[OVERVIEW]
Dragon
========
Mega Altaria's Dragon / Fairy typing, good bulk, and access to Dragon Dance make it a deadly setup sweeper. Its typing gives a plethora of resistances, including Dark, Fighting, and Water along with a handy immunity to Dragon, making it instrumental in the Dragon matchup. Mega Altaria's solid bulk along with reliable recovery in Roost gives it the ability to repeatedly take powerful attacks from the likes of Latios and Keldeo. It also has Pixilate to gain unique and powerful Fairy-type attacks, and Earthquake lets it get past some of its would-be checks and counters such as Nidoking and Alolan Muk. Mega Altaria can run Heal Bell or Refresh, which means it isn't immediately neutered by status. However, Mega Altaria has a mediocre base 80 Speed stat, which means it is revenge killed by Sand Rush Excadrill and Choice Scarf Gengar even with a Dragon Dance boost. It is also vulnerable to priority from the likes of Bullet Punch Scizor and Ice Shard Mamoswine, meaning it can be revenge killed if it takes unnecessary damage. Mega Altaria is extremely predictable, so Pokemon such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn can almost always wall it. Its average Attack stat causes it to rely on Dragon Dance boosts to deal significant damage. Altaria is weak to Stealth Rock before Mega Evolving, making it less sustainable. It also faces completion from Mega Latias as a Mega Evolution, because Dragon teams otherwise lack a bulky Defog user and have to rely on Choice Scarf Defog Latios to remove hazards, and from Salamence as a Dragon Dance user, as Salamence is faster and has the ability to wallbreak with Devastating Drake; however, Mega Altaria is considered a better option because of its Fairy-type STAB and better bulk.
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Earthquake / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is Mega Altaria's STAB Fairy-type attack and hits Dragon-, Fighting,-, and Dark-types such as Latios, Keldeo, and Mega Sableye. Dragon Dance makes Mega Altaria a powerful setup sweeper. Roost allows Mega Altaria to recover its HP, giving it sustainability. Earthquake can be used to get past Steel- and Poison-types that would otherwise wall Mega Altaria such as Heatran and Nidoking. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be used to allow Mega Altaria to rid it and its teammates of status aliments.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Mega Altaria to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment along with a Jolly nature allows Mega Altaria to be as fast as possible, outspeeding threats such as Dragonite and Breloom naturally and surpassing threats such as Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu at +1. Natural Cure is preferred ability over Cloud Nine, as it allows Altaria to cure status if it switches. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria and gain the ability Pixilate, which turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type Attacks into Fairy-type attacks while also giving them a slight boost.
Usage Tips
========
It is usually best to remove entry hazards because Mega Altaria tends to need full health to successfully set up multiple Dragon Dances. Avoid unnecessarily switching Mega Altaria into attacks because that makes it a lot harder for Mega Altaria to take super effective hits from Mamoswine and Keldeo. It is usually best to use Dragon Dance on a predicted switch so that Mega Altaria doesn't have to take unnecessary damage. Since this Mega Altaria set doesn't have any defensive investment, it is best to bring it in after a fainted teammate. If Mega Altaria is running Heal Bell, preserve its PP so that Mega Altaria doesn't get crippled by status. Only reveal Heal Bell if it is absolutely necessary so that Mega Altaria can force out Pokemon such as Heatran and Gengar with the threat of Earthquake. Before trying to sweep late-game, make sure Mega Altaria's checks and counters are weakened or KOed so it can successfully sweep. If Mega Altaria cannot be revenge killed, it should be used to wallbreak early-game because few Pokemon can switch into Mega Altaria at +1. Mega Altaria is important and easily sweeps in the Dragon matchup, so it should be preserved until its checks such as Dragalge and Choice Scarf Salamence are eliminated.
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a great addition to any Dragon-type team due to its good bulk and immunity to Dragon-type attacks. Garchomp can set up Stealth Rock, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game, as well as check Swords Dance Mega Scizor with Fire Blast and eliminate Poison-types with its STAB Ground-type attacks. Latios can remove entry hazards with Defog and revenge kill threats that can revenge kill Mega Altaria such as Nidoking and Nihilego. Kyurem-B can eliminate some of Mega Altaria's checks and counters such as Skarmory, Mega Venusaur, and Toxapex with Ice Beam and Earth Power. Mega Altaria can easily take Fighting-type attacks for Kyurem-B in return. Dragonite can eliminate certain Steel-types that wall Mega Altaria such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran with Fire Punch or Earthquake. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game. Dragalge also can eliminate Fairy-types that give Mega Altaria trouble such as Azumarill and Tapu Koko. Hydreigon can take on bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Jellicent and Slowbro, while Mega Altaria can eliminate Mega Sableye to let Hydregion sweep Ghost teams with ease. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill threats such as Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko with Iron Tail and Earthquake. Dragon Dance Salamence with Devastating Drake can be run to form a powerful wallbreaking core with Mega Altaria. Latias can remove hazards with Defog and use Healing Wish so that Mega Altaria can be played a bit more recklessly.
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Refresh / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is a powerful Fairy-type attack that keeps Mega Altaria from being setup bait and hits Dark-, Fighting-, and Dragon-types such as Tyranitar, Terrakion, and Hydreigon. Dragon Dance turns Mega Altaria into a potent setup sweeper. Roost allows Mega Altaria to maintain its HP. Refresh is preferred over Heal Bell because it has more PP, enabling Mega Altaria to beat bulky walls that rely on status such as Porygon2 and Chansey. Heal Bell can be used to get rid of teammates' status ailments as well.
Set Details
========
240 EVs are put into Speed to allow Mega Altaria to naturally outspeed Adamant Diggersby and outpace Greninja after a boost. Maximum HP investment and 16 EVs in Defense along with an Impish nature ensures that Mega Altaria is as bulky as possible. Natural Cure is choosen over Cloud Nine because it allows Altaria to remove status if it doesn't Mega Evolve. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria, changing its ability to Pixilate. Pixilate turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type Attacks into slightly boosted Fairy-type attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Since Mega Altaria has good natural bulk along with HP and Defense investment, it should be switched into neutral STAB attacks because it can easily take multiple of them and recover the damage with Roost. If Mega Altaria is running Refresh, it is a great idea to use Mega Altaria to take on bulky walls such as Chansey and Porygon2. Preserve Heal Bell's PP, as Mega Altaria is otherwise susceptible to poison, paralysis, and burn making it impossible to sweep late-game. It is usually best to set up on Choice-locked Pokemon like Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Band Tapu Bulu. Remove Stealth Rock before switching pre-Mega Altaria in, because Mega Altaria can easily be revenge killed otherwise. With the extra HP investment, Mega Altaria can easily set up with Dragon Dance and then use its Attack boost to break through certain threats at very the cost of very little of its HP.
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a welcome addition to any Dragon team because of its immunity to Dragon-type attacks, Heal Bell support, and excellent bulk. Garchomp can take multiple hits from Mega Scizor and KO it with Fire Blast. It can also set up Stealth Rock, somewhat making up for Mega Altaria's mediocre uninvested Attack stat. Latios can eliminate Poison-types that wall Mega Altaria such as Mega Venusaur and Nidoking. It also has Defog to remove entry hazards, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to set up. Latias has access to Defog and Healing Wish, the latter of which allows Altaria to take some unnecessary hits. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes, which wears down grounded threats to make up for Mega Altaria's uninvested Attack. Dragalge also has decent special bulk, meaning that Altaria doesn't have to switch into every special attack. Hydregion can eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types that Mega Altaria cannot easily break such as Alolan Marowak and Jirachi. Mega Altaria can easily take Fighting-type attacks from Keldeo and Terrakion in return. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill Mega Diancie with Iron Tail for Mega Altaria. Choice Band Dragonite can hit Steel-types such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory with its coverage moves in Earthquake and Fire Punch.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon
--------
Fire Blast can be used to hit Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, but without Roost, Mega Altaria is easily worn down. Facade can be used to allow Mega Altaria to deal massive damage when burned or poisoned, but it is very inconsistent because it relies on Mega Altaria being statused to be more powerful than Return.
Checks and Counters
===================
Dragon
--------
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur can easily take all of Mega Altaria's attacks and KOes it with Sludge Bomb.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can take all of Mega Altaria's Attack bar the extremely rare Fire Blast, sets up with Swords Dance, and KOes with Bullet Punch.
**Poison-types**: Offensive Poison-types such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Nihilego can revenge kill Mega Altaria, while defensive ones such as Crobat and Toxapex can take multiple hits and prevent it from boosting with Taunt or Haze.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran can take Mega Altaria's Fairy-type attacks with ease. However, Heatran must be wary of Earthquake.
**Ditto**: Choice Scarf Ditto can copy Mega Altaria's Dragon Dance boosts and easily revenge kill it.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Skarmory can take multiple hits from Mega Altaria.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie and Mimikyu can KO Mega Altaria with their powerful Fairy-type attacks.
**Revenge Killers**: Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily take out Mega Altaria with their super effective attacks.
Dragon
========
Mega Altaria's Dragon / Fairy typing, good bulk, and access to Dragon Dance make it a deadly setup sweeper. Its typing gives a plethora of resistances, including Dark, Fighting, and Water along with a handy immunity to Dragon, making it instrumental in the Dragon matchup. Mega Altaria's solid bulk along with reliable recovery in Roost gives it the ability to repeatedly take powerful attacks from the likes of Latios and Keldeo. It also has Pixilate to gain unique and powerful Fairy-type attacks, and Earthquake lets it get past some of its would-be checks and counters such as Nidoking and Alolan Muk. Mega Altaria can run Heal Bell or Refresh, which means it isn't immediately neutered by status. However, Mega Altaria has a mediocre base 80 Speed stat, which means it is revenge killed by Sand Rush Excadrill and Choice Scarf Gengar even with a Dragon Dance boost. It is also vulnerable to priority from the likes of Bullet Punch Scizor and Ice Shard Mamoswine, meaning it can be revenge killed if it takes unnecessary damage. Mega Altaria is extremely predictable, so Pokemon such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn can almost always wall it. Its average Attack stat causes it to rely on Dragon Dance boosts to deal significant damage. Altaria is weak to Stealth Rock before Mega Evolving, making it less sustainable. It also faces completion from Mega Latias as a Mega Evolution, because Dragon teams otherwise lack a bulky Defog user and have to rely on Choice Scarf Defog Latios to remove hazards, and from Salamence as a Dragon Dance user, as Salamence is faster and has the ability to wallbreak with Devastating Drake; however, Mega Altaria is considered a better option because of its Fairy-type STAB and better bulk.
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Earthquake / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is Mega Altaria's STAB Fairy-type attack and hits Dragon-, Fighting,-, and Dark-types such as Latios, Keldeo, and Mega Sableye. Dragon Dance makes Mega Altaria a powerful setup sweeper. Roost allows Mega Altaria to recover its HP, giving it sustainability. Earthquake can be used to get past Steel- and Poison-types that would otherwise wall Mega Altaria such as Heatran and Nidoking. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be used to allow Mega Altaria to rid it and its teammates of status aliments.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Mega Altaria to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment along with a Jolly nature allows Mega Altaria to be as fast as possible, outspeeding threats such as Dragonite and Breloom naturally and surpassing threats such as Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu at +1. Natural Cure is preferred ability over Cloud Nine, as it allows Altaria to cure status if it switches. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria and gain the ability Pixilate, which turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type Attacks into Fairy-type attacks while also giving them a slight boost.
Usage Tips
========
It is usually best to remove entry hazards because Mega Altaria tends to need full health to successfully set up multiple Dragon Dances. Avoid unnecessarily switching Mega Altaria into attacks because that makes it a lot harder for Mega Altaria to take super effective hits from Mamoswine and Keldeo. It is usually best to use Dragon Dance on a predicted switch so that Mega Altaria doesn't have to take unnecessary damage. Since this Mega Altaria set doesn't have any defensive investment, it is best to bring it in after a fainted teammate. If Mega Altaria is running Heal Bell, preserve its PP so that Mega Altaria doesn't get crippled by status. Only reveal Heal Bell if it is absolutely necessary so that Mega Altaria can force out Pokemon such as Heatran and Gengar with the threat of Earthquake. Before trying to sweep late-game, make sure Mega Altaria's checks and counters are weakened or KOed so it can successfully sweep. If Mega Altaria cannot be revenge killed, it should be used to wallbreak early-game because few Pokemon can switch into Mega Altaria at +1. Mega Altaria is important and easily sweeps in the Dragon matchup, so it should be preserved until its checks such as Dragalge and Choice Scarf Salamence are eliminated.
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a great addition to any Dragon-type team due to its good bulk and immunity to Dragon-type attacks. Garchomp can set up Stealth Rock, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game, as well as check Swords Dance Mega Scizor with Fire Blast and eliminate Poison-types with its STAB Ground-type attacks. Latios can remove entry hazards with Defog and revenge kill threats that can revenge kill Mega Altaria such as Nidoking and Nihilego. Kyurem-B can eliminate some of Mega Altaria's checks and counters such as Skarmory, Mega Venusaur, and Toxapex with Ice Beam and Earth Power. Mega Altaria can easily take Fighting-type attacks for Kyurem-B in return. Dragonite can eliminate certain Steel-types that wall Mega Altaria such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran with Fire Punch or Earthquake. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game. Dragalge also can eliminate Fairy-types that give Mega Altaria trouble such as Azumarill and Tapu Koko. Hydreigon can take on bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Jellicent and Slowbro, while Mega Altaria can eliminate Mega Sableye to let Hydregion sweep Ghost teams with ease. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill threats such as Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko with Iron Tail and Earthquake. Dragon Dance Salamence with Devastating Drake can be run to form a powerful wallbreaking core with Mega Altaria. Latias can remove hazards with Defog and use Healing Wish so that Mega Altaria can be played a bit more recklessly.
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Refresh / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is a powerful Fairy-type attack that keeps Mega Altaria from being setup bait and hits Dark-, Fighting-, and Dragon-types such as Tyranitar, Terrakion, and Hydreigon. Dragon Dance turns Mega Altaria into a potent setup sweeper. Roost allows Mega Altaria to maintain its HP. Refresh is preferred over Heal Bell because it has more PP, enabling Mega Altaria to beat bulky walls that rely on status such as Porygon2 and Chansey. Heal Bell can be used to get rid of teammates' status ailments as well.
Set Details
========
240 EVs are put into Speed to allow Mega Altaria to naturally outspeed Adamant Diggersby and outpace Greninja after a boost. Maximum HP investment and 16 EVs in Defense along with an Impish nature ensures that Mega Altaria is as bulky as possible. Natural Cure is choosen over Cloud Nine because it allows Altaria to remove status if it doesn't Mega Evolve. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria, changing its ability to Pixilate. Pixilate turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type Attacks into slightly boosted Fairy-type attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Since Mega Altaria has good natural bulk along with HP and Defense investment, it should be switched into neutral STAB attacks because it can easily take multiple of them and recover the damage with Roost. If Mega Altaria is running Refresh, it is a great idea to use Mega Altaria to take on bulky walls such as Chansey and Porygon2. Preserve Heal Bell's PP, as Mega Altaria is otherwise susceptible to poison, paralysis, and burn making it impossible to sweep late-game. It is usually best to set up on Choice-locked Pokemon like Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Band Tapu Bulu. Remove Stealth Rock before switching pre-Mega Altaria in, because Mega Altaria can easily be revenge killed otherwise. With the extra HP investment, Mega Altaria can easily set up with Dragon Dance and then use its Attack boost to break through certain threats at very the cost of very little of its HP.
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a welcome addition to any Dragon team because of its immunity to Dragon-type attacks, Heal Bell support, and excellent bulk. Garchomp can take multiple hits from Mega Scizor and KO it with Fire Blast. It can also set up Stealth Rock, somewhat making up for Mega Altaria's mediocre uninvested Attack stat. Latios can eliminate Poison-types that wall Mega Altaria such as Mega Venusaur and Nidoking. It also has Defog to remove entry hazards, making it much easier for Mega Altaria to set up. Latias has access to Defog and Healing Wish, the latter of which allows Altaria to take some unnecessary hits. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes, which wears down grounded threats to make up for Mega Altaria's uninvested Attack. Dragalge also has decent special bulk, meaning that Altaria doesn't have to switch into every special attack. Hydregion can eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types that Mega Altaria cannot easily break such as Alolan Marowak and Jirachi. Mega Altaria can easily take Fighting-type attacks from Keldeo and Terrakion in return. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill Mega Diancie with Iron Tail for Mega Altaria. Choice Band Dragonite can hit Steel-types such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory with its coverage moves in Earthquake and Fire Punch.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon
--------
Fire Blast can be used to hit Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, but without Roost, Mega Altaria is easily worn down. Facade can be used to allow Mega Altaria to deal massive damage when burned or poisoned, but it is very inconsistent because it relies on Mega Altaria being statused to be more powerful than Return.
Checks and Counters
===================
Dragon
--------
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur can easily take all of Mega Altaria's attacks and KOes it with Sludge Bomb.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can take all of Mega Altaria's Attack bar the extremely rare Fire Blast, sets up with Swords Dance, and KOes with Bullet Punch.
**Poison-types**: Offensive Poison-types such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Nihilego can revenge kill Mega Altaria, while defensive ones such as Crobat and Toxapex can take multiple hits and prevent it from boosting with Taunt or Haze.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran can take Mega Altaria's Fairy-type attacks with ease. However, Heatran must be wary of Earthquake.
**Ditto**: Choice Scarf Ditto can copy Mega Altaria's Dragon Dance boosts and easily revenge kill it.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Skarmory can take multiple hits from Mega Altaria.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie and Mimikyu can KO Mega Altaria with their powerful Fairy-type attacks.
**Revenge Killers**: Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily take out Mega Altaria with their super effective attacks.
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