Metagross [QC 0/3] [UPDATED]

ehT

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Metagross


[QC:0/3] * / * / *
[GP:0/2] * / *


[OVERVIEW]

* Metagross's well-rounded stats, great defensive and decent offensive typing, and wide array of coverage and support moves make it an extremely flexible bulky attacker.
* These traits allow it to act as a very effective glue for offensive teams, as its capacity for role compression allows it to provide valuable support by patching up a team's weaknesses both offensively and defensively.
* This versatility is both a blessing and a curse, however, as by choosing its set, Metagross must concede bad matchups versus certain Pokemon to avoid spreading itself too thin, and has to specialize itself in this way to not be outclassed by Scizor, the best Steel-type in the tier.
* This also means Metagross is far less useful in some matchups than in others, since it must gear itself to check a particular pool of threats.
* Metagross also suffers from a mediocre base 70 Speed and lack of recovery, which makes it easy to wear down and overwhelm with strong attacks despite its bulk and resistances.

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bullet Punch / Ice Punch / Thunder Punch
item: Shuca Berry / Colbur Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 96 Atk / 176 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Meteor Mash is Metagross's best option for its Steel STAB, and has a very useful chance to raise its Attack, making it decently spammable.
* Stealth Rock is needed on every competitive team worth its salt, and Metagross is a very reliable user of the move thanks to its bulk, power, and resistances giving it multiple opportunities to set it up.
* Earthquake is necessary as coverage for Metagross to not be walled by Fire- and Steel-types.
* Bullet Punch allows Metagross to act as a revenge killer or get last ditch chip damage versus Pokemon about to KO it.
* Ice Punch gives Metagross coverage versus Ground-types, most notably doing 4x damage to Gliscor, which allows Metagross to beat a good number of them one on one if it's carrying a Shuca Berry. It should be noted, though, that many Ground-types take absolutely pitiful damage from Ice Punch, such as Swampert, Mega Steelix, and Hippowdon, so its usefulness as coverage is limited.
* Thunder Punch allows Metagross to hit Water-types for meaninful damage, most notably punishing Empoleon and Mantine for attempting to remove its Stealth Rock.
* Pursuit is an alternative option that lets Metagross to trap Pokemon it checks by virtue of its typing, such as Latias and Celebi, but this isn't always ideal because of the lack of special bulk means it can very easily lose to these threats. This leads to a Metagross carrying both Stealth Rock and Pursuit often having to choose between Pursuit trapping and setting up Stealth Rock.

Set Details
========

* 96 Attack hits a jump point, allowing Metagross to 2HKO Hydreigon with Meteor Mash, Mega Aerodactyl with Bullet Punch, Mega Blastoise with Thunder Punch, and opposing Metagross lacking Shuca Berry with Earthquake. These are key if you choose to run Colbur Berry, as Hydreigon and Mega Blastoise can OHKO Metagross with their Dark moves otherwise.
* 176 Speed lets Metagross outspeed Modest Primarina, but 216 Speed can also be run to outspeed Crawdaunt at a minor cost in bulk.
* The rest is dumped into HP to make Metagross as bulky as possible.
* Shuca Berry is generally the best choice for item, as it gives Metagross the ability to reliably beat most Earthquake users one on one, but a Colbur Berry can be used if you're more concerned about getting damage off on common Dark-types.

Usage Tips
========

* Use Metagross's typing to your advantage and switch it in to Pokemon such as Latias, Klefki, Sylveon, and Amoonguss, provided something has been put to sleep in the case of the latter, to set up Stealth Rock.
* Preserve Metagross's health and resistance Berry to eat an attack from a Pokemon your team may be weak to, such as Mega Aerodctyl, Mamoswine, or a boosted Serperior.
* If the opponent is carrying a Pokemon that can take advantage of Metagross, apply offensive pressure by firing off attacks so that Pokemon can't come in completely for free.

Team Options
========

* Due to this set's role as a defensive glue, it does well on more frail offensive teams that need a lot of defensive utility poured into one teamslot as an emergency check to the likes of Mega Aerodactyl, Mamoswine, Serperior, and Mega Sceptile, as well as a semi-reliable check to Dragon- and Fairy-types.
* Since Metagross can only tank one or two particularly strong attacks, backup offensive checks to the aforementioned threats are needed to handle them reliably. Choice Scarf Infernape is a top tier revenge killer that handles most of such Pokemon decently well, and baits in bulky Dragon- and Fairy-types that Metagross can beat with U-turn.
* Such Pokemon include Terrakion, Swords Dance Scizor, Azumarill, and Mega Beedrill.
* Fire-resistant bulky attackers such as Mega Altaria, Azumarill, and Volcanion do a good job keeping opposing Fire-types from taking advantage of this set if one manages to come in on Metagross for free. Such Pokemon also do well on frail offense teams due to their defensive qualities, which synergize well with Metagross.

[SET]
name: Mixed Offensive Lure
move 1: Meteor Mash / Explosion
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Meteor Mash provides Metagross with a STAB move to threaten opposing Fairy-types and special walls, which it otherwise can't do much against with its coverage moves.
* Explosion is a viable alternative, as on top of being a massively powerful nuke when boosted by Life Orb, it provides you with a free switch into a teammate, but in exchange for Metagross's life.
* Hidden Power Fire is necessary for this set to lure in and KO opposing Scizor, one of the biggest threats in the tier, while also hitting other Steel-types for decent damage.
* Grass Knot allows Metagross to damage Ground-types, OHKOing Swampert and Quagsire and crippling Hippowdon.
* Stealth Rock is run because Metagross is an excellent user of the move, setting it up for free on forced switches against Latias, Klefki, Sylveon, and Blissey.

Set Details
========

* Max Special Attack and Speed investment allow Metagross to hit its intended targets as hard as possible. It allows it to outspeed Jolly Scizor, for example, as well as outspeed Modest Mega Blastoise and Speed tie with Volcanion.
* A Hasty nature is used over Naive because Metagross's physical bulk is still high enough despite the stat drop to take the physical hits it needs to, namely Scizor's Bullet Punch, and it appreciates having more Special Defense to switch in to attacks such as Draco Meteor and Moonblast.
* The lack of Attack investment doesn't hurt the power or Metagross's physical moves much, as Explosion and Meteor Mash are still extremely strong coming off of its high Attack stat with a Life Orb boost.
* Life Orb is essential to power up Metagross's special attacks to the level necessary to KO the threats it needs to. It guarantees the OHKO on offensive Scizor as well as gives a chance to OHKO defensive Scizor after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Fire. It also allows Grass Knot to OHKO Swampert the vast majority of the time and 2HKO any Hippowdon variant.
* Alternatively, Expert Belt can be used to bluff a different set, and achieves many of the OHKOs and 2HKOs that Life Orb achieves, but not as reliably, and lacking Life Orb makes Explosion far weaker.

Usage Tips
========

* Bring Metagross in on foes it checks by virtue of its typing, such as Latias and Klefki, to set up Stealth Rock or fire off an attack.
* Don't do this frequently, however, as the lack of bulk investment means Metagross takes relatively few hits, and it needs HP to fire off as many attacks as possible.
* Don't worry about prediction, as opponents will typically stay in on Metagross expecting another set, and you risk exposing your coverage too early.
* If carrying Explosion, be extremely selective with its use and designate a threat you want to use it on, as you can only use it once. It should generally be saved for a Pokemon Metagross cannot hurt otherwise, such as Blissey or Tentacruel, or if you desperately need to get a teammate in for free on your chosen target.
* Note that without Meteor Mash, Explosion is this set's only real way to threaten special walls, so be careful not to reveal your coverage until an opportune time unless you decide to target a specially bulky Pokemon with Explosion.

Team Options
========

* Mixed Metagross makes for a great offensive support Pokemon because of the common threats it lures by virtue of its typing and coverage.
* For this reason, wallbreakers such as Terrakion, Calm Mind Latias, Choice Specs Hydreigon, Azumarill, and Primarina make excellent partners, as they greatly appreciate Metagross's ability to cripple, if not outright KO Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Sylveon, and Scizor, as well as bring them in for free on weakened targets with Explosion.
* Metagross's lack of bulk investment means it generally lacks defensive utility despite being a Steel-type. Klefki does an excellent job picking up the slack, as it not only switches reliably into opposing Dragon- and Fairy-types, but can set up Spikes, which gives Metagross a decent chance to OHKO defensive Scizor and guarantees the OHKO on Swampert with Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bullet Punch / Ice Punch / Explosion
item: Assault Vest
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Meteor Mash is Metagross's strongest Steel-type STAB move, and is preferred over the more accurate Iron Head because of its 20% chance to raise Metagross's Attack.
* Pursuit is the main allure of this set, as Metagross's 4x resistance to Psychic and special bulk bolstered by Assault Vest allows it to reliably switch in to and trap many of the tier's top Psychic-types, such as Latias, Starmie, and Celebi.
* Earthquake is necessary for Metagross to not be walled by Steel-types, as giving free turns to an opposing Cobalion or Scizor is too dangerous to risk.
* The last move is a toss up between Bullet Punch, Ice Punch, and Explosion, all of which provide a different utility. Bullet Punch gives Metagross a priority STAB move to allow it to act as a revenge killer and get off chip damage before it goes down, Ice Punch allows Metagross to hit Ground-types and prevents it from being setup fodder for Swords Dance Gliscor, and Explosion allows it to get off massive damage and a free switch in exchange for its life.

Set Details
========

* Maximum HP and Attack investment with an Adamant nature make Metagross as bulky and as strong as possible. Alternatively, a bulkier with spread with maximum Special Defense and an Adamant nature can be used, as Meteor Mash still 2HKOes Latias and Mega Pidgeot even without investment, and it can comfortably avoid the 2HKO from Mega Pidgeot's Heat Wave after Stealth Rock. But this leaves it incapable of 2HKOing Celebi with Meteor Mash or Starmie with Pursuit, so these threats must be weakened for Metagross to reliably trap them.
* Assault Vest is necessary for Metagross to eat attacks from the threats it is intended to trap as well as be a general purpose tank.
* Clear Body is Metagross's best choice for ability, as it prevents its stats from being lowered by Intimidate and Sticky Web, and Light Metal is practically useless because weight-based moves are almost never seen in the tier.

Usage Tips
========

* This set is designed to punish opposing Psychic-, Grass-, and Flying-types with Pursuit to support a teammate.
* It has the bulk thanks to Assault Vest to switch directly into these Pokemon multiple times and go for Pursuit, so do this early and often until the target goes down.
* Though they don't care about Pursuit, Metagross also acts as a decently reliable check to Fairy-types, so feel free to bring it in on Klefki, Sylveon, or special Mega Altaria if you don't need its HP to trap something.
* If the opponent predicts Pursuit and stays in, feel free to start spamming stronger attacks — Meteor Mash is nice for this because of its chance to raise Metagross's Attack — to force a switch.
* If the opponent doesn't have a Pokemon Metagross is capable of trapping, feel free to use it as a general special sponge or sacrifice it to get off damage on a dangerous foe it can only take a single hit from, such as Azumarill or Primarina.
* Watch out for opposing wallbreakers, such as Mamoswine and Hydreigon, as they force this set out quite easily, and bulkier ones like Mega Blastoise can even switch in directly on anything but Explosion and fire off a free attack.

Team Options
========

* Assault Vest Metagross fits best on bulky offense teams that need Pokemon such as Latias, Serperior, Nihilego, and Mega Pidgeot removed to do their jobs. Such Pokemon include Terrakion, Serperior, and Starmie.
* There are many defensive Pokemon that appreciate Metagross's trapping abilities, as well. If Hippowdon, Alomomola, and Suicune are all quite easily abused by Pokemon it can trap, and generally are able to check the Ground-, Fire-, and Electric-types that threaten Metagross in return.
* Though Metagross can easily switch in to resisted attacks, Volt Switch and U-turn users make its job much easier because they lure in Pokemon such as Latias, meaning Metagross comes in for free without having to worry about the opponent predicting it and double switching.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* Though Choice Band Scizor is almost always the superior choice, Choice Band Metagross has some perks over it, such as a stronger Steel-type STAB, different coverage, and access to Explosion and Trick.
* Agility Metagross with Meteor Mash, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch holding either Steelium Z or Life Orb can act as a decent late-game cleaner, but is generally outdone by other Speed boosting threats such as double dance Cobalion and Dragon Dance Haxorus, who have better offensive typings and stronger coverage, making them far easier to support.
* Zen Headbutt can be run over a coverage move if you need Metagross to threaten Fighting-types, but it generally fails to do so because most Fighting-types are strong enough or bulky enough to beat Metagross down regardless.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: Unless running Life Orb Grass Knot, most bulky Ground-types can eat any hit form Metagross, beat it down even if it's running a Shuca Berry, and recover off the damage. Offensive Ground-types like and Nidoking and Krookodile must watch out for Shuca Berry, though, or risk taking heavy damage.

**Fire-types**: Though they are quickly worn down by Stealth Rock and cannot reliably switch into Metagross's coverage, Fire-types resist Meteor Mash and are strong enough to OHKO it with their STAB moves.

**Electric-types**: Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Rotom-C all don't care about Metagross lacking Earthquake, and can pivot out on it very easily with Volt Switch or cripple it with a coverage move or Will-O-Wisp. They must watch out for Earthquake, though, and all of them are crippled, if not outright KOed by Explosion.

**Bulky Water-types**: Metagross not carrying Grass Knot, Thunder Punch, or Explosion are taken advantage of by bulky Water-types quite easily, as they don't care about any other move it could throw at them. They must scout for the aforementioned moves, however, or risk being crippled by them.

**Strong Attackers**: Though Metagross is quite bulky even without investment, it's not enough to be considered a wall, and it is easily overwhelmed by common wallbreakers such as Cobalion, Hydreigon, Volcanion, and Entei.
 
Last edited:

Eyan

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is this up to date with the USM meta? if so, please indicate it in the thread title
 

Hilomilo

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Overview
* This looks great overall! The most important thing I'd think to add in right now is something on its several common weaknesses, which are primarily to Dark-, Ground-, and Fire-type attacks.
* Consider mentioning its struggle for power as well, given its lack of high Base Power attacks or access to a boosting move.

Set: Offensive Stealth Rock
Moves/Set
* Change your fourth move slot to have Ice Punch mentioned first, then Bullet Punch slashed next to it. Thunder Punch can stay in moves but at this stage in the metagame I don't believe it deserves a slash. Adjust the order of your Ice Punch and Bullet Punch lines in the moves section to reflect this new order.
* Give some examples of Earthquake targets.
* Change the Empoleon example to either Starmie or Mega Blastoise in the Thunder Punch line, since Emp is already hit hard by Earthquake. When mentioning Thunder Punch, I'd argue that elaborating as to why it's rather suboptimal (lack of good overall coverage vs Ice Punch) could be useful here.
* Consider mentioning Explosion here, mention why it can be useful, and give examples of targets.

Usage Tips
* Change the Mamoswine example.
* Give some examples of Pokemon that you say can take advantage of Metagross.

Team Options
* Remove the Mamoswine mention.

Set: Mixed Offensive Lure
Set/Moves
* Slash Explosion with Stealth Rock in the event that this set is being used alongside another Stealth Rock setter on the team.
* Give some examples of other Steel-types hit fairly hard by HP Fire. Doublade and Cobalion both work.

Set Details
* Maybe replace Modest Mega Blastoise with an example that is currently more relevant.
* I wouldn't refer to barely invested Meteor Mash as extremely strong, so maybe look for a more appropriate word choice.

Team Options
* This section could be fleshed out a lot more, so I'd consider adding in some lines on checks to both Fire- and Dark-types (create separate lines for each type please), as both of those typings are still pretty bothersome for this set.

Set: Assault Vest
Set Details
'and Light Metal is practically useless because weight-based moves are almost never seen in the tier.' - this isn't super necessary information, so I'd consider removing it.

Usage Tips
* Replace the Mamoswine and Mega Blastoise examples in your last line.

Other Options
* I'd argue that Hammer Arm is worth mentioning here as a way of super effectively hitting Dark-types like Krookodile and Hydreigon. Say that it really only has use on sets utilizing Colbur Berry, however, and overall gives up otherwise valuable coverage.

Checks and Counters
* Give some relevant examples of Fire-types.
* You say that Rotom-C must watch out for Earthquake which is false, so find a way to adjust the wording of the Electric-type section to reflect that it doesn't even fear Ground-type coverage.
* The Water-type section needs examples.
* Give a more relevant example than Entei.
* Add in a section on Dark-type Pokemon here. Say that they outspeed Metagross and can force it out, though they all should be wary of its powerful attacks. Good examples would be Hydreigon, Mega Houndoom, and Krookodile.

Sorry that it took so long for this to get checked, but good work overall! 1/3 when this is implemented, PM me on discord if there's something that confuses you.
 

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