stopped by Taunt. Encore is a very useful tool to lock slower Pokemon like Jirachi and Mantine into support or recovery moves, giving Mega Lopunny free setup opportunities with Power-Up Punch or valuable momentum for the team. Return is Mega Lopunny's most reliable STAB move and its main way to dish out damage; after a boost, it can 2HKO most physical walls that don't resist it, such as Zapdos and Clefable, as well as OHKO frailer Pokemon like Nidoking and Volcarona. Close Combat complements Mega Lopunny's perfect coverage, nailing bulky Steel- and Rock-types that resist Return, such as Aegislash and Cradily, as well as Dark-types like Hydreigon. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature make Mega Lopunny as powerful and fast as possible. Limber is Lopunny's pre-Mega ability, which grants it a useful paralysis immunity before it Mega Evolves. Scrappy gives Mega Lopunny perfect STAB neutral coverage while also enabling it to break through Intimidate Pokemon like Staraptor and Landorus-T by ignoring its effect.
Balanced Normal teams greatly appreciate the role compression this Mega Lopunny set provides by being a very effective hole puncher and revenge killer in one slot. Because of this, Z-Conversion Porygon-Z stands out as its best offensive partner, as they form an offensive core capable of covering most matchups. Porygon-Z fondly benefits from Mega Lopunny removing Dark-types and specially defensive Pokemon like Alolan Muk and Gastrodon. In return, Porygon-Z defeats bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types like Jirachi and Galarian Corsola as well as physical walls such as Celesteela and Mega Venusaur. Blissey is a great partner as well, since it can absorb troublesome status conditions with its Natural Cure, set up Stealth Rock so Mega Lopunny can score crucial KOs, and safely bring it onto the field with Teleport. Ditto is able to pick off faster Pokemon that threaten to revenge kill Mega Lopunny, such as Excadrill under sand and Zeraora. Defensive Staraptor switches into physical Fighting-types like Choice Scarf Buzzwole and Infernape, keeps entry hazards off the field with Defog, and can safely get Mega Lopunny in with its U-turn, allowing Mega Lopunny to enter the battlefield unscathed. Porygon2's insane bulk makes it a great switch-in to priority moves such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard and Dragonite's Extreme Speed and opposing revenge killers like Choice Scarf Greninja that can pick off a weakened Mega Lopunny. It can shrug off these assaults and Teleport out, reliably bringing Mega Lopunny back in.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normal
--------
Mega Kick can be used as a Normal-type STAB move if the extra power is desired. Particularly, Mega Kick is able to OHKO Tapu Lele while unboosted and 2HKO Toxapex and Mega Venusaur at +1. However, its accuracy is extremely undesired, and, most of the time, Return scores the same KOs in a more reliable fashion. On the wallbreaker set, Focus Punch is a viable option to surprise some of Mega Lopunny's switch-ins like Celesteela and Skarmory, but it is very prediction reliant and using it means dropping a generally more useful move. Similarly, Substitute fits in over Encore, making Mega Lopunny harder to revenge kill while taking advantage of the switches it forces to get setup opportunities. It also shines in the Normal matchup because of its buffer against Ditto, but Encore's general utility is usually preferred.
Checks and Counters
===================
Normal
--------
**Status**: All status aliments greatly compromise Mega Lopunny's effectiveness. Paralysis takes away its amazing Speed tier, leaving it vulnerable to be outsped and KOed by a myriad of opposing Pokemon. Burn halves its Attack stat, turning it into a liability throughout the match. Last but not least, Toxic poison gradually wears it down.
**Physical Walls**: Although the wallbreaker set can bypass them if well played, physical walls like Hippowdon and Mega Venusaur easily shrug off Mega Lopunny's moves and can severely damage it back or just replenish their health. Toxapex and Slowbro deserve a special mention because aside from stopping unboosted Mega Lopunny in its tracks, they can also threaten to burn it with Scald.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster revenge killers like Zeraora, Mega Aerodactyl, and Choice Scarf Terrakion outspeed and OHKO Mega Lopunny with their super effective moves. If Mega Lopunny is weakened enough, Pokemon like Choice Scarf Excadrill and Greninja can easily dispose of it.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types like Mega Gallade and Victini can take any attack Mega Lopunny launches at them and, in return, are able to defeat it. However, if they're slower, U-turn can do sizable chip damage to them.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Clefable, Mega Altaria, and Tapu Fini are able to shrug off Mega Lopunny's damaging moves and can beat it with their Fairy-type STAB attacks. Frailer ones like Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu do need to be wary of Return and Triple Axel respectively, though.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Normal analysis by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Quality checked by: [[Maple, 473171], [maroon, 305839]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
Last edited:
