[OVERVIEW]
Psychic
========
Metagross is a very potent wallbreaker for Psychic that importantly makes waves in the otherwise troublesome Fairy matchup thanks to its priority STAB Bullet Punch and overwhelmingly strong Meteor Mash. Its high base Attack, strong STAB attacks, and varied coverage moves including Thunder Punch and Ice Punch allow Metagross to be customized to overcome specific matchups that the team may struggle with. Bullet Punch is immensely helpful in taking down opposing priority users like Azumarill as well as speedy Pokemon that Psychic struggles with like Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko, and it also enables Metagross to be a potent late-game cleaner once its defensive checks have been weakened or eliminated. Metagross is Psychic's only viable Pursuit user, giving it a specific niche in being able to trap and remove threatening foes to its team such as Latios. Psychic also greatly appreciates Metagross's Steel typing and high Defense, as it can reliably switch into incoming Ice-, Grass-, Dragon-, and Rock-type attacks that Psychic otherwise lacks effective switch-ins to, outside of Jirachi. While its Steel typing provides these benefits, it also comes with the downside of being weak to Ground and Fire; however, those can be made up for by teammates such as Latios, Latias, Celebi, and Slowbro. Metagross's Speed is unfortunately rather lacking as well; while it can outspeed most defensively-oriented Pokemon, it is still slower than most other offensive Pokemon, leaving it threatened by a large number of attackers such as Diggersby, Landorus, and importantly Mimikyu, which carries a +2 Shadow Sneak that can KO Metagross with minor chip damage. Utilizing Choice Band Metagross often requires forgoing using Choice Band Victini, which is an amazing physical wallbreaker that has few effective switch-ins.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: Pursuit / Ice Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Bullet Punch makes up for Metagross's lackluster Speed stat and turns it into a potent revenge killer, notably being able to outspeed Azumarill's Aqua Jet. Meteor Mash is Metagross's strongest STAB attack, hitting for very heavy damage with a chance to boost its Attack and most notably dealing huge damage to Klefki, which shrugs off Bullet Punch. Thunder Punch prevents bulky Water-types such as Mantine and Slowbro from completely walling Metagross while also damaging troublesome Pokemon like Celesteela, which walls Metagross's other moves. Pursuit is a very potent move, especially in the Psychic mirror, letting Metagross trap and remove Pokemon it can freely switch into such as Choice Scarf Latios. Alternatively, Ice Punch grants Metagross BoltBeam coverage, providing immense utility in the Flying matchup to eliminate Landorus-T and Gliscor and more reliably take on Zapdos.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature and a Choice Band ensure Metagross is as strong as possible, allowing it to function as a potent wallbreaker and strong priority attacker. 172 Speed EVs allow Metagross to most importantly outspeed Jolly Azumarill, which allows its Bullet Punch to outspeed Azumarill's Aqua Jet. Clear Body blocks Intimidate from foes like Landorus-T as well as Sticky Web, which can prove to be very beneficial.
Usage Tips
========
Due to Metagross's importance in the Fairy matchup, be sure to preserve its HP as much as possible in order to consistently threaten Fairy-types like Azumarill and Mega Diancie. If the opponent is utilizing Mimikyu, be sure to stay out of +2 Shadow Sneak KO range, as Metagross is one of the primary means of stopping Mimikyu from sweeping. Additionally, be careful in choosing when to use Bullet Punch or Meteor Mash. Utilizing Bullet Punch when not necessary can allow a defensive Pokemon like Klefki to freely come into play and freely set up entry hazards or dual screens. Look for opportunities to bring Metagross in safely throughout the battle in order to wallbreak. This can vary from utilizing a slow U-turn from Pokemon like Celebi to bring it in against resisted attacks from Pokemon like Mega Venusaur. In addition, when using Pursuit, look for opportunities to trap and remove threatening foes to the team. This can include switching in against Pokemon that do not threaten Metagross such as Choice Scarf Latios, following a fainted teammate, or bringing it in against weakened offensive threats that attempt to switch out to prevent being knocked out by Bullet Punch. When using Ice Punch, Metagross is able to make waves in the Flying matchup due to its potent BoltBeam coverage; be sure to conceal Metagross's Ice Punch to freely grab a KO against Landorus and Gliscor that attempt to switch into a predicted Thunder Punch. In matchups where preserving Metagross isn't a key win condition such as Normal and Dragon, utilize Metagross's high defenses to take on attackers lacking super effective coverage to punch holes through their team. Avoid burns from the likes of Will-O-Wisp Mega Sableye and Scald users like Toxapex at all cost, as they prevent Metagross from having any offensive presence.
Team Options
========
Mega Gallade is one of the best teammates for Metagross, as it is able to take on Steel- and Dark-types with ease while helping immensely in the Poison matchup, where Metagross needs accurate predictions to be of any benefit. In turn, Metagross is able to switch into weak Fairy-type attacks from Pokemon like Clefable that threaten out Mega Gallade. Latios and Latias are both great ways of keeping faster foes in check, allowing Metagross to be saved to breaking past walls. Latias notably is able to provide Healing Wish support, while Latios is a great special attacker with ample coverage moves like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to fill in holes of Pokemon that Metagross cannot handle depending on its chosen moveset. Victini is another Choice Scarf option to pair with Metagross that is very effective in matchups such as Electric where Metagross struggles to keep up. Celebi pairs effectively with Metagross due to its resistance to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to switch in with ease. It also benefits Metagross by utilizing a Steel killer set and can very effectively deal with Steel-types that Metagross cannot do much against. Furthermore, thanks to Natural Cure, it can switch into predicted Will-O-Wisps from Pokemon like Rotom-W that would otherwise cripple Metagross. Mega Latias and Mega Slowbro are effective specially-oriented setup sweepers that greatly appreciate Metagross eliminating special walls that they cannot break past such as Chansey and can take on Pokemon Metagross struggles with like Toxapex. Mew is a fantastic stallbreaker that can help ease the struggle Metagross has with some bulky types like Water and Flying as well as defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn, easing the predictions necessary for Metagross to be effective in those matchups. Slowbro is a great defensive partner for Metagross, as it can reliably switch into oncoming Fire-type and physical attacks that threaten Metagross from the likes of Infernape and Victini. Alakazam works as a blanket check for nearly all physically offensive Pokemon thanks to Magic Guard, Focus Sash, and Counter, which enables it to take on sweepers that severely threaten Metagross such as Mega Sharpedo. Jirachi is another good partner for Metagross, as it both acts as a means of setting Stealth Rock to chip down foes and can pivot out to Metagross to bring it into the field safely.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Psychic
--------
Earthquake is a niche coverage move that enables Metagross to more reliably take on Toxapex and Steel-types that otherwise resist or take little damage from Metagross's commonly used moves. Hammer Arm is another coverage option that could be used to enable Metagross to take on Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran. Zen Headbutt could be used over Earthquake to ease up the Poison matchup, enabling Metagross to do severe damage to both Mega Venusaur and Toxapex, preventing the need to predict accurately between this defensive duo. However, this does open up the ability for Alolan Muk to come in and Pursuit trap Metagross.
Checks and Counters
===================
Psychic
--------
**Super Effective Coverage**: Offensive Pokemon that carry Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks such as Victini, Excadrill, Bisharp, and Gengar all take advantage of Metagross's low Speed and threaten to freely KO it.
**Bulky Water-types**: Although Metagross utilizes Thunder Punch, it is taken advantage of by physically defensive Water-types such as Mega Slowbro. Most notably, Metagross cannot do much to Water- / Ground-types that resist its STAB attacks and are immune to Electric such as Swampert and Gastrodon.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Defensive Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory are able to take on Metagross while taking little or no damage from Earthquake. Air Balloon Heatran is also a huge threat to Metagross, as it's able to force Metagross out as long as its item is preserved. Ferrothorn and Heatran to need to be wary of Hammer Arm, however.
**Protect**: As a Choice Band user, Metagross is reliant on accurate predictions to deal with the opposing Pokemon. Pokemon that use Protect and Protect-like moves such as Mega Sableye and Toxapex are able to freely scout what move Metagross is using and switch into a teammate that can deal with it.
**Burn**: As a physical wallbreaker, Metagross is neutered by burns halving its Attack, effectively preventing it from having an offensive presence.
Psychic
========
Metagross is a very potent wallbreaker for Psychic that importantly makes waves in the otherwise troublesome Fairy matchup thanks to its priority STAB Bullet Punch and overwhelmingly strong Meteor Mash. Its high base Attack, strong STAB attacks, and varied coverage moves including Thunder Punch and Ice Punch allow Metagross to be customized to overcome specific matchups that the team may struggle with. Bullet Punch is immensely helpful in taking down opposing priority users like Azumarill as well as speedy Pokemon that Psychic struggles with like Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko, and it also enables Metagross to be a potent late-game cleaner once its defensive checks have been weakened or eliminated. Metagross is Psychic's only viable Pursuit user, giving it a specific niche in being able to trap and remove threatening foes to its team such as Latios. Psychic also greatly appreciates Metagross's Steel typing and high Defense, as it can reliably switch into incoming Ice-, Grass-, Dragon-, and Rock-type attacks that Psychic otherwise lacks effective switch-ins to, outside of Jirachi. While its Steel typing provides these benefits, it also comes with the downside of being weak to Ground and Fire; however, those can be made up for by teammates such as Latios, Latias, Celebi, and Slowbro. Metagross's Speed is unfortunately rather lacking as well; while it can outspeed most defensively-oriented Pokemon, it is still slower than most other offensive Pokemon, leaving it threatened by a large number of attackers such as Diggersby, Landorus, and importantly Mimikyu, which carries a +2 Shadow Sneak that can KO Metagross with minor chip damage. Utilizing Choice Band Metagross often requires forgoing using Choice Band Victini, which is an amazing physical wallbreaker that has few effective switch-ins.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: Pursuit / Ice Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Bullet Punch makes up for Metagross's lackluster Speed stat and turns it into a potent revenge killer, notably being able to outspeed Azumarill's Aqua Jet. Meteor Mash is Metagross's strongest STAB attack, hitting for very heavy damage with a chance to boost its Attack and most notably dealing huge damage to Klefki, which shrugs off Bullet Punch. Thunder Punch prevents bulky Water-types such as Mantine and Slowbro from completely walling Metagross while also damaging troublesome Pokemon like Celesteela, which walls Metagross's other moves. Pursuit is a very potent move, especially in the Psychic mirror, letting Metagross trap and remove Pokemon it can freely switch into such as Choice Scarf Latios. Alternatively, Ice Punch grants Metagross BoltBeam coverage, providing immense utility in the Flying matchup to eliminate Landorus-T and Gliscor and more reliably take on Zapdos.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature and a Choice Band ensure Metagross is as strong as possible, allowing it to function as a potent wallbreaker and strong priority attacker. 172 Speed EVs allow Metagross to most importantly outspeed Jolly Azumarill, which allows its Bullet Punch to outspeed Azumarill's Aqua Jet. Clear Body blocks Intimidate from foes like Landorus-T as well as Sticky Web, which can prove to be very beneficial.
Usage Tips
========
Due to Metagross's importance in the Fairy matchup, be sure to preserve its HP as much as possible in order to consistently threaten Fairy-types like Azumarill and Mega Diancie. If the opponent is utilizing Mimikyu, be sure to stay out of +2 Shadow Sneak KO range, as Metagross is one of the primary means of stopping Mimikyu from sweeping. Additionally, be careful in choosing when to use Bullet Punch or Meteor Mash. Utilizing Bullet Punch when not necessary can allow a defensive Pokemon like Klefki to freely come into play and freely set up entry hazards or dual screens. Look for opportunities to bring Metagross in safely throughout the battle in order to wallbreak. This can vary from utilizing a slow U-turn from Pokemon like Celebi to bring it in against resisted attacks from Pokemon like Mega Venusaur. In addition, when using Pursuit, look for opportunities to trap and remove threatening foes to the team. This can include switching in against Pokemon that do not threaten Metagross such as Choice Scarf Latios, following a fainted teammate, or bringing it in against weakened offensive threats that attempt to switch out to prevent being knocked out by Bullet Punch. When using Ice Punch, Metagross is able to make waves in the Flying matchup due to its potent BoltBeam coverage; be sure to conceal Metagross's Ice Punch to freely grab a KO against Landorus and Gliscor that attempt to switch into a predicted Thunder Punch. In matchups where preserving Metagross isn't a key win condition such as Normal and Dragon, utilize Metagross's high defenses to take on attackers lacking super effective coverage to punch holes through their team. Avoid burns from the likes of Will-O-Wisp Mega Sableye and Scald users like Toxapex at all cost, as they prevent Metagross from having any offensive presence.
Team Options
========
Mega Gallade is one of the best teammates for Metagross, as it is able to take on Steel- and Dark-types with ease while helping immensely in the Poison matchup, where Metagross needs accurate predictions to be of any benefit. In turn, Metagross is able to switch into weak Fairy-type attacks from Pokemon like Clefable that threaten out Mega Gallade. Latios and Latias are both great ways of keeping faster foes in check, allowing Metagross to be saved to breaking past walls. Latias notably is able to provide Healing Wish support, while Latios is a great special attacker with ample coverage moves like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to fill in holes of Pokemon that Metagross cannot handle depending on its chosen moveset. Victini is another Choice Scarf option to pair with Metagross that is very effective in matchups such as Electric where Metagross struggles to keep up. Celebi pairs effectively with Metagross due to its resistance to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to switch in with ease. It also benefits Metagross by utilizing a Steel killer set and can very effectively deal with Steel-types that Metagross cannot do much against. Furthermore, thanks to Natural Cure, it can switch into predicted Will-O-Wisps from Pokemon like Rotom-W that would otherwise cripple Metagross. Mega Latias and Mega Slowbro are effective specially-oriented setup sweepers that greatly appreciate Metagross eliminating special walls that they cannot break past such as Chansey and can take on Pokemon Metagross struggles with like Toxapex. Mew is a fantastic stallbreaker that can help ease the struggle Metagross has with some bulky types like Water and Flying as well as defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn, easing the predictions necessary for Metagross to be effective in those matchups. Slowbro is a great defensive partner for Metagross, as it can reliably switch into oncoming Fire-type and physical attacks that threaten Metagross from the likes of Infernape and Victini. Alakazam works as a blanket check for nearly all physically offensive Pokemon thanks to Magic Guard, Focus Sash, and Counter, which enables it to take on sweepers that severely threaten Metagross such as Mega Sharpedo. Jirachi is another good partner for Metagross, as it both acts as a means of setting Stealth Rock to chip down foes and can pivot out to Metagross to bring it into the field safely.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Psychic
--------
Earthquake is a niche coverage move that enables Metagross to more reliably take on Toxapex and Steel-types that otherwise resist or take little damage from Metagross's commonly used moves. Hammer Arm is another coverage option that could be used to enable Metagross to take on Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran. Zen Headbutt could be used over Earthquake to ease up the Poison matchup, enabling Metagross to do severe damage to both Mega Venusaur and Toxapex, preventing the need to predict accurately between this defensive duo. However, this does open up the ability for Alolan Muk to come in and Pursuit trap Metagross.
Checks and Counters
===================
Psychic
--------
**Super Effective Coverage**: Offensive Pokemon that carry Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks such as Victini, Excadrill, Bisharp, and Gengar all take advantage of Metagross's low Speed and threaten to freely KO it.
**Bulky Water-types**: Although Metagross utilizes Thunder Punch, it is taken advantage of by physically defensive Water-types such as Mega Slowbro. Most notably, Metagross cannot do much to Water- / Ground-types that resist its STAB attacks and are immune to Electric such as Swampert and Gastrodon.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Defensive Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory are able to take on Metagross while taking little or no damage from Earthquake. Air Balloon Heatran is also a huge threat to Metagross, as it's able to force Metagross out as long as its item is preserved. Ferrothorn and Heatran to need to be wary of Hammer Arm, however.
**Protect**: As a Choice Band user, Metagross is reliant on accurate predictions to deal with the opposing Pokemon. Pokemon that use Protect and Protect-like moves such as Mega Sableye and Toxapex are able to freely scout what move Metagross is using and switch into a teammate that can deal with it.
**Burn**: As a physical wallbreaker, Metagross is neutered by burns halving its Attack, effectively preventing it from having an offensive presence.
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