Doubles Mega Charizard Y (Revamp)

Yoda2798 · Jul 20, 2018

[OVERVIEW]

With a high Special Attack in tandem with Drought, Mega Charizard Y is able to fire off powerful Fire-type attacks, making it one of the strongest attackers in the metagame.
Due to having the fantastic weather setting ability of Drought, whenever Mega Charizard Y comes onto the field sun will be set. This will override any opposing weather and weaken Water-type attacks, which Mega Charizard Y is weak to, and most importantly boosts the strength of Fire-type attacks by 50%, letting its Heat Wave tear through anything which doesn't resist, and turns Overheat into a "nuke."
However, Mega Charizard Y struggles against the common Tapu Koko, while losing quite badly to Rock-types such as Diancie and also opposing weather setters in Pelipper and Tyranitar. Furthermore, it faces trouble against the prevalent Incineroar, which can shrug off its attacks and launch sun-boosted Flare Blitzes in return. Finally, Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-O can safely take a hit from Mega Charizard-Y and set up with their respective moves.
Charizard also suffers from having a mediocre base 100 Speed, leaving it reliant on speed control in order to truly shine.
Mega Charizard Y also possesses a poor defensive typing, leaving it weak to very common Electric-, Rock-, and Water-type attacks (although Drought helps mitigate the Water-type weakness). Combined with its inability to take neutral hits particularly well, this makes Charizard a Pokemon that requires some level of board control to bring out safely.
Overall, Mega Charizard Y is a great Pokemon in the DOU metagame. Despite its flaws defensively and its middling speed, with the right support, Charizard can perform fantastically due to its excellent offensive presence. The few Pokemon Mega Charizard Y struggles against are easy enough to deal with from teammates, and outside of them Charizard can threaten almost anything with its scorching hot Fire-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Sun Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Solar Beam / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Heat Wave is Mega Charizard Y's main attack, being a sun-boosted, STAB, spread move sure to heavily dent both opposing Pokemon.
Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to decimate a single foe at the cost of a special attack drop, being able to OHKO most Pokemon which do not resist it, including offensive Kyurem-B, and seriously damage even Pokemon which do.
Solar Beam provides valuable coverage, hitting the Water- and Rock-types, such as Tapu Fini and Diancie respectively, which resist Heat Wave for super effective damage.
Alternatively, Charizard can use Tailwind, providing a reliable form of speed control and help alleviate its own middling speed.
Lastly, Protect shields Mega Charizard Y from attacks and allows it to stall out opposing field conditions.

Set Details
========

A simple EV spread with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximizes Charizard's offensive capabilities.
The remaining EVs are a dump stat which can be put into either Defense stat, just not into HP, to keep Charizard at an odd HP number to allow switching into Stealth Rocks twice if needed.
A Timid nature allows Mega Charizard Y to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, notably ensuring that any non-Choice Scarf Tapu Lele or Kyurem-B will be outsped.
Alternatively, Charizard can use a Modest nature with a bulkier spread such as 248 HP / 40 Def / 112 SpA / 108 Spe, allowing it to avoid an OHKO from Icium Kyurem-B's Fusion Bolt at neutral, or Subzero Slammer at -1 Attack, and to outspeed base 130s such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko at -1 Speed. However, the inability to outspeed faster threats such as the aforementioned Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B is quite noticeable, and makes Mega Charizard Y more reliant on speed control to function well.

Usage Tips
========

Once on the field, using Mega Charizard Y is fairly simple, but the real difficulty comes from finding the right time to send it out. Charizard can make a good lead, to immediately put pressure on the opposing team and to set sun, but needs to watch out for the common lead Incineroar, which it struggles greatly against.
Generally, the best time to put Mega Charizard Y into play is when it will outspeed the two opponents, often from speed control, and either KO or do a lot of damage to opponents with Heat Wave.
Mega Charizard Y should be safely sent onto the field from free switches or pivot moves such as U-Turn and Volt Switch, and switch only into weaker and resisted hits if needed. This helps it preserve its health for surviving a stronger attack later when needed, such as ensuring it can endure a hit from Mega Gengar or Mega Metagross to KO in return.
Once out, Heat Wave is the move Charizard will be aiming to use most of the time, with Solar Beam being used against Fire-type resists such as Tapu Fini as required, and Overheat used sparingly to KO an important threat that Heat Wave cannot.
However, Solar Beam should be used cautiously if the opposing team has a different weather setter such as Politoed or Tyranitar, as if they switch in it will become a two turn move and leave Mega Charizard Y dangerously trapped.
During weather wars, it's generally a good idea to keep Mega Charizard Y in the back to switch in once the opposing team has already set their weather, as this allows Charizard to come in and override it. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match.

Team Options
========

Tapu Koko is an excellent offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y, being able to deal with the Water- and Dragon-types that resist Charizard's Fire-type attacks with Thunderbolt and Dazzling Gleam respectively.
Landorus-T is another superb partner Mega Charizard Y. Intimidate helps soften attacks for Charizard's lower Defense, and it can help deal with Incineroar quite well. Landorus-T also provides an Electric-type immunity, and with the correct spread or item can live even a Life Orb-boosted HP Ice from opposing Tapu Koko, making it useful against them as well. In return, Mega Charizard Y can help deal with Kyurem-B which threaten Landorus-T.
Scrafty is another teammate option with Intimidate, and also provides Fake Out, which is especially useful if Charizard is carrying Tailwind. Beyond that however, Scrafty tends to be a momentum drain due to its low Speed and offensive capabilites, and really only works best if the team has a Trick Room option to it.
Speed control users greatly help Mega Charizard Y, with the two most useful forms being Tailwind, or spread moves which reduce speed, such as Icy Wind and Electroweb. Some good teammates with Tailwind include Zapdos, Mew, and Kartana. Zapdos provides a bulky option, but doesn't fit well with Tapu Koko on the team and doesn't help much offensively outside of Thunderbolt for Water-types. Mew plays a more dedicated support role, having Fake Out, and can viably run Defog to help against the uncommon Stealth Rocks. Lastly, Kartana provides some additional offense, being able to hit Water- and Rock-types hard with Leaf Blade.
The most common and effective Icy Wind user is Kyurem-B, which can work well with Mega Charizard Y, as it can make Dragon-types think twice about switching in, and can use Fusion Bolt to help deal with Water-types. Using this combination is particularly weak to Rock-types such as Tyranitar or Diancie, though, so the rest of the team must be built with this in consideration. Another option is Tapu Fini, which can also work well with Charizard despite sun weakening its Water-type attacks. Tapu Fini can use Moonblast to deal with Dragon-types, and other moves such as Nature's Madness, Taunt, and Heal Pulse make it excellent at supporting Mega Charizard Y. Other niche options with Icy Wind include Cresselia and Milotic. For Electroweb, the most common user is Porygon2, which combined with Ice Beam and Ally switch is another great support option for Charizard. Alternatively, Tapu Koko and Genesect can sometimes fit Electroweb into their movesets, but usually play more offensive roles.
Stealth Rocks can be a valuable asset to Mega Charizard Y, potentionally weakening foes into Heat Wave range, and particularly helping against Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion, which Charizard struggles with. Common users include Landorus-T and Ferrothorn, which both synergise well with Mega Charizard Y.
Finally, the setup Dragon-types of the tier, Zygarde and Kommo-O, are great partners for Mega Charizard Y. Zygarde can use its Ground-type STAB to hit Pokemon which Charizard struggles against, such as Incineroar and Tyranitar, for super effective damage. At +1, it can also outspeed and KO Tapu Koko, as well as deal with other fast foes such as Mega Gengar before they can attack Charizard. In return, Mega Charizard Y can deal with Pokemon which trouble Zygarde such as Tapu Bulu, Genesect, and Kyurem-B. Kommo-O can also take advantage of the aforementioned threats to Charizard, being able to setup using its Z-move and then becoming a great offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y. However, this duo struggles quite badly against Tapu Fini or Koko, meaning teammates must be chosen with that in mind. Both partners use spread moves in duo with Mega Charizard to defeat their foes, meaning Wide Guard can be a problem. Luckily, Charizard can use Overheat to OHKO two of the most common users, Aegislash and Celesteela, but Araquanid is more difficult to deal with.

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

Mega Charizard Y can be used on teams with a Trick Room element to it, however it is outclassed by Mega Camerupt on dedicated Trick Room teams. In this case, a spread of 248 HP / 40 Def / 156 SpA / 64 SpD should be used with a Quiet nature. This spread avoids an OHKO from Icium Kyurem-B's Fusion Bolt at neutral, or Subzero Slammer at -1 Attack, the same as the bulkier spread mentioned above. The Special Defense then allows it to survive two Sludge Bombs from Mega Gengar, with the remaining EVs used to raise Charizard's Special Attack, and a Quiet nature further boosting it while minimizing its Speed for Trick Room.
Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal with Zygarde, and can OHKO it depending on EV spreads and rolls. Outside of this though, the only real uses are KOing the increasingly rare Mega Salamence, and KOing Landorus-T without the drawbacks of Overheat.
Flamethrower or Fire Blast are possible alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the -2 Special Attack drawback of Overheat. However, the drop in power is noticeable, and it misses out on many OHKOes that Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B.
Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to KO Tyranitar or deal substantial damage to Incineroar, two Pokemon which usually feel very safe against Charizard. The shaky accuracy means it's unreliable though, and it's usually better to leave teammates to deal with these Pokemon.
Air Slash is Mega Charizard Y's strongest option for a Flying-type STAB, but is still one of it's weaker move options. The only notable KO is against Kommo-O, and outside of that Charizard's Fire-type attacks are much stronger, with a resisted Overheat still doing more than a neutral Air Slash.
Roost is an option on bulkier Charizard sets to extend its longevity, but having to give up a valuable attack or Protect, as well as being difficult to find times to use in battle, makes it a move hard to justify adding.
Will-O-Wisp allows Mega Charizard Y to weaken the strength of physical attackers, but Charizard can simply KO most physical attackers, with the main exceptions being Incineroar who immune to burns anyways, or Diancie and Tyranitar who can still OHKO Mega Charizard Y despite burn.

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

**Dragon-Types**: Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-O can resist any of Mega Charizard Y's common attacks, while the mentioned examples can use Charizard as a setup opportunity.

**Fire-Types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion are very comfortable with switching into one of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Volcanion does not resist Solarbeam due to its Water-typing meaning it's not as hard a stop, but it can threaten Charizard with a 2HKO using Steam Eruption. Incineroar can easily come in on Mega Charizard Y and provide Fake Out pressure, and can 2HKO with Flare Blitz due to the sun-boost.

**Opposing Weather**: Politoed and Pelipper can completely neutralize Mega Charizard Y on switch-in with Drizzle, as rain weakens its Fire-type attacks and makes Water-type attacks against it stronger. Tyranitar can easily switch into Charizard, even on a Solar Beam, and OHKO it with ease or force it out.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Mega Diancie are all able to outspeed Charizard and deal massive damage to or OHKO it. Weather-based attackers such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Excadrill are all able to outrun and OHKO Charizard as well in their respective weathers.

**Paralysis, Tailwind, and Trick Room**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing against opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard. This means many Pokemon which Mega Charizard Y usually beats can attack first, and often double target it for the KO. The rare Thunder-Wave works similarly, substantially slowing down Charizard relative to the other Pokemon on the field.

**Stealth Rock and Wide Guard**: Stealth Rock, despite not being as common in doubles as in singles, does see usage in DOU. This move badly hurts Mega Charizard Y's staying power, taking away 50% of its HP on each switch in, with even one switch-in putting Charizard in range of many attacks, such as Mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb. Wide Guard stops Charizard from being able to freely spam Heat Wave, the move it will want to be using most turns. Araquanid is a common user, which can also threaten Charizard with Water Bubble-boosted Liquidation.

[OVERVIEW]

High Special Attack combined with the weather-setting ability Drought make Mega Charizard Y one of the strongest attackers in the metagame.
Mega Charizard also has strong matchups against the most common megas, Gengar and Metagross.
Base 100 Speed means Charizard can outspeed Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B, but requires speed control to perform most effectively.
Offensively Charizard struggles against opposing Fire, Dragon, and Water types, as they all switch in relatively safely, and it struggles defensively versus common Electric-type attacks, and against physical attackers due to its poor Defense.
Overall, Mega Charizard Y is a great Pokemon in the DOU metagame. Despite its flaws defensively and its middling speed, with efficient support, Charizard can perform its offensive role excellently.

[SET]
name: Sun Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Overheat / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Heat Wave is Mega Charizard Y's main attack, being a sun-boosted, STAB, spread move sure to heavily dent both opposing Pokemon.
Solar Beam provides valuable coverage, hitting the Water- and Rock-types, such as Tapu Fini and Diancie respectively, which resist Heat Wave for super effective damage.
Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to deal a large amount of damage to one foe, at the cost of lowering its Special Attack. Overheat can OHKO many Pokemon that do not resist Fire, and even some resists will take heavy damage.
Instead of Overheat, Charizard can also use Tailwind, providing a reliable form of speed control for itself and teammates.
Tailwind can also be used over Solar Beam instead, but losing the coverage to hit Fire-resists hurts Charizard a lot.
Lastly, Protect shields Mega Charizard Y from attacks and allows it to stall out opposing field conditions.

Set Details
========

A simple EV spread with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximizes Charizard's offensive capabilities.
The remaining EVs are a dump stat which can be put into either Defense stat, just not into HP, to keep Charizard at an odd HP number to allow switching into Stealth Rocks twice if needed.
A Timid nature allows Mega Charizard Y to move first as often as possible, notably outspeeding any non-Choice Scarf Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B.
Alternatively, Charizard can use a Modest nature with a bulkier spread with 232 HP / 104 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 108 Spe. This allows it to take any one attack from -1 Kyurem-B, or survive a Thunderbolt from non-Life Orb Tapu Koko, and to outspeed base 130s such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko at -1 Speed. However, the slower Speed makes Charizard even more reliant on speed control to work well.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Charizard Y often makes a good lead, due to its ability to put pressure on the opponent right away and to force switches, especially against Mega Gengar, which is a commonly lead. Against rain teams in particular, being able to mega evolve and override rain once they lead or switch in their Drizzle Pokemon gains important early momentum. The only problem when leading Mega Charizard Y can be Incineroar, which Charizard’s teammate should be chosen to deal with.
Mega Charizard Y should be safely sent onto the field from free switches or pivot moves such as U-Turn and Volt Switch, and switch only into weaker and resisted hits if needed. This helps it preserve its health for surviving a stronger attack later when needed, such as ensuring it can endure a hit from Mega Gengar or Mega Metagross to KO in return.
Charizard should aim to be out alongside other offensive Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, or Kommo-O to really put offensive pressure on the opponent. Mega Charizard Y should be able to put things in range for its partner to finish off, or force defensive plays which can be taken advantage of with moves such as Tailwind or Clangorous Soulblaze.
In weather wars, it's important to keep Mega Charizard Y alive so it can come in and override the opposing weather. However, Charizard cannot safely switch into attacks from Kingdra or Tyranitar. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match.
If using a teammate with Defog, note that targeting your teammate will not remove Stealth Rock on the opposing side of the field. Otherwise, using Defog to lower the opponent’s Evasion will ensure any of Charizard’s attacks will connect with it.

Team Options
========

Tapu Koko is an excellent offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y, being able to effectively deal with the Water- and Dragon-types that resist Charizard's Fire-type attacks.
Landorus-T is another superb partner Mega Charizard Y. Intimidate softens attacks for Charizard's lower Defense, and it helps deal with Incineroar quite well.
Fake Out users such as Incineroar, Scrafty, and Mew are also good teammates for Charizard. Fake Out can allow more defensive plays such as allowing Charizard to safely switch in or set Tailwind, or more offensive plays like protecting it from Pokemon such as Mega Metagross and Landorus-T, to safely pick up the knock out against them.
Tailwind users provides reliable speed control for Mega Charizard Y, and mean it doesn’t need to give up a move slot. Zapdos, Mew, and Kartana are good users of Tailwind who work well with Charizard.
Icy Wind users such as Kyurem-B, and Tapu Fini offer a different form of speed control for Charizard, with Porygon2 functioning similarly with Electroweb.
Porygon2, as well as Diancie, can also be used for another speed control variant in Trick Room. Using the bulkier spread mentioned before, Charizard can work on teams with multiple methods of speed control, including Trick Room, allowing it to work in a variety of scenarios. On dedicated Trick Room teams, however, it is outclassed by Mega Camerupt.
Stealth Rock can be a valuable asset to Mega Charizard Y, meaning Fire-types can’t switch as easily into its attacks. Common users such as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn, both synergise well with Mega Charizard Y. On the other hand, Charizard is especially weak to opposing Stealth Rock. Having Defog on Pokemon Tapu Fini or Landorus-T can help against this problem.
Zygarde and Kommo-O are two Dragon-types which are both great offensive partners for Mega Charizard Y. Zygarde can hit Fire- and Rock-type foes with its Ground-type STAB, while Charizard can deal with Grass-types in return. Charizard can threaten Steel-types, and Fairy-types, especially Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu, which resist Kommo-O’s STAB attacks. This helps Kommo-O’s ability to set up with its Z-move, and in return Kommo-O can use Close Combat to hit Pokemon such as Incineroar and Tyranitar for Mega Charizard Y.

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

Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal large damage to Zygarde or Landorus-T, but Overheat’s general coverage and power is typically preferred.
Flamethrower and Fire Blast are alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the -2 Special Attack drawback. However, the power drop is noticeable, and both options miss many OHKOes that only Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B.
Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to KO Tyranitar or deal substantial damage to Incineroar, two Pokemon which usually feel very safe against Charizard. The shaky accuracy makes it unreliable though, and these foes are usually better left for teammates to deal with.

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

**Dragon-Types**: Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-O can resist any of Mega Charizard Y's attacks, while the mentioned examples can use Charizard as a setup opportunity. However, Kommo-O must be careful about switching in, as the combination of Heat Wave and Overheat will KO it.

**Fire-Types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion are very comfortable with switching into one of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Incineroar can easily come in on Mega Charizard Y and provide Fake Out pressure, as well as 2HKO with sun-boosted Flare Blitz.

**Opposing Weather**: Politoed and Pelipper can completely neutralize Mega Charizard Y on switch-in with Drizzle, as rain weakens its Fire-type attacks and makes Water-type attacks against it stronger. Tyranitar can easily switch into Charizard, and OHKO or threaten it out with ease.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Mega Diancie are all able to outspeed Charizard and deal massive damage to or OHKO it. Weather-based attackers such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Excadrill are all able to outrun and OHKO Charizard as well in their respective weathers.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing against opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard. Charizard generally requires its own speed control to function effectively, which makes opposing speed control especially troubling for it.

**Stealth Rock and Wide Guard**: Stealth Rock, despite not being as common in doubles as in singles, does see usage in DOU. This move badly hurts Mega Charizard Y's staying power, taking away 50% of its HP on each switch in, with even one switch-in putting Charizard in range of many attacks, such as Mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb. Wide Guard stops Charizard from being able to freely spam Heat Wave, the move it will want to be using most turns. Araquanid is a common user, which can also threaten Charizard with Water Bubble-boosted Liquidation.

[OVERVIEW]

A high Special Attack combined with the weather-setting ability Drought makes Mega Charizard Y one of the strongest attackers in the tier. Mega Charizard Y also boasts strong matchups against the two most common Mega Evolutions, Gengar and Metagross. With its base 100 Speed, Charizard can outspeed Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B but still requires speed control to perform most effectively. Offensively, Mega Charizard Y struggles against opposing Fire-, Dragon-, and Water- types, as they can usually switch into Fire-type attacks relatively safely. Defensively, Charizard struggles against common Rock- and Electric-type attacks and is weak to physical attackers due to its less-than-stellar Defense. However, despite its flaws defensively and its middling speed, with sufficient support, Charizard can perform its offensive role excellently.

[SET]
name: Sun Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Overheat / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Heat Wave is Mega Charizard Y's main attack, being a sun-boosted STAB spread move sure to heavily dent both opposing Pokemon. Solar Beam provides valuable coverage, hitting Water- and Rock-types that resist Heat Wave such as Tapu Fini and Diancie for super effective damage. Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to deal a large amount of damage to one foe, even OHKOing many Pokemon that do not resist Fire, at the cost of lowering its Special Attack. Rather than Overheat, Charizard can instead use Tailwind, providing a reliable form of speed control to help itself and teammates. Tailwind can also be used over Solar Beam instead, but losing the coverage to hit Pokemon that resist Fire hurts Charizard offensively a lot. Lastly, Protect shields Mega Charizard Y from attacks and allows it to stall out opposing field conditions.

Set Details
========

A simple EV spread with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximizes Charizard's offensive capabilities. The remaining EVs are put into either defense stat, but not HP, so Charizard has an odd HP stat and can switch into Stealth Rock twice. A Timid nature allows Mega Charizard Y to move first as often as possible, ensuring it will move before any non-Choice Scarf Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B. Alternatively, Charizard can use a Modest nature with a bulkier spread of 232 HP / 104 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 108 Spe. This allows it to take any one attack from -1 Kyurem-B, survive a Thunderbolt from non-Life Orb Tapu Koko, and outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko at -1 Speed. However, the lower Speed makes Charizard even more reliant on speed control to work well.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Charizard Y often makes a good lead due to its ability to put pressure on the opponent right away and force switches, especially against the commonly lead Mega Gengar. Against rain teams in particular, being able to Mega Evolve and nullify rain once they have led or switched in their Drizzle Pokemon gains vital early momentum. The biggest problem when leading Mega Charizard Y is opposing Incineroar, which is a very popular lead, so Charizard's fellow lead should be able to deal with it. Mega Charizard Y should be safely sent onto the field from free switches or pivot moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch and switch only into weaker and resisted hits, if needed. This helps preserve Charizard's health for surviving a strong attack from the likes of Mega Gengar and Mega Metagross and KOing them in return. Mega Charizard Y should aim to be out alongside other offensive Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, and Kommo-o to crank up the offensive pressure on the opponent and force pins or KOs. This lets Charizard weaken foes for its partner to finish off or force defensive plays that can be taken advantage of with moves like Tailwind and Clangorous Soulblaze. In weather wars, it's important to keep Mega Charizard Y alive so it can come in and override the opposing weather. However, be wary that Charizard cannot safely switch into attacks from the likes of Kingdra and Tyranitar. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match. If using a teammate with Defog, note that targeting your teammate will not remove Stealth Rock on the opposing side of the field. Otherwise, using Defog to lower the opposing Pokemon's evasion will ensure any of Charizard's attacks will connect with it.

Team Options
========

Tapu Koko is an excellent offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y, being able to effectively deal with the Water- and Dragon-types that resist Charizard's Fire-type attacks. Landorus-T is another superb partner, offering Intimidate to soften physical attacks for Charizard's subpar Defense and helping deal with Incineroar quite well. Fake Out users such as Incineroar, Scrafty, and Mew are also great partners for Mega Charizard Y that can allow more defensive plays, such as letting Charizard safely switch in or set Tailwind, and more offensive plays, for example protecting it from threats such as Mega Metagross and Landorus-T so Charizard can safely knock them out. Mega Charizard Y greatly benefits from speed control, so Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos, Kartana, and Mew as well as Pokemon with Icy Wind or Electroweb such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Fini, and Porygon2 work extremely well with it. Using a slower, bulkier set, Mega Charizard Y can also function under Trick Room from setters such as Porygon2 and Diancie, on teams with multiple forms of speed control. On dedicated Trick Room teams, however, it is outclassed by Mega Camerupt. Zygarde and Kommo-o are two Dragon-types that can each form a sturdy offensive backbone with Mega Charizard Y. Zygarde can hit Fire- and Rock-type foes with its Ground-type STAB attacks, while Charizard can deal with Grass-types in return. For Kommo-o, Mega Charizard Y can threaten Steel- and Fairy-types, especially Mega Metagross, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Bulu, which resist its Dragon-type STAB attacks. This aids Kommo-o’s ability to set up using its Z-Move, and in return Kommo-o can use Close Combat to hit Pokemon such as Incineroar and Tyranitar that Charizard struggles against. Stealth Rock can be a valuable asset to Mega Charizard Y to prevent Fire-types from switching as easily into its attacks. Common users such as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn both synergize well with Mega Charizard Y. On the other hand, Charizard is especially weak to opposing Stealth Rock, so having Defog on a teammate such as Tapu Fini or Landorus-T is exceptionally useful when facing it.

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

Mega Charizard Y can use Hidden Power Ice to deal large amounts of damage to Zygarde or Landorus-T, but Overheat's general coverage and power are typically preferred. Flamethrower and Fire Blast are alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the sharp Special Attack drop. However, the power drop is noticeable, and both options miss many OHKOs that only Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B. Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to beat Tyranitar and Incineroar, but its shaky accuracy makes it unreliable, and these foes are usually better left for teammates to deal with.

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

**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-o resist Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks, while the pair mentioned in particular can setup against Charizard. However, Kommo-o must be careful about switching in, as the combination of Heat Wave and Overheat will KO it.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion can very comfortably take any of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Incineroar especially can come in on Mega Charizard Y to provide Fake Out pressure and can 2HKO it with sun-boosted Flare Blitz.

**Opposing Weather**: Politoed and Pelipper can completely neutralize Mega Charizard Y upon switching in with Drizzle, as rain both weakens Charizard's Fire-type attacks and makes Water-type attacks against it stronger. Tyranitar can easily switch into Charizard and OHKO or threaten it out with ease.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Mega Diancie are all able to outspeed Charizard and deal massive damage to or OHKO it. Under rain, Kingdra can outrun and KO Mega Charizard Y.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard. Mega Charizard Y generally requires its own speed control to function effectively, which makes opposing speed control especially troubling for it.

**Stealth Rock and Wide Guard**: Stealth Rock, despite not being as common in doubles as in singles, does see usage in DOU. This move badly hurts Mega Charizard Y's staying power, taking away 50% of its HP on each switch in, with even one time switching into it putting Charizard in range of many attacks, such as Mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb. Wide Guard stops Charizard from being able to freely spam Heat Wave, the move it will want to be using most turns. Araquanid, a common user, also deals very handily with Mega Charizard Y due to its ability Water Bubble.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoda2798, 243662]]
- Previous versions by: [[shaian, 221349]]
- Quality checked by: [[n10sit, 267148 ], [name, ID]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, ID], [name, ID]]

n10siT · Sep 24, 2018

As a general note, your skeletons don't have to be this fleshed out when you first write them, there's a lot of info here and its generally better to keep these to the point and remove as much fluff as possible. Also, you don't have to explain what attacks do super effective damage on what types. While we want the analysis to be understandable for someone with limited DOU knowledge, it is expected that they know the type chart. Anything in Blue is something I wanted to add to a certain point you made without trying to rewrite the whole thing

[OVERVIEW]

The point about Drought is really long, you don't have to explain what Drought does, you can just say that Zard provides weather control and you already say how strong its Fire-type attacks are in the first point.
However, Mega Charizard Y struggles against the common Tapu Koko, while losing quite badly to Rock-types such as Diancie and also opposing weather setters in Pelipper and Tyranitar. Furthermore, it faces trouble against the prevalent Incineroar, which can shrug off its attacks and launch sun-boosted Flare Blitzes in return. Finally, Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-O can safely take a hit from Mega Charizard-Y and set up with their respective moves. - This point is really long, this point and the one about its defensive typing can be combined into a point that just says "Offensively Charizard struggles against opposing Fire, Dragon, and Water types, as they all switch in relatively safely, and it struggles defensively vs common Electric-type attacks as well as having poor physical Defense."
The few Pokemon Mega Charizard Y struggles against are easy enough to deal with from teammates, and outside of them Charizard can threaten almost anything with its scorching hot Fire-type attacks. - The list of Pokemon that Charizards teammates need to check is not a short one (Fire-types, Pelipper/Kingdra, Ttar, Electric-types, Dragon-types) You would be fine just saying that with efficient support Charizard can perform its offensive role excellently.

[SET]
Move 2 should be Solar Beam, you're never running mono-fire attacking Zard, So Overheat / Tailwind should be the moves listed on move 3. Also, make Timid the only nature. I think outspeeding Kyube is way more important than the extra damage provided by Modest.

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

Switch the order of the Solar Beam and Overheat bullets.
I think replacing "decimate" with "do a large amount of damage to" is better, there are a lot of Overheat switch ins. Also, this bullet should be reworded, it's kind of a confusing run-on sentence atm. "Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to deal a large amount of damage to one foe, at the cost of lowering its Special Attack. Overheat can OHKO many Pokemon that do not resist Fire, and even some resists will take heavy damage."

Set Details
========

Change the alternative bulky spread to 232 HP / 104 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 108 Spe Modest Nature, you take any one attack from an offensive -1 Kyurem and I don't think Icium is a common enough set to EV for. This is the same speed benchmark and it lives non-LO Koko Thunderbolt in terrain or mega metagross zen headbutt in psy terrain and keeps an odd hp number.

Usage Tips
========

Once on the field, using Mega Charizard Y is fairly simple, but the real difficulty comes from finding the right time to send it out. Charizard can make a good lead, to immediately put pressure on the opposing team and to set sun, but needs to watch out for the common lead Incineroar, which it struggles greatly against. - You can't just say using Zard is simple and then not say how to use it, keep in mind that this has to be understandable from a new players perspective. Just say something along the lines of Charizard is used as an Offensive powerhouse and should be preserved to either clean late-game with support and/or speed control, or used in the mid game to deal lots of damage to the opposing team to help an alternate wincon to succeed in the late game. I would also almost generally never lead Zard Y, it does immediately establish pressure but it loses to a lot of the very common leads like Incineroar or Fini-Zap.
Small thing but replace the Politoed in the Solar Beam bullet with Pelipper.
During weather wars, it's generally a good idea to keep Mega Charizard Y in the back to switch in once the opposing team has already set their weather, as this allows Charizard to come in and override it. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match. - This is correct but you really can't afford to switch in Zard on a Kingdra Z-Move or Tyranitar at all, you still have to be cautious when overriding weather.

Team Options
========

Landorus-T is another superb partner Mega Charizard Y. Intimidate helps soften attacks for Charizard's lower Defense, and it can help deal with Incineroar quite well. Landorus-T also provides an Electric-type immunity, and with the correct spread or item can live even a Life Orb-boosted HP Ice from opposing Tapu Koko, making it useful against them as well. In return, Mega Charizard Y can help deal with Kyurem-B which threaten Landorus-T. - Talk a bit more about how useful Intimidate is for patching up zard's weak physical defense, and drop the part about how Lando can EV for a Koko HP Ice which makes it a Koko check somehow? (What?) Furthermore, Zard isn't particularly a Kyurem-B check, as it can't KO AV + doesn't switch into it + gets destroyed by opposing Kyube + speed control.
I wouldn't mention Scrafty it's no where near good enough to afford its own point.
There is way too much information in your bullets about speed control. You simply need to list what Pokemon with speed control moves can pair with Charizard Y, you do not have to include so much information that really isn't relevant to the analysis. I would rewrite both points that concern speed control and keep them more to the point.
Tag onto the end of the Stealth Rocks bullet how troublesome Rocks can be for Zard Y, and say you can even put Defog on Tapu Fini or Landorus-T to help with this threat.
There is also too much unnecessary information in the point about Zygarde and Kommo-o. You just have to say how those Pokemon benefit from having zard as a teammate (zard removes grasses, steels for kommo) and how they benefit zard by being its teammates (zygarde beats opposing fires and rock types, kommo sets up a lot easier with grasses/steels gone or pressured and can run close combat for ttar/incin)
Mention something about Trick Room with your newly written parts about speed control, as Mega Charizard Y can function just fine with a bulkier set (the one described in set details) and pairs well with TR setters like Porygon2. You're correct about Zard being outclassed on dedicated TR, make sure to mention that here, say something about how other forms of speed control will be needed to make Zard function in as many situations as possible.

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

Other Options is not the place to mention Trick Room. OO can be used for alternate sets, but Trick Room changes the build of any team considerably and has to be looked at from the perspective of all 6 Pokemon, not just Charizard Y.
Hidden Power Ice can be used to deal large damage to Zygarde or Landorus-T, but Overheats general coverage and power is generally preferred. (You wouldn't drop Solar Beam for HP Ice)
Flamethrower or Fire Blast are possible alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the -2 Special Attack drawback of Overheat. However, the drop in power is noticeable, and it misses out on many OHKOes that Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B.
Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to KO Tyranitar or deal substantial damage to Incineroar, two Pokemon which usually feel very safe against Charizard. The shaky accuracy means it's unreliable though, and it's usually better to leave teammates to deal with these Pokemon.
Drop Air Slash from here, the one target of Kommo-o is not a justification for using it. Also drop Roost and Wisp, neither are viable.

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

**Fire-Types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion are very comfortable with switching into one of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Incineroar can easily come in on Mega Charizard Y and provide Fake Out pressure, and can 2HKO with Flare Blitz due to the sun-boost. (Drop the part about Volc not resisting Solar Beam, SB doesn't do sizeable damage to it anyway)

**Opposing Speed Control**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing against opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard.
Charizard generally requires its own speed control to function effectively, which makes opposing speed control especially troubling for it.

There is a lot here so tag me when you implement this and I'll check it again

AuraRayquaza · Sep 28, 2018

I'd like to add some stuff/build on what n10 said (zard y sogood)

Overview

I'd mention something about zard y having strong matchups against the most common megas atm (gar, mgross and even mane to an extent), since it can take hits decentlyish and do upwards of 90% with heat waves or just ohko with overheat.
Where you mention its base speed, while youre correct in saying it absolutely needs speed control, 100 outspeeds a load of key pokemon. namely genesect, kyub and lele, none of which can take a hit (unless its that bastard av kyub). idk if id use the word 'mediocre' here, 100 base speed for such a strong mon is just about not mediocre because of being able to outspeed said mons.
I wonder if you should just say 'dragon types such as zygarde' and not mention kommo-o in this bit. it doesnt actually switch in at all, dying to heat wave + overheat. but idk thats up to you.

Set

Yeah if im honest i completely disagree with what n10 said. Overheat is way more important than solarbeam for zard and sets without it are bad, period. This is the one point i feel really strongly about, theres absolutely no point in going max speed timid (which you should be) if all youre doing is 70 to kyub and lele to let them ohko you back. Zard y isnt supposed to be the tw setter, you set up these conditions to let zard just do the damage. If it were me id get rid of tw completely but its fine as a slash for solar beam, definitely not overheat.

Usage tips

Whenever I use zard, at lead preview, im always thinking 'whats the best way i can lead zard' initially. Its a far better lead than many give it credit for, and i cannot remember a game where i havent lead with zard using the current sample team. It just pressures everything so hard and forces early game plays which are not hard to telegraph. for example, vs gengar teams I will 100% always lead charizard because it immediately forces gengar to either protect, switch or make incin target with fake out. Using mew makes this a free fake out heat wave, but even if you dont you have plays to pressure the gengar t2 by switching zard partner. Id leave the fact that its a decent lead in.
Generally with zard teams, your gameplan revolves around getting zard in + one of your other breakers (e.g. cb zyg, kommo-o, kartana) with speed control so that you can force pins and take kos. idk how you would word this to get the right point across, but i guess zard functions as an 'enabler' in the sense that you use its stupid power levels to put everything in ko range for its partner, or force defensive plays to give you the time to set up the tw you need, or the clangorous soulblaze.

Team options

@ above zard is a kyub check thats exactly the point of being so fast. av kyub is seen much much less now. i guess say it checks offensive kyubs which lando cant outspeed and pivot out of.
While idt scrafty really warrants its own slot, the notion of having a fake out partner definitely does. we all know what fake out does, potentially giving zard a very free fire move, which can be huge in terms of gaining advantage early. Also allows for more defensive plays on what is going to really end up as a hyper offensive team, free turns to set tw, ease in bring zard in safely etc. its just super useful and almost necessary id say. good partners are, as mentioned, scrafty for the rock (very useful) resist + intim. incin is also nice for a slower pivot as well as strong flare blitzes and, importantly, an ice resist which is generally not easy to come by on zard teams. mew too for being faster than incin and pressuring gar teams incredibly as a result. also has good bulk + tw defog uturn and even ice beam to hit zyg/mence which is nice.

Checks/counters

Dragon types: this is where you should note that kommo-o isnt exactly a switchin, because heat wave + overheat kills it.

Misc (stuff idk where you'd put)

Idc where its mentioned, probably with whatever defog user you say. but please please add something about the side defog mechanic, which removes your rocks but not the rocks youve set. also other niche uses of defog, like making zards fire moves always hit. ONLY when using mew, i like to drop zards speed by 1 point and use max speed mew, for the defog + fire move purpose. you dont lose out on any speed benchmarks outside of tying with opposing zard which is nbd. everything else is either too fast (koko) or too slow (lando fini) to make adjusting the speed useful.
Also something id like to note. Recently ive seen about 4 or 5 zard teams try to use these slower spreads you suggest, or just generally slower/fatter teams (most recent include crovens team in ssnl, and bowmans snake team), and quite frankly they have terrible winrates. even demantoids team which didnt do too badly couldve probably used gengar over zard and been just as good, if not more effective with not much drawback. Charizard simply doesnt work like it did in oras with these slower semiroom builds and keeping such a mentality while building will not breed good zard teams. if it were me, id remove all mention of said slower spreads and trick room bullet points but if you want to include them its whatever.

so yeah take what you want from this, ill tag n10sit because hes the cc person here not me

talkingtree · Sep 29, 2018

Added my thoughts in blue:

Overview

I'd mention something about zard y having strong matchups against the most common megas atm (gar, mgross and even mane to an extent), since it can take hits decentlyish and do upwards of 90% with heat waves or just ohko with overheat. while I can see why you mention mane, that's a bit too confusing of an interaction to accurately and concisely explain in the overview of an analysis. regardless, simply making this point with one or two examples is enough

Where you mention its base speed, while youre correct in saying it absolutely needs speed control, 100 outspeeds a load of key pokemon. namely genesect, kyub and lele, none of which can take a hit (unless its that bastard av kyub). idk if id use the word 'mediocre' here, 100 base speed for such a strong mon is just about not mediocre because of being able to outspeed said mons.

I wonder if you should just say 'dragon types such as zygarde' and not mention kommo-o in this bit. it doesnt actually switch in at all, dying to heat wave + overheat. but idk thats up to you. I'm fine with this

Set

Yeah if im honest i completely disagree with what n10 said. Overheat is way more important than solarbeam for zard and sets without it are bad, period. This is the one point i feel really strongly about, theres absolutely no point in going max speed timid (which you should be) if all youre doing is 70 to kyub and lele to let them ohko you back. Zard y isnt supposed to be the tw setter, you set up these conditions to let zard just do the damage. If it were me id get rid of tw completely but its fine as a slash for solar beam, definitely not overheat. I cannot sign off on a set that has mono fire coverage, which is just asking to lose to any fire-resist in the game. Losing the ability to touch Volcanion, Tapu Fini, and Zygarde is way too big for me. I could see making a moves mention that a set with dual Fire + TW, but not slashed. I understand your assertions on the value of Overheat, and am in firm agreement that it should be the primary slash, but I'm never running or advocating for Solar Beam-less Zard. Outspeeding and severely damaging those threats you listed is still crucially important for if they're chipped, so I'd run max timid regardless.

Usage tips

Whenever I use zard, at lead preview, im always thinking 'whats the best way i can lead zard' initially. Its a far better lead than many give it credit for, and i cannot remember a game where i havent lead with zard using the current sample team. It just pressures everything so hard and forces early game plays which are not hard to telegraph. for example, vs gengar teams I will 100% always lead charizard because it immediately forces gengar to either protect, switch or make incin target with fake out. Using mew makes this a free fake out heat wave, but even if you dont you have plays to pressure the gengar t2 by switching zard partner. Id leave the fact that its a decent lead in.

Generally with zard teams, your gameplan revolves around getting zard in + one of your other breakers (e.g. cb zyg, kommo-o, kartana) with speed control so that you can force pins and take kos. idk how you would word this to get the right point across, but i guess zard functions as an 'enabler' in the sense that you use its stupid power levels to put everything in ko range for its partner, or force defensive plays to give you the time to set up the tw you need, or the clangorous soulblaze.

The above two points are two of the most important in actually using Zard, not just in answering the basic questions we try to stretch to fit every analysis. The second and fourth bullet points as you have them right now are pretty obvious imo, so scratch or severely cut down on both; this analysis is way overly long as-is

Team options

@ above zard is a kyub check thats exactly the point of being so fast. av kyub is seen much much less now. i guess say it checks offensive kyubs which lando cant outspeed and pivot out of. I can't really tell what this is referencing, but I'd caution against calling it a check since zard can't switch in, only OHKOes some sets, and loses outright if it's already used overheat or loses Sun

While idt scrafty really warrants its own slot, the notion of having a fake out partner definitely does. we all know what fake out does, potentially giving zard a very free fire move, which can be huge in terms of gaining advantage early. Also allows for more defensive plays on what is going to really end up as a hyper offensive team, free turns to set tw, ease in bring zard in safely etc. its just super useful and almost necessary id say. good partners are, as mentioned, scrafty for the rock (very useful) resist + intim. incin is also nice for a slower pivot as well as strong flare blitzes and, importantly, an ice resist which is generally not easy to come by on zard teams. mew too for being faster than incin and pressuring gar teams incredibly as a result. also has good bulk + tw defog uturn and even ice beam to hit zyg/mence which is nice.

Checks/counters

Dragon types: this is where you should note that kommo-o isnt exactly a switchin, because heat wave + overheat kills it.

Misc (stuff idk where you'd put)

Idc where its mentioned, probably with whatever defog user you say. but please please add something about the side defog mechanic, which removes your rocks but not the rocks youve set. also other niche uses of defog, like making zards fire moves always hit. ONLY when using mew, i like to drop zards speed by 1 point and use max speed mew, for the defog + fire move purpose. you dont lose out on any speed benchmarks outside of tying with opposing zard which is nbd. everything else is either too fast (koko) or too slow (lando fini) to make adjusting the speed useful. this goes in usage tips, though I'd leave out the point about mew and speed editing

Also something id like to note. Recently ive seen about 4 or 5 zard teams try to use these slower spreads you suggest, or just generally slower/fatter teams (most recent include crovens team in ssnl, and bowmans snake team), and quite frankly they have terrible winrates. even demantoids team which didnt do too badly couldve probably used gengar over zard and been just as good, if not more effective with not much drawback. Charizard simply doesnt work like it did in oras with these slower semiroom builds and keeping such a mentality while building will not breed good zard teams. if it were me, id remove all mention of said slower spreads and trick room bullet points but if you want to include them its whatever. while less effective, bulkier charizard y sets have a niche and shouldn't be axed altogether. they play very differently but that doesn't make them useless.

Yoda2798 if you're able to actually read through and make use of these three opinions, great. Otherwise, I think this is honestly far too lengthy and wordy for a fully-written analysis, much less a bullet point skeleton. It's difficult to figure out what your points are because you surround them with the stereotypical analysis formatting that doesn't really add much and mention everything you could possibly think would be relevant. It might just be better for you to restart with all this advice in mind, and be as cut-throat and concise as possible. Zard's good but it doesn't deserve the longest analysis in the tier. If you want to discuss any of this with me over Discord, my PMs are open.

Yoda2798 · Sep 29, 2018

Implemented from the above, thanks for all the input. Tagging n10sit and talkingtree. Regarding a couple of contested points, I slashed Tailwind behind Overheat, but mentioned using it over Solar Beam in the Moves comments; and in usage tips I said how Charizard is a good lead. Otherwise I made made all the changes, with the biggest difference being Team Options' signficant cut in length, while Overview and Usage Tips have both been changed quite significantly as well.

n10siT · Sep 30, 2018

alright, this looks a lot better. I have a few notes for you though:

[USAGE TIPS]: In the first point about zard being a good offensive lead, it may be worth noting that it can override an opposing rain setters Drizzle upon mega evolving, or waiting a turn to mega evolve to lure in the rain setter, getting the early momentum vs rain is pretty important.
[USAGE TIPS]: i think "keep charizard alive" > "keep charizard in the back" re: weather wars, the main issue new players make will be letting their charizard die far too early in the game vs rain, so its important to stress more that you need the pokemon usable rather than it just sitting on the bench
[TEAM OPTIONS]: in the bit about fake out, you could also note that you can fake out something that may threaten large damage on zard, (lando, gross, etc) and pick up the knock out on it. the point of the fake out partner is preservation of the offensive threat, but that includes defensive and offensive plays (i hope that made sense)
[TEAM OPTIONS]: i think, when writing, you can combine the all of the speed control info into 2-3 sentences. it looks long right now, but i think "charizard benefits from tailwind, these are good partners, as well as benefitting from icy wind/electroweb. zard can also work in tr" etc will look okay
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]: in the opposing weather point, drop "even on a solar beam" from the note about ttar, as this implies solarbeam will even activate. if ttar switches in when you click solar beam you're kinda sol

implement these and you're good for 1/2!

talkingtree · Oct 5, 2018

[Overview] You mention that it struggles against Electric-type attacks, but add Rock-types too since Diancie and Ttar are nowhere to be found in this overview and they're some of Zard's most reliable answers.
[Overview] When you say Fire-, Dragon-, and Water-types can *all* switch into Fire-type attacks, it's somewhat misleading with KyuB as the most common Dragon-type after Zygarde. Just reword this slightly and you're good
[Usage Tips] "The only problem with Mega Charizard Y leads is Incineroar" clarify that you mean Incineroar is also a popular lead or something
[Checks and Counters] It's technically incorrect to say that Zygarde resists any of Mega Charizard Y's moves, so rework this to be accurate
[Checks and Counters] Most Excadrill don't run a Rock-type move to hit Mega Charizard Y, so remove it from the weather-based attackers that can OHKO. Ludicolo's also UR, so it's probably fine to just say Kingdra.
[Credits] Add a line below the "Written by:" line that credits the writer of the previous version (Previous versions by: [[shaian, 221349]])

Good work on this, do the above for QC 2/2 and move it on to GP

Electrolyte · Oct 6, 2018

hello

add remove (comments)

[OVERVIEW]

A high Special Attack combined with the weather-setting ability Drought make Mega Charizard Y one of the strongest attackers in the tier. Mega Charizard Y also boasts strong matchups against the two most common megas, Mega Pokemon, Gengar and Metagross. With its base 100 Speed, Charizard can outspeed Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B, but requires speed control to perform most effectively. Offensively, Mega Charizard Y struggles against opposing Fire-(add hyphen), Dragon-(add hyphen), and Water-(add hyphen)types, as they can usually switch into to Fire-type attacks relatively safely. Defensively, Charizard struggles against common Rock- and Electric-type attacks, and is weak to physical attackers due to its less-(add hyphen)than-(add hyphen)stellar Defense. Overall, Mega Charizard Y is a great Pokemon in the DOU metagame. Despite its flaws defensively and its middling speed, with efficient sufficient support, Charizard can perform its offensive role excellently.

[SET]
name: Sun Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Overheat / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Heat Wave is Mega Charizard Y's main attack, being a sun-boosted, STAB, spread move sure to heavily dent both opposing Pokemon. Solar Beam provides valuable coverage, hitting Water- and Rock-types(, remove comma) that resist Heat Wave such as Tapu Fini and Diancie,(add comma) respectively, which resist Heat Wave for super effective damage. Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to deal a large amount of damage to one foe, even OHKOing many Pokemon who do not resist Fire, at the cost of lowering its Special Attack. Rather than Overheat, Charizard can instead use Tailwind, providing a reliable form of speed control to help itself and teammates. Tailwind can also be used over Solar Beam instead, but losing the coverage to hit Fire-type resists hurts Charizard offensively a lot. Lastly, Protect shields Mega Charizard Y from attacks and allows it to stall out opposing field conditions.

Set Details
========

A simple EV spread with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximizes Charizard's offensive capabilities. The remaining EVs are put into either Defense defense stat, but not HP, so Charizard has an odd HP stat and can switch into Stealth Rock twice. A Timid nature allows Mega Charizard Y to move first as often as possible, ensuring it will move before any non-Choice Scarf Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B. Alternatively, Charizard can use a Modest nature with a bulkier spread with 232 HP / 104 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 108 Spe. This allows it to take any one attack from -1 Kyurem-B(, remove comma) or survive a Thunderbolt from non-Life Orb Tapu Koko, and to outspeed base 130s 130 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko at -1 Speed. However, the slower Speed makes Charizard even more reliant on speed control to work well.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Charizard Y often makes a good lead, due to its ability to put pressure on the opponent right away and force switches, especially against the commonly lead Mega Gengar. Against rain teams in particular, being able to mega evolve Mega Evolve and nullify rain once they have led or switched in their Drizzle Pokemon gains vital early momentum. The biggest problem when leading Mega Charizard Y is opposing Incineroar, which is a very popular lead, so Charizard’s fellow lead should be able to deal with it. Mega Charizard Y should be safely sent onto the field from free switches or pivot moves such as U-Turn and Volt Switch, and switch only into weaker and resisted hits, if needed. This helps preserve Charizard's health for surviving a strong attack, such as from Mega Gengar or Mega Metagross, and be able to KO in return. Mega Charizard Y should aim to be out alongside other offensive Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, or Kommo-O to crank up the offensive pressure on the opponent and force pins or KOs. This lets Charizard weaken foes for its partner to finish off, or force defensive plays which can be taken advantage of with moves like Tailwind and Clangorous Soulblaze. In weather wars, it's important to keep Mega Charizard Y alive so it can come in and override the opposing weather. However, be wary that Charizard cannot safely switch into attacks from the likes of Kingdra or Tyranitar. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match. If using a teammate with Defog, note that targeting your teammate will not remove Stealth Rock on the opposing side of the field. Otherwise, using Defog to lower the opponent’s Evasion will ensure any of Charizard’s attacks will connect with it.

Team Options
========

Tapu Koko is an excellent offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y, being able to effectively deal with the Water- and Dragon-types that resist Charizard's Fire-type attacks. Landorus-T is another superb partner Mega Charizard Y, offering Intimidate to soften physical attacks for Charizard's subpar Defense, and helping deal with Incineroar quite well. Fake Out users such as Incineroar, Scrafty, and Mew are also great partners for Mega Charizard Y. Fake Out can allow more defensive plays, such as allowing Charizard to safely switch in or set Tailwind, and more offensive plays, for example protecting it from threats such as Mega Metagross and Landorus-T, so Charizard can safely knock them out. Mega Charizard Y greatly benefits from speed control, so Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos, Kartana, and Mew as well as Pokemon with Icy Wind(insert space)/(insert space)Electroweb such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Fini, and Porygon2 work extremely well with Charizard. Using a slower, bulkier set, Mega Charizard Y can also function under Trick Room from setters such as Porygon2 and Diancie, on teams with multiple forms of speed control. On dedicated Trick Room teams, however, it is outclassed by Mega Camerupt. Zygarde and Kommo-O are two Dragons Dragon-types which can each form a sturdy offensive backbone with Mega Charizard Y. Zygarde can hit Fire- and Rock-type foes with its Ground-type STAB attacks, while Charizard can deal with Grass-types in return. For Kommo-O, Mega Charizard Y can threaten Steel-types, and Fairy-types, especially Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu, which resist its STAB attacks. This aids Kommo-O’s ability to set up using its Z-move, and in return Kommo-O can use Close Combat to hit Pokemon such as Incineroar and Tyranitar that Charizard struggles against. Stealth Rock can be a valuable asset to Mega Charizard Y, meaning Fire-types can’t switch as easily into its attacks. Common users such as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn(, remove comma) both synergise synergize well with Mega Charizard Y. On the other hand, Charizard is especially weak to opposing Stealth Rock, so having Defog on a teammate such as Tapu Fini or Landorus-T is exceptionally useful when facing it.

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

Mega Charizard Y can use Hidden Power Ice to deal large amounts of damage to Zygarde or Landorus-T, but Overheat’s general coverage and power is typically preferred. Flamethrower and Fire Blast are alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the -2 Special Attack drawback. However, the power drop is noticeable, and both options miss many OHKOes OHKOs that only Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B. Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to beat Tyranitar and Incineroar, but its shaky accuracy makes it unreliable, and these foes are usually better left for teammates to deal with.

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

**Dragon-Types**: Dragon-types such as Zygarde and Kommo-O can resist Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks, while the pair mentioned in particular can setup against Charizard. However, Kommo-O must be careful about switching in, as the combination of Heat Wave and Overheat will KO it.

**Fire-Types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion can very comfortably take any of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Incineroar especially can come in on Mega Charizard Y to provide Fake Out pressure, and can 2HKO it with sun-boosted Flare Blitz.

**Opposing Weather**: Politoed and Pelipper can completely neutralize Mega Charizard Y on switch-in with Drizzle, as rain both weakens Charizard's Fire-type attacks and makes Water-type attacks against it stronger. Tyranitar can easily switch into Charizard, and OHKO or threaten it out with ease.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Mega Diancie are all able to outspeed Charizard and deal massive damage to or OHKO it. Under rain, Kingdra can outrun and KO Mega Charizard Y.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing against opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard. Mega Charizard Y generally requires its own speed control to function effectively, which makes opposing speed control especially troubling for it.

**Stealth Rock and Wide Guard**: Stealth Rock, despite not being as common in doubles as in singles, does see usage in DOU. This move badly hurts Mega Charizard Y's staying power, taking away 50% of its HP on each switch in, with even one switch-in putting Charizard in range of many attacks, such as Mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb. Wide Guard stops Charizard from being able to freely spam Heat Wave, the move it will want to be using most turns. Araquanid, a common user, also deals very handily with Mega Charizard Y, due to its ability Water Bubble.

GP 1/2

Yoda2798 · Oct 7, 2018

Implemented, thanks

Lumari · Oct 9, 2018

~~remove~~ add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2

[OVERVIEW]

A high Special Attack combined with the weather-setting ability Drought ~~make~~ makes Mega Charizard Y one of the strongest attackers in the tier. Mega Charizard Y also boasts strong matchups against the two most common Mega ~~Pokemon~~ Evolutions, Gengar and Metagross. With its base 100 Speed, Charizard can outspeed Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B (RC) but still requires speed control to perform most effectively. Offensively, Mega Charizard Y struggles against opposing Fire-, Dragon-, and Water- types, as they can usually switch into Fire-type attacks relatively safely. Defensively, Charizard struggles against common Rock- and Electric-type attacks (RC) and is weak to physical attackers due to its less-than-stellar Defense. ~~Overall, Mega Charizard Y is a great Pokemon in the DOU metagame.~~ However, despite its flaws defensively and its middling speed, with sufficient support, Charizard can perform its offensive role excellently.

[SET]
name: Sun Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Overheat / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Heat Wave is Mega Charizard Y's main attack, being a sun-boosted (RC) STAB (RC) spread move sure to heavily dent both opposing Pokemon. Solar Beam provides valuable coverage, hitting Water- and Rock-types that resist Heat Wave such as Tapu Fini and Diancie~~, respectively,~~ for super effective damage. Overheat allows Mega Charizard Y to deal a large amount of damage to one foe, even OHKOing many Pokemon ~~who~~ that do not resist Fire, at the cost of lowering its Special Attack. Rather than Overheat, Charizard can instead use Tailwind, providing a reliable form of speed control to help itself and teammates. Tailwind can also be used over Solar Beam instead, but losing the coverage to hit ~~Fire-type resists~~ Pokemon that resist Fire hurts Charizard offensively a lot. Lastly, Protect shields Mega Charizard Y from attacks and allows it to stall out opposing field conditions.

Set Details
========

A simple EV spread with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximizes Charizard's offensive capabilities. The remaining EVs are put into either defense stat, but not HP, so Charizard has an odd HP stat and can switch into Stealth Rock twice. A Timid nature allows Mega Charizard Y to move first as often as possible, ensuring it will move before any non-Choice Scarf Genesect, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B. Alternatively, Charizard can use a Modest nature with a bulkier spread ~~with~~ of 232 HP / 104 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 108 Spe. This allows it to take any one attack from -1 Kyurem-B, (AC) or survive a Thunderbolt from non-Life Orb Tapu Koko, and to outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko at -1 Speed. However, the ~~slower~~ lower Speed makes Charizard even more reliant on speed control to work well.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Charizard Y often makes a good lead (RC) due to its ability to put pressure on the opponent right away and force switches, especially against the commonly lead Mega Gengar. Against rain teams in particular, being able to Mega Evolve and nullify rain once they have led or switched in their Drizzle Pokemon gains vital early momentum. The biggest problem when leading Mega Charizard Y is opposing Incineroar, which is a very popular lead, so ~~Charizard’s~~ Charizard's (curly apostrophe) fellow lead should be able to deal with it. Mega Charizard Y should be safely sent onto the field from free switches or pivot moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch (RC) and switch only into weaker and resisted hits, if needed. This helps preserve Charizard's health for surviving a strong attack (RC) ~~such as~~ from the likes of Mega Gengar or and Mega Metagross (RC) and ~~be able to~~ KOing them in return. Mega Charizard Y should aim to be out alongside other offensive Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, or and Kommo-o to crank up the offensive pressure on the opponent and force pins or KOs. This lets Charizard weaken foes for its partner to finish off (RC) or force defensive plays ~~which~~ that can be taken advantage of with moves like Tailwind and Clangorous Soulblaze. In weather wars, it's important to keep Mega Charizard Y alive so it can come in and override the opposing weather. However, be wary that Charizard cannot safely switch into attacks from the likes of Kingdra or and Tyranitar. Particularly against rain teams, this type of positional play can be crucial in maintaining momentum and winning the match. If using a teammate with Defog, note that targeting your teammate will not remove Stealth Rock on the opposing side of the field. Otherwise, using Defog to lower the ~~opponent’s Evasion~~ opposing Pokemon's evasion will ensure any of ~~Charizard’s~~ Charizard's attacks will connect with it.

Team Options
========

Tapu Koko is an excellent offensive partner to Mega Charizard Y, being able to effectively deal with the Water- and Dragon-types that resist Charizard's Fire-type attacks. Landorus-T is another superb partner ~~Mega Charizard Y~~, offering Intimidate to soften physical attacks for Charizard's subpar Defense (RC) and helping deal with Incineroar quite well. Fake Out users such as Incineroar, Scrafty, and Mew are also great partners for Mega Charizard Y (RP) ~~Fake Out~~ that can allow more defensive plays, such as ~~allowing~~ letting Charizard to safely switch in or set Tailwind, and more offensive plays, for example protecting it from threats such as Mega Metagross and Landorus-T (RC) so Charizard can safely knock them out. Mega Charizard Y greatly benefits from speed control, so Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos, Kartana, and Mew as well as Pokemon with Icy Wind or Electroweb such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Fini, and Porygon2 work extremely well with ~~Charizard~~ it. Using a slower, bulkier set, Mega Charizard Y can also function under Trick Room from setters such as Porygon2 and Diancie, on teams with multiple forms of speed control. On dedicated Trick Room teams, however, it is outclassed by Mega Camerupt. Zygarde and ~~Kommo-O~~ Kommo-o are two Dragon-types ~~which~~ that can each form a sturdy offensive backbone with Mega Charizard Y. Zygarde can hit Fire- and Rock-type foes with its Ground-type STAB attacks, while Charizard can deal with Grass-types in return. For ~~Kommo-O,~~ Kommo-o, Mega Charizard Y can threaten Steel- (RC) and Fairy-types, especially <insert Steel-type here>, (AC) Tapu Lele, (AC) and Tapu Bulu, which resist its STAB attacks. (maybe make it clear you're talking about its Dragon-type STAB attacks here specifically, the mention of Steel-types confuses me) This aids ~~Kommo-O’s~~ Kommo-o's ability to set up using its Z-Move, and in return ~~Kommo-O~~ Kommo-o can use Close Combat (ya now it really confuses me) to hit Pokemon such as Incineroar and Tyranitar that Charizard struggles against. Stealth Rock can be a valuable asset to Mega Charizard Y (RC) ~~meaning~~ to prevent Fire-types ~~can’t switch~~ from switching as easily into its attacks. Common users such as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn both synergize well with Mega Charizard Y. On the other hand, Charizard is especially weak to opposing Stealth Rock, so having Defog on a teammate such as Tapu Fini or Landorus-T is exceptionally useful when facing it.

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

Mega Charizard Y can use Hidden Power Ice to deal large amounts of damage to Zygarde or Landorus-T, but ~~Overheat’s~~ Overheat's (apostrophe again) general coverage and power is are typically preferred. Flamethrower and Fire Blast are alternatives to Overheat, keeping the strong, single-target option without the -2 sharp Special Attack ~~drawback~~ drop. However, the power drop is noticeable, and both options miss many OHKOs that only Overheat can achieve, such as against offensive Kyurem-B. Mega Charizard Y can use Focus Blast to beat Tyranitar and Incineroar, but its shaky accuracy makes it unreliable, and these foes are usually better left for teammates to deal with.

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

**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Zygarde and ~~Kommo-O~~ Kommo-o resist Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks, while the pair mentioned in particular can setup against Charizard. However, ~~Kommo-O~~ Kommo-o must be careful about switching in, as the combination of Heat Wave and Overheat will KO it.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Incineroar and Volcanion can very comfortably take any of Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type attacks. Incineroar especially can come in on Mega Charizard Y to provide Fake Out pressure (RC) and can 2HKO it with sun-boosted Flare Blitz.

**Opposing Weather**: Politoed and Pelipper can completely neutralize Mega Charizard Y ~~on switch-in~~ upon switching in with Drizzle, as rain both weakens Charizard's Fire-type attacks and makes Water-type attacks against it stronger. Tyranitar can easily switch into Charizard (RC) and OHKO or threaten it out with ease.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Deoxys-A, and Mega Diancie are all able to outspeed Charizard and deal massive damage to or OHKO it. Under rain, Kingdra can outrun and KO Mega Charizard Y.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Despite being usable on teams with Trick Room, Mega Charizard Y needs to be cautious when facing ~~against~~ opposing Trick Room, as normally slower Pokemon such as Diancie and Araquanid can move before Charizard and deal massive damage to, if not outright OHKO it. Tailwind works similarly, allowing many Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B, Tapu Lele, and Volcanion, to outspeed Charizard. Mega Charizard Y generally requires its own speed control to function effectively, which makes opposing speed control especially troubling for it.

**Stealth Rock and Wide Guard**: Stealth Rock, despite not being as common in doubles as in singles, does see usage in DOU. This move badly hurts Mega Charizard Y's staying power, taking away 50% of its HP on each switch in, with even one ~~switch-in~~ time switching into it putting Charizard in range of many attacks, such as Mega Gengar's Sludge Bomb. Wide Guard stops Charizard from being able to freely spam Heat Wave, the move it will want to be using most turns. Araquanid, a common user, also deals very handily with Mega Charizard Y (RC) due to its ability Water Bubble.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoda2798, 243662]]
- Previous versions by: [[shaian, 221349]]
- Quality checked by: [[n10sit, 267148 ], [name, ID]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, ID], [name, ID]]

Yoda2798 · Oct 10, 2018

Implemented, thanks. In usage tips for the Kommo-o part I used Mega Metagross as an example for Steel-types, and specified it being Dragon-type STAB attacks they resist.

This should now be done and ready to upload!

talkingtree · Oct 12, 2018

Uploaded, moving

Doubles Mega Charizard Y (Revamp)

Yoda2798

Blood on the Clocktower is the best

n10siT

Hoopa can do anything!

AuraRayquaza

talkingtree

large if factual

Yoda2798

Blood on the Clocktower is the best

n10siT

Hoopa can do anything!

talkingtree

large if factual

Electrolyte

Wouldn't Wanna Know

Yoda2798

Blood on the Clocktower is the best

Lumari

moonlight shadow

Yoda2798

Blood on the Clocktower is the best

talkingtree

large if factual