Mega Banette [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]

Chakra

Chakra

latest

QC: Spirit / EonX / Sweep
GP: Winry / P Squared

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette possesses the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, allowing it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw, and its base 165 Attack, Mega Banette has very few counters and is therefore very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, its access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability, Prankster, which gives it priority on Will-O-Wisp and helps it against Dark-types and physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent and includes moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch, and Shadow Sneak. Mega Banette's Ghost typing allows it to work as a Fighting-type check for offense and a decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses if Scald burns. Due to its lack of resistances, Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and, as Prankster does not activate the turn of Mega Evolution, it can be hard to choose when to Mega Evolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for removing items, allowing Mega Banette to cripple bulky walls and hit most Pokemon neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items Knocked Off. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that circumvents Mega Banette's lacking Speed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond is an alternative move to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a KO with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used to hit Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon such as Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull, and Mega Audino, but it has a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is used to Mega Evolve to gain Prankster and enhanced stats. Insomnia is preferred prior to Mega Evolution to ensure Banette is unaffected by Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. However, Frisk can be used to scout for items held by opposing Pokemon. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Banette's damage output. 28 Speed EVs allow Banette to outspeed 44 Speed Jellicent prior to Mega Evolution, as well as outspeed Blastoise after Mega Evolution to mitigate the fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used to allow Mega Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar, and Abomasnow. This spread also allows Mega Banette to defeat Fletchinder, as Mega Banette will outspeed it and be able to use Destiny Bond before Fletchinder can use Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

Banette should not Mega Evolve if it is possible that Pokemon such as Uxie will try to put it to sleep, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority. Try to Mega Evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, as paralysis, burn, and poison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches in a wall such as Alomomola, Aromatisse, or Registeel to remove their means of passive recovery. Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against physical attackers such as Flygon, Aerodactyl, Rhyperior, and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, as Mega Banette can easily alternate between an attack and priority Destiny Bond to create mind games for the opponent. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off.

Team Options
========

Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Banette to clean late-game, as they can whittle down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, and Diancie that can deal with opposing Dark-types for Mega Banette are also appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls such as Diancie and Registeel are useful, as specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Banette is a Ghost-type, it can spinblock decently and also appreciates entry hazard stacking due to the residual damage entry hazards provide; therefore, Garbodor and Qwilfish make for good teammates. Finally, Banette can benefit from having setup sweeper partners such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, and it can ease setup for them by crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to Mega Evolve and gain Prankster without taking damage. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats; however, many Pokemon such as Liepard can do this without using up a Mega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used on a stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain Mega Banette's longevity. A combination of Substitute and Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, this leaves it with little space for a variety of other moves. A Substitute + Disable set can also be used, but it has similar issues.


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

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp, allowing them to switch in. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can cripple Mega Banette with Will-O-Wisp itself. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, and Mega Camerupt while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette, being able to heavily damage it while not being that affected by Will-O-Wisp. However, slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and burn. Thunder Wave lowers Mega Banette's Speed, making it very easy to revenge kill, while burning Mega Banette makes it almost useless, as the burn cuts its Attack stat. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most bulky walls carry status moves and can also take several hits from Mega Banette, such as Alomomola and Registeel. However, most bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed. Unfortunately, Mega Audino is particularly worrisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell away Will-O-Wisp burns.
 
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Chakra Some of the Overview's points feel like they're all over the place. Like you mention priority Wisp before you even brought up Prankster, and then decided to wait a bit before mentioning Prankster DBond as well. This analysis just doesn't seem to flow well; you gotta list related points in a smoother / more concise fashion so that it's less messy to read, especially the mon's advantages and disadvantages, which should be separated.

  • Ghost-type helps against opposing Psychic-types like Uxie, and Ghost-types like Hoopa and Jellicent
  • Also makes it weak to opposing Ghost-types and also Dark-types like Sneasel and Drapion
  • Because it's a Mega Evolution takes less from most spammable Dark-type move, Knock Off
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These points just seem off to me:
- Uxie seems like a really odd example to list as an advantage for being Ghost-type, considering MBanette can very easily beat it down even without using its STAB, and Mega Banette pretty badly needs Shadow Sneak (which isn't even a staple move on it) to properly combat the other Psychic-types. Honestly, this point seems more like something you'd write on a Spiritomb analysis when talking about its Dark typing; MNette's Ghost typing really doesn't do it that much favors in this regard.
- I'm not sure if you actually need to bring up Mega Banette's weakness to Dark; one doesn't really need to hit MNette super effectively to beat it, and you already brought up its mediocre bulk later on in the Overview. I feel this point could be rephrased to say that Mega Banette just suffers from a lack of resists and longevity in general (and since this is a disadvantage, this could be pushed back later into the Overview)
- While it's true that MNette does take less damage from Knock Off, the way you phrased it here sounds like MNette can afford to switch into Knock Offs at full power (aka when they're being 'spammed'), which isn't really the case. This is more of just something for the MNette user to keep in mind when their MNette is cornered by a Dark-type or something.

  • Can somewhat function as a spinblocker due to typing
  • check for Fighting-types on offensive builds
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Mention its shaky matchup against Blastoise as MNette will lose the instant Scald burns, and how it faces competition from Spiritomb in the latter. This is probably a nitpick at this point, but you may also note that using Mega Banette prevents you from using Mega Glalie, one of the best Spikers in the tier.

  • Can priority Will-O-Wisp Physical Dark-types and in general, physical attackers
  • Prone to Pursuit trappers
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- Considering you talked about Prankster Wisp crippling physical Dark-types, I'm surprised you can still say that MNette is 'prone to Pursuit'; MNette is one of the least Pursuit-prone Dark-weak Pokemon in the tier for that very reason.

  • Prankster + Destiny Bond gives Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as +2 Virizion
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- Surely Virizion is not the only example of a setup sweeper MNette can stop; it can also stop things like Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta, although note its inability to check Fletchinder due to the latter's priority and access to Will-O-Wisp. Also you don't need to specify "+2" Virizion; this implies Destiny Bond MNette cannot check CM Virizion, which it can.

  • Awkward speed tier, and mediocre bulk, Prankster doesn't activate turn of mega evolution
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- Add that Mega Banette's lack of reliable recovery also means it cannot take full advantage of most of its Prankster boosted moves (for example, you Prankster burn an opponent, but Mega Banette is still at risk of being KOed <- this detail can go into Usage Tips btw)

  • Knock Off is the most important attacking move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost-, and Psychic-types super effectively
  • More importantly knocking off items, and hitting the majority of types neutrally
  • Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Prankster lets Mega Banette cripple the majority of Physical Attackers
  • Shadow Claw is the STAB move of Mega Banette, hitting Ghost-, and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off, while also hitting opposing Mega Pokemon and Pokemon with their items Knocked off
  • Gunk Shots is primarily for targetting opposing Fairy-, and Grass-types
  • Most importantly hits Virizion, Tangrowth and Aromatisse super effectively for a lot of damage
  • Shadow Sneak is a priority move used due to Mega Banette's lacking speed tier
  • Shadow Sneak is prefered over Sucker Punch as it hits Fighting-types like Virizion neutrally, and KOs it in combination with Shadow Claw
  • Effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph
  • Destiny Bond can be used alternatively to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a kill with a weakened Mega Banette
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- Yeah the point about Knock Off removing items should probably just be mentioned before its coverage against Ghosts and Psychics.
- Mention that Wisp can also soften up bulky Pokemon.
- Again, you have the move's priorities mixed up: Shadow Claw hitting Ghosts and Psychics harder than Knock Off is a very minor benefit compared to maintaining solid damage output against Knocked Off mons and Mega Pokemon. However, you'll need to specify Shadow Claw's targets, because Shadow Claw only really matters against mons that can avoid a 3HKO or more from Knock Off, be resistant / immune to Gunk Shot, and either get 2HKOed by Shadow Claw or get beaten down by Shadow Claw before they beat Mega Banette. Thus, Shadow Claw's main targets would be physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, bulky Poison- / Steel-types (although the only mons I find that fit this criteria are Garbodor, non-Toxic Golbat, non-Toxic / Rest Steelix, and SD RestTalk Escavalier), and Mega Camerupt + opposing Mega Banettes (Shadow Claw is not better against the remaining Megas).
- Gunk Shot also hits Granbull and Mega Audino. Also mention that Gunk Shot's primary role is to crush the Pokemon that would otherwise have the longevity to sponge Knock Offs, Will-O-Wisps, and Shadow Claws all day (which by extension makes Virizion a less important target, since you said that Claw + Sneak beats Viriz). Gunk Shot also OHKOes Houndoom on the switch and does substantial damage to Scrafty.
- You can give more mentions to Sucker Punch being able to nail Meloetta, as well as the potential to OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. You can also note that threatening these Pokemon with priority gives Mega Banette a good opportunity to Mega Evolve.

Set Details
========
  • 28 Spe is used to outspeed Blastoise after mega evolution, as you fear Scald burns
  • 28 Spe also outspeeds 44 Speed Standard Jellicent prior to mega evolution
  • Rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk
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I believe my old spread of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can still be mentioned in Set Details as an alternative (the reasoning for that spread is in the on-site Set Details as well). The Speed can be useful for non-DBond Mega Banette so it can get off one last shot against wallbreakers like Exploud, Emboar, and Abomasnow (Gunk Shot OHKOes this), while DBond MNette doesn't really need the bulk anyway. The Speed also lets you play some mindgames with Fletchinder as you can now Destiny Bond before its Acrobatics (though you should still watch out for its Wisp, in which case you will want Gunk Shot's poisoning chance to help you).

Usage Tips
========
  • Do not mega evolve if you suspect Pokemon like Uxie to use Yawn
  • In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority, try to mega evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from
  • Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments
  • Paralysis and Burn are particularly troubling for Mega Banette
  • Aim to use Knock Off when opponent switches into a wall like Alomomola, Aromatisse or Registeel to stop passive recovery
  • Will-O-Wisp against Physical attackers like Sneasel and Drapion
  • Try not to reveal Destiny Bond until you are sure the opposing Pokemon is going for the KO
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- Toxic is annoying for Mega Banette too, especially the Destiny Bond variant.
- Since you praised Shadow Claw so highly, you can mention that it (or Gunk Shot) can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further, after they've been Knocked Off and burned
- You could list safer examples of physical attackers for Mega Banette to burn, such as Flygon and Aerodactyl. Will-O-Wisp can also cripple and slow down bulkier physical attackers such as Rhyperior and Escavalier, as well as soften up walls.
- I really do not see why you have to be cautious about when to use Destiny Bond. A huge part of Mega Banette's appeal is that its Destiny Bond is really difficult for setup sweepers to work around since Mega Banette can easily alternate between its slower attack and priority DBond to keep the opponent in the Destiny Bond lock while doing huge damage to them whenever they choose not to attack. Yes there's the issue of the 8 PP, but if you haven't KOed the opponent in 8 DBond + attack cycles, you shouldn't have had Mega Banette face off against them in the first place.

Team Options
========
  • Specially Defensive walls are usually helpful as fast specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk and it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp
  • Banette can benefit from having setup Sweeper partners, as it can cripple physical attackers with will-o-wisp
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Such as?

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak as priority, and also helps against threats like Meloetta
  • Protect can be used to mega evolve without taking damage
  • Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats
  • Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola
  • Taunt can be used as a stallbreaker set
  • Pain Split can be used to maintain longevity on Mega Banette
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- You already mentioned Sucker Punch in Moves, so what you could do here is just move the Sucker Punch mention from OO to Moves and elaborate on it a bit more (which I've already suggested you to do).
- Mention that Prankster Thunder Wave is something several other Pokemon can do, most notably Liepard, without costing the Mega slot.

**Dark-types**: Dark-types, such as Sneasel, Drapion and Scrafty can threaten Mega Banette because of their super effective moves, however fortunately most of them are Physical and can be crippled with Will-O-Wisp. Houndoom, in particular, is threatening due to it resisting STAB moves, being special, and not being effected by Will-O-Wisp.
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Honestly I don't think I would respond against Mega Banette with Dark-types unless I'm pressured to. Honestly I feel this section should probably be "Fire-types"; that way you can still include Houndoom, but also include Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder, all of which can be problematic to Mega Banette as well (of course, you'll have to specify how they each deal with MNette). You could note that they aren't solid counters though: Houndoom and Fletchinder detest eating a Gunk Shot, while Shadow Claw does hefty damage to Emboar and Mega Camerupt while still 2HKOing Hounddom. Of course, the threat of Destiny Bond looms as well, although Fletchinder is very well equipped to avoid that.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, such as Hoopa and Rotom can threaten Mega Banette with their super effective STAB moves. Both of these are threatening due to them outspeeding and not being that crippled by Will-O-Wisp. Also, both of these may carry Substitute to scout for the Sucker Punch.
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- Considering you didn't even slash Sucker Punch on the main set, I'm surprised you talked about it here and not mention how Shadow Sneak utterly brutalizes these two. I think it's better to rework this section entirely into "Special Attackers". Mons such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud can do a crazy amount of damage to Mega Banette, although the slower Grass-types may have to watch out for a fast Gunk Shot, weakened attackers should be wary about getting picked off by Shadow Sneak, and all of them are liable to a Destiny Bond KO.

**Status**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and Burn. Thunder Wave reduces its speed tier and makes it very easy to revenge kill, while burning it makes it almost useless due to lack of Attack

**Bulky Walls**: Bulky walls like Alomomola, Granbull and Registeel can take several hits from Mega Banette while attacking back or doing other things.
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- I feel this sectioned could be merged. Most bulky walls carry status anyway, and again list Toxic as a bad status for Destiny Bond MNette to get inflicted by.
 
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overview:

- Mega Banette prevents you from using Mega Glalie one of the best Spike users in the tier
- Mega Banette's lack of recovery means that it cannot take full advantage of Prankster boosted moves, as you can burn a Pokemon but are still at risk of being KOed

I'd remove these two points. The first one is pretty irrelevant. None of the megas in RU really compete with each other since they all work on different builds.

It doesn't really need recovery to make use of Prankster, you're approaching this analysis too much from the lens of a defensive Pokemon. Priority Wisp/Dbond are still really good regardless of recovery.

"- Mega Banette suffers from lack of resists and longevity, a few strong neutral hits will usually be enough to take it down"

I don't entirely agree with Punchshroom's point on this. Not having resists means it doesn't switch in on too much which is a better way to put this, but going down with a few strong neutral hits applies to nearly any offensive Pokemon, this isn't unique to Banette. This circles back to the point about this analysis looking at Banette as a defensive Pokemon when it isn't.

"Weak to opposing Ghost-types and also Dark-types like Sneasel and Drapion"

I don't think this flaw actually matters to be quite frank, so it should be removed. Those same Dark-types do not want to tangle with mega banette b/c of priority wisp (unless lum drap), while all ghosts are either slower and die to shadow claw or take a large chunk out of shadow sneak.

As for something to add, I think it's worth mentioning between Knock Off + Wisp + Shadow Claw + 160 Atk, it really has no counters and is good at breaking down defensive cores.

I think Gunk Shot should be relegated from moves, personally. Shadow Claw is a lot better due to being a reliable STAB that deals quite a bit of damage after a defensive target has their item Knocked Off (like steelix, rhyperior, garbodor, weezing, diancie, registeel, alo, etc and some offensive ones like defog flygon, aggron, esav, gurdurr, and camerupt) + Gunk Shot doesn't hit too much that Shadow Claw + Wisp + Knock Off don't already deal with and is a pretty shaky move in contrast to Shadow Claw which is super spammable. Shadow claw also has around the same BP factoring in STAB as Gunk Shot does but unlike Shadow Claw, Gunk Shot misses, has 8 PP, and targets a smaller range of pkmn in exchange for hitting a few things that don't like to deal with banette anyway.

It's quite a bit, but I trust that you'll get it all so

QC 1/3
 
- In OO, mention that Sub can be used with Pain Split to form an annoying SubSplit combination due to Prankster, but runs into moveslot syndrome issues for obvious reasons. SubDisable can be used in a similar vein, but has similar issues
- Note that all bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed.

QC Approved 2/3
 
Spirit said:
"- Mega Banette suffers from lack of resists and longevity, a few strong neutral hits will usually be enough to take it down"

I don't entirely agree with Punchshroom's point on this. Not having resists means it doesn't switch in on too much which is a better way to put this, but going down with a few strong neutral hits applies to nearly any offensive Pokemon, this isn't unique to Banette. This circles back to the point about this analysis looking at Banette as a defensive Pokemon when it isn't.
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Yo I didn't say that bolded part (Chakra put it in there); the 'not being able to switch into anything' was more of what I was going for, although I guess still being KOed easily by most burned opponents also factors into this.

Chakra said:
Implemented the changes and removed gunk shot from main set and put in oo.
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Considering even Spirit suggested for Gunk Shot to stay in Moves as opposed to dropping to OO outright, I believe Gunk Shot should still remain in Moves as well. Your C&C section has also made enough mention about Gunk Shot for it to be a relevant attack.

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types can avoid the priority burn from Will-O-Wisp and attack Mega Banette. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with a Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can priority Will-O-Wisp. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, while Houndoom and Fletchinder dislike Gunk Shot, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar and Mega Camerupt, while 2HKOing Houndoom.
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I believe I already suggested you to make specific mention about how Fletchinder easily circumvents Destiny Bond with either priority Acrobatics or simply waiting for MNette to succumb to burn while it Roost stalls.
 
gunk shot is moves worthy ye, not slash worthy but it's alright

mention specifically in usage tips that the combination of wisp and knock off (rip leftovers recovery) will cause walls to get worn down very quickly. you do note how knock off cripples walls but wisp wears them out very fast once lefties are removed

also pls proofread a little before this enters gp. solid job overall

qc 3/3
 
Amateur check...

additions
removals
comments

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette is a pure Ghost-type and has the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, (AC) allowing for it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw and its 165 Base Attack, Mega Banette really has no counters (wouldn't 'few counters' work better? e.g. Alomomola kind of laughs at it) and is therefore is very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, Mega Banette's access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability Prankster, which gives it priority on Will-O-Wisp and helps it with physicalagainst Dark-types and in general physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent with moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak at its disposal. Because of it'sMega Banette's Ghost typing Mega Banette canallows it to work as a Fighting-type check for offense and a decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main Rapid Spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses afterif Scald burns. Also, dDue to not havingits lack of resistances, Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and, as Prankster does not activate the turn of mMega eEvolution making it, it can be hard to choose when to mMega eEvolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive Attacker (isn't this set name kind of redundant? 'offensive' or 'attacker' would probably work better)
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for knockremoving off items, mallowinly ing Mega Banette to cripplinge bulky walls, and hitting the majority of typesost Pokemon neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. (but it has Shadow Claw. is this sentence needed?) Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off, while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items kKnocked oOff. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, ands well as bulky Steel-types likesuch as Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is used a STAB priority move due tothat circumvents Mega Banette's lacking sSpeed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond cis an be used alternatively move to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a kill with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used forto hitting Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon likesuch as Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull, and Mega Audino, will however hasbut it has a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is obviously used to Mega Evolve to gain Prankster and enhanced Sstats. Insomnia is uspreferred prior to mMega eEvolution to ensure Banette can't fall asleep against Pokemon such asis unaffected by Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. WhereasHowever, Frisk can be used to scout for items held by opposing Pokemon items. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature isare used to maximize damage as this is an offensively based PokemonBanette's damage output. 28 Speed EVs allow Banette to outspeeds 44 Speed Jellicent prior to mMega eEvolution, and is used towell as outspeed Blastoise after mMega eEvolution duto mitigate tohe fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used forto allow Mega Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar and Abomasnow. Also tThis lets you play mind games withspread also allows Mega Banette to defeat Fletchinder, as you cMega Banette will outspeed it and be able to use Destiny Bond before Fletchinder can use Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

DoBanette should not mMega eEvolve if you suspecit is possible that Pokemon likesuch as Uxie will try to use Yawnput it to sleep, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority, t. Try to mMega eEvolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, as paralysis, burn, and toxicpoison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches into a wall likesuch as Alomomola, Aromatisse, or Registeel to stopremove their means of passive recovery. Furthermore, Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against Pphysical attackers, such as Flygon and, Aerodactyl. Will-O-Wisp can also cripple and slow down bulkier physical attackers such as, Rhyperior, and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, asince Mega Banette can easily alternate between its sloweran attack and priority Destiny Bond to keep the opponent in Destcreate miny Bond Lock while doing huge damages ifor they choose not to attack opponent. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off. (can't mega banette just click will-o-wisp twice though ?_?)

Team Options
========

Wall breakers such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Banette to clean late-game b, as they can whittlinge down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Pokemon that deal with opposing Dark-types are helpful. Therefore Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, and Diancie that can deal with opposing Dark-types for Mega Banette are also appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls, such as Diancie and Registeel, are usually helpful, as fast specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Banette is a Ghost-type, it can spin block decently and also appreciates spikehazard stacking due to the residual damage hazards provide; therefore, Garbaodor and Qwilfish armake for good teammates. Finally, Banette can benefit from having setup Ssweeper partners, such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, as itBanette can ease setup by crippleing physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to mMega eEvolve without taking damage, and to gain Prankster. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats,; however, many Pokemon likesuch as Liepard can do this without using up a mMega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used a stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain longevity on Mega Banette's longevity. A combination of Substitute and Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, it dothis leaves not havit with little space for a variety of moves because of thiother moves. Finally,A Substitute and Disable set can also be used in combination, but it facehas similar problemissues.


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

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types can avoid the priority burn fromare immune to Will-O-Wisp, and attack Mega Banettellowing them to switch in. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with a Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can prioritycripple Mega Banette with Will-O-Wisp itself. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, and Mega Camerupt, while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette and do, being amounts ofble to heavily damage it, and arwhile not being that affected by priority Will-O-Wisp. SHowever, slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw, and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and Bburn. Thunder Wave reduces its slowers Mega Banette's Speed tier and, makesing it very easy to revenge kill, while burning itMega Banette makes it almost useless due to lack ofas it cuts its Attack stat. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most Bbulky Wwalls carry status moves and can also take several hits from Mega Banette, examplesuch as include Alomomola and Registeel. However, allmost bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their lLeftovers removed. Unfortunately, Mega Audino is particularly worryisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off and, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell away Will-O-Wisp burns.
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette is a pure Ghost-type and has the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, (AC) allowing it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw and its 165 Base Attack, Mega Banette really has no counters and is therefore very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, Mega Banette's access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability Prankster, which gives it priority on Will-O-Wisp and helps it against Dark-types and physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent with moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak at its disposal. Mega Banette's Ghost typing allows it to work as a Fighting-type check for offense and a decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main Rapid Spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses if Scald burns. Due to its lack of resistances, Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and, as Prankster does not activate the turn of Mega Evolution, it can be hard to choose when to Mega Evolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for removing items, allowing Mega Banette to cripple bulky walls and hit most Pokemon neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off, while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items Knocked Off. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that circumvents Mega Banette's lacking Speed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond is an alternative move to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a kill with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used to hit Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon such as Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull, and Mega Audino, but it has a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is obviously used to Mega Evolve to gain Prankster and enhanced stats. Insomnia is preferred prior to Mega Evolution to ensure Banette is unaffected by Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. However, Frisk can be used to scout for items held by opposing Pokemon. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Banette's damage output. 28 Speed EVs allow Banette to outspeed 44 Speed Jellicent prior to Mega Evolution, as well as outspeed Blastoise after Mega Evolution to mitigate the fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used to allow Mega Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar and Abomasnow. This spread also allows Mega Banette to defeat Fletchinder, as Mega Banette will outspeed it and be able to use Destiny Bond before Fletchinder can use Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

Banette should not Mega Evolve if it is possible that Pokemon such as Uxie will try to put it to sleep, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority. Try to Mega Evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, as paralysis, burn, and poison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches in a wall such as Alomomola, Aromatisse, or Registeel to remove their means of passive recovery. Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against physical attackers such as Flygon, Aerodactyl, Rhyperior, and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, as Mega Banette can easily alternate between an attack and priority Destiny Bond to create mindgames for the opponent. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off.

Team Options
========

Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Banette to clean late-game, as they can whittle down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, and Diancie that can deal with opposing Dark-types for Mega Banette are also appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls such as Diancie and Registeel are useful, as specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Banette is a Ghost-type, it can spinblock decently and also appreciates hazard stacking due to the residual damage hazards provide; therefore, Garbodor and Qwilfish make for good teammates. Finally, Banette can benefit from having setup sweeper partners such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, as Banette can ease setup by crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to Mega Evolve without taking damage and to gain Prankster. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats; however, many Pokemon such as Liepard can do this without using up a Mega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used a stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain Mega Banette's longevity. A combination of Substitute and Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, this leaves it with little space for a variety of other moves. A SubDisable set can also be used, but it has similar issues.


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

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp, allowing them to switch in. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can cripple Mega Banette with Will-O-Wisp itself. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, and Mega Camerupt, while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette, being able to heavily damage it, while not being that affected by Will-O-Wisp. However, slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and burn. Thunder Wave lowers Mega Banette's Speed, making it very easy to revenge kill, while burning Mega Banette makes it almost useless as it cuts its Attack stat. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most bulky walls carry status moves and can also take several hits from Mega Banette, such as Alomomola and Registeel. However, most bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed. Unfortunately, Mega Audino is particularly worrisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell away Will-O-Wisp burns.

As an aside, always make sure you proofread your analyses as you write them. There were too many things I had to change that you could have easily caught before setting this to GP status.
 
354-mega.png
amcheck, friend :)
add remove (comments)
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette is a pure Ghost-type (do you think you'll be able to add something to this? banette's typing is going to be displayed right above this so there's absolute no need to have this part, something like "Mega Banette is a pure Ghost-type, allowing it to......." would work) and has the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, (comma) allowing for it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw, (comma) and its base 165 Base Attack, (comma) Mega Banette really has no counters and therefore is very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, Mega Banette's access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability Prankster, which gives it priority Will-O-Wisp and helps it with physical Dark-types and in general physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent with moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch, (comma) and Shadow Sneak at its disposal. Because of it's its typing, (comma) Mega Banette can work as a Fighting-type check for offense and as a (optional) decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main Rapid Spinner spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses after Scald burns. Also, due to not having less resistances, (comma) Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and Prankster does not activate on the turn of Mega Evolution, (comma) making it hard to choose when to Mega Evolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for knocking off items, mainly in crippling bulky walls, and hitting the majority of types neutrally. Knock Off is primarily used for removing items to cripple bulkier walls and for hitting the majority of types neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off, while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items Knocked Off. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, and as well as bulky Steel-types like Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is used as a STAB priority move due to Mega Banette's lacking Speed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond can be used alternatively to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, (remove comma) or for securing a kill with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used for hitting Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon like Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull and Mega Audino; (comma>semi colon) will however, (comma) it has low PP and a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is obviously used to Mega Evolve to used to gain Prankster and enhanced stats. Insomnia is used prior to Mega Evolution to ensure Banette can't fall asleep against make sure it can't be put to sleep by Pokemon such as Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. Whereas, , whereas Frisk can be used to scout for opposing Pokemon items. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature is used to maximize damage, (comma) as this is an offensively based Pokemon. 28 Speed EVs allow Mega Banette to outspeeds 44 Speed Jellicent prior to Mega Evolution, (remove comma) and is used to outspeed Blastoise after Mega Evolution due to fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used for Mega (if you're talking about it) Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar, (comma) and Abomasnow. Also, (comma) this lets you play mind games with Fletchinder, (comma) as you can use Destiny Bond before it uses Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

Do not Mega Evolve if you suspect Pokemon like Uxie to use Yawn, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority, so try to Mega Evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases Sometimes, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, (comma) as paralysis, burn, and toxic poison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a the combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches into a wall like Alomomola, Aromatisse, (comma) or Registeel to stop passive recovery. Furthermore, Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off removed and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against physical attackers, (remove comma) such as Flygon and Aerodactyl. Will-O-Wisp can also cripple and slow down bulkier physical attackers such as Rhyperior and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, (comma) since Mega Banette can easily alternate between its slower attacks and priority Destiny Bond to keep the opponent foe locked into Destiny Bond Lock while doing huge damage if they choose not to attack. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, (comma) as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off.

Team Options
========

Wallbreakers (one word) such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Mega Banette to clean late-game by whittling down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Pokemon that deal with opposing Dark-types are helpful. Therefore, (comma) Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, (comma) and Diancie are appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls, such as Diancie and Registeel, are usually helpful, (comma) as fast specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Mega Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Mega Banette is a Ghost-type, (comma) it can spinblock (one word) decently and also appreciates Spikes stacking; therefore, Garbador and Qwilfish are good teammates. Finally, Mega Banette can benefit from having setup sweeper partners, such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, as it can cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to Mega Evolve Banette without taking damage, and to gain Prankster. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats; (comma>semi colon) however, (comma) many Pokemon like Liepard can do this without using up a Mega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used a on a (or "as a") stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain longevity on Mega Banette. A combination of Substitute and + Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, it does not have space for a variety of moves because of this. Finally, Substitute and Disable can be used in combination (in combination with what?), but it faces Mega Banette faces similar problems if it runs them.
(remove extra line break)
Checks and Counters
===================
(remove extra line break)
**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types can avoid the burn from are immune to Will-O-Wisp and can attack Mega Banette. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, (comma) and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten Mega Banette with a Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can burn Mega Banette with priority Will-O-Wisp. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, (comma) and Mega Camerupt, while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, (comma) and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette and do big amounts of damage, and they are not that affected by priority Will-O-Wisp. Slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw though, and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and burns. Thunder Wave reduces its Speed tier and makes it very easy to revenge kill it, while burning it makes it almost useless due to lack of its reduced Attack. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most Bulky walls carry status and can also take several hits from Mega Banette; (comma>semi colon) examples include Alomomola and Registeel. Mega Audino is particularly worrisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can use Heal Bell to remove its burn. However, all bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed. Mega Audino is particularly worrysome for Mega Banette as it resists Knock Off and is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell Will-O-Wisp. (moved this before the "However," sentence)
 
Last edited:
add/fix spelling remove comments
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette is to feared as it possesses the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, allowing it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw, [ac] and its base 165 Base Attack, Mega Banette has very few counters and is therefore very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, Mega Banette's access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability, [ac] Prankster, which gives it priority on Will-O-Wisp and helps it against Dark-types and physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent and includes with moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch, [ac] and Shadow Sneak at its disposal. Mega Banette's Ghost typing allows it to work as a Fighting-type check for offense and a decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main Rapid Spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses if Scald burns. Due to its lack of resistances, Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and, as Prankster does not activate the turn of Mega Evolution, it can be hard to choose when to Mega Evolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for removing items, allowing Mega Banette to cripple bulky walls and hit most Pokemon neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off, [rc] while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items Knocked Off. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that circumvents Mega Banette's lacking Speed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond is an alternative move to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a kill KO with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used to hit Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon such as Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull, and Mega Audino, but it has a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is obviously used to Mega Evolve to gain Prankster and enhanced stats. Insomnia is preferred prior to Mega Evolution to ensure Banette is unaffected by Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. However, Frisk can be used to scout for items held by opposing Pokemon. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Banette's damage output. 28 Speed EVs allow Banette to outspeed 44 Speed Jellicent prior to Mega Evolution, as well as outspeed Blastoise after Mega Evolution to mitigate the fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used to allow Mega Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar, [ac] and Abomasnow. This spread also allows Mega Banette to defeat Fletchinder, as Mega Banette will outspeed it and be able to use Destiny Bond before Fletchinder can use Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

Banette should not Mega Evolve if it is possible that Pokemon such as Uxie will try to put it to sleep, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority. Try to Mega Evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, as paralysis, burn, and poison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches in a wall such as Alomomola, Aromatisse, or Registeel to remove their means of passive recovery. Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against physical attackers such as Flygon, Aerodactyl, Rhyperior, and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, as Mega Banette can easily alternate between an attack and priority Destiny Bond to create mindgames for the opponent. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off.

Team Options
========

Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Banette to clean late-game, as they can whittle down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, and Diancie that can deal with opposing Dark-types for Mega Banette are also appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls such as Diancie and Registeel are useful, as specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Banette is a Ghost-type, it can spinblock decently and also appreciates entry hazard stacking due to the residual damage entry hazards provide; therefore, Garbodor and Qwilfish make for good teammates. Finally, Banette can benefit from having setup sweeper partners such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, as Banette can ease setup by crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to Mega Evolve without taking damage and to gain Prankster. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats; however, many Pokemon such as Liepard can do this without using up a Mega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used a stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain Mega Banette's longevity. A combination of Substitute and Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, this leaves it with little space for a variety of other moves. A SubDisable set can also be used, but it has similar issues.


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

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp, allowing them to switch in. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can cripple Mega Banette with Will-O-Wisp itself. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, and Mega Camerupt, while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette, being able to heavily damage it, [rc] while not being that affected by Will-O-Wisp. However, slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and burn. Thunder Wave lowers Mega Banette's Speed, making it very easy to revenge kill, while burning Mega Banette makes it almost useless, [ac] as it the burn cuts its Attack stat. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most bulky walls carry status moves and can also take several hits from Mega Banette, such as Alomomola and Registeel. However, most bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed. Unfortunately, Mega Audino is particularly worrisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell away Will-O-Wisp burns.
1/2
 
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Banette possesses the highest Attack stat in the current metagame, allowing it to function as an effective physical attacker. Between Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Claw, and its base 165 Attack, Mega Banette has very few counters and is therefore very good at breaking down defensive cores. Furthermore, its Mega Banette's access to Knock Off and Shadow Claw makes it great against opposing Psychic-types such as Uxie, as well as Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Jellicent. Another reason to use Mega Banette is its ability, Prankster, which gives it priority on Will-O-Wisp and helps it against Dark-types and physical attackers in general. Prankster also works in conjunction with Destiny Bond and gives Mega Banette an effective way to KO opposing threats that may sweep, such as Virizion, Absol, Delphox, and Meloetta. Banette's movepool is also decent and includes moves like Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch, and Shadow Sneak. Mega Banette's Ghost typing allows it to work as a Fighting-type check for offense and a decent spinblocker. However, Mega Banette has a bad matchup against the main Rapid Spinner spinner in the tier, Blastoise, as it generally loses if Scald burns. Due to its lack of resistances, Mega Banette cannot switch in on many attacks. Furthermore, Mega Banette has an awkward Speed tier and mediocre bulk, and, as Prankster does not activate the turn of Mega Evolution, it can be hard to choose when to Mega Evolve.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch / Destiny Bond
item: Banettite
ability: Insomnia / Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe

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

Knock Off is primarily used for removing items, allowing Mega Banette to cripple bulky walls and hit most Pokemon neutrally. Knock Off is also important as an offensive move on Mega Banette, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Will-O-Wisp is used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple physical attackers and bulky Pokemon. Shadow Claw is used to hit opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types for more damage than Knock Off while also hitting Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Glalie and Mega Camerupt, and Pokemon with their items Knocked Off. Shadow Claw's main targets consist of physically defensive Slowking and Jellicent, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Escavalier and Steelix. Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that circumvents Mega Banette's lacking Speed tier. Shadow Sneak is usually preferred over Sucker Punch because it hits Fighting-types, such as Virizion, neutrally. It is also effective against Pokemon like Delphox, Hoopa, Medicham, and Sigilyph. Sucker Punch can be used over Shadow Sneak to hit Meloetta, as well as potentially OHKO Delphox and Sigilyph. Destiny Bond is an alternative move to stop opposing Pokemon from sweeping, or for securing a KO with a weakened Mega Banette. Finally, Gunk Shot can be used to hit Fairy- and Grass-types super effectively. It most notably hits Pokemon such as Virizion, Tangrowth, Granbull, and Mega Audino, but it has a chance of missing and low PP.

Set Details
========

Banettite is obviously used to Mega Evolve to gain Prankster and enhanced stats. Insomnia is preferred prior to Mega Evolution to ensure Banette is unaffected by Yawn Uxie and Sleep Powder Venusaur. However, Frisk can be used to scout for items held by opposing Pokemon. 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Banette's damage output. 28 Speed EVs allow Banette to outspeed 44 Speed Jellicent prior to Mega Evolution, as well as outspeed Blastoise after Mega Evolution to mitigate the fear of Scald burns. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to maximize bulk. An alternative set of 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe can be used to allow Mega Banette to outspeed Exploud, Emboar, and Abomasnow. This spread also allows Mega Banette to defeat Fletchinder, as Mega Banette will outspeed it and be able to use Destiny Bond before Fletchinder can use Acrobatics.

Usage Tips
========

Banette should not Mega Evolve if it is possible that Pokemon such as Uxie will try to put it to sleep, as Insomnia can be helpful. In other cases, Mega Evolution should be a top priority. Try to Mega Evolve on slower Pokemon or Pokemon that Banette can afford to take damage from. In other cases, it can be useful to Mega Evolve while using Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch to not take damage. Try to avoid staying in on Pokemon that can inflict status ailments, as paralysis, burn, and poison are all troubling for Mega Banette. Aim to use a combination of Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp when the opponent switches in a wall such as Alomomola, Aromatisse, or Registeel to remove their means of passive recovery. Shadow Claw can be used to pressure bulky Pokemon even further after their item has been Knocked Off and they have been burned. Will-O-Wisp should be used against physical attackers such as Flygon, Aerodactyl, Rhyperior, and Escavalier. Destiny Bond is hard for setup sweepers to work around, as Mega Banette can easily alternate between an attack and priority Destiny Bond to create mind games for the opponent. Be wary of Lum Berry Drapion, as it can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off.

Team Options
========

Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Emboar are helpful in allowing Banette to clean late-game, as they can whittle down the majority of bulky walls on the opposing team. Fighting- and Fairy-type partners such as Virizion, Medicham, Sawk, Granbull, and Diancie that can deal with opposing Dark-types for Mega Banette are also appreciated. Furthermore, specially defensive walls such as Diancie and Registeel are useful, as specially offensive Pokemon can take advantage of Banette's mediocre bulk because it can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Since Banette is a Ghost-type, it can spinblock decently and also appreciates entry hazard stacking due to the residual damage entry hazards provide; therefore, Garbodor and Qwilfish make for good teammates. Finally, Banette can benefit from having setup sweeper partners such as Fletchinder and Scrafty, and it as Banette can ease setup for them by crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

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

Protect can be used to Mega Evolve and gain Prankster without taking damage and to gain Prankster. Thunder Wave can be used in conjunction with Prankster to cripple threats; however, many Pokemon such as Liepard can do this without using up a Mega slot. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that may switch in such as Alomomola. Taunt can be used on a stallbreaker set, while Pain Split can be used to maintain Mega Banette's longevity. A combination of Substitute and Pain Split with Prankster can be used; however, this leaves it with little space for a variety of other moves. A Substitute + Disable set can also be used, but it has similar issues.

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

**Fire-types**: Fast Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp, allowing them to switch in. Houndoom, Mega Camerupt, Emboar, and Fletchinder are all threatening Pokemon. Houndoom can easily threaten with Dark Pulse, Mega Camerupt and Emboar can take any attack and KO back, and Fletchinder can cripple Mega Banette with Will-O-Wisp itself. However, all of these Pokemon are scared of Destiny Bond, and Shadow Claw does big damage to Emboar, Fletchinder, and Mega Camerupt, (RC) while 2HKOing Houndoom.

**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Venusaur, Magneton, Rotom-C, Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Exploud are very threatening to Mega Banette, being able to heavily damage it while not being that affected by Will-O-Wisp. However, slower Pokemon have to watch out for Shadow Claw and weakened attackers fear Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, while Destiny Bond can catch all of them off guard.

**Status and Bulky Walls**: Mega Banette is greatly crippled by Thunder Wave and burn. Thunder Wave lowers Mega Banette's Speed, making it very easy to revenge kill, while burning Mega Banette makes it almost useless, as the burn cuts its Attack stat. Toxic is particularly bad for the Destiny Bond set. Most bulky walls carry status moves and can also take several hits from Mega Banette, such as Alomomola and Registeel. However, most bulky walls, especially Registeel, dislike having their Leftovers removed. Unfortunately, Mega Audino is particularly worrisome for Mega Banette, as it resists Knock Off, is not affected by Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak, and can Heal Bell away Will-O-Wisp burns.
 
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