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I am taking over this update for The Cicada. The original thread is: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78474
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/meganium
<p>Although Meganium is outclassed by Venusaur in most areas, it does have a few things going for it, namely its greater physical bulk, useful Ground-type resistance, dual screens, and Aromatherapy. Sadly, its movepool is shallow, and it has less Special Attack, a lack of secondary STAB, and no access to Sleep Powder. Despite these flaws, Meganium can still play as a useful supporter or a unexpected sweeper in place of Venusaur due to its unique traits. Just don't play Meganium like an inferior Venusaur and you'll have a capable Pokemon in your hands.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Energy Ball / Seed Bomb
move 2: Aromatherapy
move 3: Synthesis
move 4: Leech Seed / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With great physical bulk and access to Aromatherapy, Meganium can successfully fend off dangerous physical threats such as Azumarill, Feraligatr, and Donphan while clearing your team of status. Energy Ball is a reliable STAB move on the special side, but Seed Bomb can be used instead to break the Substitutes of physically frail Pokemon such as Mismagius. Synthesis helps Meganium recover lost health, which is very useful for any supporting Pokemon. In the last slot, Leech Seed is helpful for sapping the opponent's health while restoring Meganium's own health; it can also help your switch-in regenerate some health should your opponent stay in. Toxic can be used over Leech Seed in order for Meganium to cripple Pokemon whom it would not normally threaten, such as Tangrowth, Arcanine, and Moltres.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Meganium's most common counters are hard-hitting Fire-types, so bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic make great teammates. Milotic is also the best defensive teammate to pair up with Meganium, as they can defeat most of each other's counters. Meganium is a great lure for Swellow and Scyther, so take advantage of this by using Pokemon who can set up on them, such as Rhyperior, Aggron, and Registeel. The 4 Speed EVs are just enough Speed to outpace Rhyperior before it uses Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Meganium can use Grass Knot over Energy Ball to hit heavier Pokemon such as Milotic and Rhyperior with higher Base Power, but don't expect either to be staying in on Meganium. Light Screen could be used over Aromatherapy to protect Meganium and its team from special attacks if status isn't a concern. By using Light Screen, Meganium has more chances to use Leech Seed or Toxic on foes whom it would otherwise have to switch out on.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Energy Ball / Seed Bomb
move 4: Synthesis / Aromatherapy
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Meganium's sturdydefenses make it a great dual screens user, and once it has the right screen up, it will be taking minimal damage from most attacks, even super effective ones. Energy Ball is a reliable STAB move to attack with, and also makes sure that Meganium is not completely shut down by Taunt. Seed Bomb is an option to hit specially bulky Pokemon for more damage. If Seed Bomb is the chosen option, an Impish nature should be used. Synthesis allows Meganium to preserve its HP throughout the match and have more chances to set up dual screens. Aromatherapy is also a good option, healing your team of status. However, Meganium's longevity is greatly affected since it will be running neither Leftovers nor Synthesis.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Grass Knot is a good option over Energy Ball to hit heavier foes, but Energy Ball is more consistent, making it the better choice in most situations. Meganium is weak to Bug-, Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks, so Pokemon who can set up on those attacks will greatly benefit from Meganium's support. For example, Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Swords Dance Blaziken are great teammates, both resisting Fire- and Ice-type attacks while the latter also resists Bug-type attacks. Rock Polish Rhyperior and Aggron also have good synergy with Meganium, and will definitely benefit from Meganium's support. Pokemon with Taunt can shut down Meganium, preventing it from performing its job, while also being able to set up in the process. Mismagius is a good example, having access to Taunt, Calm Mind, and Nasty Plot, shutting down Meganium while setting up stat boosts on Meganium's rather weak attacks. Drapion can help eliminate Mismagius by switching in on a Shadow Ball and using Pursuit.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Synthesis / Substitute
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Earthquake / Return
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Meganium can switch into an attack it resists, set up a Swords Dance, and smash through the opposition. However, this set plays more like a stallbreaker, as the lackluster Speed will not allow Meganium to outspeed anything other than slow walls. Swords Dance is the main focus of this set, boosting Meganium's 264 Attack to a more reasonable 528. Synthesis gives Meganium a form of instant recovery, which allows it more chances to set up Swords Dances. If you feel that Synthesis is unnecessary, then Substitute can be a valuable replacement so that Meganium can block status, which gives another opportunity to set up Swords Dance. The choice between Earthquake and Return is a tough one. Earthquake allows Meganium to hit most of its most common counters such as Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon, but Return gives it greater overall type coverage, hitting almost all Pokemon for neutral damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If another coverage move is necessary, then Meganium can forgo Synthesis or Substitute and instead use Earthquake or Return (whichever move is not being used in the last slot). Faster Fire-type Pokemon who take little damage from Meganium's attacks, such as Arcanine and Moltres, are troublesome. Meganium greatly benefits from bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic or Blastoise in order to get rid of such threats. Weezing can also counter this set well due to its great physical bulk; moreover, it can break Meganium’s Substitute with Flamethrower or burn it if it lacks Substitute. Strong Fire-type Pokemon such as Houndoom and Arcanine can help stop Weezing. Aromatherapy may be used over Substitute to heal Meganium and its teammates of status. Life Orb can be used over Leftovers for more power, but the bulk gained from Leftovers is important. The EV spread maximizes Meganium's bulk, which means that it can set up Swords Dance much more easily. 136 Speed EVs allow Meganium to reach 230 Speed, outspeeding all Pokemon with a base Speed of 60 and below. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack for more power.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Meganium needs bulky Water-types as partners to deal with Fire-types running around in the tier. Milotic is the best Water-type for this job, due to having the best bulk out of all Water-types. Additionally, Milotic has Recover to stay alive throughout the battle, Haze to prevent the opposition from sweeping, and a resistance to Ice-type attacks. Rhyperior is also a good teammate, since it can OHKO Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon who counter Meganium, and set up Stealth Rock, which forces those Pokemon to lose a big chunk of their health each time they switch in.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Meganium could use an SubSeed set, but since Meganium has no reliable way of attacking enemy Grass-type attacks outside of Hidden Power, the idea is moot. There are several Hidden Powers that can be useful. Hidden Power Ice can be used to dent opposing Grass-types and Altaria; Hidden Power Fire can burn Bug-, Grass-, and Steel-types; and Hidden Power Rock can smash Bug-, Flying-, and Fire-types. Meganium could also use a Flail set, though with all the priority attacks in the tier, it will be very easy to take Meganium out. Counter is also usable, because Meganium has a high Defense stat as well as access to Synthesis to take repeated hits and heal the damage off.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Fire-type Pokemon such as Blaziken, Houndoom, and Arcanine are great counters to Meganium. If you are using Houndoom for countering Meganium, beware of Earthquake because it will always OHKO after Stealth Rock. You also can use Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon to counter it due to their resistance to Grass-type moves. Good examples include Toxicroak, Weezing, and Registeel. Venusaur is one of the best counters to Meganium due to immunity to both Leech Seed and Toxic, while also quad-resisting Meganium’s STAB attack. Other Grass-type Pokemon such as Leafeon [space] and Tangrowth all do well thanks to their high Defense stat; Leafeon can freely set up Swords Dances and then fire off deadly Double-Edges while Tangrowth can put Meganium to sleep. Although punished by Stealth Rock, Flying-type Pokemon such as Scyther, Swellow, Moltres, and Altaria can all defeat Meganium easily.</p>
GP Checks: 2/2:
I am taking over this update for The Cicada. The original thread is: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78474
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/meganium
<p>Although Meganium is outclassed by Venusaur in most areas, it does have a few things going for it, namely its greater physical bulk, useful Ground-type resistance, dual screens, and Aromatherapy. Sadly, its movepool is shallow, and it has less Special Attack, a lack of secondary STAB, and no access to Sleep Powder. Despite these flaws, Meganium can still play as a useful supporter or a unexpected sweeper in place of Venusaur due to its unique traits. Just don't play Meganium like an inferior Venusaur and you'll have a capable Pokemon in your hands.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Energy Ball / Seed Bomb
move 2: Aromatherapy
move 3: Synthesis
move 4: Leech Seed / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With great physical bulk and access to Aromatherapy, Meganium can successfully fend off dangerous physical threats such as Azumarill, Feraligatr, and Donphan while clearing your team of status. Energy Ball is a reliable STAB move on the special side, but Seed Bomb can be used instead to break the Substitutes of physically frail Pokemon such as Mismagius. Synthesis helps Meganium recover lost health, which is very useful for any supporting Pokemon. In the last slot, Leech Seed is helpful for sapping the opponent's health while restoring Meganium's own health; it can also help your switch-in regenerate some health should your opponent stay in. Toxic can be used over Leech Seed in order for Meganium to cripple Pokemon whom it would not normally threaten, such as Tangrowth, Arcanine, and Moltres.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Meganium's most common counters are hard-hitting Fire-types, so bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic make great teammates. Milotic is also the best defensive teammate to pair up with Meganium, as they can defeat most of each other's counters. Meganium is a great lure for Swellow and Scyther, so take advantage of this by using Pokemon who can set up on them, such as Rhyperior, Aggron, and Registeel. The 4 Speed EVs are just enough Speed to outpace Rhyperior before it uses Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Meganium can use Grass Knot over Energy Ball to hit heavier Pokemon such as Milotic and Rhyperior with higher Base Power, but don't expect either to be staying in on Meganium. Light Screen could be used over Aromatherapy to protect Meganium and its team from special attacks if status isn't a concern. By using Light Screen, Meganium has more chances to use Leech Seed or Toxic on foes whom it would otherwise have to switch out on.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Energy Ball / Seed Bomb
move 4: Synthesis / Aromatherapy
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Meganium's sturdydefenses make it a great dual screens user, and once it has the right screen up, it will be taking minimal damage from most attacks, even super effective ones. Energy Ball is a reliable STAB move to attack with, and also makes sure that Meganium is not completely shut down by Taunt. Seed Bomb is an option to hit specially bulky Pokemon for more damage. If Seed Bomb is the chosen option, an Impish nature should be used. Synthesis allows Meganium to preserve its HP throughout the match and have more chances to set up dual screens. Aromatherapy is also a good option, healing your team of status. However, Meganium's longevity is greatly affected since it will be running neither Leftovers nor Synthesis.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Grass Knot is a good option over Energy Ball to hit heavier foes, but Energy Ball is more consistent, making it the better choice in most situations. Meganium is weak to Bug-, Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks, so Pokemon who can set up on those attacks will greatly benefit from Meganium's support. For example, Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Swords Dance Blaziken are great teammates, both resisting Fire- and Ice-type attacks while the latter also resists Bug-type attacks. Rock Polish Rhyperior and Aggron also have good synergy with Meganium, and will definitely benefit from Meganium's support. Pokemon with Taunt can shut down Meganium, preventing it from performing its job, while also being able to set up in the process. Mismagius is a good example, having access to Taunt, Calm Mind, and Nasty Plot, shutting down Meganium while setting up stat boosts on Meganium's rather weak attacks. Drapion can help eliminate Mismagius by switching in on a Shadow Ball and using Pursuit.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Synthesis / Substitute
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Earthquake / Return
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Meganium can switch into an attack it resists, set up a Swords Dance, and smash through the opposition. However, this set plays more like a stallbreaker, as the lackluster Speed will not allow Meganium to outspeed anything other than slow walls. Swords Dance is the main focus of this set, boosting Meganium's 264 Attack to a more reasonable 528. Synthesis gives Meganium a form of instant recovery, which allows it more chances to set up Swords Dances. If you feel that Synthesis is unnecessary, then Substitute can be a valuable replacement so that Meganium can block status, which gives another opportunity to set up Swords Dance. The choice between Earthquake and Return is a tough one. Earthquake allows Meganium to hit most of its most common counters such as Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon, but Return gives it greater overall type coverage, hitting almost all Pokemon for neutral damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If another coverage move is necessary, then Meganium can forgo Synthesis or Substitute and instead use Earthquake or Return (whichever move is not being used in the last slot). Faster Fire-type Pokemon who take little damage from Meganium's attacks, such as Arcanine and Moltres, are troublesome. Meganium greatly benefits from bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic or Blastoise in order to get rid of such threats. Weezing can also counter this set well due to its great physical bulk; moreover, it can break Meganium’s Substitute with Flamethrower or burn it if it lacks Substitute. Strong Fire-type Pokemon such as Houndoom and Arcanine can help stop Weezing. Aromatherapy may be used over Substitute to heal Meganium and its teammates of status. Life Orb can be used over Leftovers for more power, but the bulk gained from Leftovers is important. The EV spread maximizes Meganium's bulk, which means that it can set up Swords Dance much more easily. 136 Speed EVs allow Meganium to reach 230 Speed, outspeeding all Pokemon with a base Speed of 60 and below. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack for more power.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Meganium needs bulky Water-types as partners to deal with Fire-types running around in the tier. Milotic is the best Water-type for this job, due to having the best bulk out of all Water-types. Additionally, Milotic has Recover to stay alive throughout the battle, Haze to prevent the opposition from sweeping, and a resistance to Ice-type attacks. Rhyperior is also a good teammate, since it can OHKO Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon who counter Meganium, and set up Stealth Rock, which forces those Pokemon to lose a big chunk of their health each time they switch in.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Meganium could use an SubSeed set, but since Meganium has no reliable way of attacking enemy Grass-type attacks outside of Hidden Power, the idea is moot. There are several Hidden Powers that can be useful. Hidden Power Ice can be used to dent opposing Grass-types and Altaria; Hidden Power Fire can burn Bug-, Grass-, and Steel-types; and Hidden Power Rock can smash Bug-, Flying-, and Fire-types. Meganium could also use a Flail set, though with all the priority attacks in the tier, it will be very easy to take Meganium out. Counter is also usable, because Meganium has a high Defense stat as well as access to Synthesis to take repeated hits and heal the damage off.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Fire-type Pokemon such as Blaziken, Houndoom, and Arcanine are great counters to Meganium. If you are using Houndoom for countering Meganium, beware of Earthquake because it will always OHKO after Stealth Rock. You also can use Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon to counter it due to their resistance to Grass-type moves. Good examples include Toxicroak, Weezing, and Registeel. Venusaur is one of the best counters to Meganium due to immunity to both Leech Seed and Toxic, while also quad-resisting Meganium’s STAB attack. Other Grass-type Pokemon such as Leafeon [space] and Tangrowth all do well thanks to their high Defense stat; Leafeon can freely set up Swords Dances and then fire off deadly Double-Edges while Tangrowth can put Meganium to sleep. Although punished by Stealth Rock, Flying-type Pokemon such as Scyther, Swellow, Moltres, and Altaria can all defeat Meganium easily.</p>
