OK, since it seems other people don't want to write about awesome super-computer tanks, I've decided to take back Metagross and try to finish it this time. SDS did raise the concern that the skeleton is outdated (and I personally agree with him), so i'm running it back through QC to spruce it up a bit.
Original thread if anyone wants to look at it:
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake / Hammer Arm
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Hammer Arm
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Pursuit / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Trick / Pursuit
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 228 SpA / 24 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Trick + Iron Ball
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Punch
item: Iron Ball
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Metagross's best shot at smashing through its main counters, specifically Rotom-A, Bronzong, and Skarmory. Metagross will almost always lure these Pokemon out when it shows its ugly face, and can utilize Trick in order to cripple them with an Iron Ball. A Pokemon that would normally be immune to Ground-type moves becomes susceptible to them when tricked an Iron Ball, and their Speed is cut in half. Metagross can abuse this by using Earthquake on a tricked Rotom-A or Bronzong, which will OHKO the former and deal massive damage to the latter, completely crippling it. Skarmory will retain a neutrality to Earthquake, courtesy of its Flying-typing. The goal of this set is to reliably remove the aforementioned Pokemon from battle, so sweepers that have difficulty with them can run through your opponent's team uninterrupted. Trick is obviously the main move for this set, and means that Metagross can also Trick around Choice items, should Rotom-A be carrying one, further crippling the opponent. Meteor Mash is Metagross's most powerful move, and will dent all Pokemon that don't resist it, thanks to Metagross's colossal Attack. Earthquake provides excellent coverage with Meteor Mash, and is the move that Metagross relies on to bring down Rotom-A and Bronzong. The last slot can be used to set up Stealth Rock, should your team lack another Pokemon to set it up. Ice Punch is another option for additional coverage, and is Metagross's best move against Gliscor and the Dragon-types with a quadruple weakness to Ice. Since Metagross can easily sponge Outrage from Dragon-types, it's a nifty move to snipe them down while they're locked into it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The Speed EVs allow Metagross to outrun Pokemon with a base Speed of 115, such as Starmie. They also let Metagross outspeed the standard Ferrothorn when it is still holding its Iron Ball. Metagross's Attack is maximized in order to deal as much damage as possible, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to provide bulk. The last moveslot is very flexible, and can be tailored to bring the most utility to your team. Hammer Arm is Metagross's best move against Ferrothorn, since it's one of the few Pokemon that can wall Metagross without being crippled by Iron Ball. Bullet Punch lets Metagross bypass its awful Speed while it still holds Iron Ball, and lets it pick off threats such as Terrakion and Gengar. Pursuit can be used to trap fleeing Ghost- or Psychic-types, such as Gengar or Latios, and ThunderPunch can be used solely for Gyarados, who resists Meteor Mash and is immune to Earthquake.</p>
<p>As far as teammates go, it's obvious that the best Pokemon to pair with Metagross are those that benefit from the removal of Rotom-A and Bronzong, and the crippling of Skarmory. Gyarados is an excellent example, since it can freely set up Dragon Dances without worrying about being revenge killed by Rotom-A. Mamoswine is another example, as it is walled by both Rotom-A and Bronzong, who resist its STAB combination. Haxorus and Landorus both benefit from Skarmory being crippled, and can proceed to heavily damage it with Earthquakes of their own. However, there are certain Pokemon that Metagross is unable to handle. Bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn (should Metagross lack Hammer Arm), Forretress, and Scizor can come in on Metagross and begin to set up. Bulky Water-types, such as Gastrodon or Jellicent, can shrug off Earthquake, heal themselves with Recover, and proceed to burn Metagross and wear it down. An offensive Rotom-A of your own with Hidden Power Fire can take down many of these Pokemon, and has excellent defensive synergy with Metagross. A Tinkerbell Celebi set (again with Hidden Power Fire) can accomplish the same thing.</p>
[Other Options]
[Checks and Counters]
Original thread if anyone wants to look at it:
[Overview]
- Clearly the most manly Pokemon there is.
- Base 135 Attack and 130 Defense makes Metagross an excellent tank.
- Typing gives Metagross a great set of resistances to play around with.
- Has the movepool to pull off plenty of roles, including Choice Band, Stealth Rock setter, and Agility sweeper.
- Metagross is hampered by medicore Speed, and his typing does leave him weak to many common attacking types.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake / Hammer Arm
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
- Can easily set up Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash is STAB, and hits hard off base 135 Attack
- Pursuit allows Metagross to catch any Latios, Latias, Celebi, or Gengar trying to switch out.
- Hammer Arm can hit the majority of things that resist Steel, namely Rotom-W and Ferrothorn
- Earthquake hits Jirachi, Tentacruel, Heatran, and Fire-types in general with more power then Hammer Arm.
- EVs are put into HP and Attack for bulk and power.
- 60 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed 0 Speed Heatran, and OHKO with Earthquake, or heavily damage with Hammer Arm
- Bullet Punch can be used for priority, but the power is quite depressing.
- Zen Headbutt offers a way for hitting Jellicent, Volcorona, and Fighting-types, but it lacks the utility of Pursuit.
- Normal Gem + Explosion allows Metagross to tear into an wall as a last-ditch move. Life Orb can also be used to power up Metagross' other moves alongside with Explosion.
- Occa Berry will allow Metagross to survive strong Fire-types attacks so it can set down Stealth Rock or to lure Heatran so metagross can OHKO with Earthquake.
- Pursuit can be used with a spread of 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SpD to help Metagross survive special attacks so he can Pursuit easier.
- Shuca Berry can be used in conjunction with Ice Punch to survive an Earthquake from Landorus and OHKOing it. Ice Punch also revenges Haxorus and Dragonite locked into Outrage with greater reliability then Meteor Mash
- Skarmory and Forretress can shrug off Metagross' hits and set up on it.
- Bulky Water-types can take repeated Hammer Arms and burn with Scald.
- Volcarona resists Metagross' moveset, and can setup with Quiver Dance.
- Celebi with Hidden Power Fire can take on the former two threats while Choice Scarf Terrakion can handle Volcarona.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Hammer Arm
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Pursuit / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Choice Band boosts Metagross' already excellent Attack to terrifying levels.
- Meteor Mash dishes out immense amounts of damage, hitting everything but bulky resists hard.
- Bullet Punch is invaluable priority, and lets Metagross pick off faster threats.
- Hammer Arm hits Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and stops Skarmory from stalling Metagross out as the Speed drops mean Skarmory will outspeed Metagross, and be broken by Hammer Arm if it Roosts.
- Zen Headbutt rams through Water-types and Conkeldurr, and gives Metagross a move to hit Volcarona.
- Pursuit will force Pokemon like Latios, Latias without Hidden Power Fire, and Alakazam into a checkmate position.
- ThunderPunch will 2HKO both Slowbro and Skarmory with Stealth Rock damage while also hitting Tentacruel reasonably hard and OHKOing all Gyarados varients with Stealth Rock support.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Speed EVs outspeed Defensive Gyarados.
- Explosion can allow Metagross to leave a massive dent in many walls.
- If using Pursuit, a simple 252/252 or more specially bulky EV spread can be used.
- Ice Punch can OHKO Gliscor, but it has little use outside of that.
- Trick can be used to mess up walls, but it leaves a large gap in Metagross' coverage, and Metagross already breaks most walls with attacks alone.
- Hazards are very important because it allows Metagross to spam Meteor Mash with much less risk.
- Slowbro is the best Metagross counter there is, only being 2HKOed by ThunderPunch, and Regenerator ensures Slowbro will stay healthy.
- Bulky Steel and Water-types and Heatran can switch into Meteor Mash, and set-up hazards, smack around with Water-type attacks, or just OHKO Heatran with Fire Blast respectively.
- Magnezone can easily trap Metagross locked in on Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, or Pursuit, and KO.
- Hydreigon can handle most of the things that can take on Metagross, and vice-versa.
- Magnezone is also able to help Metagross by trapping Forretress, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, while also destroying Water-types with STAB Thunderbolt.
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Metagross can easily set up an Agility with his great bulk and excellent set of resistances.
- Meteor Mash hits hard with Life Orb, and also has a chance of raising Metagross' Attack, making him even harder to handle.
- Earthquake hits Fire-types and non Levitating/Flying-type Steels.
- Zen Headbutt smacks around Fighting-types and provides coverage on Water-types.
- ThunderPunch hits Water-types with the exception of Tentacruel and Rotom-W harder than Zen Headbutt, and allows Metagross to at least deal actual damage to Skarmory.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- EVs allow Metagross to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion and neutral nature Venusaur in the sun after an Agility.
- Lum Berry can allow Metagross to avoid a crippling burn or paralysis
- Air Balloon is usable to provide more set-up opportunities, but the loss of power is annoying.
- Leftovers helps retain Metagross' bulk, but the drop in power is still annoying.
- Adamant can be used with any of the pervious three items as Adamant will make up for the loss in power from Life Orb slightly.
- Ice Punch steamrolls Landorus, Gliscor, and Dragonite, but Meteor Mash hits for the same damage as a 2x effective Ice Punch, so it has no use otherwise.
- Hazard support is invaluable so Metagross is able to overcome physical walls and pull off a successful sweep
- Ferrothorn and Forretress can take Earthquake all day and set-up hazards and Leech Seed Metagross in Ferrothron's case.
- Gliscor, Quagsire, Hippowdon, Bronzong, and Jellicent can all trouble Metagross.
- Slowbro and Skarmory just make Metagross' life miserable if he doesn't have ThunderPunch, and Skarmory can even set-up Spikes for extra annoyance.
- Celebi is able to handle nearly all the Pokemon that happen to trouble Metagross.
- Magnezone can trap bulky Steel-types and obliterate Water-types with STAB Thunderbolt.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Trick / Pursuit
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Metagross seems unsuited for using a Choice Scarf, but he reaches a very convenient Speed tier, outspeeding +1 Adamant Dragonite.
- Meteor Mash is STAB, and still hits hard even without any boosts.
- Earthquake breaks Fire-types and Ground weak Steel-types.
- Ice Punch destroys Dragonite, non-Scarf Landorus, and leaves a severe dent in Gliscor.
- Trick ruins walls, while Pursuit can catch Latios, Starmie, and Gengar trying to switch out.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- EVs outspeed up to Adamant, +1 Gyarados.
- ThunderPunch hits offensive Politoed and Gyarados hard and 2HKOes Jellicent with some prior damage.
- Zen Headbutt handles Fighting-types, 2HKOes 0/0 Rotom-W, and 2HKOes Gastrodon with Spikes.
- Hazards aer important as they help Metagross score 2HKOes on Pokemon such as Jellicent.
- Bulky Steel-types not weak to Earthquake just ruin Metagross, setting up hazards without a care.
- Bulky Water-types also make Metagross' life miserable, taking his hits with ease, and smacking Metagross with Water-type attacks.
- Magnezone can trap Metagross if it isn't locked in on Earthquake and KO.
- Celebi can handle Water-types with ease, and Heatran can easily roast the Steel-types.
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 228 SpA / 24 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Metagross' Special Attack is actually quite decent, so he can effectively use his special movepool to catch the normal switch-ins by surprise.
- Meteor Mash is still used because the gap between Metagross' Attack and Special Attack makes it much more powerful then Metagross' other options.
- Hidden Power Fire 2HKOes Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Tangrowth, and OHKOes Forretress and Scizor after Stealth Rock.
- Grass Knot hits Jellicent, Slowbro, and Hippowdon for a 2HKO
- Zen Headbutt nails the Water-types that don't take much damage from Grass Knot and Fighting-types.
- Earthquake is also an option for hitting Heatran and Jirachi.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Speed EVs outspeed max Speed Wobbuffet.
- Expert Belt can help to preserve Metagross' bulk, but the general power loss just isn't worth it.
- Ice Punch can shatter Gliscor, Dragonite, and Landorus, but has little use otherwise.
- Bullet Punch is usable for priority, but the loss of coverage is severe.
- Heatran effortlessly walls Metagross without Earthquake while Rotom-W laughs at any without Zen Headbutt.
- Tyranitar or Hydreigon can take care of Heatran, while Celebi can handle Rotom-W.
[SET]
name: Trick + Iron Ball
move 1: Trick
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Punch
item: Iron Ball
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Metagross's best shot at smashing through its main counters, specifically Rotom-A, Bronzong, and Skarmory. Metagross will almost always lure these Pokemon out when it shows its ugly face, and can utilize Trick in order to cripple them with an Iron Ball. A Pokemon that would normally be immune to Ground-type moves becomes susceptible to them when tricked an Iron Ball, and their Speed is cut in half. Metagross can abuse this by using Earthquake on a tricked Rotom-A or Bronzong, which will OHKO the former and deal massive damage to the latter, completely crippling it. Skarmory will retain a neutrality to Earthquake, courtesy of its Flying-typing. The goal of this set is to reliably remove the aforementioned Pokemon from battle, so sweepers that have difficulty with them can run through your opponent's team uninterrupted. Trick is obviously the main move for this set, and means that Metagross can also Trick around Choice items, should Rotom-A be carrying one, further crippling the opponent. Meteor Mash is Metagross's most powerful move, and will dent all Pokemon that don't resist it, thanks to Metagross's colossal Attack. Earthquake provides excellent coverage with Meteor Mash, and is the move that Metagross relies on to bring down Rotom-A and Bronzong. The last slot can be used to set up Stealth Rock, should your team lack another Pokemon to set it up. Ice Punch is another option for additional coverage, and is Metagross's best move against Gliscor and the Dragon-types with a quadruple weakness to Ice. Since Metagross can easily sponge Outrage from Dragon-types, it's a nifty move to snipe them down while they're locked into it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The Speed EVs allow Metagross to outrun Pokemon with a base Speed of 115, such as Starmie. They also let Metagross outspeed the standard Ferrothorn when it is still holding its Iron Ball. Metagross's Attack is maximized in order to deal as much damage as possible, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to provide bulk. The last moveslot is very flexible, and can be tailored to bring the most utility to your team. Hammer Arm is Metagross's best move against Ferrothorn, since it's one of the few Pokemon that can wall Metagross without being crippled by Iron Ball. Bullet Punch lets Metagross bypass its awful Speed while it still holds Iron Ball, and lets it pick off threats such as Terrakion and Gengar. Pursuit can be used to trap fleeing Ghost- or Psychic-types, such as Gengar or Latios, and ThunderPunch can be used solely for Gyarados, who resists Meteor Mash and is immune to Earthquake.</p>
<p>As far as teammates go, it's obvious that the best Pokemon to pair with Metagross are those that benefit from the removal of Rotom-A and Bronzong, and the crippling of Skarmory. Gyarados is an excellent example, since it can freely set up Dragon Dances without worrying about being revenge killed by Rotom-A. Mamoswine is another example, as it is walled by both Rotom-A and Bronzong, who resist its STAB combination. Haxorus and Landorus both benefit from Skarmory being crippled, and can proceed to heavily damage it with Earthquakes of their own. However, there are certain Pokemon that Metagross is unable to handle. Bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn (should Metagross lack Hammer Arm), Forretress, and Scizor can come in on Metagross and begin to set up. Bulky Water-types, such as Gastrodon or Jellicent, can shrug off Earthquake, heal themselves with Recover, and proceed to burn Metagross and wear it down. An offensive Rotom-A of your own with Hidden Power Fire can take down many of these Pokemon, and has excellent defensive synergy with Metagross. A Tinkerbell Celebi set (again with Hidden Power Fire) can accomplish the same thing.</p>
[Other Options]
- Rest + Sleep Talk makes Metagross a great physical tank, but it can also make it huge set-up bait.
- Gravity helps with Meteor Mash's accuracy, and allows Metagross to smack Rotom-W, Skarmory, and Bronzong with Earthquake
- Hone Claws fixes Meteor Mash's accuracy and raises Metagross' Attack, but Metagross is just too slow to make much use of it.
- Magnet Rise can troll Ground-types, but Metagross has no room in any of his sets.
- Reflect + Light Screen is cool, but Metagross has better things to do, and it's done better by other Dual Screeners.
- Iron Head is viable for perfect accuracy, but the power drop is annoying.
- Block + Explosion can fun for trapping a wall that Metagross and Explode on.
- Gyro Ball + Iron Ball can give Metagross a more powerful and accurate Steel-type move in place of Meteor Mash, but slow walls will easily take Gyro Ball, and Metagross loses any sort of Speed advantage it had.
[Checks and Counters]
- Slowbro can just sit and take anything Metagross can throw at it sans a Choice Banded Thunder Punch or Grass Knot, and heal off the damage.
- Skarmory is much the same as Slowbro, but can't take a Hidden Power Fire, and a slower Hammer Arm will mutilate it as it Roosts.
- Heatran and Rotom-W can both easily switch in on a Meteor Mash, and smack Metagross around with Fire Blast and Hydro Pump, respectively.
- Steel-types in general make good checks to Metagross if they can avoid Hammer Arm / Earthquake/Hidden Power Fire
- Bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, Politoed, Gyarados, and Tentacruel can handle Metagross if it lacks Zen Headbutt or Thunder Punch.
- Metagross' average Speed makes it susceptible to revenge kills, especially on the special side.