[OVERVIEW]
Magearna offers a fantastic answer to Xerneas, Arceus-Dark, Yveltal, Deoxys-A, and Mega Mewtwo Y variants lacking Fire Blast that can also provide the team with momentum. It has support moves such as Heal Bell and Heart Swap at its disposal, which help it thrive in the Anything Goes metagame; the latter specifically makes Magearna a reliable Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus-Dark answer. Furthermore, Magearna's great defensive typing allows it to check Flying-types like Yveltal, Vivillon, and Arceus-Flying as well as Rock-types such as Tyranitar and Arceus-Rock. However, even with such valuable defensive utility, Magearna has a disadvantageous matchup against some important offensive threats in the tier such as Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Ho-Oh, the former two of which also stop it from using Volt Switch freely. Other Steel-types in the tier such as Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Steel compete with Magearna by offering different utility like Stealth Rock and reliable recovery. They can also use Magearna as setup fodder because of how weak it is. Since Magearna is forced to maximize its bulk, it sacrifices most of its offensive presence, making it a very passive Pokemon to have on a team.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive Pivot
move 1: Fleur Cannon
move 2: Heart Swap
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Pain Split / Heal Bell
item: Leftovers / Normalium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fleur Cannon gives Magearna powerful STAB move to hit the likes of Yveltal, Arceus-Dark, Mega Rayquaza, and Marshadow. Volt Switch enables Magearna to gain momentum on the opposing team while avoiding trapping from Mega Gengar and Gothitelle. Heart Swap is essential for Magearna because it makes it a reliable answer to Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus variants barring Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Steel. It also allows Magearna to swap over its Special Attack drops from Fleur Cannon onto the opponent. Pain Split can help Magearna stay healthy throughout the game. Heal Bell supports Magearna's teammates by curing them from status but makes it much more vulnerable to getting worn down, though Z-Heal Bell fixes this issue.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment help Magearna take on special attackers as best as possible. No Speed IVs make Magearna as slow as possible, allowing it to get the slowest Volt Switch possible off. Leftovers gives Magearna passive recovery, which is especially important if it lacks Pain Split. Normalium Z can be run alongside Heal Bell to offer Magearna one full HP heal. Soul-Heart is Magearnas only ability, which can give it a Special Attack boost occasionally.
Usage Tips
========
Use Magearna as a slow pivot to bring your team's wallbreakers in safely. Try to keep Magearna healthy to check Pokemon such as Xerneas, Refresh Calm Mind Arceus variants, Yveltal, and Deoxys-A reliably throughout the game. Also, use Magearna to absorb status from Lugia or Chansey. Fleur Cannon should be used carefully because of its low PP. Try to remove Ground-types on the opposing team for Magearna to freely bring in your team's breakers with Volt Switch. Be careful when scouting for coverage moves on Yveltal and Arceus, as they can carry moves such as Heat Wave and Fire Blast. Use Pain Split throughout the game to keep Magearna healthy. Heal Bell should be utilized when you want to cure the status of one of Magearna's teammates or when you want to heal up with Z-Heal Bell.
Team Options
========
Reliable answers to Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Ho-Oh are vital for Magearna to function, and Arceus-Water and Zygarde-C make for good examples. Magearna enjoys entry hazards being set up alongside it to take even more advantage of momentum gained by Volt Switch and weaken Ground-types even further. Ferrothorn or Primal Groudon achieve this very well. Powerful breakers such as Primal Kyogre, Marshadow, and Mega Rayquaza make for good partners because they can take advantage of the free switches Magearna can provide for them. Ho-Oh pairs well with Magearna because it can check Necrozma-DM, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Calm Mind Arceus-Steel reliably unless they pack super effective coverage moves. Yveltal and Arceus-Dark appreciate Magearnas ability to reliably answer Fairy-types. Mega Gengar and Gothitelle can take advantage of Magearna's slow Volt Switch and aim to trap Pokemon that switch into it. Lunala also pairs well with Magearna due to its ability to switch into Yveltal and its pivoting ability.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flash Cannon can be run on Magearna as a STAB attack that doesn't drop Magearna's Special Attack and allows Magearna to potentially clean up late-game. It also allows it to beat Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy variants, but it gives up the opportunity to nail Dragon-types such as Mega Rayquaza and Dark-types such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark. Volt Switch can be dropped to run both Heal Bell and Pain Split, but it lets Magearna be trapped by Gothitelle and Mega Gengar and gives up its ability to gain momentum. Offensive sets might look appealing, but due to the metagame's power level, they fail to do major damage or set up effectively.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground stop Magearna's momentum due to blocking Volt Switch and can retaliate with powerful Ground-type STAB attacks, since they don't worry about getting damaged by Fleur Cannon.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh easily takes Magearna's Fleur Cannon and can freely use Defog or Sacred Fire afterwards, though it risks switching in on a Volt Switch and allowing something to switch in for free.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Necrozma-DM don't stop Magearna from using Volt Switch but can comfortably take Fleur Cannon and take advantage of Magearna by heavily damaging it, setting up entry hazards, or using Leech Seed in Ferrothorn's case.
**Physical Attackers**: Necrozma-DM, Life Orb Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Swords Dance Arceus formes can unleash powerful attacks against Magearna, heavily compromising its defensive utility.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Strong special attackers that can hit Magearna neutrally like Primal Kyogre and Lunala both can deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[neomon, 408904]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pidgeons, 253393], [Catalystic, 314467], [lotiasite, 302985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Magearna offers a fantastic answer to Xerneas, Arceus-Dark, Yveltal, Deoxys-A, and Mega Mewtwo Y variants lacking Fire Blast that can also provide the team with momentum. It has support moves such as Heal Bell and Heart Swap at its disposal, which help it thrive in the Anything Goes metagame; the latter specifically makes Magearna a reliable Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus-Dark answer. Furthermore, Magearna's great defensive typing allows it to check Flying-types like Yveltal, Vivillon, and Arceus-Flying as well as Rock-types such as Tyranitar and Arceus-Rock. However, even with such valuable defensive utility, Magearna has a disadvantageous matchup against some important offensive threats in the tier such as Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Ho-Oh, the former two of which also stop it from using Volt Switch freely. Other Steel-types in the tier such as Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Steel compete with Magearna by offering different utility like Stealth Rock and reliable recovery. They can also use Magearna as setup fodder because of how weak it is. Since Magearna is forced to maximize its bulk, it sacrifices most of its offensive presence, making it a very passive Pokemon to have on a team.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive Pivot
move 1: Fleur Cannon
move 2: Heart Swap
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Pain Split / Heal Bell
item: Leftovers / Normalium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fleur Cannon gives Magearna powerful STAB move to hit the likes of Yveltal, Arceus-Dark, Mega Rayquaza, and Marshadow. Volt Switch enables Magearna to gain momentum on the opposing team while avoiding trapping from Mega Gengar and Gothitelle. Heart Swap is essential for Magearna because it makes it a reliable answer to Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus variants barring Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Steel. It also allows Magearna to swap over its Special Attack drops from Fleur Cannon onto the opponent. Pain Split can help Magearna stay healthy throughout the game. Heal Bell supports Magearna's teammates by curing them from status but makes it much more vulnerable to getting worn down, though Z-Heal Bell fixes this issue.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment help Magearna take on special attackers as best as possible. No Speed IVs make Magearna as slow as possible, allowing it to get the slowest Volt Switch possible off. Leftovers gives Magearna passive recovery, which is especially important if it lacks Pain Split. Normalium Z can be run alongside Heal Bell to offer Magearna one full HP heal. Soul-Heart is Magearnas only ability, which can give it a Special Attack boost occasionally.
Usage Tips
========
Use Magearna as a slow pivot to bring your team's wallbreakers in safely. Try to keep Magearna healthy to check Pokemon such as Xerneas, Refresh Calm Mind Arceus variants, Yveltal, and Deoxys-A reliably throughout the game. Also, use Magearna to absorb status from Lugia or Chansey. Fleur Cannon should be used carefully because of its low PP. Try to remove Ground-types on the opposing team for Magearna to freely bring in your team's breakers with Volt Switch. Be careful when scouting for coverage moves on Yveltal and Arceus, as they can carry moves such as Heat Wave and Fire Blast. Use Pain Split throughout the game to keep Magearna healthy. Heal Bell should be utilized when you want to cure the status of one of Magearna's teammates or when you want to heal up with Z-Heal Bell.
Team Options
========
Reliable answers to Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Ho-Oh are vital for Magearna to function, and Arceus-Water and Zygarde-C make for good examples. Magearna enjoys entry hazards being set up alongside it to take even more advantage of momentum gained by Volt Switch and weaken Ground-types even further. Ferrothorn or Primal Groudon achieve this very well. Powerful breakers such as Primal Kyogre, Marshadow, and Mega Rayquaza make for good partners because they can take advantage of the free switches Magearna can provide for them. Ho-Oh pairs well with Magearna because it can check Necrozma-DM, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Calm Mind Arceus-Steel reliably unless they pack super effective coverage moves. Yveltal and Arceus-Dark appreciate Magearnas ability to reliably answer Fairy-types. Mega Gengar and Gothitelle can take advantage of Magearna's slow Volt Switch and aim to trap Pokemon that switch into it. Lunala also pairs well with Magearna due to its ability to switch into Yveltal and its pivoting ability.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flash Cannon can be run on Magearna as a STAB attack that doesn't drop Magearna's Special Attack and allows Magearna to potentially clean up late-game. It also allows it to beat Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy variants, but it gives up the opportunity to nail Dragon-types such as Mega Rayquaza and Dark-types such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark. Volt Switch can be dropped to run both Heal Bell and Pain Split, but it lets Magearna be trapped by Gothitelle and Mega Gengar and gives up its ability to gain momentum. Offensive sets might look appealing, but due to the metagame's power level, they fail to do major damage or set up effectively.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground stop Magearna's momentum due to blocking Volt Switch and can retaliate with powerful Ground-type STAB attacks, since they don't worry about getting damaged by Fleur Cannon.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh easily takes Magearna's Fleur Cannon and can freely use Defog or Sacred Fire afterwards, though it risks switching in on a Volt Switch and allowing something to switch in for free.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Necrozma-DM don't stop Magearna from using Volt Switch but can comfortably take Fleur Cannon and take advantage of Magearna by heavily damaging it, setting up entry hazards, or using Leech Seed in Ferrothorn's case.
**Physical Attackers**: Necrozma-DM, Life Orb Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Swords Dance Arceus formes can unleash powerful attacks against Magearna, heavily compromising its defensive utility.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Strong special attackers that can hit Magearna neutrally like Primal Kyogre and Lunala both can deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[neomon, 408904]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pidgeons, 253393], [Catalystic, 314467], [lotiasite, 302985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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