(VGC) Mega Metagross - Attack (Physical Attacker)
March 4 2015
Typing: Steel/Psychic
Base Stats : HP: 80 / Attack: 130 / Defense: 130 / Sp. Atk: 95 / Sp. Def: 90 / Speed: 70
Mega Stats : HP: 80 / Attack: 145 / Defense: 150 / Sp. Atk: 105 / Sp. Def 110 / Speed: 110
Immune: Poison
Neutral: Water, Electric, Bug, Fighting [ all 1x ]
Resist: Normal, Flying, Rock, Steel, Grass, Ice, Dragon, Fairy [ all 1/2x ]. Psychic [ 1/4x ]
Weak: Fire, Ground, Dark, Ghost [ all 1/2x ]
Style: Attack
Variant: Physical Attacker
ABILITIES
Clear Body: Prevents any stat reductions caused by the opponent. Cannot prevent stat changes from stat increases (Flatter or Swagger), self inflicted stat drops (Superpower, Hammer Arm), or even side effect from Status (Paralysis/Burn).
Light Metal: Halves the user's weight in battle.
Tough Claws (MEGA): Increases the power of all "Contact Moves" by about 33%. (about times 1.33)
List of notable moves that get boosted by Tough Claws:
[SPOILER]
Bullet Punch
Zen Headbutt
Meteor Mash
Hammer Arm
Brick Break
Grass Knot
Iron Head
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
[/SPOILER]
OVERVIEW
Admit it. Everyone of you were upset at Metagross getting nerf hard with Steel types no longer being resisted to Ghost or Dark (or was this just me). After being knock off (pun not intended) its throne as the best Steel type of Gen 5, Metagross received a massive buff in the form of a Mega Evolution and Metagross definitely needed one. Of course while Mega Metagross is still weak to ever present Dark and Ghost types, its by no means a soft threat anymore in the early XY metagame. Thanks to its new Tough Claws ability, nearly every relevant attack Metagross has in its arsenal in the past gains essentially a comparable Life Orb boost of about 33%. Moves like Iron Head, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Brick Break, and even the shakier attacks Hammer Arm and Meteor Mash all get the boosted to frightening power level which it can 2HKO the majority of the game. Metagross's former go-to ability, Clear Body still has relevance as it blocks all Intimidate attack drops from the start of the battle till the the opponent switches out their Pokemon right before the Mega Evolution mechanic take place. The new stat allocations are quite the improvement for Mega Metagross with a new base 110 speed tier, +20 in both defensive stats, and +10 split to its offensives. Since Mega Metagross's new base stats are rather all-rounded compared to most other Mega Evolutions with an emphasis of one or two stats, it can be built in either the follow criteria: overall bulk, attack, or speed. Here's an example of one of many builds for Meta Metagross I used for a while now with some modifications.
The Build: Substitute Attacker
Ability: Clear Body / Tough Claws
Level: 50
EVs: 220 HP / 52 Atk / 20 Def / 36 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head / Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Substitute
- Protect
Milestones
-Outspeed neutral base 100 Pokemon like Mega Kangaskhan
-Outspeed positive base 85 and 86 Pokemon like Suicune, Heracross, Rotom-A
-Takes one unboosted Shadow Ball from positive special attack Aegislash
-Takes one Life Orb Sucker Punch from Adamant Bisharp
-rest of calculations will be in the description below
The Build
One the many crafty things regarding Substitute is it blocks status ailments like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, further Intimidate switch in drops, and counteracts Sucker Punches attacks to fail. Essentially the main reasoning behind using Substitute instead of a coverage option is Mega Metagross is often a primed target of either of these: status ailments, Intimidate (remember that Metagross loses its ability Clear Body), and super effective Sucker Punch attacks from either Mega Kangaskhan, Life Orb Bisharp, and Mawile. For the cost of 25% of its health, Mega Metagross can take the opportunity to setup a Substitute considering the opponent might try to Sucker Punch or Will-O-Wisp it to no avail. From the safety of its huge Pokedoll Sub, Mega Metagross can fire off immediate Iron Heads and Zen Headbutts while the opponent must double target Metagross to do relative damage whether its from two attacks, or an attack followed by maybe a Thunder Wave. Even so, Mega Metagross can simply create mind games with opponents by just using protecting to scout out a double target. Coupled with Mega Metagross's new found bulk of 80/150/110 overall defense, (unless its a super-effective hit) chances are the Substitute will likely remain on the battlefield for at least another turn (unless its a super-effective or strong neutral damage). Getting a Substitute against the opponent can throw their battle strategy completely off since now he/she might just have to double target just to hit Mega Metagross which can easily just protect. As mentioned many times, Protect is essentially for Mega Metagross to safely stall for a turn just to get its new found speed the following turn.
Since Substitute will remove a coverage attack, Mega Metagross needs to be more efficient in getting consistent damage against the opponent. Iron Head is used to three reasons over its strongest attack in Meteor Mash. Iron Head is 100% accurate and a 30% chance to flinch the opponent compared to the 90% accurate move despite the small accuracy increase given this generation. 2) Mega Metagross essentially achieves 2HKOs on most neutral targets already with Iron Head thanks to its new Tough Claws ability. 3) Given the idea this set relies heavily on Substitute, Mega Metagross cannot afford to miss an attack where the moment the opposing team might just take out the doll with their next attack. Zen Headbutt rounds up Mega Metagross STAB coverage as it hits both Poison and Fighting types like Mega Venusaur, Terrakion, Amoonguss, Conkeldurr, Virizion, Machamp, and Gengar for super effetive damage. Chances are Zen Headbutt will be used considerably more then Iron Head just to hit targets like Rotom-W, Suicune, Zapdos, Thundurus, Talonflame, or others since its Steel counterpart is resisted to either Electric, Fire, or Water, all relatively common types. Essentially the goal of this set is to find opportunities to setup a Substitute and inflict as much damage in the Sub as possible.
Classic Mega Metagross
Ability: Clear Body / Tough Claws
Level: 50
EVs: HP 4 / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head/ Meteor Mash / Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
- Ice Punch / Hammer Arm / Bullet Punch
- Protect
Milestones
-Outspeeds base 108 and 109 Pokemon: Terrakion, Vizizion, Cobalion, Infernape, and Helioisk
-Straight out "standard set"
-With 64 HP and 4 def, can survive a Life Orb attack from Bisharp
This is the bread and butter Mega Metagross set with one purpose in mind and that is to outspeed and eliminate the majority of the unboosted metagame that is has a base speed of 109 or less. Don't get me wrong, this set still works well with the 252/252 spread since Candaian/Irish VGC player KellsterCartier used one at to get second place at the European Winter Regionals in Netherlands. Just don't expect this Mega Metagross to live as long as the other one potentially. Anyways on to the classic build. Pokemon which were thought to be "safe checks" such as Garchomp, Heatran, Landorus-T (without scarf), Charizard Y, Mega Kangaskhan, Tyranitar, or others with one of its super effective attacks. Iron Head and Zen Headbutt are the main STAB options for Mega Metagross as with Tough Claws it 2HKOs the majority of the game. Protect is nearly essentially to for Mega Metagross to function by providing a turn to stall and gain its new speed tier after the following turn. Meteor Mash can be opted for a stronger Steel coverage while it has a a 20% to boost its attack by one stage. The last option depends on what your team is largely weak against. Ice Punch is a popular coverage attack that takes care of Grass, Ground, Flying, and Dragon type Pokemon (oh I'm looking at you FlyLando and Mega Croissant-Kite Dragon thing). Hammer Arm is a powerful Fighting attack which can help beat the likes of Mega Kangaskahn and some of Mega Metagross would-be counters like Hydreigon, Ferrothorn, or Heatran. Earthquake is a safer option to hit Steel and Fire types like Mega Mawile, Heatran, Bisharp, Infernape, Arcanine, and even opposing Metagross. Bullet Punch is amazing Steel coverage/priority move for Mega Metagross which can pick off weaken foes. Not much to say bu the goal of this set is to hit hard and and fast before the opponent can inflict signigicant damage on the Iron Spider Mon itself.
Other Options
Understandably, most of you will opt for other move slots for Mega Metagross since there are a ton of viable options. Here are some the moves I slashed that are commonly used by Mega Metagross in the Battle Spot Doubles from Pokemon Global Link.
Meteor Mash: One of the more nostalgic yet powerful Steel attacks Metagross has used ever since its introduction in Gen 3. Some people tend to opt for this move for two reasons: power, and MORE POWER! No seriously. The main benefits Meteor Mash when comparing it to the reliable Iron Head is Meteor Mash has a power of 90 (about 10 points higher) and has about a 20% chance to increase its Attack by one stage. The only fatal flaw with this attack is the that untimely 10% chance to miss and in VGC battles you cannot afford to miss an attack or else the opponent might get the upper hand. Despite this, factoring in a STAB/Tough Claws boost, Meteor Mash reached an attack power of about 179 compared with 159 that Iron Head offers.
Bullet Punch: Mega Metagross's only form of priority comes Steel move Bullet Punch clocking in at 79 power when factoring in STAB and Tough Claws. When you think about it, Mega Metagross's Bullet Punch comes nearly close to that of a unboosted Technician Scizor's Bullet Punch which is quite impressive. Factoring in the speed, Metagross is sure to out prioritize any Pokemon that's not above a Base Speed of 110 at the most and can sure as pick off any weaken Pokemon that are unresisted by this attack. A special mention is with Bullet Punch, Mega Metagross can out prioritize and make Sucker Punch fail against users like Bisharp, Mega Mawile, and Mega Kangaskhan.
Earthquake: One Metagross's most reliable coverage STAB to hit opposing Steel, Rock, Fire, or Poison types super effectively on the field. It's a safest option to hit Heatran, one of Mega Metagross's checks for heavy damage while potential attacking its partner for big damage. The only issues with Earthquake are it cannot hit Pokemon with either part Flying, the ability Levitate, or the Air Balloon item.
Ice Punch: Probably the only notable attack from the list that people might opt for in place of Substitute just to hit Landorus-T or Dragons like Mega Salamence. Factoring in the Tough Claws boost, Ice Punch reaches an attack of 99, which is nearly as strong as Earthquake! Consider Ice Punch an alternative attack to hit opposing Grass, Dragons, Flying or Ground types without maybe risking to use Zen Headbutt or Meteor Mash if you are using both.
Rock Slide: Another spread coverage attack that can help Mega Metagross beat the likes of Charizard or Talonflame. Rock Slide is probably one of the best spread attack as it offers a 30% chance to flinches against the opponent's Pokemon on the field. Factoring in that 110 base speed, Mega Metagross can definitely use this to its advantage to get Rock Slide flinches and might sway the momentum to its team's favor. Of course Rock Slide has a shaky inaccuracy issues but the flinch factor coupled with Mega Metagross's speed can be advantageous.
Hammer Arm: One of the more interesting moves that has seen increasing usage with Mega Metagross is the Fighting move Hammer Arm. After factoring in the Tough Claws boost, Hammer Arm reaches a maximum power of 133 which hits any Steel, Dark or Normal types considerably hard. Probably the only major benefits of using Hammer Arm is it does heavy damage to Mega Kangaskhan, Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Hydreigon, Mega Gyarados, Tyranitar, or even Heatran. Honestly that about it. The two main drawback of using Hammer Arm are the rather shaky 90% accuracy and speed drop by one stage. Its a high risk and reward attack at best but if your team is weak to the after-mentioned Pokemon, Hammer Arm is a viable option.
Grass Knot: The only reason why Meta-Metagross would every run Grass Knot is to hit Bulky Water, Rock or Ground type Pokemon like Suicune, Rhyperior, Jellicent, Gastrodon and others (plz don't use this on Rotom-W... Just a small rant/PSA here but Zen Heatbutt does more damage even if it misses and gets burned...).
Thunder Punch: An interesting Electric coverage attack boosted by Tough Claws which can hit Water and Flying types Pokemon like the ever popular Suicune, Talonflame, Gyarados, Charizard Y, Politoed, etc. Not really much to say other than it can form a "BOLTBEAM" like combination with Ice Punch.
Team Options
Mega Metagross really appreciate Pokemon that can help beat its checks and counters to setup it's substitute. One of the best Pokemon paired up with Mega Metagross is Hydreigon as it handles Ghost types like Gengar, Cofagrigus, and Aegislash with it's effective super effective STAB Dark Pulses. With its vast coverage options, Hydreigon can even hit opposing Steel types like Scizor, Heatran, Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Mega Mawile, and even enemy Mega Metagross with either an Earth Power or Flamethrower/Fire Blast. In turn, Mega Metagross can threaten Fairy and Fighting Pokemon with its super effective stab options just to help out Hydreigon clean out in the late game. Opposing Dark types like Tyranitar, Bisharp, and even Hydreigon can still threaten Mega Metagross. Fighting type Pokemon like Terrakion, Virizion, or Conkeldurr make fantastic partners as they are able to handle Dark types, Steels, and Normal types, particularly the feared Mega Kangaskhan. Terrakion deserves a special mention as its one of the few Pokemon that can immediately threaten both both Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Charizard with its super effective Stab options. Virizion can threaten both of these Pokemon to a degree as well as beat bulky Water type Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Jellicent, Suicune, Gastrodon, etc. Both of these Pokemon have access to Quick Guard which can help block any priority moves against either them or Mega Metagross. Fairy types such as Sylveon, Togekiss, and Clefable can supplement Metagross weakness to Dark types as well as deal with some of the after mentioned Fighting Pokemon who can still considerably damage it. Sylveon can fire powerful Hyper Voices which can soften up targets enough for Mega Metagross to one shot potentially. Togekiss and Clefable provide a similar roles with Follow Me which can help out Mega Metagross setup a Substitute. Speed Control Pokemon such as Thundurus-I, Suicune, and Zapdos can setup Tailwind or spread paralysis with Thunder Wave to make Mega Metagross's sweep in the late game much more easier.
Build Calculations
Offensive Calculations:
[SPOILER]
I'm only using Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Ice Punch, and Hammer Arm with and positive attack investment of 52 Atk Evs.
Zen Headbutt:
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 44 Def Rotom-W: 85-102 (54.1 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 180 Def Amoonguss: 204-240 (92.3 - 108.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Conkeldurr: 170-204 (80.1 - 96.2%)
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 164 HP / 140+ Def Ludicolo: 96-114 (54.5 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt /Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 206-246 (124 - 148.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Talonflame: 123-145 (80.3 - 94.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 212 HP / 160+ Def Thundurus: 93-111 (51.3 - 61.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Mega Venusaur: 132-156 (70.5 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Iron Head:
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 94-112 (51.9 - 61.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 212 HP / 60 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 88-105 (42.5 - 50.7%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 180 HP / 36 Def Tyranitar: 168-200 (84.8 - 101%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence: 76-90 (44.7 - 52.9%) -- 21.9% chance to 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 99-117 (53.8 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 40 Def Mega Mawile: 76-90 (48.4 - 57.3%) -- 92.2% chance to 2HKO
Hammer Arm:
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 158-188 (87.2 - 103.8%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 212 HP / 60 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 148-176 (71.4 - 85%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 172-204 (102.3 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 150-178 (86.7 - 102.8%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Ferrothorn: 112-134 (61.8 - 74%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Gyarados: 146-174 (85.8 - 102.3%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Tyranitar: 224-264 (128 - 150.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Do I even need to one for Bisharp and regular Tyranitar kappa ?
Ice Punch:
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 168+ Def Zapdos: 104-124 (52.7 - 62.9%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 116 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence: 192-228 (103.7 - 123.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 44 HP / 36 Def Hydreigon: 124-148 (71.6 - 85.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 44 HP / 36 Def Hydreigon: 124-148 (71.6 - 85.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Thundurus-T: 158-188 (102.5 - 122%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 52 HP / 4 Def Landorus-T: 172-204 (100.5 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
52+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 212 HP / 128 Def Thundurus: 136-160 (75.1 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
[/SPOILER]
Defensive Calculations:
[SPOILER]
The following defensive calculations only take into consideration the overall bulk of 220 HP / 20 Def / 36 SpD with no positive (defense/special defense) nature.
Physical Defense:
252 Atk Mega Salamence Earthquake vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 66-78 (36 - 42.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 104-126 (56.8 - 68.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Sucker Punch vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 102-123 (55.7 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Sucker Punch vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 120-142 (65.5 - 77.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 133-159 (72.6 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Knock Off vs. 220 HP / 20 Def Mega Metagross: 109-133 (59.5 - 72.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Special Defense:
252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Mega Metagross: 150-176 (81.9 - 96.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Mega Metagross: 156-187 (85.2 - 102.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Mega Metagross in Rain: 140-165 (76.5 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Thundurus-T Thunder vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Mega Metagross: 148-175 (80.8 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Heatran Heat Wave vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Mega Metagross: 116-140 (63.3 - 76.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
[/SPOILER]
Speed Tier:
[SPOILER]
With just 180 Speed investment with no positive nature (totaling at 153 speed), Mega Metagross is able to outspeed the following:
-All "unboosted" neutral Base 100 Pokemon (152 Speed): Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard X/Y, regular Salamence, Zapdos, Entei, Volcarona, Staraptor, etc
-All positive Base 85 and 86 Pokemon (150 and 151 Speed): Rotom-A (Any Appliance Forme), Kingdra, Heracross, Pinsir, Suicune, NidoKing
-Base 98 Neutral Pokemon: Hydreigon (150)
-Al 'unboosted neutral Base 80 POkemon (145 Speed): Mega Venusaur, Mamoswine, Goodra, Chandelure, Dragonite, Gardevoir, Togekiss
With just 196 Spd investment with a positive nature (totaling at 170 speed), Mega Metagross can outspeed the following:
-Base 102 Pokemon: Primarily Garchomp and Thundurus-T (169 speed)
-All base 100 Pokemon (without boosts) but positive investment as well (167 speed): Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard X/Y, regular Salamence, Zapdos, Entei, Volcarona, Staraptor, etc
With just 244 Spd investment with a positive nature (totaling at 177 speed), Mega Metagross can outspeed the following:
-Base 108 Pokemon that's not boosted/modified: Terrakion, Virizion, Cobalion, Infernape.
[/SPOILER]
Summary:
Mega Metagross is definitely among the top three mega options as well as the premier Steel type in the VGC 2015 format. Coupled with a fantastic move coverage, well-rounded stats, and a powerful ability in Tough Claws, Mega Metagross, the eight legged spider is guaranteed to be one of the most potent Mega to use as well as be wary of. Anyways thanks for reading this build!
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