MAMP
MAMP!
Overview
Mega Kangaskhan is one of the most threatening wallbreakers in the metagame, as Mega Evolving with Kangaskhanite gives Kangaskhan access to Parental Bond, an ability that is otherwise banned, meaning that Mega Kangaskhan is the only Pokemon that can legally use it. Mega Kangaskhan can take advantage of Parental Bond with Nature's Madness, which takes off 75% of the foe's current HP. Night Shade and Seismic Toss always do 200 HP of damage with Parental Bond, and when combined with Nature's Madness, they allow Mega Kangaskhan to 2HKO practically any Pokemon. Mega Kangaskhan can run Illusion before Mega Evolving to lure in checks to other Pokemon on your team; this has the additional advantage of preventing Imposter users from transforming into Mega Kangaskhan as long as the Illusion remains intact. Mega Kangaskhan is unfettered by burns, doesn't mind Knock Off, and has respectable bulk, making it easy to switch in against many common defensive Pokemon. Due to this, Mega Kangaskhan is an extremely effective stallbreaker, easily able to tear most defensive teams to shreds. Unlike with many other wallbreakers, Imposter Chansey cannot safely switch in as it loses 75% of its current HP to Nature's Madness.
However, even though Mega Kangaskhan can take some hits, a middling Speed tier and poor defensive typing make it somewhat lacking against offensive teams. While Mega Kangaskhan can 2HKO almost everything, it cannot OHKO foes like other wallbreakers do, meaning that it generally needs to take a hit before knocking something out. Mega Kangaskhan is a fairly predictable and straightforward Pokemon and its reliance on Parental Bond to break walls leaves it quite vulnerable to Core Enforcer, but when it comes to pure wallbreaking ability, Mega Kangaskhan has practically no equal.
Wallbreaker
Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Illusion
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Nature's Madness
- Night Shade / Seismic Toss
- Shore Up / Strength Sap
- Extreme Speed / Night Shade / Seismic Toss
Set Comments
Moves
Nature's Madness is Mega Kangaskhan's primary tool for wallbreaking, as in combination with Parental Bond it chips off 75% of the foe's current HP when it hits. Night Shade and Seismic Toss do 200 HP of damage, which allows Mega Kangaskhan to finish off Pokemon weakened by Nature's Madness. Night Shade doesn't hit Normal-types and Seismic Toss doesn't hit Ghost-types — which one you use will depend on the needs of the rest of your team. Typically, Night Shade is preferred to hit Poison Heal Giratina, but giving up Seismic Toss makes it possible for Imposter users to come in and stall your PP. Mega Kangaskhan can run both, but this requires it to give up Extreme Speed. Shore Up keeps Mega Kangaskhan healthy throughout the match, which is important against defensive teams. A viable alternative is Strength Sap, which often heals by more and lowers the foe's Attack stat, but can be taken advantage of by Pokemon with Magic Bounce; Mega Kangaskhan can generally afford this as most common Magic Bouncers struggle to switch into it. STAB Extreme Speed is quite powerful when boosted by Parental Bond and allows Mega Kangaskhan to pick off weakened foes. This gives Mega Kangaskhan much more utility against offensive teams.
Set Details
Kangaskhanite lets Kangaskhan Mega Evolve to get Parental Bond. Illusion disguises Mega Kangaskhan as another Pokemon on your team, which allows you to lure in your opponent's checks to that Pokemon and chunk them with Nature's Madness. It also blocks Imposter as long the Illusion isn't broken. A Jolly nature lets Mega Kangaskhan outspeed everything up to positive-natured Xerneas and Yveltal, but if you forgo Extreme Speed, a Timid nature can be used instead to reduce damage from Foul Play and confusion.
Usage Tips
It is good to disguise Mega Kangaskhan as a Pokemon that takes the same damage from entry hazards and doesn't give itself away with an ability like Mold Breaker or Poison Heal so that the opponent cannot see through the Illusion. On a similar note, if the Pokemon that you are disguising Mega Kangaskhan as takes damage the surprise factor will be lost, so try to keep it healthy.
Mega Kangaskhan's ability to force switches and weaken walls makes it very effective at buttering up defensive cores to enable a late-game sweep — for this reason it is often better to send it out early on in the game. Night Shade and Seismic Toss both have very high PP and so can be used to stall Pokemon like Prankster Registeel and Poison Heal Zygarde-C out of PP on their recovery moves. While it may be tempting to click Nature's Madness all the time, always keep in mind that it has limited PP and a chance to miss, and many common Pokemon such as Registeel and Aegislash are 2HKOed by Seismic Toss or Night Shade anyway.
Team Options
It is important to have a plan in case Imposter Chansey transforms into Mega Kangaskhan. If you forgo either Night Shade or Seismic Toss, a Ghost or Normal-type with a reliable recovery move can be used depending on which you are going without, or a Poison Heal Pokemon with high HP and a Protect variant. Sturdy Shedinja can generally handle an Imposter user transformed into Mega Kangaskhan as well. The best Pokemon to disguise Mega Kangaskhan as is a powerful offensive threat with limited and specific defensive checks — Mega Gengar and Pixilate Mega Diancie are good choices. Additionally, offense breakers like Poison Heal Regigigas can make up for Mega Kangaskhan's deficiencies against that playstyle. Mega Kangaskhan struggles to switch in against more offensive teams and so appreciates being brought in safely by Pokemon with slow pivoting moves like Parting Shot and U-turn. Mega Kangaskhan also appreciates Sticky Web and paralysis support to outspeed faster offensive threats like Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Gengar, and Stealth Rock support means that Mega Kangaskhan doesn't need to worry about Sturdy Shedinja. Stealth Rock also allows it to use Seismic Toss and Night Shade to 2HKO Pokemon with base 100 HP like Primal Kyogre.
Strategy Comments
Other Options
Mega Kangaskhan can run other abilities before Mega Evolving, such as Speed Boost to alleviate its medium Speed tier or Misty Surge to give it an immunity to status and remove Psychic Terrain, allowing it to hit Pokemon like Psychic Surge Mega Mewtwo Y with Extreme Speed. Mega Kangaskhan highly values its moveslots and so often struggles to fit alternative options. However, there are a few moves that serve a niche function that can be valuable for some teams. Sunsteel Strike knocks out Sturdy Shedinja and allows variants of Mega Kangaskhan without Seismic Toss to beat Mega Audino. Anchor Shot is a good option on sets without Seismic Toss to allow Mega Kangaskhan to beat Mega Audino and trap Imposter users to stall them out of PP. Mega Kangaskhan can run Taunt to prevent Prankster Pokemon from healing or using Destiny Bond and to stop Poison Heal Pokemon from stalling out Nature's Madness by spamming recovery moves. Pursuit is a used to catch Regenerator Pokemon such as Solgaleo attempting to play around Mega Kangaskhan by switching in on Nature's Madness and then switching out on the follow-up move.
Mega Kangaskhan can used as a setup sweeper, running Simple to set up Shift Gear boosts before Mega Evolving to get the power boost from Parental Bond. However, this set does not have the same immediate wallbreaking power of the Nature's Madness set and often struggles against Imposter.
Checks and Counters
Sturdy Shedinja: Mega Kangaskhan cannot hurt Shedinja unless it runs coverage for it specifically, like Sunsteel Strike.
Normal or Ghost-types: Variants of Mega Kangaskhan without either Night Shade or Seismic Toss may be walled by Normal- or Ghost-type Pokemon, depending on which one they are lacking.
Fast Offensive Pokemon: Various fast offensive threats such as Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Diancie outspeed Mega Kangaskhan and threaten it out.
Core Enforcer: If Mega Kangaskhan is hit by Core Enforcer from a Pokemon like Giratina or Zygarde-C, it loses Parental Bond, which severely limits its wallbreaking ability.
Regenerator: Pokemon with Regenerator like Solgaleo or Primal Kyogre can annoy Mega Kangaskhan by switching into Nature's Madness and then pivoting out to get momentum and heal back up.
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