Metal Sonic
Resurgence
Overview
- Meloetta is gifted with one of the highest Special Attack and Special Defense stats in the tier, making her a formidable threat.
- Her respectable Speed stat further adds to her offensive potential, outrunning threats such as Hitmonlee, Rotom-C, and Toxicroak.
- Not only does she have great stats, but she also has an expansive movepool, allowing her to run a multitude of sets and making her unpredictable.
- Her power, Speed, and strong offensive movepool makes her a potent special attacker that also has very respectable bulk.
- However, her dual Normal- and Psychic- typing is defensively poor -- it makes her vulnerable to commonly found offensive moves in the game: Knock Off and U-turn.
- Furthermore, her only average physical defense makes her especially vulnerable to her weaknesses; users of Sucker Punch and Pursuit also significantly threaten her.
- Nonetheless, Meloetta's versatility and flexibility allow her to fit comfortably onto any bulky offense team or balanced team.
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hyper Voice
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: U-turn / Trick
item: Choice Specs
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 spa / 4 def / 252 spe
Moves
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- Psychic is a great secondary STAB move that can deal super effective damage on Virizion, Machamp, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Garbodor, Golbat, Qwilfish, and the like. With Serene Grace, it has a 20% chance of lowering the target's Special Defense, making it much more spammable than Hyper Voice in neutral situations.
- Hyper Voice acts as a good backup STAB move in scenarios where Psychic is not ideal to use, as it is strong enough to 2HKO even max HP Uxie after Stealth Rock damage. It also has the benefit of hitting behind Substitute.
- Focus Blast is a powerful coverage move that works well with Meloetta's STABs, deal major damage to Dark- and Steel-types such as Steelix, Incineroar, and Scrafty. It is also useful to OHKO Cryogonal and offensive Rhydon, which take two hits from Meloetta's STABs.
- U-turn is a great move for gaining momentum, allowing Meloetta to pivot out of a check or counter.
- Dazzling Gleam is an option to hit Spiritomb and Sableye, as well as to OHKO Scrafty without risk of missing.
- Trick is a great move that can cripple a specially defensive opponent for the rest of the match.
- Grass Knot and Energy Ball are also available options to hit bulky Ground-types such as Steelix, Seismitoad, and Rhydon very hard.
- Grass Knot has high odds of 2HKOing Spiritomb, 2HKOes Steelix, puts more pressure on Slowking, and covers the likes of Seismitoad and bulky Rhydon as a bonus.
- Energy Ball on the other hand secures the 2HKO on Assault Vest Slowking after Stealth Rock damage and substantially outdamages Vaporeon and Jellicent's recovery.
Set Details
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- Maximum investment is put into Speed and Special Attack for maximum damage output.
- A Timid nature is used as Meloetta's Speed tier allows her to outspeed major threats like Hitmonlee, Rotom-C, Toxicroak, Vivillon, Sawk, and Medicham.
- 4 EVs are put into Defense to slightly reduce the damage taken from priority attacks.
- Choice Specs allows Meloetta to hit like a truck off her sky-high Special Attack, allowing her to become a highly threatening wallbreaker.
Usage Tips
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- Meloetta immediately threatens and OHKOes many slower Fighting- and Poison- types with Psychic, such as Machamp, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Garbodor, Golbat, Qwilfish, and Toxicroak, while also able to OHKO frail Pokemon including Medicham, Samurott and Vikavolt with either of her STABs.
- Furthermore, Meloetta has the potential to 2HKO most Pokemon with her STABs if they hit neutrally, making her extremely difficult to switch into and giving the user massive offensive presence.
- However, as Meloetta has few resistances, switching her directly into an opponent may be tricky; slow U-turns and Volt Switches can help to ease prediction and bring Meloetta in safely. Otherwise, sending in Meloetta after a teammate has fainted, or double switching, can allow Meloetta to enter the field and heavily dent, if not outright KO, an opponent's Pokemon.
- Meloetta's naturally high Special Defense allows her to take a number of special attacks, but this does not mean that she should be taking more hits than necessary.
- U-turn can be used liberally early game, as Meloetta would lure the almost-omnipresent Dark- and Steel-types that attempt to switch in to check or counter her, allowing a teammate to take advantage of the situation.
- Conversely, Meloetta should be wary of using Psychic when there is a Dark-type present on the opponent's team, as they may revenge kill Meloetta by way of Pursuit trapping if they get the chance.
- Meloetta can consider using Focus Blast if there are extremely bulky opponents who are weak to Fighting that are expected to switch in, such as Steelix and Assault Vest Incineroar, otherwise, spamming Hyper Voice is usually the better play as the the 30% chance to miss is unattractive.
- The user can also Meloetta as a check against specific attackers, particularly Mismagius and Sigilyph, by virtue of its typing and ease of outdamaging them.
Team Options
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- Teammates that can threaten the Dark- and Steel-types that attempt to switch in on Meloetta can aid in further breaking holes in the opponent's team, suggestions include Emboar, Virizion, Toxicroak, and Hitmonlee. Fighting-types can also resist the Dark- and Bug-type attacks aimed at Meloetta, while Meloetta can switch into Psychic-type moves and also handle faster Ghost-types that threaten her teammates.
- Houndoom deserves a special mention for being able to take advantage of and set up Nasty Plot on two of Meloetta's biggest threats: Sableye and Spiritomb.
- Entry hazard support for Meloetta is also appreciated, given her tremendous offensive presence and her ability to force many switches. The additional damage also aids Meloetta in taking down opponents. Therefore, teammates like Steelix, Garbodor, and Qwilfish make for excellent partners, as they can also shoulder the physical attacks aimed at Meloetta, while the latter two can have the additional utility of absorbing pesky Toxic Spikes.
- Rotom-C, Incineroar, Braviary, or Scyther can form a nice VoltTurn core alongside Meloetta, as they can help bring Meloetta into battle more safely while Meloetta punches holes into the opponent's team.
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hyper Voice / Shadow Ball
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Colbur Berry / Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 spa / 4 def / 252 spe
Moves
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- Calm Mind boosts Meloetta's Special Attack and Special Defense to even higher levels, increasing her damage output significantly while allowing her to withstand more special hits.
- With Serene Grace, Psychic has a 20% chance of lowering the target's Special Defense; this drop will significantly increase the chances that they will be KO'd by a subsequent hit, making it the best STAB to use.
- Hyper Voice is a secondary STAB option that allows Meloetta to achieve good neutral coverage, with the exception of being walled by Steel-types.
- +1 Hyper Voice coupled with Colbur Berry is a particularly efficient way for Meloetta to lure out and beat offensive Dark-types such as Sneasel, Drapion, and Houndoom.
- Shadow Ball is also a viable option for hitting Ghost-types and common opposing Psychic-types super effectively, but leaves Meloetta vulnerable to Dark-types. In particular, Shadow Ball is capable of 2HKOing Slowbro, 2HKOing Uxie after +1, 2HKOing Delphox assuming it does not Calm Mind against Meloetta's first Shadow Ball, and having a high chance to OHKO Mismagius after +1. It also has a substantial 40% chance of lowering the foe's Special Defense, courtesy of Serene Grace, which can give Meloetta an edge in Calm Mind wars.
- Focus Blast is a good coverage move, allowing it to hit bulky Dark- and Steel- types that take little from Meloetta's STABs, such as Steelix and Assault Vest Incineroar.
Set Details
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- Maximum investment is placed into Special Attack and Speed, to give maximize Meloetta's damage output.
- Colbur Berry is used to lure and surprise opposing offensive Dark-type attackers, allowing Meloetta to take them down in one fell swoop, giving her more room to sweep. It also allows her to shrug off Sucker Punches that may otherwise cut her sweep short. Colbur Berry works better on Hyper Voice Meloetta, as it lures Dark-types more effectively than having to rely on Focus Blast.
- Leftovers is also a great option that allows Meloetta to recover damage taken, and works great in conjunction with Calm Mind's defense boosts.
Usage Tips
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- Meloetta's threatening offensive presence, as well as her great special bulk, gives her many ample opportunities to set up Calm Mind.
- Switching into passive defensive Pokemon, such as Seismitoad or Uxie, or Pokemon that would typically fear punishment from Meloetta's other offensive sets, such as Machamp or Hitmontop, are great opportunities to force opponents out and to set up Calm Mind.
- Calm Mind further bolsters Meloetta's special bulk, allowing her to withstand and set up in the face of an increasing number of special attacks.
- Enemies will attempt to neutralize Meloetta by way of a fast physical revenge killer, so make sure that those threats are eliminated before attempting to set up with Meloetta.
- Colbur Berry gives Meloetta one chance to lure and terminate an opposing Dark-type attacker that threatens her, allowing her to sweep the opponent earlier.
- However, Leftovers can also cement Meloetta as a bulwark against specially attacking opponents, allowing her to outright win the game if the opponent no longer has anything to hurt Meloetta with.
- Therefore, Meloetta has a clear path to victory if the opponent only has special attackers remaining or only one threat that can revenge kill Meloetta remaining on their team.
Team Options
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- Meloetta appreciates faster U-turn users who can repeatedly switch in to wear Meloetta down being removed from the field: prominent offenders include Incineroar and Braviary; as such, teammates such as Rhydon or Steelix take little damage from such moves and deter further switch-ins with Stealth Rock support.
- Meloetta also enjoys having its field free from Toxic Spikes, so grounded Poison-type pokemon, such as Garbodor and Qwilfish, are helpful teammates that can also help to set up entry hazards on the opponent's team, giving Meloetta an easier time sweeping.
- Spiritomb is highly problematic, so Fairy-types such as Whimsicott and Aromatisse work well with this set. In addition to STAB Moonblast to KO problematic Dark-types, Whimsicott has access to Prankster Memento, while Aromatisse has access to Wish and Heal Bell support, either of which can be very helpful for Meloetta.
- Pokemon that appreciate Colbur Meloetta luring and eliminating specific Dark-types, such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Drapion, make for excellent teammates. Sceptile is one example of a Pokemon that can benefit from having any of them gone: no Sneasel to Ice Shard it, and no Houndoom/Drapion to either withstand its Giga Drains or take advantage of it at -2 Special Attack. Other examples of Pokemon that appreciate these Dark-type threats gone include Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott; Delphox and Sigilyph can further complement Meloetta's specially offensive bombardment but fear Dark-type attacks, while Whimsicott's Prankster ability is hindered by Dark-types in Gen VII and loses to these threats in a 1v1.
Other Options
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- A Life Orb Meloetta set can be used, to give Meloetta the freedom to switch moves, while still hitting hard. However, Meloetta dislikes wearing itself down, as part of its strength comes from how difficult it can be to KO at times.
- Adding Substitute on the Calm Mind set is a great way to cushion Meloetta against status effects and faster revenge killers, at the expensive of additional coverage. Hyper Voice + Shadow Ball, Psyshock + Focus Blast, and Hyper Voice + Grass Knot are all viable combinations.
- A Grassium Z + Energy Ball set on Calm Mind Meloetta is also an interesting option to surprise Steelix, Slowking, and Assault Vest Slowking, being able to OHKO them after a Calm Mind boost + Spikes damage.
- An Assault Vest set is also a viable option, allowing Meloetta to tank multiple special hits and making her a formidable special tank. However, Meloetta's lack of resistances and unboosted power hinder Assault Vest's effectiveness, and an Assault Vest set doesn't fare that much better against most special attackers as compared to Choice Specs or Calm Mind Meloetta.
- A Relic Song set with Relic Song, Close Combat, Knock Off, and Psychic can be used to unleash Meloetta's Pirouette form, which can catch opponents' common Dark- and Steel-type switch ins to Meloetta by surprise, and KO them.
- Meloetta has access to useful utility moves such as Encore, Heal Bell, Perish Song, Reflect, and Light Screen, but these moves make a waste of Meloetta's amazing offensive potential. Meloetta's lack of resistances and recovery also hinders its ability to make good use of those support moves, as well as the fact that it is largely overshadowed by the bulkier and faster Uxie in this category.
- Normalium Z allows Heal Bell to fully restore Meloetta's health which can be interesting for Calm Mind variants, as well as provide a Normal-type nuke in Breakneck Blitz using Hyper Voice. However, Z-Heal Bell rarely matches up to Substitute's utility in terms of setup sweeping, which increases the opportunity cost of using this as your Z-Move.
- Gimmicks such as Charge Beam and Calm Mind + Rest + Snore aim to make use of Serene Grace, but seldom competes with the consistency of its traditional boosting sets.
Checks and Counters
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Dark-types: Dark-types hinder Meloetta from mindlessly spamming Psychic, making them extremely troublesome. Spiritomb and Sableye deserve the biggest mentions as they are immune to a majority of Meloetta's attacks, with Spiritomb threatening with Pursuit and Sucker Punch while Sableye heals off damage, stops Calm Minds with Taunt, and retaliates with Knock Off. Fast Dark-types such as Sneasel, Drapion, and Houndoom can revenge kill Meloetta, but none can switch into Choice Specs Hyper Voice and must still be wary of a potential Colbur Berry against Calm Mind Meloetta variants. Incineroar can take 2 Choice Specs Hyper Voices and even a boosted Focus Blast, and attack with Darkest Lariat or even U-turn. Scrafty can Dragon Dance on any move that isn't Dazzling Gleam or a boosted Focus Blast and threaten with Knock Off. Powerful Sucker Punch users such as Absol and Shiftry can keep Meloetta in check, but run the risk of losing to a Colbur Berry or even a Substitite variant.
Faster Physical Attackers: Faster Pokemon that hit hard physically, such as Tauros, Dodrio, and Cinccino, as well as Choice Scarf users, such as Emboar, Braviary, and Hitmonlee, can outspeed Meloetta and damage her heavily. Faster U-turn users such as Scyther, Whimsicott, Cinccino, and Choice Scarf Braviary are particularly problematic, as they can further gain momentum while wearing Meloetta down. However, most of these Pokemon cannot switch into Meloetta very safely at all, and the majority of them cannot OHKO a healthy Meloetta so she needs to be worn down beforehand.
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