Pet Mod Megamax (Quick Update @ Post #432)

[Shoopz_Whisper]

Hello, I seem kinda late to the party, and I only have myself to blame for that. But I hope my submissions are considered, and I'm willing to make any changes to them that might seem necessary.

Pokemon Name: Hatterene
Mega Stone Name: Hattertite
Stats: 57 / 136(+46) / 113(+18) / 160(+24) / 103 / 11(-18) BST 610
Typing: Dark/Fairy
Ability: Prankster
New Moves: Recover, Zen Headbutt
Competitive Description: So Hatterene has a complete makeover, with a new typing and ability. It's main goal is no more about being a lead, but more of an offensive Trick Room 'mon. Dark/Fairy + Prankster screams like it's another 'mon, but it has different utility altogether. See, Prankster Recover is nice and Prankster Trick Room is just not useful, but it gets new signature move. Magic Powder is Soak, but for Psychic. So, just Magic Powder and free SE hits. No need to run it, but it is there.

Old Comp Desc

In a similar vein to my Copperajah, it's supposed to be a lead. It's used more as a set up though, with access to Gravity and Trick Room. I had wanted to make a Trick Room setting ability, but I'm not familiar with this language and I couldn't find it made anywhere else. I'll be happy if someone wants to help me. Anyways, the fun part I put into Hatterene is it's versatility to not only use special attacks, but to also go physical. It has access to Swords Dance and a few physical moves as is. I put Zen Headbutt, since it's a little better than Psycho Cut. Recover was used to have more survivability.

Changes

Old Stats: 57 / 120(+30) / 125(+30) / 146(+10) / 133(+30) / 29
Old Typing: Psychic/Fairy
Old Ability: Magic Bounce
Removed Moves: Gravity thanks Tapler

Pokemon Name: Copperajah
Mega Stone Name: Copperajite
Stats: 122 / 150(+20) / 139(+70) / 70(-10) / 109(+30) / 10(-20) BST 600
Typing: Steel/Dragon
Ability: Thick Fat
New Moves: Steel Rocks (G-Max Steelsurge replacement), Shore Up, Dragon Claw
Other Notes: 999.0 kg (2204.4 lbs)
Competitive Description: Because it's the only 'mon as of now to know Steel Rocks, it should receive something that lets it set up hazards easier. Specifically, a better defensive stat spread and typing that survives a lot more. Thick Fat gives it some resistances lost with the new typing. If there was a reasoning for the new typing, I mean, that nose is pretty monstrous. It even mentions it in the Pokedex entries.

Pokemon Name: Mega Toxtritcity
Mega Stone Name: Toxtricite
Stats: 75 / 114(+16) / 90(+20) / 130(+16) / 90(+20) / 103(+28) BST 602
Typing: Electric/Poison
Ability: Adaptability
New Moves: Tail Glow, Dark Pulse
Competitive Description: This is more of a stallbreaker if you use Tail Glow as an option, or if you want to, it's perfectly fine using Shift Gear. Because of Shift Gear, it also can run a physical set. It already has good tools physically, only looking for more power behind it's hits. Due to it's low defenses though, you may have some trouble setting up.

Changes

Old Stats: 75 / 125(+27) / 70 / 140(+26) / 70 / 122(+47)

 

[Tapler]

I’m really bored and there are actually a lot of subs this round, so I’m going to dump some thoughts on all of them so far.

Toxtricity:

Hematite: I love the idea of Contaminate. It seems like it could really force the opponent into a disadvantage state if used correctly, but the stats are low enough to keep it balanced. I don’t have much else to say, it’s just overall really well done.

lolgod3: Having a different mega for each form is great, but it feels kind of awkward to me for Amped to gain an offensive move in Nasty Plot and a defensive ability in Corrosion, while Low-Key has a defensive move in Cosmic Power and an offensive ability in Merciless. Swapping the two abilities around would work better imo.

Demon Dragon: It’s a simple concept but it seems fun. The only real issue is that its stats are all a bit middling for a mega, which would seem to leave it outclassed by other megas like Manectric, Garbodor, and both Venusaurs, depending on what role you want a mega to fill.

DrPumpkinz: Speaking of different megas for each form, full credit to you for being the one to come up with that. Acid Rock might be a little bit broken, but being able to abuse both Venoshock and Venom Drench to force switches seems like a lot of fun, and like Hematite’s, the stats are well balanced to keep the ability in check.

Shoopz_Whisper: Tail Glow is a hard move to balance, and while the lack bulk certainly helps to keep it in check, the speed might be a bit high. Tail Glow + Adaptability might also make it a little bit too good as a stallbreaker, and Tail Glow + Punk Rock would do the same to the base form without needing to waste your mega slot. Honestly, Nasty Plot would be more balanced, but it’s a cool sub regardless.


Hatterene

Hematite: An offensive user of a Merciless-clone is a great concept, but while Smite looks good on paper, I just can’t get behind the idea of a mon specifically designed to spread and capitalize on Paralysis. It just seems like it would be incredibly frustrating, since every time Hatt comes in on a paralyzed mon, it’s a 50/50 between an offensive move or Nuzzle on the switch, which just lets it cripple a team way too fast. Sure, Ground and Electric types exist, but most of them aren’t going to want to switch into a base-146 Psychic, Moonblast, or Mystical Fire, and even fewer can switch in repeatedly. Dropping the speed would be the best nerf imo, but this is a hard concept to make work, because no matter what you do it’s just not going to be fun to play against.

lolgod3: Seems incredibly strong, basically just gets 3 kills vs offense if you can get a Trick Room and Calm Mind off, but it’s held in check by common weaknesses, vulnerability to Taunt, and the fact that quite a few mons can beat it even after a Trick Room if you play correctly. Also, I love the idea of increasing the speed of a mega designed around Trick Room as a way to make it slightly weaker, that’s really cool.

Demon Dragon: I wouldn’t have thought of an Electric-type Mega Hatt, but I actually really like the way this turned out. It has a good amount of speed for such an offensive presence, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mon built around Motor Drive like this. A speed boost turns this thing into an absolute monster, and even if you don’t get it, just having this mon on your team would make it a lot harder for the opponent to justify spamming moves like Volt Switch or Thunder Wave.

Tapler: The best one, clearly! 10/10! Nothing suspicious here... okay, fine. Trying (and failing) to set bias aside, I really like Persistent as an ability, and I’m surprised we’ve never seen something like it in the main series. It’s just fun above anything else, and opens up a lot of weird, wacky, and wonderful setups that don’t really exist outside of CAP, while also making dedicated Trick Room teams a force to be reckoned with rather than a gimmick.

G-Luke: This one feels like a shitpost, but I actually like the sand witch. A specially offensive Sand Rush abuser with setup potential, good coverage, and surprisingly high defenses? Sure, sign me up! It’s just a shame that Hatt can’t set its own Sandstorm.

Shoopz_Whisper: Unfortunately, the prevalent increase to Attack seem wasted, as the only move that I can really see it using on the physical side would be Power Whip. Other than that, it really doesn’t have much to set apart from the other submissions so far, though I do like the concept of Hatt as a lead, and with a bit of tweaking to better fit that concept I can see this turning into a really fun mega. Also, Hatt’s only supposed to get 2 new moves, so you should change that before Grandpa finds out :0


Copperajah:

Hematite: The concept’s fun, but I’m not sure how much Electric Surge holds it back; if anything, it’s the one reason I can see to run this mon above Mega Aggron for a bulky steel-type or our god-emperor Mega Metagross for a steel-type Mega in general (don’t worry, pretty much every Raj submission has trouble standing up to these two). With that said, I can see it working very well as a terrain setting support mon, allowing it to buff up mons like Zeraora and Dracozolt. It would work especially well with Electric Seed Hawlucha, as it‘s able to bait out Fighting and Ground types for Lucha to capitalize on. I also respect that you’re the only one who didn’t use the opportunity of a Steel-type hazard as the mon’s main gimmick. Replacing Steelsurge with Spark was a risky move, but I really like how the mon came together.

lolgod3: Swapping Entrainment for Skill Swap is exactly what this mon needed. I’m still skeptical as to how strong it would actually be, and I don’t think it would “dominate the metagame”, but it’s just a really fun concept, and in my book, that makes it a good one.

Gojiratar: While simplistic, I really like this one. It has a clear concept, and fulfills that concept perfectly. That’s really all there is to it, and nothing is unnecessarily added for the sake of being added. It just works™.

Demon Dragon: While a lot of the submissions for Copperajah struggle to stand apart from Mega Aggron, this one’s a bit too similar for my liking. Giving a mon with Filter and this much bulk access to Shore Up seems a bit excessive, especially since none of the counters you listed in your post can comfortably switch in on it, with only Mega Blastoise consistently surviving even an uninvested Earthquake with Iron Shards up.

Steel With It: Defensive Steel-types that can take on Fire-types are always a welcome presence. Steel-type megas for balance that aren’t Mega-Metagross are also always a welcome presence. It’s still similar to Mega Aggron, but the high attack, Heatproof, and Copper Caltrops all help to set it apart and allow both mons to be distinct and viable. This just generally seems like a very solid mon, and I like that it just lets Raj do what Raj does best. Also, “Copper Caltrops” is my favourite name for the Steelsurge hazard so far.

G-Luke: Scrappy’s a criminally underrated ability, and this spread just seems nice for a mon that switches in easily and is hard to switch into. It’s also the only one that I’d say feels completely different from Mega Aggron, with this Raj being so offensively oriented. I really like that even though it has Curse, you gave it Bulk Up anyways to make sure that the speed increase is significant.

Shoopz_Whisper: Honestly, I feel like Thick Fat is the perfect ability for Mega Copperajah with how well it fits in terms of both effect and flavour. Shore Up might be a bit strong, but this thing still takes a lot of damage from Fighting and Ground-type hits, which are very common coverage. My only real issue is that the stats feel a bit minmax-ey, but the typing’s fun, and while it doesn’t feel too distinct from Mega Aggron, it‘s definitely different enough from Mega Duraludon to stand out regardless.

lmk if I missed any lol

 

[Yung Dramps]

voting starts now

 

[Tapler]

Toxtricity: Hematite, DrPumpkinz, Shoopz_Whisper
Hatterene: Shoopz_Whisper, Tapler, Demon Dragon
Copperajah: G-Luke, Gojiratar, Hematite

 

[Hematite]

Tapler:

Thank you so much about Toxtricity and Copperajah!!! I'm not gonna focus as much on them because it doesn't seem like I need to justify anything about them to you, but I appreciate the feedback!!

More Hatterene Discussion

Hmmm... I see what you mean about it maybe being frustrating to play against something that spreads paralysis so easily.

I do think it's important to keep in mind that - in terms of raw damage output - it's still exactly the same as Mega Camerupt in raw power (and in terms of type, it inferior super effective coverage and Camerupt already has perfect neutral coverage, so it's not much of an upgrade there). It's largely the point of the set that it can punish just about anything that tries to switch in, but it can still be worn down relatively quickly by anything that just stays in and attacks, because it's almost always going to be attacked before it hits back and it doesn't really have any viable recovery moves to offset that. Reiterating also that Mega Camerupt is set up exactly the same way, so it's not like this side of it can be considered inherently broken - "no safe switches" is not at all the same as "no counterplay," and other slow Pokémon with no recovery are similarly equipped to pressure the opponent to make sacrifices and trades only because they're totally incapable of an outright sweep.
Even if you do manage to get Hatterene in for free, it still has to take a hit before it attacks against the vast majority of opponents (and an important clarification: the Speed boost is to offset the need to take two hits from every opponent, not the need to take one - a mostly-uninvested base 89 is still underspeeding things as low as base 60 with investment, which is to say "pretty much everything that invests in Speed," and Hatterene suffers more if it tries to be a sweeper with Speed investment/it's doubtful that it would actually go for max Speed or anything, so even stuff like Excadrill with an ostensibly lower base Speed still takes care of it with no trouble).
It's also deceptively hard to get it in for free at all - even though I mentioned Magic Bounce possibly creating opportunities to switch in more freely, it's also worth highlighting Hatterene's relatively poor matchup against many common hazard setters. Many of the most commonly seen ones are Ground-type and immune to Nuzzle, have a type advantage over Hatterene, or both, and most of them are faster. Even switching in on something like a Garchomp - on a predicted Stealth Rock or a Dragon-type move - is a major risk, because it can 2HKO you with Earthquake 100% of the time, or with a Stone Edge into Earthquake most of the time, before you even touch it... and that's one of its better-looking matchups against hazard setters! Magic Bounce or not, you're still probably going to be using it to revenge major attackers more often than you'll be hard-switching it into anything.
With respect to hitting Electric- and Ground-types too hard when the opponent mispredicts a Nuzzle, you're definitely right about that, but I do want to point out that those Pokémon actually have a worse matchup against standard Life Orb Hatterene sets than they do against Mega Hatterene anyway (LO Hatterene hits them noticeably harder than the Mega does without Smite, and nothing is immune to Trick Room the way they are to Nuzzle, not to mention that it "works" for much longer and doesn't need to be repeatedly set like paralysis does - you can probably see why I found it preferable to go for a role switch rather than making it better at what it already did, haha).

I also sort of want to highlight that being meant as a parallel to Mega Camerupt of all things, and matching it or being outclassed by it in every area except Speed, is almost automatically a sign that it's not going to be as strong as it looks - Mega Camerupt is NUBL right now, and Hatterene doesn't really have much to offer over it other than its newfound role of spreading paralysis and being fast if and only if it has already done so. That's a pretty big benefit, of course, but I don't think it's enough of one to take a Pokémon from "bottom-of-the-barrel RU Pokémon in SM" to "genuinely too much for even NatDex OU." It also has a significantly worse defensive type for this meta as far as I can tell!
I did fail to notice that its special bulk is marginally higher than that of Mega Camerupt with both uninvested. It seems like one of the main things holding Mega Camerupt back is the fact that it's reliant on investing in both HP and Special Defense and can't always afford to run EVs in Special Attack, so making its Special bulk higher than that of Camerupt is sort of an accidental buff beyond what I intended with the paralysis gimmick - if anything, I think an ideal nerf would be moving some of its Special Defense over to Attack instead, making it easier for other Pokémon to 2HKO it and leaving its bulk inferior to Mega Camerupt on both sides rather than only the physical side.
That said, it only needs to lose... like 3.2 points to accomplish that, so while I'm totally willing if anyone else thinks it's an issue, I'm not sure how necessary it is even then, haha.
On the other hand, I'm not hugely inclined to touch its Speed buff because I think that's too defining a feature of this submission - if this does turn out to be problematic (obviously I'm not really convinced that it will as of now), you're probably right that that's an issue inherent to the role itself more than a consequence of the stat spread, and I think it's probably better to be as true as possible to that role and just let people vote for whether they want that role or not (bearing in mind and fully respecting that some people may vote against it accordingly!) than to compromise its ability to perform the role effectively at all and making it appeal to no one.

I also love the idea of giving everyone feedback in general!! I totally agree with the majority of what you said, and here are a few more things I'd like to add:

Feedback

Demon Dragon's Mega Toxtricity - I agree that the stats look a bit middling, but to elaborate on how to fix that, I would recommend against giving it a straight buff; I think it needs to pick an area to specialize, get better at that and ideally get worse at something else.
I notice that it's already "Beedrilling" to a huge extent I still don't really want to advocate for -30 Attack in the first place, but it doesn't really seem to be getting anywhere, which is why I recommend going for something more specialized rather than just better.
Right now, it has an extremely good defensive type (Electric/Poison with Levitate has a resistance or immunity to half of the type chart vs only a single weakness in Psychic, and Psychic is already an uncommon attacking type - only about five Pokémon on the VR even use Psychic STAB, and two of them are weak to Electric or Poison anyway), but it has no recovery and no utility moves, so it goes to waste (notably, its stats make it look like a better Rotom, but it just can't do anything Rotom does except Volt Switch).
It also has an extremely high Speed, but it has no boosting moves, again no utility moves and now has significantly less offensive power than both its base form and most Mega Evolutions, so it can't really make effective use of that, either.
I think "bulky and fast" is an underutilized archetype, so if you want to leave its stats mostly as they are, I would consider giving it more moves that benefit that kind of role in some way or another; alternatively, it might be worth toning down one of those areas and bringing its Attack closer to normal in the process but giving it a Special Attack that can take advantage of its offensively oriented movepool... just without going overboard like you did at first with -ate + Boomburst, haha.
Part of the reason that was so broken before is because Boomburst with an -ate Ability is about 1.77 times stronger than its next-best move - so giving it that without thinking is just going to break it, but in turn, taking that away and leaving Special Attack the same is also a much bigger cut to its offensive power than you might have realized? There's definitely a balance to strike - I think you've just overshot in both directions.

DrPumpkinz's Mega Toxtricity: I think you already know that I love these, but I also want to highlight what a good job you did balancing their Special Attack stats - I was running some damage calculations earlier to compare these to other Megas, and I was surprised by how close these values turned out to be to Mega Evolutions with similar roles (raising Amped form's Special Attack to make it on par with fellow sweeper Mega Sceptile's non-spammable STAB and lowering Low Key form's Special Attack to make it on par with fellow tanks Mega Slowbro, Mega Venusaur and Mega Latias... Low Key also has really similar bulk to Mega Venusaur!). Since a lot of canon Mega Evolutions with equivalent roles hit for similar amounts of damage, this is a really good practice, and I was impressed by how well you nailed it - even though you didn't explicitly draw attention to it, it totally seems like you did your research!
I know that's technically thrown off a little by adding in poison damage, but you also mentioned wanting to miminize the impact of that with the Ability anyway, so I trust that that'll work out fine!
The one thing I would suggest: the aforementioned Mega Evolutions that are similar to Low Key in stats all come with some form of HP recovery (Venusaur runs Synthesis and Leech Seed, while Slowbro has Recover and Latias has Roost), and Toxtricity unfortunately doesn't have anything more reliable than Rest. Since you've avoided giving any moves so far and still have the freedom to add some, it might be worth considering a recovery move of some kind to keep Low Key viable in comparison to the other Mega Evolutions with similar bulk; fortunately, it's really the only Toxtricity form with the stats to use such a thing, so I don't think you need to worry about it having an impact on its other forms too much!

Shoopz_Whisper's Mega Toxtricity: seconding that that is going to be very, very broken - honestly, I know I keep comparing things to Mega Lucario, and I at least appreciate that this is "almost exactly the same as Mega Lucario" rather than "about twice as broken" like some other times, but... Adaptability, boosting moves and excellent offenses on both sides, similar physical bulk and slightly better special bulk, better Speed - this has everything that got Mega Lucario banned, and it doesn't seem like it has any obvious drawbacks. Tail Glow is a very excessive move, but this would be exceeding Lucario's level even with Nasty Plot; its stat spread and Ability are just too good.

lolgod3's Mega Hatterene: despite its high Special Attack, this is also still outdamaged by base form with Life Orb - I'm really liking that it has a more defensive angle (able to capitalize on Cosmic Power/Calm Mind, lack of Life Orb recoil, et cetera) and a somewhat distinct niche from its base form rather than being strictly better, but I also agree that it'll be solid and probably more viable than its base form in isolation regardless. This one feels particularly well balanced!

Tapler's Mega Hatterene: to give someone else's perspective, I also love the choice to use Persistent! I think, if any Mega Evolution was going to be able to match Hatterene at what it already does rather than changing its role outright, this was the way to accomplish that - and Persistent is a fantastic Ability for team support as well. The added bulk will ease setup to cover for the below average damage output, and I have no doubt that this would be a staple of Trick Room teams - especially now that it can set up Calm Mind, use Trick Room, and still outspeed everything for six turns so long as it can make it through the needed setup.

@Shoops_Whisper's Mega Hatterene: I sorta feel like this is going to be pretty solidly outclassed by its base form - Life Orb Hatterene outdamages this on both sides (while the idea of a physically inclined Hatterene is actually really neat and original, and I had no idea it already got Swords Dance, I think it's important to remember that any new moves you add are just as usable for the non-Mega form, so you still have to compete with the exact same set running Life Orb). Especially if you're leaving its Ability the same, I think that - while giving it those new moves does put Hatterene in an interesting new light - there's just not enough reason to use Mega Evolution over base Hatterene in the first place. That said, you could always give it Zen Headbutt and Recover without raising its Attack, then put those Attack points towards increasing its Special Attack or bulk more - this would give its Mega a more effective way to stand out, but since base Hatterene would outdamage this on the physical side either way, "physical Life Orb Hatterene" would be just as viable as it is in your current submission!

Steel With It's Mega Copperajah: seconding Tapler on this - "Copper Caltrops" is by far the best name anyone has given sharp spikes. I admittedly don't think this one does as much to stand out as the rest of the Copperajah submissions, but I also respect the simplicity here and think being "the most normal option" can also be an asset for people who are turned off by the submissions that deviate more from its existing role.

The following people also win bonus points for not Beedrilling any of their submissions:
Gojiratar
DrPumpkinz
Steel With It
Tapler

also, Yung Dramps because I think you missed the question in my last post as well - is Draco Meteor as an event move for Toxtricity okay, or should I leave it out?

Edit: oh, whoops, it is too late for anyone to address this feedback - the messages from while I was typing did not load until I sent this, haha. Oh well! :'D
I'll be back with actual votes later - maybe this will help like-minded people to decide, at least? XP

 

[Solaros & Lunaris]

: Tapler, Hermatite, Shoopz_Whisper
: Gojiratar, Hermatite, Steel With It
: DrPumpkinz, Hermatite, Demon Dragon

Because I only play NatDex and old gens, expect a huge analysis of all the megas and their impact on the meta after this slate.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

DrPumpkinz's Mega Toxtricity: I think you already know that I love these, but I also want to highlight what a good job you did balancing their Special Attack stats - I was running some damage calculations earlier to compare these to other Megas, and I was surprised by how close these values turned out to be to Mega Evolutions with similar roles (raising Amped form's Special Attack to make it on par with fellow sweeper Mega Sceptile's non-spammable STAB and lowering Low Key form's Special Attack to make it on par with fellow tanks Mega Slowbro, Mega Venusaur and Mega Latias... Low Key also has really similar bulk to Mega Venusaur!). Since a lot of canon Mega Evolutions with equivalent roles hit for similar amounts of damage, this is a really good practice, and I was impressed by how well you nailed it - even though you didn't explicitly draw attention to it, it totally seems like you did your research!
I know that's technically thrown off a little by adding in poison damage, but you also mentioned wanting to miminize the impact of that with the Ability anyway, so I trust that that'll work out fine!
The one thing I would suggest: the aforementioned Mega Evolutions that are similar to Low Key in stats all come with some form of HP recovery (Venusaur runs Synthesis and Leech Seed, while Slowbro has Recover and Latias has Roost), and Toxtricity unfortunately doesn't have anything more reliable than Rest. Since you've avoided giving any moves so far and still have the freedom to add some, it might be worth considering a recovery move of some kind to keep Low Key viable in comparison to the other Mega Evolutions with similar bulk; fortunately, it's really the only Toxtricity form with the stats to use such a thing, so I don't think you need to worry about it having an impact on its other forms too much!

I'll be honest and say I did absolutely no research. I just tweaked the numbers 'till I thought they looked right lol.

As for giving Low Key a recovery move, I'm something of a Mega Evolution purist who avoids giving mons new moves when he can. I think it's more fun to design megas with the limitations a Pokemon already has.

 

[Shoopz_Whisper]

Yung Dramps, I know voting has already started, but I have not been able to apply feedback I received from others. I mostly agree with what they mentioned. Is it alright I do so? I will state the changes.

: G-Luke, Tapler, Hematite
: Demon Dragon, Gojiratar, Steel With It
: Demon Dragon, Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite

 

[Yung Dramps]

Yung Dramps, I know voting has already started, but I have not been able to apply feedback I received from others. I mostly agree with what they mentioned. Is it alright I do so? I will state the changes.

: G-Luke, Tapler, Hematite
: Demon Dragon, Gojiratar, Steel With It
: Demon Dragon, Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite

go ahead

 

[Shoopz_Whisper]

go ahead

Shoopz_Whisper's Mega Toxtricity: seconding that that is going to be very, very broken - honestly, I know I keep comparing things to Mega Lucario, and I at least appreciate that this is "almost exactly the same as Mega Lucario" rather than "about twice as broken" like some other times, but... Adaptability, boosting moves and excellent offenses on both sides, similar physical bulk and slightly better special bulk, better Speed - this has everything that got Mega Lucario banned, and it doesn't seem like it has any obvious drawbacks. Tail Glow is a very excessive move, but this would be exceeding Lucario's level even with Nasty Plot; its stat spread and Ability are just too good.

Shoopz_Whisper's Mega Hatterene: I sorta feel like this is going to be pretty solidly outclassed by its base form - Life Orb Hatterene outdamages this on both sides (while the idea of a physically inclined Hatterene is actually really neat and original, and I had no idea it already got Swords Dance, I think it's important to remember that any new moves you add are just as usable for the non-Mega form, so you still have to compete with the exact same set running Life Orb). Especially if you're leaving its Ability the same, I think that - while giving it those new moves does put Hatterene in an interesting new light - there's just not enough reason to use Mega Evolution over base Hatterene in the first place. That said, you could always give it Zen Headbutt and Recover without raising its Attack, then put those Attack points towards increasing its Special Attack or bulk more - this would give its Mega a more effective way to stand out, but since base Hatterene would outdamage this on the physical side either way, "physical Life Orb Hatterene" would be just as viable as it is in your current submission!

View attachment 236288
Shoopz_Whisper: Tail Glow is a hard move to balance, and while the lack bulk certainly helps to keep it in check, the speed might be a bit high. Tail Glow + Adaptability might also make it a little bit too good as a stallbreaker, and Tail Glow + Punk Rock would do the same to the base form without needing to waste your mega slot. Honestly, Nasty Plot would be more balanced, but it’s a cool sub regardless.



View attachment 236286
Shoopz_Whisper: Unfortunately, the prevalent increase to Attack seem wasted, as the only move that I can really see it using on the physical side would be Power Whip. Other than that, it really doesn’t have much to set apart from the other submissions so far, though I do like the concept of Hatt as a lead, and with a bit of tweaking to better fit that concept I can see this turning into a really fun mega. Also, Hatt’s only supposed to get 2 new moves, so you should change that before Grandpa finds out :0



View attachment 236287
Shoopz_Whisper: Honestly, I feel like Thick Fat is the perfect ability for Mega Copperajah with how well it fits in terms of both effect and flavour. Shore Up might be a bit strong, but this thing still takes a lot of damage from Fighting and Ground-type hits, which are very common coverage. My only real issue is that the stats feel a bit minmax-ey, but the typing’s fun, and while it doesn’t feel too distinct from Mega Aggron, it‘s definitely different enough from Mega Duraludon to stand out regardless.

lmk if I missed any lol

Thank you all, I did as much with the changes as you recommended. This is also a post for anyone else who would like to go back and look over the new submissions I did. Especially thanks to Yung Dramps for letting me change it in the first place. Good luck in voting!

 

[lolgod3]

I made a silly mistake so I have to change the toxtricities abilities around sorry I wasn't able to apply feedback

Also my votes
Hematite, Lolgod3, Shoopz_Whisper
Demon Dragon, Lolgod3, Hematite
G-Luke, Lolgod3, Hematite

 

[Yung Dramps]

I made a silly mistake so I have to change the toxtricities abilities around sorry I wasn't able to apply feedback

Also my votes
Hematite, Lolgod3, Shoopz_Whisper
Lolgod3, Demon Dragon, Hematite
G-Luke, Hematite, Lolgod3

No voting for yourself first!

 

[Hematite]

Coincidence? Actually yes!

252 SpA Sceptile-Mega Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 229-271 (56.6 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA DrPumpkinz’s Mega Toxtricity (Amped) Venoshock (130 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 226-267 (55.9 - 66%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after poison damage

0 SpA Venusaur-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 115-136 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.5% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Latias-Mega Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mew: 115-136 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.5% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Slowbro-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 109-129 (26.9 - 31.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 SpA DrPumpkinz's Mega Toxtricity (Low Key) Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 109-130 (26.9 - 32.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

In case that exchange made anyone curious, haha. I'm honestly shocked that this was accidental - researched or not, that is some impressive eyeballing if nothing else!

Mega Toxtricity: Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite, DrPumpkinz

Mega Hatterene: Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite, Demon Dragon
Edit: if my original third pick wasn't gonna make it anyway, and there's gonna be a tie now, might as well help break it!

Mega Copperajah: lolgod3, Hematite, Gojiratar

okay so I know it's probably very late to get an answer but I think you missed all of the other times I asked--
Will Draco Meteor be allowed on Toxtricity? There's a paragraph in my original submission talking about it - it's at the end, right before any of the edits! In case the timestamp matters, you can also see that the paragraph is also present in DrPumpkinz's post immediately after mine, which contains a quote of my entire post and has never been edited, so you can see it really was there from the start and isn't something I'm just trying to sneak in after voting started! ;-; Sorry to be asking again so late in the process anyway, though!
Given that it was part of my original post from the start - and it hopefully came across that its inclusion only came down to whether you allowed it or not (like, I would definitely choose to include it if you agreed and would definitely exclude it if you did not agree) - hopefully asking this again now doesn't really count as actually changing the submission, but I totally understand if you choose not to allow it for any reason!
I just think it might be important to make sure you at least see this at some point before you post the final results, haha.

 

[Yung Dramps]

Coincidence? Actually yes!

252 SpA Sceptile-Mega Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 229-271 (56.6 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA DrPumpkinz’s Mega Toxtricity (Amped) Venoshock (130 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 226-267 (55.9 - 66%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after poison damage

0 SpA Venusaur-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 115-136 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.5% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Latias-Mega Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mew: 115-136 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.5% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Slowbro-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 109-129 (26.9 - 31.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 SpA DrPumpkinz's Mega Toxtricity (Low Key) Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 109-130 (26.9 - 32.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

In case that exchange made anyone curious, haha. I'm honestly shocked that this was accidental - researched or not, that is some impressive eyeballing if nothing else!

Mega Toxtricity: Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite, DrPumpkinz

Mega Hatterene: Shoopz_Whisper, Hematite, lolgod3
These are the three I planned to support from the start, but also wow this makes it close... just keeping it interesting, I guess!

Mega Copperajah: lolgod3, Hematite, Gojiratar

okay so I know it's probably very late to get an answer but I think you missed all of the other times I asked--
Will Draco Meteor be allowed on Toxtricity? There's a paragraph in my original submission talking about it - it's at the end, right before any of the edits! In case the timestamp matters, you can also see that the paragraph is also present in DrPumpkinz's post immediately after mine, which contains a quote of my entire post and has never been edited, so you can see it really was there from the start and isn't something I'm just trying to sneak in after voting started! ;-; Sorry to be asking again so late in the process anyway, though!
Given that it was part of my original post from the start - and it hopefully came across that its inclusion only came down to whether you allowed it or not (like, I would definitely choose to include it if you agreed and would definitely exclude it if you did not agree) - hopefully asking this again now doesn't really count as actually changing the submission, but I totally understand if you choose not to allow it for any reason!
I just think it might be important to make sure you at least see this at some point before you post the final results, haha.

Oh yeah, just read that little paragraph about Draco Toxtricity. Fuck it, why not, we'll use Draco Jirachi as precedent!

Voting will end tomorrow

 

[DemonicRex]

Copperajah: Gojiratar, G-Luke, Shoopz_Whisperer
Hatterene: Tapler, Demon Dragon, Hematite
Toxtricity: DrPumpkinz, Hematite, Shoopz_Whisperer

 

[Yung Dramps]

It's done!

Oh, awesome!! I'm glad you agreed!
Would you like me to update the spreadsheet with these, or do you have it already? C:

Also...
I was ready this time!!
These were the only three G-Maxes left, so I kinda figured they'd have to be the slate, haha.

Pokémon name:

Mega Toxtricity
Mega Stone name: Toxtricitite this is so fun to say
Stats: 75 HP / 111 Attack (+13) / 100 Defense (+30) / 129 Special Attack (+15) / 100 Special Defense (+30) / 87 Speed (+12)
Typing: Electric/Poison
Ability: Contaminate (Intimidate variant: lowers opponents' Special Defense by one stage on entering battle)
New moves: None for now but see the end of the post for one consideration

Alright, this one's Ability is going to sound very strong at first, but hear me out...

Competitive description

Okay, so this is designed to play to Toxtricity's existing role: not as a sweeper but as a wallbreaker.
On the very first turn that it Mega Evolves, it effectively has a single guaranteed maximum-power hit (Mega Evolution takes place after switching on a given turn, so the opponent can't switch out in between the immediate Special Defense drop and Toxtricity's first move), but in general, it's more oriented towards pressuring switches than attacking at full power - if Mega Toxtricity tries to stay in and sweep, lowering Special Defense on entry doesn't really help it against any opponent except its first, and the opponent can nullify even that debuff just by switching out before it attacks. Ideally, then, you'll be playing it in a way that takes advantage of those forced switches rather than expecting to hit every opponent incredibly hard.

In terms of damage output, after accounting for Contaminate, all of Mega Toxtricity's main attacks are very similar to Mega Sceptile's Leaf Storm - a similar example of a Mega Evolution that does most of its damage with a powerful but pretty much non-spammable move. Without the benefit of Contaminate, the same attacks end up more or less in line with Mega Sceptile's Dragon Pulse instead. With this in mind, I definitely think it's an appropriate power level for a Mega Evolution.

Perhaps more helpfully, it's also worth comparing the Mega to Toxtricity's current sets. First of all, Toxtricity's base form has Punk Rock - which is already a free 30% boost to Boomburst and Overdrive, compared to the 50% of a Special Defense drop, meaning the actual increase in potential damage output from Contaminate alone is more like 15% than 50% (~26% thanks to the Special Attack boost).
That said, base Toxtricity also always runs Choice Specs, which is a 50% boost in itself - combining that with Overdrive is already more than it's gaining from its Mega Stone, and Contaminate actually comes with some similar drawbacks to Choice Specs anyway: both of them frequently require Toxtricity to switch out after it manages a KO, Choice Specs by locking it into an undesirable move and Contaminate by no longer affecting its damage against the new opponent, and Toxtricity's opponent actually has the potential to reduce Contaminate damage much more than they can reduce Choice Specs damage if they choose to switch out. However, the flexibility of being able to change moves afterwards - including making use of options like Volt Switch rather than being forced to hard switch and lose momentum if it does face an unfavorable matchup - should more than make up for the loss of its initial power boost.

With this in mind, Mega Toxtricity has the potential to be very good at two things: wallbreaking and creating momentum. Its main job is to switch in, force a switch or break a wall with Contaminate, Volt Switch out and repeat.
It also has a decent Speed buff, which helps it beat a small number of prominent threats more easily - notably outspeeding Manaphy and Mega Charizard Y - but leaves it slower than unboosted Excadrill and also, like, a lot of other things that are faster than Excadrill, but Excadrill is the main one that I thought should be the cutoff: an already-powerful and relatively common Pokémon that completely shuts it down with super effective STAB.
In general... I think this will probably be a fun Pokémon to use, and Contaminate + Volt Switch definitely opens up a really unique niche in supporting other offensive Pokémon as well as its own wallbreaking potential, but it also won't be broken, and there's more than enough viable counterplay that it won't carry games all by itself.

Lastly, to touch on its defenses a bit - I know that looks like a pretty big boost (especially since its Special Attack and Speed can't really get any higher, I did have a lot of leftover points to distribute), and I'm totally open to moving more of it to Attack if you think that's necessary!
That said, as it stands, basically every Ground-type move in OU is still a straight one-hit KO against it except ones from the defensive Pokémon it's supposed to threaten like Tangrowth and Latias, but they still do a lot, and even plenty of strong neutral hits are 2HKOs; that includes many from Pokémon that are faster, preventing it from switching in against them. On the other hand, it crosses into a relatively safe/3HKO-or-less range against most of the walls it's meant to break and a handful of other Pokémon with obvious type disadvantages, which is important for a Pokémon that's so dependent on being able to switch in.
With that in mind, I think this is about the right amount of bulk to facilitate its role - it pretty much just makes for relatively intuitive matchups, in that it can reliably handle the Pokémon it should but is fairly easy to damage and won't last long against anything else.

guess I’ll throw my Hatt into the ring
View attachment 236372
Pokemon Name: Hatterene
Mega Stone Name: Hatterenite
Stats: 57 / 110 / 110 / 151 / 153 / 29
Typing: Psychic/Fairy
Ability: Persistent (CAP ability that makes Trick Room, Wonder Room, Magic Room, Gravity, Safeguard, Tailwind, and Heal Block last 2 turns longer)
New Moves: Moonblast, Gravity
Competitive Description: The main challenge in coming up with a Mega Hatterene is that it not only has to compete with the plethora of other Psychic-type Megas, but also with its base form, given how powerful Magic Bounce is. Persistent is a very interesting ability, and works well with Hatt given how reliant it typically is on Trick Room, which would also make it the only Mega that can viably both set and make use of Trick Room. Hatterene also has access to both of the other Rooms, Safeguard, and now Gravity, which all have some niche and allow it to fill an interesting support role on teams, especially in combination with Healing Wish. The stat spread makes you bulky enough to take on most special attackers, allowing you to set a field condition or go for an attack, and also lets it hit a bit harder while still needing to run both Trick Room and Calm Mind in order to really sweep. It’s low speed leaves it vulnerable to Taunt, but when first sent out, you can still take advantage of Magic Bounce to deter this. Other than that, it’s biggest weakness is definitely its typing in a metagame so full of Ghost and Steel types.

(+300 kg / 661.39 lbs)
Pokemon Name: Copperajah
Mega Stone Name: Copperajite
Stats: 122 / 165 (+35) / 119 (+50) / 80 / 84 (+15) / 30
Typing:

Ability: Defiant
New Moves: Copper Mines*, Gyro Ball, Liquidation.
*Copper Mines: Steel-type Stealth Rock Clone.
Competitive Description: Entry hazard setter that threatens defoggers such as Corviknight or Defog Rotom-Heat.

votes

Toxtricity
Hematite 13
DrPumpkinz 9
Shoopz_Whisper 8
Demon Dragon 4
Lolgod3 2

Hatterene
Tapler 10
Shoopz_Whisper 7
Demon Dragon 7
Hematite 7
G-Luke 3
Lolgod3 2

Copperajah
Gojiratar 11
G-Luke 8
Hematite 7
Lolgod3 4
Demon Dragon 3
Steel With It 2
Shoopz_Whisper 1

This thread is now free-range! Discuss the current roster and their impact on the National Dex meta. Coders would also be appreciated!

One more question, actually: Should we allow Mega Venusaur and Blastoise Z and the Galar starter Megas right away or consider them "unreleased" until Isle of Armor drops?

 

[Hematite]

Disclaimer: I am bad at this and some of these may not be remotely optimal

Various theorymonned sets?

These are ordered somewhat arbitrarily, because I was kind of inconsistent about how to rank them. This is like half "how strong they are" and half "how strongly I wanted to use them" (obviously Toxtricity is first because it's my own submission and of course it's the first thing I would try XP), but these two standards are sometimes in conflict and I am not clear on which one I prioritized.
I... also might not be the best judge of that kind of thing, because I'm not that great a battler or teambuilder. :'D
But anyway!! Here are some random sets I made and will probably try out at some point:

Toxtricity @ Toxtricitite
Nature: Timid
Ability: Punk Rock (Contaminate)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor / Thunderbolt
- Sludge Wave
- Boomburst / Thunderbolt / Fire Punch?
- Volt Switch

Okay, so this is just how I expect Mega Toxtricity's standard set to look - Volt Switch for pivoting and three high-powered moves, with Thunderbolt being the "most optional" because it's the same type as Volt Switch.
Fire Punch is a niche option that helps to compensate for the major gaps in its other coverage, but it's worth noting that - coming off of its weaker attacking stat, without Contaminate and likely without investment - it's probably going to be at its most useful in edge cases like against Ferrothorn, which is both resistant to all four other coverage types and double-weak to Fire. XP (as another drawback, you're also probably stuck using a defense-lowering Nature instead at that point - and obviously, don't give it a 0 IV in Attack in this case!)

-

Rillaboom @ Rillaboominite
Nature: Impish
Ability: Overgrow (Rock Head) - only until Grassy Surge is released
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Head Smash
- Wood Hammer / Body Press / Knock Off / Stealth Rock

I think this thing is going to be really strong - especially after Grassy Surge is released, but I think it's one of the better Megas even now. It can pull off an incredibly bulky SubSeed set and also has an excellent attacking move to keep up offensive pressure, and that still leaves it with a free slot for its second STAB, Body Press to capitalize on its Defense, or various kinds of utility.

-

Lapras @ Laprasite
Nature: Calm
Ability: Water Absorb (Snow Warning)
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Recover
- Whirlpool
- Perish Song

Stallbreaker Lapras? I think its impressive bulk, decent Speed uninvested and access to both instant Aurora Veil and recovery will make it better at this than most Pokémon, although it's still kind of a gimmick. I also like that - provided you succeed in a perish trap and haven't already set Aurora Veil - you can potentially use it on the very last turn before you switch, to give whatever you send in next free dual screens.

-

Pikachu @ Pikachuite
Nature: Naive
Ability: Lightning Rod (Light Power)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
- Bolt Strike
- Play Rough
- Surf / Grass Knot
- Quick Attack

I have no idea if this Pokémon is going to be underrated or if it really is kind of a meme pick, and I know it's probably the latter, but I REALLY want to try to make it work at least once.
You definitely want to keep it away from priority and anything faster than it, because it will probably keel over if you breathe on it too intensely, BUT it does have some insane offenses, excellent Speed and decidedly non-terrible coverage, so I bet it can be made to work.

-

Snorlax @ Snorlaxnite
Nature: Careful
Ability: Immunity / Thick Fat (Natural Cure)
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Curse
- Rest
- Body Slam
- Sleep Talk / Mirror Coat

Both of Snorlax's Abilities have a chance of being relevant on a switch-in, so I'm noting both of them as options depending on what kind of situation you expect. Thick Fat is actually probably the better of the two, since you can cure poison just by Mega Evolving and switching out (and obviously by using Rest), so maybe go with that.
This can be a CRO set with Sleep Talk, and I definitely recommend that if you're bent on staying in and keeping your boosts, but I also think Mirror Coat is a really fun option to punish special attackers, especially in conjunction with Curse to discourage physical ones and Rest + Natural Cure to heal it right back afterwards. I definitely think this is going to be one of the strongest new Mega Evolutions as well.
This particular set doesn't have anything for Ghost-types, but there's a lot of other coverage you can run instead of Body Slam or Sleep Talk (actually, uh, maybe also replace Curse with some kind of coverage if you don't run Sleep Talk, because you'll probably be switching out too often to accumulate any boosts anyway?).

-

Charizard @ Charizardite Z
Nature: Calm
Ability: Blaze (Multiscale)
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Lava Plume
- Hurricane / Toxic
- Whirlwind / Dragon Tail

(Would probably also benefit from Speed EVs, but I dunno how many)
This is a fairly normal set for a wall with offensive pressure, I think? I pretty much ripped off Lugia's Ubers set but with the benefit of Lava Plume for physical attackers.
That said, "fairly normal wall with offensive pressure" is both outside of my usual comfort zone and a really fun-sounding archetype, and I'm definitely interested in trying it out! I love this submission because it's so totally unlike either of Charizard's other Mega Evolutions (and honestly, "dragon-like creature that's also a Flying-type" is pretty squarely within the established flavor standards for Multiscale).

-

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite Z
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
Ability: Rain Dish (Sheer Force)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake / Zen Headbutt
- Shell Smash

okay so this isn't me being helpful it's just me copying the exact advice from the submission
AHEM
I'm actually really interested to see how Mega Blastoise Z pans out, because I think it looks like a much less broken version of the Mega Blastoise that's currently being suspected! Being actively designed with the knowledge of Shell Smash probably helps, since obviously the original Mega Blastoise was never meant to have that move. I generally think being a physical attacker will make it much easier to cripple and play around it, which is a good sign, but I also think its stats and Shell Smash are definitely good enough to let it shine all the same, and I'm super curious to see where it lands.

-

Grimmsnarl @ Grimmsnarlite
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Prankster (Hustle)
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
- Bulk Up
- False Surrender
- Spirit Break
- Light Screen / Taunt / Thunder Wave / Sucker Punch / Superpower

Okay, so this Mega Grimmsnarl starts from a very similar place to absolute favorite Mega Evolution to use, which is Mega Sableye. The thing both of them have in common is that they're essentially two Pokémon in one: Prankster is such a role-defining Ability that having it in your base form means you will almost definitely want to spend time in your base form before you Mega Evolve, but then your Mega Evolved form goes in a different enough direction that it's not competing with Prankster so much as being supported by it.
That said, aside from that common ground, this also goes in a totally different direction from Mega Sableye - rather than going from crippling support Pokémon to wall, it goes from setup support Pokémon to wallbreaker. With a strong and reliable attack in Hustle-boosted False Surrender, priority Bulk Up and access to incredible offensive support and utility moves that each capitalize on either Prankster or Hustle in different ways, Mega Grimmsnarl looks like an incredibly versatile Pokémon that can radically change its role in the middle of battle.
This looks like an absolute blast to use, and it's definitely one of my favorites on this list. I can't wait to try it out!

-

Duraludon @ Duraludite
Nature: Timid / Modest
Ability: Light Metal (Mega Launcher)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon / Steel Beam
- Thunder Wave / Stealth Rock

Mega Duraludon seems like it's probably one of the most straightforward Mega Evolutions here, so there's not a ton to say, but it looks really good. It can make use of some really threatening offensive sets, and like Garchomp, it can take advantage of its offensive pressure to buy free turns for its support moves, too! Dragon/Steel/Fighting should be all the coverage you'd really need (especially when they're all this reliable and hard-hitting!), so it can definitely spare the moveslot, and Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock both look like fantastic ways to use it.
Flash Cannon vs Steel Beam probably comes down to how much you hate fairies? Or I guess whether are any notable Fairy-types that are one-hit KOed by Steel Beam that would do more than half of your HP back if you don't one-hit KO them. (I wouldn't actually be surprised if this were the case, given the massive difference in power between the moves and Duraludon's low Special Defense!)
I'm not sure if it would be a good idea, but one potential alternative here... could it be worth it to put full investment into Special Defense? You might take more damage anyway if missing out on offensive power or Speed leads to taking many extra hits, but I thought it was worth noting that fully investing in Special Attack is only about a 17.6% increase in offensive power, while fully investing in Special Defense is a boost of 50%.
Also, I genuinely like G-Max Duraludon's design. Fight me.

-

Appletun @ Appletunite
Nature: Bold / Modest
Ability: Thick Fat (Regenerator)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm / Apple Acid
- Leech Seed / Apple Acid / Recover
- Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower / Earth Power

I can't really think of anything to say here except "this looks very strong," haha. I don't love Appletun, especially G-Max Appletun, but I have to admit that this looks like a fun Pokémon to use, and its combination of offensive pressure, bulk and recovery all at once sounds really threatening.
Regenerator + a STAB with a stat drop that incentivizes switching out is also a combination that I think is unexplored, and this comes with two of them! I think this one will be another standout in terms of playing style.

-

Garbodor @ Garbodorite
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Aftermath (Neutralizing Gas)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
- Stealth Rock / Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake / Iron Defense / Pain Split

Garbodor @ Garbodorite
Nature: Bold / Impish (if Gunk Shot)
Ability: Aftermath (Neutralizing Gas)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk (except if Gunk Shot)
- Stealth Rock / Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Pain Split / Gunk Shot / Spikes / Toxic Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Iron Defense
- Body Press

Two relatively different Garbodor sets! I love the gimmick this one has of compressing three types of hazards, and Neutralizing Gas means you don't have to worry about Magic Bounce or anything, either. The first set is more of a straightforward attacker that also sets hazards, and the second one offers utility + the ever-useful combination of Iron Defense and Body Press + maybe even Pain Split as its closest thing to recovery, making it especially hard to break? I'm not sure which of these will see more use (or probably something in between... I mean, these are both very vaguely defined sets with a lot of options, haha).

-

Coalossal @ Coalossalite
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Flash Fire (Rock Head)
EVs: 252 Attack / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Rock Polish / Rapid Spin
- Head Smash
- Flare Blitz
- Spikes / Stealth Rock / Will-o-Wisp

Rock and Fire coverage is not bad at all, especially with moves this strong! And then I guess Rock Polish for sweeping or Rapid Spin for a slightly smaller Speed boost with more utility, and three other utility options on top of that?

-

Orbeetle @ Orbite
Nature: Modest
Ability: Frisk (Analytic)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk / maybe 0 Spe
- Nasty Plot / Calm Mind
- Recover
- Psychic / Stored Power
- Hypnosis / Reflect / Light Screen / Sticky Web / Bug Buzz?

Orbeetle has a lot of utility options and versatility, and I feel like all of them help it as its own win condition in different ways as well as supporting its team! Hypnosis gives it free turns, Reflect/Light Screen and Recover give it time to set up, and Sticky Web can maybe even turn it into a sweeper (Analytic is for punishing switches, not a rule that you have to be outsped or you're doing it wrong!). You can also just run Bug Buzz, because... well, otherwise, you don't like Dark-types very much. Both Nasty Plot vs Calm Mind and Psychic vs Stored Power probably depend on how many times you intend to boost - I think I would always pair Nasty Plot with Psychic and Calm Mind with Stored Power.

-

Lapras @ Laprasite
Nature: Timid? or Calm
Ability: Water Absorb (Snow Warning)
EVs: 188 HP / 68 Def / 252 Spe if Calm, 208 HP / 48 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe if Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Recover
- Blizzard / Freeze Dry / Ice Beam / Sparkling Aria
- Toxic / Calm Mind / Sparkling Aria / Thunderbolt

This is the less gimmicky Lapras set! I'm not sure why I had it so much lower on my list - it's probably way more reliable than the other one, haha. An awesome thing about Snow Warning is that in addition to free Aurora Veils, you also don't need to worry about Blizzard misses (although I still have Ice Beam slashed in case the extra PP helps). This can play in a number of different ways depending on its last two slots - a wall, a tank, a bulky setup abuser or an all-out attacker with Bolt Beam coverage. (I admittedly don't think that last one plays to its strengths quite as well, but hey, it's an option!)

-

Butterfree @ Butterfrite
Nature: Timid
Ability: Compound Eyes (Compound Eyes)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Moonblast / Bug Buzz
- Hurricane

It's like a stronger Vivillon! And it trades its Focus Sash for actual bulk!! (Well... on the special side, at least - it's probably very scared of priority and really most physical attackers, though.) Unfortunately, I think it might have been better off keeping its STAB on Hurricane - the higher power means it's likely to want to run it anyway, and it seems like either Bug/Flying or Fairy/Flying is actually much better coverage than Bug/Fairy. I might be underestimating the relevance of STAB, though - a dual STABs set is probably still worth considering!
I kinda wonder if its Vivillon-esque traits would make this better in AG than it is in regular tiers - isn't Vivillon that way, since there's no sleep clause?

-

Eevee @ Eevite
Nature: Jolly / Impish
Ability: Anticipation (Protean)
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe if Jolly, 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe if Impish
- Sizzly Slide
- Sappy Seed
- Protect / Dig?
- Last Resort / Wish / Protect

okay unlike Pikachu I actually don't think this even has a chance at being used on any serious teams but I want to try it
Sizzly Slide + Sappy Seed is a tried and proven combo, of course, and Protect or maybe the extremely silly gimmick of Dig could be useful to stack extra residual damage and healing if you've somehow stopped your opponent from switching out (this is unlikely, though). You can even have Dig AND Protect and then they take like 48.75% of their HP every time they attack you. (Or they can switch out. Twice.)
Last Resort is its strongest move without a doubt even with Protean, and since you almost certainly want to use each of your other moves at least once anyway before you even think about a direct attack, I think it might be a valid enough option on the set. I can't think of any other high-powered moves that would be any better to use, haha. But alternatively, you could use Wish along with Protect or Dig to try to keep it walling its opponent as long as possible?
I wasn't sure if bulk or speed was more important - on one hand, bulk is kind of the point of the set, but on the other hand, you don't really want to take any hits before you use Sizzly Slide, or that physical bulk investment kinda all goes to waste anyway.
I don't know how viable this will be, but you can't stop me from trying it at least once

I did my best on these! XP
Hopefully they're useful to someone either for battling or for starting discussions about how to make them more useful! I'm definitely super excited to be able to play this meta when it's ready!!

I don't really have a strong opinion on the question about unreleased ones! I don't think there's any need to wait, though - if they're already done anyway, it would probably be more productive to be able to experiment with everything from the start!

Edit:

Just going to mention that the spreadsheet lists Aerilate as one of Sandaconda’s new moves in place of Body Slam, I’ll delet this post whenever I notice it’s fixed.

Thank you so much for catching that!! Just fixed this (I see you already deleted it, haha).
(I also just realized I forgot to make a note of the winning Mega Copperajah's weight change, so I corrected that as well! Sorry for that mistake!)
And then I went back through the thread to see if there were any other winning submissions that also changed weight because I knew I hadn't recorded any and wasn't sure if I had made the same mistake, and... nope, Copperajah is the only time that that's ever happened! XP Still glad I double-checked, though, haha.

 

[Yung Dramps]

Ayo! If you wanna help me continue to develop this pet mod into a good ass meta, you might wanna join my new Discord server! It's a unified hub for all my mods, and right now we're having a vote on which of the ones incorporated to playtest first, so come in and vote!

 

[Tapler]

I was bored again, so I decided to go through every mega we added to check if things were in order. Here are the things that I noticed:

Butterfree - At the time of its slate, Butterfree couldn't legally learn Toxic in NatDex. However, with the release of Pokemon Home, it's now possible to transfer a Toxic Butterfree from LGPE to SwSh, so Toxic should no longer be listed as a movepool addition.

Appletun - Appletun's BST is only increased by 90 points, so I looked back at the original post:

Stats: 100 / 85 / 120 (+40) / 120 (+20) / 120 (+40) / 30

Its HP was dropped by 10 points, but as the only stat change that wasn't stated, it was clearly an accident. With that in mind, it's an easy fix; just restore its HP to 110.

Duraludon - Duraludon's BST is increased by 110 points. I didn’t notice the issue at first, but as Hematite pointed out:

Stats: 80 / 110 (+15) / 140 (+25) / 160 (+40) / 50 / 105 (+20) [BST: 635]

It gains 10 HP unannounced, so it’s another easy fix.


There are also a few mistakes in the coding on Nexus, which is to be expected from any new meta.

Coding Errors

Butterfree - Can't learn Moonblast.

Pikachu - Pika Papow and Zippy Zap are considered to not exist in Megamax.

Gengar - The regular version of Mega Gengar doesn’t use Gengarite Y.

Eevee - Sizzly Slide and Sappy Seed are considered to not exist in Megamax, and the other three moves are considered moves Eevee learns in Gen 7, while Eevee-Gmax is only obtainable in Gen 8, leading to them also being unusable.

Snorlax - Mega evolves with "Snorlaxite" instead of "Snorlaxnite".

Melmetal - Able to legally mega-evolve in standard Megamax.

Corviknight - Able to legally mega-evolve in standard Megamax.

Drednaw - Stats and ability are identical to Mega Orbeetle.

Coalossal - Stats and ability are what Mega Drednaw should have, except it has 85 SpA instead of Mega Drednaw's intended 58.

Toxtricity-Low-Key - Can't learn Draco Meteor, whereas Amped can. Also, this is very minor, but Low-Key mega-evolves into Amped Gmax Toxtricity rather than Low-Key Gmax. There's no visual difference, but this means that /dt-ing for Low-Key-Gmax doesn't show the correct stats or ability.

edits: changed the Duraludon section (thanks Hematite), added Gengar and Snorlax under coding errors, updated Eevee and Pikachu's coding errors due to a lot of issues popping up after the change requiring them to be Gmax form in teambuilder.

 

[Hematite]

I was bored again, so I decided to go through every mega we added to check if things were in order. Here are the things that I noticed:

Butterfree - At the time of its slate, Butterfree couldn't legally learn Toxic in NatDex. However, with the release of Pokemon Home, it's now possible to transfer a Toxic Butterfree from LGPE to SwSh, so Toxic should no longer be listed as a movepool addition.

Appletun - Appletun's BST is only increased by 90 points, so I looked back at the original post:

Its HP was dropped by 10 points, but as the only stat change that wasn't stated, it was clearly an accident. With that in mind, it's an easy fix; just restore its HP to 110.

Duraludon - Duraludon's BST is increased by 110 points. Unlike Appletun, there's no obvious mistake here, so we need to decide which stat(s) to drop. My vote goes to dropping its Attack, the lesser-used offensive stat, as a way to make the change as insignificant as possible.


There are also a few mistakes in the coding on Nexus, which is to be expected from any new meta.

Coding Errors

Butterfree - Can't learn Moonblast.

Pikachu - Can't learn Zippy Zap. This isn't much of an issue since it's illegal anyways, but it doesn’t get it for flavour atm.

Eevee - Can't learn Icicle Crash.

Melmetal - Able to legally mega-evolve in standard Megamax.

Corviknight - Able to legally mega-evolve in standard Megamax.

Drednaw - Stats and ability are identical to Mega Orbeetle.

Coalossal - Stats and ability are what Mega Drednaw should have, except it has 85 SpA instead of Mega Drednaw's intended 58.

Toxtricity-Low-Key - Can't learn Draco Meteor, whereas Amped can. Also, this is very minor, but Low-Key mega-evolves into Amped Gmax Toxtricity rather than Low-Key Gmax. There's no visual difference, but this means that /dt-ing for Low-Key-Gmax doesn't show the correct stats or ability.

Oh, those are good catches all around!
One small addendum: the reason Mega Duraludon's BST is 10 points higher is because the original submission accidentally changed its HP from 70 to 80 - the submitter correctly enumerated all of the stat changes they had made, but they didn't mention changing HP, which is the only thing throwing off the BST. I think it was just the same kind of accident as with Appletun! Rather than Attack, I think that's definitely the stat that should be dropped not least because it can't actually change in a Mega Evolution in the first place!

 

[Yung Dramps]

There will be a roomtour on Nexus at 6 PM EST today!!! Stop by and get some Megamax battles in!

 

[Yung Dramps]

Quick change of plans: Due to some relatively minor unforeseen circumstances the tour will have an ever so slight delay to 6:30 PM EST. Tagging Hematite to alert the Discord about this as I cannot do so at this moment

 

[Yung Dramps]

Sorry for triple post but TOUR REPLAYS BAYBEEEEEEE

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-636
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-634
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-637
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-635
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-638
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-639
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-640
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-641
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-642
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-644
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-643
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-647
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-646
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-645
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nexus-gen8petmodmegamax-648

 

[Gravity Monkey]

Teams I made for the tour:


Centiskorch Balance

Details

Didn't actually end up using this one lol. Can't really say anything about it really. Probably sucks.

Lapras Veil BO (???)

Details

Wanted to build a team around my sub Lapras. Yeah this is just striking my ego lol. Was supposed to be an HO until I realized Lapras' veil only last 5 turns, so it works best in a weird BO setting. Anyway, this team still has bonker strong set-ups in HDB Volc and DD Mixed Kommo-O. Average team.

/
Stronk Balance

Details

Probably the best team out of those 3. I created this one after I realized that Megamax happens in National Dex OU, and that stuff that's powerful there must be powerful here. So I built this team around Dragapult/CSDarm because its just stupid strong lol. I had Toxtricity as my first mega but really it kinda sucks, I don't think it even hits harder than og tox. So I decided to put in Zard-X, not only because it's a strong cleaner and I needed that in my team but also to troll Dramps into thinking I was bringing the Z form, which would have been extremely hilarious but didn't happen in the end.

 

[Gravity Monkey]

Yeah ik double-posting, but, like, its been 3 weeks.
Anyway, more teams. I'm too lazy to write comments this time tho


SnorMax Balance


Flapple Offense


MaxToise Hyper-Offense