bigtalk
Banned deucer.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Body Slam
move 2: Defog
move 3: Roost
move 4: Refresh / Dragon Tail
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Body Slam is this set’s main attacking move. It OHKOes Marshadow and Mega Blaziken and 2HKOes Deoxys-S without any investment, letting Mega Salamence potentially prevent the latter from setting any entry hazards. The paralysis chance deters support Arceus formes and Necrozma-DM from freely switching into this set and can also come in handy for slowing down setup sweepers like Rock Polish Primal Groudon.
* Defog removes entry hazards for Mega Salamence's team and is one of the main draws of this set over defensive Zygarde-C. Mega Salamence is a good Defogger because of its favorable matchup against Primal Groudon, high Speed, and immunity to Sticky Web.
* Roost provides Mega Salamence with a reliable recovery move so it can repeatedly switch into the Pokemon that it checks and use Defog throughout the match.
* Refresh allows Mega Salamence to remove burn and poison status afflicted by Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and Necrozma-DM that would normally cripple it. It allows this set to consistently switch into and remove hazards from defensive Primal Groudon.
* Dragon Tail phazes setup sweepers that aren't Fairy-types, such as Zygarde-C and opposing Mega Salamence; it always breaks the Substitute of Zygarde-C lacking defensive investment. Dragon Tail also allows Mega Salamence to avoid being trapped by Gothitelle, as this variant lacks the offensive prowess to muscle past it if Gothitelle is given a free switch.
* Facade is an option over Body Slam if Refresh isn't used. This still allows Mega Salamence to act as a status sponge but doesn't hand over free turns to the opponent like using Refresh does. In particular, a burn status inflicted by Ho-Oh or Giratina now benefits Mega Salamence instead of hindering it. A status-boosted Facade is strong enough to 2HKO Primal Groudon and defensive Ho-Oh after some prior damage and force recovery options from support Arceus formes. However, Body Slam is generally preferred because of the paralysis chance.
* Toxic cripples support Arceus formes and Lugia and puts setup sweepers on a timer, but these Pokemon don't appreciate a paralysis from Body Slam anyway, and it has no effect on the Steel-types that tend to switch into Mega Salamence.
Set Details
========
* Salamencite is required to Mega Evolve into Mega Salamence.
* 124 Speed EVs ensure that Mega Salamence outspeeds maximum base 90 Speed Pokemon, such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Ho-Oh.
* The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense alongside an Impish nature, granting Mega Salamence very respectable physical bulk. This set survives a +1 Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike and two Life Orb-boosted Rock Tombs from Marshadow and fully heals off the damage from Life Orb Ho-Oh's Brave Bird with Roost.
* Intimidate further bolsters this bulk by lowering the foe's Attack stat by one stage. After Intimidate, Mega Salamence survives even boosted Stone Edge from Primal Groudon and can fish for paralysis with Body Slam or phaze it with Dragon Tail.
Usage Tips
========
* Switch Mega Salamence into Pokemon that it checks such as Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow. Use the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Defog or try to paralyze something with Body Slam.
* If possible, scout for the opponent's set before switching Mega Salamence in. It can be OHKOed by Hidden Power Ice from Primal Groudon and Life Orb Marshadow and will lose to Primal Groudon if it switches in on a full-powered Eruption. On the other hand, it can very freely come in on defensive variants of Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh, since it shuts down all of their options.
* If Mega Salamence is afflicted with status, use Refresh to cure it as soon as possible. Status greatly compromises Mega Salamence's ability to switch into threats, as it cannot Roost to heal damage from their attacks and use Refresh simultaneously.
* Although Mega Salamence matches up favorably against Primal Groudon, it loses to many other common hazard setters including Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, and Ferrothorn. Pack a secondary Defogger like Ho-Oh to deal with these Pokemon or try to remove them from play before attempting to Defog.
* Sometimes, keeping Salamence in its base forme can be a good idea to use Intimidate more than once against physical attackers. Regular Salamence can even use Defog on a predicted switch or against Primal Groudon, but it should rarely attack in this state, as Body Slam does minimal damage without Aerilate.
Team Options
========
* Defensive Mega Salamence fits on teams that are looking for a sturdy check to physical attackers like Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow. The main advantages it has over defensive Zygarde-C are access to Defog, higher Speed, the ability to recover health without being forced to use Rest, and an immunity to Ground and grounded entry hazards.
* Steel-types synergize well with Mega Salamence, as they cover its weaknesses to Rock, Ice, and Fairy while Mega Salamence resists Fire, Fighting, and Ground. Necrozma-DM and Magearna can reliably handle special attackers like Xerneas and Deoxys-A that threaten Mega Salamence, while Mega Salamence can deal with Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh for them. Ferrothorn, while not a check to Geomancy Xerneas, can take advantage of common switch-ins to Mega Salamence like support Arceus formes, support Necrozma-DM, and Lugia by using them as opportunities to set Spikes.
* Arceus-Water is an ideal defensive partner for Mega Salamence. Pokemon such as mixed Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Kyurem-W carry coverage moves that allow them to hit both Mega Salamence and Steel-types, and Arceus-Water's good bulk and defensive typing allow it to handle these threats with ease. Primal Kyogre can also check the aforementioned threats; it's more effective than Arceus-Water as a check to Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, but will take a lot of damage from Primal Groudon unless it is running a defensive set.
* Ho-Oh is another Pokemon that checks the aforementioned special attackers, and it appreciates the Defog support that Mega Salamence provides. It can deal with many Pokemon that threaten Mega Salamence such as Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Fairy, and Hidden Power Ice variants of Marshadow and Primal Groudon while also putting pressure on Steel-types for it.
* Ground-types like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground can put pressure on the Rock- and Steel-types that wall Mega Salamence. Primal Groudon also checks Fairy-types and can set Stealth Rock for Mega Salamence's team.
* Arceus-Fairy and Choice Scarf Xerneas benefit from Mega Salamence's ability to check Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh. In return, they can switch into Dragon-type attacks for it and deal with Hidden Power Ice variants of Marshadow.
* Slow wallbreakers like Calm Mind Primal Kyogre, Eruption Primal Groudon, and Choice Band Ho-Oh can take advantage of the paralysis that Mega Salamence inflicts with Body Slam.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[bigtalk, 466663]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nayrz, 212134], [Cynara, 224455], [Minority, 222996]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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