Dpp Metagross
Metagross returns to DPP OU as perhaps the best glue Pokemon in the tier. Metagross's fantastic stat spread, excellent Steel / Psychic typing, versatile movepool, and item flexibility lets it fulfill almost any role, be that as a utility Pokemon, sweeper, or speed control with a Choice Scarf. Metagross is one of the best Stealth Rock users in the tier, as Metagross has the bulk to set up the entry hazard in front of almost all foes and can harass spinners such as Starmie, Forretress, and Donphan with Explosion and Earthquake. With just 252 HP EVs, Metagross also is one of the best utility checks in the tier, as by customizing its item and moves, it can check everything from Dragon Dance sweepers such as Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Gyarados with a Shuca Berry; Breloom, Gengar, Machamp, and Jirachi with a Lum Berry; and Infernape, Heatran, and mixed Dragonite with an Occa Berry. This item flexibility makes it by far the best user of Trick + Iron Ball in the tier, as it lures in premier answers such as Skarmory, Rotom-A, and Zapdos and neuters them with an Iron Ball while opening them up to Earthquake. Even if Trick doesn’t connect with these prime targets, most offensive Pokemon do not enjoy losing their item and Speed, while defensive Pokemon often give Metagross Leftovers, making it a fantastic defensive Jirachi check.
More offensive Metagross are also excellent choices. Agility Metagross is one of the hardest foes to cover for offensive teams, as its bulk makes it hard to KO while in return it outspeeds and KOes frailer, faster Pokemon including most Choice Scarf users. Its ability Clear Body also is quite nice, as it is immune to Intimidate weakening it. In addition, it can customize its coverage, including options such as Ice Punch to always OHKO Choice Scarf Flygon and hit Gliscor, Latias, and Zapdos hard and Zen Headbutt to OHKO Breloom and hit bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Swampert as hard as possible. Choice Scarf also makes Metagross an excellent revenge killer, as it outspeeds neutral-natured +1 Gyarados and +1 Dragonite and can KO them with the proper coverage or Explosion. It can even use Pursuit to make it a great check to Gengar and Choiced Latias, especially after Latias uses Draco Meteor, as it outspeeds them and threatens to KO or heavily damage them.
Metagross's main issues in DPP OU are due to it being a jack-of-all-trades: its relatively slow Speed, poor offensive typing, and common weaknesses make it not as specialized as many other Steel-types in the tier. While Metagross is faster than many defensive Pokemon with full investment, doing so is often at the expense of crucial bulk. Choice Scarf Metagross also must be careful about Jolly Gyarados and Dragonite, as they outspeed it and can potentially KO it. Without bulk investment, Metagross struggles to fulfill defensive responsibilities of a Steel-type such as switching into Latias’s Choice Specs Draco Meteor and taking on defensive Jirachi. However, with bulk investment and especially before it Tricks away its Iron Ball, Metagross is very slow, often having to take a hit before retaliating. Its attributes combine to make Metagross a fantastic utility check; however, because it lacks recovery and is easily chipped, it doesn’t really counter anything and is prone to being worn down especially by Spikes and burn. Metagross’s typing also is rather poor offensively, as it often needs the threat of Explosion or Trick to scare Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Swampert, Zapdos, Suicune, and especially Rotom-A and Skarmory due to the bad coverage of Meteor Mash. Metagross cannot pick all the options—items, moves, and EV spreads—it needs to handle every threat, forcing it to either bluff having an option or sacrifice itself to take out a foe.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Thunder Punch / Bullet Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers / Shuca Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Meteor Mash is Metagross's primary attack, heavily damaging foes such as Latias, Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Azelf while potentially boosting its Attack. Especially if Metagross leads, it often needs Meteor Mash to threaten the common leads mentioned above. Earthquake fills out Metagross’s coverage by hitting Steel-types hard and notably allows it to 2HKO Jirachi, Empoleon, and other Metagross. Earthquake also gives Metagross an accurate move to finish off weakened foes.
Explosion is extremely strong, OHKOing almost everything that doesn't resist it and heavily damaging anything not immune to it. It gives Metagross an option against walls that it otherwise can’t damage effectively, such as Hippowdon—which is almost always OHKOed, Swampert, and Gliscor, as well as when it is low on health and needs to trade with an opponent, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Suicune, and Zapdos. Metagross can comfortably set up Stealth Rock especially early in the game due to its bulk and power. However, if something else can set up Stealth Rock, there are several other options. Thunder Punch is a great choice especially if it doesn’t lead, as it OHKOes Gyarados and pressures Pokemon Metagross usually has to use Explosion on such as Starmie, Suicune, and Skarmory. A more aggressive approach is to use Bullet Punch. Metagross’s Bullet Punch hits fairly hard and is most useful to take down Pokemon who survived Meteor Mash or Earthquake with a Focus Sash such as Aerodactyl, frailer Azelf, and Heatran. However, Bullet Punch is also nice to revenge kill weakened sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Note that some versions of lead Metagross want both Stealth Rock and Bullet Punch, so it can drop any of Meteor Mash, Earthquake, or Explosion depending on the rest of the team.
Set Details
========
With maximum HP and Attack, Metagross is both bulky enough and strong enough to survive almost any attack and retaliate as hard as possible.
However, Metagross has almost unrivaled flexibility in its EV spread; especially with a Focus Sash, it can drop HP for Speed to be more threatening, possibly outspeeding Pokemon such as Magnet Rise Magnezone that expect to outspeed Metagross. Bulkier spreads with Leftovers are free to invest some of the Attack EVs into Special Defense; even a little investment helps Metagross avoid 2HKOes from attacks such as Magnezone’s Thunderbolt and Starmie's Hydro Pump. Metagross can also use maximum special bulk with a Careful nature; doing this makes Metagross absurdly bulky, surviving attacks such as Timid Heatran’s Fire Blast from full and KOing back with Earthquake. Metagross can also invest in its Defense; an EV spread of 252 HP / 64 Attack / 192 Def with an Adamant nature survives +2 Tyranitar’s Earthquake and OHKOes back after Stealth Rock. However, beware taking too many EVs from Metagross’s Attack; some scenarios to watch out for are not OHKOing Dragon Dance Tyranitar after Stealth Rock, failing to 2HKO defensive Jirachi, and failing to break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake.
Metagross has a wide variety of items it can use. What to use largely depends on when Metagross is used and what it is trying to do. If Metagross leads, the most common items are Lum Berry to avoid status such as Breloom’s Spore, Roserade’s Sleep Powder, and Machamp’s DynamicPunch and Focus Sash to take extremely strong attacks such as Heatran’s Fire Blast, mixed Dragonite’s Fire Blast, and Azelf’s Choice Band Explosion and either trade with Explosion, set up Stealth Rock, or KO back. If Metagross does not lead, the most common items are Shuca Berry to survive almost any Ground-type attack; Leftovers to stave off residual damage and Jirachi’s Iron Head; and Lum Berry to avoid being burned by Jirachi’s Fire Punch and Gengar’s Will-O-Wisp. Some other choices include Custap Berry to get one last strong hit off or use Explosion on an unsuspecting target and Occa Berry to survive one strong Fire-type attack from attackers such as Infernape and non Choice Specs Heatran and KO back.
Usage Tips
========
Metagross most commonly either leads or gets in the game early and sets up Stealth Rock if it has it. Metagross is unique among leads in that it is bulky enough to survive many attacks in the lead spot without a Focus Sash, can set up Stealth Rock, and threaten almost all other leads with either Explosion or strong attacks. Leverage this to your advantage: Aerodactyl and frailer Azelf will faint to Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch, making them more hesitant to Taunt Metagross out of fear they won't be able to get Stealth Rock up. Especially if Metagross does not have Stealth Rock or another teammate has it, using Explosion immediately against bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Swampert can be very advantageous. As a lead, Metagross is typically very liberal with its health; as it commonly either just needs to set up Stealth Rock or be a strong anti-lead, sacrificing a lot of its health to weaken or take out a foe is often advisable.
If Metagross does not lead, try to avoid taking too much chip damage when it comes in. In the back, Metagross is often trying to plug defensive holes such as handling defensive Jirachi or being a backup Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Dragonite check alongside setting up Stealth Rock. Try to take advantage of Metagross's unique customizability to surprise the opponent; surviving an attack such as Life Orb Flygon's Fire Blast and KOing back, absorbing Breloom's Spore and hitting it with Meteor Mash, or surprising Starmie or Suicune with ThunderPunch or Explosion are game swinging plays that Metagross very often makes as long as it stays relatively healthy.
Team Options
========
Metagross most commonly features on offensive teams trying to get momentum early and have redundancy in their Steel-types. Metagross should not be the only check to Dragon-types on the team; it takes too much damage early in the game to reliably handle Latias, Dragonite, and Jirachi more than once. As such, Metagross is often paired with Pokemon like Tyranitar, Jirachi, Heatran, and Empoleon. These Pokemon have the additional advantage of being able to set up Stealth Rock, letting Metagross be more aggressive in forgoing Stealth Rock should they set it up. As Metagross does a relatively poor job against defensive teams, it appreciates strong wallbreakers that in turn enjoy Metagross's ability to soft check many foes. A prime example for a good partner is Breloom, but Gyarados, Choice Specs Latias, and mixed Dragonite can also make good partners. Magnezone is also a good choice alongside these Pokemon, as it can trap Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor, prime checks that Metagross often lures in. More utility Metagross sets are fantastic choices on bulkier offenses in general. Some prime partners are Water-types such as Swampert, Choice Specs Kingdra, Starmie, and offensive Suicune. These Pokemon enjoy using their bulk to aid in sweeping; Metagross not only is good to check dangerous anti-leads and Dragon Dance sweepers, but it also gives these Pokemon a free switch in via Fire-type attacks. However, Metagross also appreciates a failsafe against offensive threats, as if it gets chipped it can get overwhelmed. Prominent Choice Scarfers such as Rotom-A, Flygon, and Latias are excellent options.
Metagross also is a premier Stealth Rock user on very offensive teams built around disabling leads or other anti-leads that can't set up Stealth Rock. Lead Breloom is a fantastic partner, as it can use Spore and its strong attacks, and then fall back to Metagross to get Stealth Rock up. Other examples of leads like this include Froslass, Zapdos, Roserade, Choice Specs Latias, and Dragonite. Other common teammates on this style include Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Tyranitar; strong offensive Pokemon that enjoy Spikes such as mixed Jirachi, offensive Latias, offensive Rotom-A, and Gengar; as well as Pursuit users such as Scizor and Tyranitar.
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Explosion / Thunder Punch / Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Shuca Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Agility patches Metagross’s Speed woes and lets it clean up frailer foes with its power and coverage. Earthquake is critical for Steel-types such as Heatran, Magnezone, and Empoleon and gives Metagross a niche on more offensive teams as a Jirachi check.
Meteor Mash is an excellent move for Metagross, as an Attack raise can potentially allow Metagross to sweep. Metagross typically does around 70% to prominent faster Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Latias and Flygon with Meteor Mash and often fails to OHKO offensive Pokemon if it can’t hit them super effectively. However, another option is Zen Headbutt, as it crucially OHKOes Breloom and other Fighting-types, 2HKOes Choiced Rotom-A sets, and potentially gives Metagross a way to flinch pass bulkier targets such as offensive Suicune, Zapdos, and Swampert. Explosion immediately removes almost everything in the tier and takes advantage of Metagross’s increased Speed, as Metagross resists most priority and there are few foes faster than it. Thunder Punch is another great option, as it instantly OHKOes Gyarados and is Metagross’s best option for Skarmory. However, when using Zen Headbutt, Metagross needs the additional coverage of Ice Punch to hit Pokemon such as Gliscor, Latias, and Flygon hard. Metagross can also opt for Zen Headbutt in its last slot for a power double stab combination; however it will struggle against physical walls such as Skarmory if it does this.
Set Details
========
Metagross maximizes its Attack and Speed to outspeed slower Choice Scarf users such as Lucario, Rotom-A, and Heatran after it uses Agility. As Metagross only need 216 EVs to outspeed these Pokemon at +2, 40 EVs can be put into HP for general bulk, but only has a marginal impact. Maximum Speed EVs helps before it uses Agility against Pokemon such as Breloom and Magnet Rise Magnezone. Metagross can also use a Jolly nature with 196 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Flygon, but fails to outspeed Latias even with maximum investment. Jolly is especially a good option alongside Ice Punch, as Flygon commonly can survive one attack and heavily weaken Metagross.
Lum Berry is the most common item to switch into Breloom’s Spore to outspeed and KO it as well as buffer against status moves such as Thunder Wave from Choice Scarf Latias, Jirachi’s Body Slam, and Will-O-Wisp from Gengar and Rotom-A. Shuca Berry is another common item, making Metagross a great anti-offense tool to absorb powerful Earthquake from Flygon, Gliscor, Swampert and opposing Drance Dance users Tyranitar, Gyarados and Dragonite. However, other items such as Life Orb to KO frailer Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Latias after Stealth Rock and Occa Berry to withstand Fire-types moves from Heatran and Infernape are also very helpful.
Usage Tips
========
How Metagross is played depends on the match up. Against more offensive teams, Metagross typically comes into the game fairly late to clean up weakened teams or on Breloom’s Spore should it have a Lum Berry to reverse momentum. Offensive teams often cover Metagross with a Choice Scarf Rotom-A or generic bulky Pokemon such as offensive Suicune, Swampert, Bronzong, and opposing Metagross. If these Pokemon are weakened, Metagross can easily set up using its bulk and sweep or trade two-for-one via its power and potentially Explosion. Against more defensive teams, Metagross often is walled and either tries to trade with Explosion against a wall such as Hippowdon or Zapdos or stays hidden to give a stopgap against defensive Jirachi and Clefable, depending on the flow of the game. Even against foes that wall Metagross and resist Explosion, such as Skarmory and Bronzong, using Explosion on them can weaken them for other sweepers. Beware of Skarmory predicting Explosion and using Roost or the opponent switching in Rotom-A and nullifying Explosion. Note that Metagross’s coverage moves such as Zen Headbutt and Ice Punch are often surprising and can nab unsuspecting KOes especially against Rotom-A and Flygon, respectively.
Team Options
========
Agility Metagross is most often used alongside other sweepers such as Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Swords Dance Lucario. These Pokemon soften up walls and bulky Pokemon so Metagross can clean up the rest. Of these, Taunt + Dragon Dance Tyranitar is an excellent partner, as it can potentially defeat defensive teams by itself if Metagross uses Explosion on Hippowdon as well as check Rotom-A and Latias, while Metagross can handle Jirachi and Breloom for Tyranitar. Dragonite also can break open walls for Metagross either with a mixed set, a Dragon Dance set, or even an Agility set. These Pokemon also are commonly alongside very aggressive leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl to prevent Stealth Rock, while Azelf can often paralyze and/or use Explosion on bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Heatran that can potentially live Metagross's Earthquake and retaliate. Agility Metagross is also fantastic alongside good Rotom-A checks, as even if it has Zen Headbutt, bulkier Rotom-A are only 3HKOed by it after Stealth Rock. Some good examples are faster Pursuit Tyranitar sets and Swords Dance Scizor. Metagross enjoys back up from although Steel-types to handle Latias and Dragonite, as both Modest Choice Specs Latias and Dragonite's +1 Outrage 2HKOes it after Stealth Rock. Choice Band Scizor, Jirachi, offensive Empoleon, and Heatran are also good partners. Metagross is also strong alongside Magnezone, as it can trap Skarmory, Bronzong, and Scizor so that Metagross can sweep. Some good partners for this pairing include Gengar, Choice Band Dragonite, Dragon Dance Kingdra, and Swords Dance Gliscor. Other strong offensive teammates such as Infernape and offensive Zapdos also can be nice to soften up offensive Water-types for Metagross.
[SET]
name: Trick + Iron Ball
move 1: Trick
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash
move 4: Explosion / Stealth Rock
item: Iron Ball
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick is one of Metagross’s best weapons to disable bulky Pokemon such as defensive Rotom-A, Skarmory, and Zapdos. Nothing in the game enjoys losing its item for an Iron Ball: Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate despise being hit by Ground-type attacks and Spikes and Toxic Spikes, offensive Pokemon are outsped by most the metagame and gain a useless item, while defensive Pokemon lose their Leftovers. Earthquake pairs fantastically with Trick, as Metagross pressures many of its walls by outspeeding them and potentially 2HKOing them with a now super effective Earthquake. It also makes Metagross an excellent Jirachi check, as if Metagross hits defensive Jirachi with Trick, it now outspeeds it and, even if it does get paralyzed, passively heals itself for most of the damage Iron Head does.
Meteor Mash is a great option to pressure Pokemon such as Latias, Tyranitar, and Gengar, as it can only disable one Pokemon with an Iron Ball and still needs to pressure foes not hit hard enough by Earthquake. Explosion is another great option to take out bulkier Pokemon not hampered as much by Trick such as Hippowdon and Swampert, but Metagross can maximize its utility by setting up Stealth Rock as well, as it often can both disable a Pokemon with Trick and set it up.
Set Details
========
Metagross uses maximum HP EVs to survive before it uses Trick and almost maximum Attack EVs to 2HKO Zapdos and Rotom-A and potentially 2HKO Skarmory with Earthquake after it uses Trick on them to give them an Iron Ball. The Speed investment allows Metagross to outspeed Starmie and Azelf after it uses Trick on them. Metagross typically uses at least 136 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to 2HKO Zapdos and always break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake, but can also invest in its bulk to survive more attacks. Some examples include 40 Defense EVs to survive Dragon Dance Gyarados +1 Earthquake after two rounds of Stealth Rock and 56 Special Defense EVs to live Flygon’s Life Orb Fire Blast after a layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock. Should Metagross be required for pivoting purposes, a spread of 252 HP / 64 Atk / 20 Def / 152 SpeD / 20 Spe offers a comfortable switch in Latias's Draco Meteor and check Dragon Dance Tyranitar, as it survives +1 Tyranitar Earthquake and OHKOes Tyranitar back after Stealth Rock.
Metagross can also use Trick with other detrimental items. Some examples include the Flame Orb to ruin most physical attackers and chip defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Hippowdon (alongside Refresh to heal the burn if it can’t use Trick), Toxic Orb to poison bulky Ground- and Water-types, and Lagging Tail to make even the most boosted of Pokemon move second. However, none of these items are quite as effective as the Iron Ball.
Usage Tips
=======
Metagross typically tries to use Trick as soon as possible, as it is slower than the entire tier before it Tricks away its Iron Ball. While Metagross can wait for a better target, the advantage of neutering any foe and potentially gaining a useful item often outweighs the benefit. Opponents often switch their best Metagross check into it first anyways, while Metagross enjoys regaining its Speed so it can pressure Pokemon such as Clefable and slower Tyranitar. Metagross also should avoid Knock Off at all costs before it uses Trick; in DPP, Trick fails if either the user or the target is affected by Knock Off.
Before it uses Trick, Metagross should try to bluff having a more useful item. This is especially important against slower foes it threatens out such as Tyranitar, as it may try to absorb the Iron Ball and hit Metagross hard instead of switching to a good target. Metagross should also try to avoid taking too much damage switching in, as it often acts a utility check and needs as much health as possible to survive strong attacks. If Metagross gains a detrimental item after it uses Trick, such as Black Sludge or a Choice item, it may be best to hold onto it so it can Trick it away later to a better target. Finally, note that Iron Ball disables Magnet Rise, meaning Magnezone cannot trap Metagross as long as it is at decent health.
Team Options
========
Trick + Iron Ball Metagross is fantastic on both bulkier teams as a way to open up bulky Pokemon and on more aggressive teams as a utility check. One of its best partners is Choice Scarf Flygon, as not only is it a great failsafe, but also really enjoys being able to hit bulky Flying-types with Earthquake, often 2HKOing physically defensive Skarmory. Other synergetic partners include offensive Suicune, Swampert, Latias, as these Pokemon all resist Fire, enjoy Skarmory being disabled, and Suicune and Swampert additionally enjoy Metagross disabling the Electric-type Rotom-A and Zapdos. Metagross is also excellent teammate for Spikes users such as offensive Skarmory, Roserade, and Froslass, as Trick forces Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon to take Spikes damage. It also provides a utility check against offensive threats such as Dragon Dance Dragonite, Flygon locked into Outrage, and Dragon Dance Tyranitar for these often frail Pokemon. Other than these, Metagross generally acts as a support on more bulky offense style teams—it enjoys back up against offensive Dragon-types like Choice Specs Latias, so Steel-type teammates such as offensive Empoleon, Jirachi, Scizor, and Tyranitar are great teammates. Jirachi and Tyranitar can even have a Lum Berry to more easily switch into Breloom's Spore and Rotom-A's Will-O-Wisp, respectively. It enjoys partners such as Gengar and Latias to switch into Ground-type moves; Gengar is especially a good partner because it enjoys Skarmory and other Steel-types neutral to Focus Blast such as Scizor and Forretress being disabled.
Trick + Iron Ball Metagross is also a good choice on hyper offensive teams as a bulkier Metagross set and an enabler to sweepers that need luck to get past Skarmory. The additional bulk lets these teams get a stronger answer to Latias using Draco Meteor, as Tyranitar is often frail on these teams. The most prominent of these are Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, Dragonite, and Swords Dance Gliscor. Swords Dance Gliscor in particular is a good partner, as it can drop the otherwise less useful Thunder Fang for the more generally powerful Sky Attack or Night Slash. Tyranitar can use a Pursuit set to take advantage of Rotom-A instead of using a Dragon Dance set. Other good teammates include Scizor, Azelf to get Stealth Rock up immediately, and Dragonite.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Thunder Punch / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Pursuit / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With a Choice Scarf, Metagross turns into a great revenge killer. Meteor Mash makes Metagross a fantastic Dragon Dance Tyranitar check, as it outspeeds and OHKOes it after Stealth Rock. If Metagross gets an Attack boost from Meteor Mash, it can potentially clean up weakened teams, as it outspeeds the unboosted metagame except for the uncommon Jolteon and Aerodactyl. Earthquake not only gives Metagross great coverage on Steel-types, it lets it OHKO Pokemon such as Infernape, Lucario, and Heatran that normally outspeed Metagross.
Thunder Punch makes Metagross a great Gyarados check, as Thunder Punch always OHKOes it and has a good chance to OHKO Wacan Berry variants after Stealth Rock. Thunder Punch also does good damage to other Water-types such as Starmie, Suicune, and Milotic. Another option is Ice Punch, as it allows Metagross to always OHKO Dragonite and Flygon while hitting Gliscor and Latias very hard. Explosion is most commonly the best option in the last slot, as it allows Metagross to trade with a sweeper it doesn’t have the coverage for or KO almost any wall. However, more specialized moves include Pursuit, which is fantastic at trapping frail Pokemon threatening out by a fast Metagross such as Gengar and Choiced Latias and Trick, which neuters walls with a Choice Scarf and can prevent foes such as Suicune and Calm Mind Clefable from setting up on it.
Set Details
========
Metagross needs absolute maximum Speed EVs and a Jolly nature to outspeed neutral-natured +1 Dragon Dance Gyarados as it hits a Speed stat of 393. The remaining EVs are put in Attack to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Metagross should try to get in on predicted switches, set-up moves, and revenge kills, as it is quite frail without investment. As an example, it is 2HKOed by Modest Choice Specs Latias's Draco Meteor and, if it has Pursuit, must wait for Latias to use Draco Meteor or Trick before it can try to trap it. Note that Choice Scarf Metagross is often a surprise; neutral-natured Dragon Dance Gyarados must guess whether Metagross is has a Shuca Berry to survive Earthquake or has a Choice Scarf, often leaving it to faint to Thunder Punch. Swords Dance Lucario is under the same predicament, as Metagross resists most priority. If Metagross has Trick or Explosion, be careful about using them until it is no longer needed to revenge kill threats. Also note that Choice Scarf Metagross isn't the strongest set; it often needs the element of surprise to KO foes and, once it is revealed, is easier to play around.
Team Options
========
Metagross is a great revenge killer on frailer teams, as it still poses the threat of Explosion or Trick and handles dangerous threats for offensive teams such as Lucario, Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Gyarados. One of its best partners, especially if it has Pursuit, is Breloom. Breloom can use Spore on Latias, as it commonly has Sleep Talk, and then Metagross can come and use Pursuit. If Stealth Rock is up, Latias without bulk investment can potentially faint on its next switch in. This freedom potentially allows Tyranitar to use more offensive sets such as Dragon Dance. Choice Scarf Metagross is also fantastic alongside Magnezone, as it can remove Steel-types that switch into Metagross as well as potentially trap opposing Magnezone or Magneton with a Shuca Berry. Some good partners on this style are other Steel-types such as Bronzong and Jirachi and strong attackers such as Dragonite and Gengar. Choice Scarf Metagross also allows other Pokemon more commonly tasked with having a Choice Scarf use more offensive sets. As an example, Latias can use Choice Specs and Rotom-A can use a more offensive Substitute set. Metagross enjoys having an additional Steel-type not only to help handle normal Steel-type defensive responsibilities such as switch into Latias and handling Jirachi. Passho Berry Heatran is an excellent partner, as it can take on that defensive responsibility while also luring in and using Explosion against Water-types that wall Metagross.
Metagross is also a good revenge killer on more offensive Spikes teams using offensive Skarmory and Froslass, as either its checks are weakened by Spikes or its teammates can take down the Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon that check it. Mixed Dragonite is perhaps its best partner here, as it can switch into Skarmory trying to wall it and unleash strong attacks. Other good partners include Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragon Dance Gyarados, and Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
As Metagross often only needs Earthquake to be effective, it has many additional options. A prominent one is to drop Explosion for Toxic and Protect with Leftovers on defensive teams alongside Magnezone or Magneton. Metagross is highly effective without Skarmory and Forretress in the picture, is a fantastic Jirachi and Clefable check with Leftovers, and can spread Toxic on defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Zapdos, and Swampert. There are many other options in the last slot alongside Meteor Mash and Explosion: some prominent ones include Pursuit with a lot special bulk to trap Latias; Endure alongside Custap Berry to always survive a hit and revenge sweepers without priority; Zen Headbutt to surprise Breloom, Machamp, and Rotom-A; Refresh to heal off paralysis or burns from Jirachi and Gengar; and Rest with a Chesto Berry to heal off residual damage and give Metagross a second chance. Metagross can also use an effective mixed set with options such as Hidden Power Fire for Skarmory, Scizor, and Forretress, Grass Knot for Swampert, Hippowdon, and Slowbro, and Psychic for Rotom-A, Breloom, Gengar, and Machamp. Expert Belt on such a set lets Metagross hit its targets very hard, 2HKOing Hippowdon and Skarmory and OHKOing Swampert, Scizor, and Forretress with their respective moves. Grass Knot also is good on physical sets to 2HKO Swampert and potentially physically defensive Hippowdon. Metagross can also use Hammer Arm to heavily damage Clefable and Tyranitar while also hitting Magnet Rise Magnezone and Heatran.
Choice Band seems like it would be a fantastic choice on such a strong Pokemon, but all of Metagross attacks have drawbacks when it locks into them. Heatran, Skarmory, and physically defensive Jirachi can punish Metagross hard for using Meteor Mash, while Metagross isn't fast enough or bulky enough to get enough advantage for locking into one attack. While Explosion can now KO almost anything not immune to it, it still can’t OHKO physically defensive Skarmory. It simply doesn’t have enough utility compared to other sets.
Checks and Counters
========
**Rotom-A**: Rotom-A is the classic Metagross counter, as it resists Meteor Mash, is immune to Earthquake and Explosion, and can either burn it with Will-O-Wisp or roast it with Overheat. Even though Agility Metagross outspeeds Choice Scarf Rotom-A, Metagross still typically loses to it if both are at full health and Metagross doesn’t have Zen Headbutt. Metagross can get past Rotom-A if Metagross Tricks it an Iron Ball, as Earthquake 2HKOes it, but Metagross still hates being burned.
**Bulky Flying-types**: Skarmory, Zapdos, and Gyarados resist Meteor Mash and are immune to Earthquake. Despite not resisting Meteor Mash, Gliscor is bulky enough to take it fairly well. Of these, physically defensive Skarmory is perhaps the best answer, as it fears almost nothing Metagross can do, heals off even Thunder Punch and Explosion, and isn’t 2HKOed by Earthquake if it is Tricked an Iron Ball. Zapdos and Gyarados can 2HKO Metagross with Heat Wave and Earthquake, respectively, while physically defensive versions of both can take repeated punishment from Meteor Mash. However, neither enjoy an Iron Ball, both are OHKOed by Explosion, and Gyarados is also OHKOed by Thunder Punch. Gliscor needs a lot of Defense investment to continually endure Metagross’s attacks, is OHKOed by Explosion, and additionally hates Ice Punch.
**Water-types**: Swampert, Suicune, Starmie, Milotic, Ludicolo, Quagsire, and Slowbro are all good answers to Metagross unless Metagross packs Thunder Punch or Grass Knot depending on the Pokemon. Even then, they often can survive these attacks and heavily weaken Metagross or force it to use Explosion. Special Water-types like Kingdra and offensive Empoleon can overpower Metagross with Hydro Pump, especially if boosted by rain or Choice Specs.
**Ground-types**: Both offensive and defensive Ground-types threaten Metagross. Offensive Ground-types such as Mamoswine, Flygon, Swampert, and Gliscor can hit Metagross very hard with Earthquake, especially Mamoswine which OHKOes maximum HP Metagross with a Choice Band Earthquake. Defensive Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Quagsire, and Donphan 2HKO it with Earthquake and force it to use Explosion unless it has Grass Knot.
**Fire-types**: While they can’t switch in freely, Infernape and Heatran outspeed Metagross and devastate it with Fire-type attacks unless it has an Occa Berry. Choice Specs Heatran is notable in that it OHKOes Metagross through the Occa Berry.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types, especially if they aren’t hit super effectively by Earthquake, are good answers to Metagross because they resist Explosion and Meteor Mash. Bronzong is immune to Earthquake and hits it hard with Earthquake. Scizor and Forretress either set up on Metagross or hit it hard in Scizor case. Magnezone is notable in that it often outspeeds Metagross and can trap it with Magnet Rise or KO it if it is weakened, but watch out for Iron Ball or faster Metagross.
**Residual Damage**: Metagross doesn’t have access to reliable recovery and is vulnerable to Spikes and burn. Metagross easily lets Skarmory and Forretress set up Spikes and detests getting burned. Both Gengar and Rotom-A outspeed Metagross and burn it. Any additional damage makes it harder for Metagross be a utility counter, as many Pokemon can hit it super effectively to KO it once it’s sufficiently chipped.
**Magnet Pull** While not as susceptible to trapping as Skarmory, Metagross is often slower than Magneton and Magnezone and is prone to be revenge killed by STAB Thunderbolt. Faster Magnezone variants in particular can use Magnet Rise to suppress their Earthquake weakness, forcing Metagross to explode. Although risky, Magneton and Choice Scarf Magnezone can also switch into a predicted Trick, locking Metagross into a non damaging move and 2HKOing it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sakito.433460/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/johnnyg2.57904/
- Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/oiponabys.435540/
- Grammar checked by:
Metagross returns to DPP OU as perhaps the best glue Pokemon in the tier. Metagross's fantastic stat spread, excellent Steel / Psychic typing, versatile movepool, and item flexibility lets it fulfill almost any role, be that as a utility Pokemon, sweeper, or speed control with a Choice Scarf. Metagross is one of the best Stealth Rock users in the tier, as Metagross has the bulk to set up the entry hazard in front of almost all foes and can harass spinners such as Starmie, Forretress, and Donphan with Explosion and Earthquake. With just 252 HP EVs, Metagross also is one of the best utility checks in the tier, as by customizing its item and moves, it can check everything from Dragon Dance sweepers such as Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Gyarados with a Shuca Berry; Breloom, Gengar, Machamp, and Jirachi with a Lum Berry; and Infernape, Heatran, and mixed Dragonite with an Occa Berry. This item flexibility makes it by far the best user of Trick + Iron Ball in the tier, as it lures in premier answers such as Skarmory, Rotom-A, and Zapdos and neuters them with an Iron Ball while opening them up to Earthquake. Even if Trick doesn’t connect with these prime targets, most offensive Pokemon do not enjoy losing their item and Speed, while defensive Pokemon often give Metagross Leftovers, making it a fantastic defensive Jirachi check.
More offensive Metagross are also excellent choices. Agility Metagross is one of the hardest foes to cover for offensive teams, as its bulk makes it hard to KO while in return it outspeeds and KOes frailer, faster Pokemon including most Choice Scarf users. Its ability Clear Body also is quite nice, as it is immune to Intimidate weakening it. In addition, it can customize its coverage, including options such as Ice Punch to always OHKO Choice Scarf Flygon and hit Gliscor, Latias, and Zapdos hard and Zen Headbutt to OHKO Breloom and hit bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Swampert as hard as possible. Choice Scarf also makes Metagross an excellent revenge killer, as it outspeeds neutral-natured +1 Gyarados and +1 Dragonite and can KO them with the proper coverage or Explosion. It can even use Pursuit to make it a great check to Gengar and Choiced Latias, especially after Latias uses Draco Meteor, as it outspeeds them and threatens to KO or heavily damage them.
Metagross's main issues in DPP OU are due to it being a jack-of-all-trades: its relatively slow Speed, poor offensive typing, and common weaknesses make it not as specialized as many other Steel-types in the tier. While Metagross is faster than many defensive Pokemon with full investment, doing so is often at the expense of crucial bulk. Choice Scarf Metagross also must be careful about Jolly Gyarados and Dragonite, as they outspeed it and can potentially KO it. Without bulk investment, Metagross struggles to fulfill defensive responsibilities of a Steel-type such as switching into Latias’s Choice Specs Draco Meteor and taking on defensive Jirachi. However, with bulk investment and especially before it Tricks away its Iron Ball, Metagross is very slow, often having to take a hit before retaliating. Its attributes combine to make Metagross a fantastic utility check; however, because it lacks recovery and is easily chipped, it doesn’t really counter anything and is prone to being worn down especially by Spikes and burn. Metagross’s typing also is rather poor offensively, as it often needs the threat of Explosion or Trick to scare Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Swampert, Zapdos, Suicune, and especially Rotom-A and Skarmory due to the bad coverage of Meteor Mash. Metagross cannot pick all the options—items, moves, and EV spreads—it needs to handle every threat, forcing it to either bluff having an option or sacrifice itself to take out a foe.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Thunder Punch / Bullet Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers / Shuca Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Meteor Mash is Metagross's primary attack, heavily damaging foes such as Latias, Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Azelf while potentially boosting its Attack. Especially if Metagross leads, it often needs Meteor Mash to threaten the common leads mentioned above. Earthquake fills out Metagross’s coverage by hitting Steel-types hard and notably allows it to 2HKO Jirachi, Empoleon, and other Metagross. Earthquake also gives Metagross an accurate move to finish off weakened foes.
Explosion is extremely strong, OHKOing almost everything that doesn't resist it and heavily damaging anything not immune to it. It gives Metagross an option against walls that it otherwise can’t damage effectively, such as Hippowdon—which is almost always OHKOed, Swampert, and Gliscor, as well as when it is low on health and needs to trade with an opponent, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Suicune, and Zapdos. Metagross can comfortably set up Stealth Rock especially early in the game due to its bulk and power. However, if something else can set up Stealth Rock, there are several other options. Thunder Punch is a great choice especially if it doesn’t lead, as it OHKOes Gyarados and pressures Pokemon Metagross usually has to use Explosion on such as Starmie, Suicune, and Skarmory. A more aggressive approach is to use Bullet Punch. Metagross’s Bullet Punch hits fairly hard and is most useful to take down Pokemon who survived Meteor Mash or Earthquake with a Focus Sash such as Aerodactyl, frailer Azelf, and Heatran. However, Bullet Punch is also nice to revenge kill weakened sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Note that some versions of lead Metagross want both Stealth Rock and Bullet Punch, so it can drop any of Meteor Mash, Earthquake, or Explosion depending on the rest of the team.
Set Details
========
With maximum HP and Attack, Metagross is both bulky enough and strong enough to survive almost any attack and retaliate as hard as possible.
However, Metagross has almost unrivaled flexibility in its EV spread; especially with a Focus Sash, it can drop HP for Speed to be more threatening, possibly outspeeding Pokemon such as Magnet Rise Magnezone that expect to outspeed Metagross. Bulkier spreads with Leftovers are free to invest some of the Attack EVs into Special Defense; even a little investment helps Metagross avoid 2HKOes from attacks such as Magnezone’s Thunderbolt and Starmie's Hydro Pump. Metagross can also use maximum special bulk with a Careful nature; doing this makes Metagross absurdly bulky, surviving attacks such as Timid Heatran’s Fire Blast from full and KOing back with Earthquake. Metagross can also invest in its Defense; an EV spread of 252 HP / 64 Attack / 192 Def with an Adamant nature survives +2 Tyranitar’s Earthquake and OHKOes back after Stealth Rock. However, beware taking too many EVs from Metagross’s Attack; some scenarios to watch out for are not OHKOing Dragon Dance Tyranitar after Stealth Rock, failing to 2HKO defensive Jirachi, and failing to break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake.
Metagross has a wide variety of items it can use. What to use largely depends on when Metagross is used and what it is trying to do. If Metagross leads, the most common items are Lum Berry to avoid status such as Breloom’s Spore, Roserade’s Sleep Powder, and Machamp’s DynamicPunch and Focus Sash to take extremely strong attacks such as Heatran’s Fire Blast, mixed Dragonite’s Fire Blast, and Azelf’s Choice Band Explosion and either trade with Explosion, set up Stealth Rock, or KO back. If Metagross does not lead, the most common items are Shuca Berry to survive almost any Ground-type attack; Leftovers to stave off residual damage and Jirachi’s Iron Head; and Lum Berry to avoid being burned by Jirachi’s Fire Punch and Gengar’s Will-O-Wisp. Some other choices include Custap Berry to get one last strong hit off or use Explosion on an unsuspecting target and Occa Berry to survive one strong Fire-type attack from attackers such as Infernape and non Choice Specs Heatran and KO back.
Usage Tips
========
Metagross most commonly either leads or gets in the game early and sets up Stealth Rock if it has it. Metagross is unique among leads in that it is bulky enough to survive many attacks in the lead spot without a Focus Sash, can set up Stealth Rock, and threaten almost all other leads with either Explosion or strong attacks. Leverage this to your advantage: Aerodactyl and frailer Azelf will faint to Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch, making them more hesitant to Taunt Metagross out of fear they won't be able to get Stealth Rock up. Especially if Metagross does not have Stealth Rock or another teammate has it, using Explosion immediately against bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Swampert can be very advantageous. As a lead, Metagross is typically very liberal with its health; as it commonly either just needs to set up Stealth Rock or be a strong anti-lead, sacrificing a lot of its health to weaken or take out a foe is often advisable.
If Metagross does not lead, try to avoid taking too much chip damage when it comes in. In the back, Metagross is often trying to plug defensive holes such as handling defensive Jirachi or being a backup Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Dragonite check alongside setting up Stealth Rock. Try to take advantage of Metagross's unique customizability to surprise the opponent; surviving an attack such as Life Orb Flygon's Fire Blast and KOing back, absorbing Breloom's Spore and hitting it with Meteor Mash, or surprising Starmie or Suicune with ThunderPunch or Explosion are game swinging plays that Metagross very often makes as long as it stays relatively healthy.
Team Options
========
Metagross most commonly features on offensive teams trying to get momentum early and have redundancy in their Steel-types. Metagross should not be the only check to Dragon-types on the team; it takes too much damage early in the game to reliably handle Latias, Dragonite, and Jirachi more than once. As such, Metagross is often paired with Pokemon like Tyranitar, Jirachi, Heatran, and Empoleon. These Pokemon have the additional advantage of being able to set up Stealth Rock, letting Metagross be more aggressive in forgoing Stealth Rock should they set it up. As Metagross does a relatively poor job against defensive teams, it appreciates strong wallbreakers that in turn enjoy Metagross's ability to soft check many foes. A prime example for a good partner is Breloom, but Gyarados, Choice Specs Latias, and mixed Dragonite can also make good partners. Magnezone is also a good choice alongside these Pokemon, as it can trap Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor, prime checks that Metagross often lures in. More utility Metagross sets are fantastic choices on bulkier offenses in general. Some prime partners are Water-types such as Swampert, Choice Specs Kingdra, Starmie, and offensive Suicune. These Pokemon enjoy using their bulk to aid in sweeping; Metagross not only is good to check dangerous anti-leads and Dragon Dance sweepers, but it also gives these Pokemon a free switch in via Fire-type attacks. However, Metagross also appreciates a failsafe against offensive threats, as if it gets chipped it can get overwhelmed. Prominent Choice Scarfers such as Rotom-A, Flygon, and Latias are excellent options.
Metagross also is a premier Stealth Rock user on very offensive teams built around disabling leads or other anti-leads that can't set up Stealth Rock. Lead Breloom is a fantastic partner, as it can use Spore and its strong attacks, and then fall back to Metagross to get Stealth Rock up. Other examples of leads like this include Froslass, Zapdos, Roserade, Choice Specs Latias, and Dragonite. Other common teammates on this style include Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Tyranitar; strong offensive Pokemon that enjoy Spikes such as mixed Jirachi, offensive Latias, offensive Rotom-A, and Gengar; as well as Pursuit users such as Scizor and Tyranitar.
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Explosion / Thunder Punch / Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Shuca Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Agility patches Metagross’s Speed woes and lets it clean up frailer foes with its power and coverage. Earthquake is critical for Steel-types such as Heatran, Magnezone, and Empoleon and gives Metagross a niche on more offensive teams as a Jirachi check.
Meteor Mash is an excellent move for Metagross, as an Attack raise can potentially allow Metagross to sweep. Metagross typically does around 70% to prominent faster Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Latias and Flygon with Meteor Mash and often fails to OHKO offensive Pokemon if it can’t hit them super effectively. However, another option is Zen Headbutt, as it crucially OHKOes Breloom and other Fighting-types, 2HKOes Choiced Rotom-A sets, and potentially gives Metagross a way to flinch pass bulkier targets such as offensive Suicune, Zapdos, and Swampert. Explosion immediately removes almost everything in the tier and takes advantage of Metagross’s increased Speed, as Metagross resists most priority and there are few foes faster than it. Thunder Punch is another great option, as it instantly OHKOes Gyarados and is Metagross’s best option for Skarmory. However, when using Zen Headbutt, Metagross needs the additional coverage of Ice Punch to hit Pokemon such as Gliscor, Latias, and Flygon hard. Metagross can also opt for Zen Headbutt in its last slot for a power double stab combination; however it will struggle against physical walls such as Skarmory if it does this.
Set Details
========
Metagross maximizes its Attack and Speed to outspeed slower Choice Scarf users such as Lucario, Rotom-A, and Heatran after it uses Agility. As Metagross only need 216 EVs to outspeed these Pokemon at +2, 40 EVs can be put into HP for general bulk, but only has a marginal impact. Maximum Speed EVs helps before it uses Agility against Pokemon such as Breloom and Magnet Rise Magnezone. Metagross can also use a Jolly nature with 196 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Flygon, but fails to outspeed Latias even with maximum investment. Jolly is especially a good option alongside Ice Punch, as Flygon commonly can survive one attack and heavily weaken Metagross.
Lum Berry is the most common item to switch into Breloom’s Spore to outspeed and KO it as well as buffer against status moves such as Thunder Wave from Choice Scarf Latias, Jirachi’s Body Slam, and Will-O-Wisp from Gengar and Rotom-A. Shuca Berry is another common item, making Metagross a great anti-offense tool to absorb powerful Earthquake from Flygon, Gliscor, Swampert and opposing Drance Dance users Tyranitar, Gyarados and Dragonite. However, other items such as Life Orb to KO frailer Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Latias after Stealth Rock and Occa Berry to withstand Fire-types moves from Heatran and Infernape are also very helpful.
Usage Tips
========
How Metagross is played depends on the match up. Against more offensive teams, Metagross typically comes into the game fairly late to clean up weakened teams or on Breloom’s Spore should it have a Lum Berry to reverse momentum. Offensive teams often cover Metagross with a Choice Scarf Rotom-A or generic bulky Pokemon such as offensive Suicune, Swampert, Bronzong, and opposing Metagross. If these Pokemon are weakened, Metagross can easily set up using its bulk and sweep or trade two-for-one via its power and potentially Explosion. Against more defensive teams, Metagross often is walled and either tries to trade with Explosion against a wall such as Hippowdon or Zapdos or stays hidden to give a stopgap against defensive Jirachi and Clefable, depending on the flow of the game. Even against foes that wall Metagross and resist Explosion, such as Skarmory and Bronzong, using Explosion on them can weaken them for other sweepers. Beware of Skarmory predicting Explosion and using Roost or the opponent switching in Rotom-A and nullifying Explosion. Note that Metagross’s coverage moves such as Zen Headbutt and Ice Punch are often surprising and can nab unsuspecting KOes especially against Rotom-A and Flygon, respectively.
Team Options
========
Agility Metagross is most often used alongside other sweepers such as Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Swords Dance Lucario. These Pokemon soften up walls and bulky Pokemon so Metagross can clean up the rest. Of these, Taunt + Dragon Dance Tyranitar is an excellent partner, as it can potentially defeat defensive teams by itself if Metagross uses Explosion on Hippowdon as well as check Rotom-A and Latias, while Metagross can handle Jirachi and Breloom for Tyranitar. Dragonite also can break open walls for Metagross either with a mixed set, a Dragon Dance set, or even an Agility set. These Pokemon also are commonly alongside very aggressive leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl to prevent Stealth Rock, while Azelf can often paralyze and/or use Explosion on bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Heatran that can potentially live Metagross's Earthquake and retaliate. Agility Metagross is also fantastic alongside good Rotom-A checks, as even if it has Zen Headbutt, bulkier Rotom-A are only 3HKOed by it after Stealth Rock. Some good examples are faster Pursuit Tyranitar sets and Swords Dance Scizor. Metagross enjoys back up from although Steel-types to handle Latias and Dragonite, as both Modest Choice Specs Latias and Dragonite's +1 Outrage 2HKOes it after Stealth Rock. Choice Band Scizor, Jirachi, offensive Empoleon, and Heatran are also good partners. Metagross is also strong alongside Magnezone, as it can trap Skarmory, Bronzong, and Scizor so that Metagross can sweep. Some good partners for this pairing include Gengar, Choice Band Dragonite, Dragon Dance Kingdra, and Swords Dance Gliscor. Other strong offensive teammates such as Infernape and offensive Zapdos also can be nice to soften up offensive Water-types for Metagross.
[SET]
name: Trick + Iron Ball
move 1: Trick
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Meteor Mash
move 4: Explosion / Stealth Rock
item: Iron Ball
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick is one of Metagross’s best weapons to disable bulky Pokemon such as defensive Rotom-A, Skarmory, and Zapdos. Nothing in the game enjoys losing its item for an Iron Ball: Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate despise being hit by Ground-type attacks and Spikes and Toxic Spikes, offensive Pokemon are outsped by most the metagame and gain a useless item, while defensive Pokemon lose their Leftovers. Earthquake pairs fantastically with Trick, as Metagross pressures many of its walls by outspeeding them and potentially 2HKOing them with a now super effective Earthquake. It also makes Metagross an excellent Jirachi check, as if Metagross hits defensive Jirachi with Trick, it now outspeeds it and, even if it does get paralyzed, passively heals itself for most of the damage Iron Head does.
Meteor Mash is a great option to pressure Pokemon such as Latias, Tyranitar, and Gengar, as it can only disable one Pokemon with an Iron Ball and still needs to pressure foes not hit hard enough by Earthquake. Explosion is another great option to take out bulkier Pokemon not hampered as much by Trick such as Hippowdon and Swampert, but Metagross can maximize its utility by setting up Stealth Rock as well, as it often can both disable a Pokemon with Trick and set it up.
Set Details
========
Metagross uses maximum HP EVs to survive before it uses Trick and almost maximum Attack EVs to 2HKO Zapdos and Rotom-A and potentially 2HKO Skarmory with Earthquake after it uses Trick on them to give them an Iron Ball. The Speed investment allows Metagross to outspeed Starmie and Azelf after it uses Trick on them. Metagross typically uses at least 136 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to 2HKO Zapdos and always break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake, but can also invest in its bulk to survive more attacks. Some examples include 40 Defense EVs to survive Dragon Dance Gyarados +1 Earthquake after two rounds of Stealth Rock and 56 Special Defense EVs to live Flygon’s Life Orb Fire Blast after a layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock. Should Metagross be required for pivoting purposes, a spread of 252 HP / 64 Atk / 20 Def / 152 SpeD / 20 Spe offers a comfortable switch in Latias's Draco Meteor and check Dragon Dance Tyranitar, as it survives +1 Tyranitar Earthquake and OHKOes Tyranitar back after Stealth Rock.
Metagross can also use Trick with other detrimental items. Some examples include the Flame Orb to ruin most physical attackers and chip defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Hippowdon (alongside Refresh to heal the burn if it can’t use Trick), Toxic Orb to poison bulky Ground- and Water-types, and Lagging Tail to make even the most boosted of Pokemon move second. However, none of these items are quite as effective as the Iron Ball.
Usage Tips
=======
Metagross typically tries to use Trick as soon as possible, as it is slower than the entire tier before it Tricks away its Iron Ball. While Metagross can wait for a better target, the advantage of neutering any foe and potentially gaining a useful item often outweighs the benefit. Opponents often switch their best Metagross check into it first anyways, while Metagross enjoys regaining its Speed so it can pressure Pokemon such as Clefable and slower Tyranitar. Metagross also should avoid Knock Off at all costs before it uses Trick; in DPP, Trick fails if either the user or the target is affected by Knock Off.
Before it uses Trick, Metagross should try to bluff having a more useful item. This is especially important against slower foes it threatens out such as Tyranitar, as it may try to absorb the Iron Ball and hit Metagross hard instead of switching to a good target. Metagross should also try to avoid taking too much damage switching in, as it often acts a utility check and needs as much health as possible to survive strong attacks. If Metagross gains a detrimental item after it uses Trick, such as Black Sludge or a Choice item, it may be best to hold onto it so it can Trick it away later to a better target. Finally, note that Iron Ball disables Magnet Rise, meaning Magnezone cannot trap Metagross as long as it is at decent health.
Team Options
========
Trick + Iron Ball Metagross is fantastic on both bulkier teams as a way to open up bulky Pokemon and on more aggressive teams as a utility check. One of its best partners is Choice Scarf Flygon, as not only is it a great failsafe, but also really enjoys being able to hit bulky Flying-types with Earthquake, often 2HKOing physically defensive Skarmory. Other synergetic partners include offensive Suicune, Swampert, Latias, as these Pokemon all resist Fire, enjoy Skarmory being disabled, and Suicune and Swampert additionally enjoy Metagross disabling the Electric-type Rotom-A and Zapdos. Metagross is also excellent teammate for Spikes users such as offensive Skarmory, Roserade, and Froslass, as Trick forces Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon to take Spikes damage. It also provides a utility check against offensive threats such as Dragon Dance Dragonite, Flygon locked into Outrage, and Dragon Dance Tyranitar for these often frail Pokemon. Other than these, Metagross generally acts as a support on more bulky offense style teams—it enjoys back up against offensive Dragon-types like Choice Specs Latias, so Steel-type teammates such as offensive Empoleon, Jirachi, Scizor, and Tyranitar are great teammates. Jirachi and Tyranitar can even have a Lum Berry to more easily switch into Breloom's Spore and Rotom-A's Will-O-Wisp, respectively. It enjoys partners such as Gengar and Latias to switch into Ground-type moves; Gengar is especially a good partner because it enjoys Skarmory and other Steel-types neutral to Focus Blast such as Scizor and Forretress being disabled.
Trick + Iron Ball Metagross is also a good choice on hyper offensive teams as a bulkier Metagross set and an enabler to sweepers that need luck to get past Skarmory. The additional bulk lets these teams get a stronger answer to Latias using Draco Meteor, as Tyranitar is often frail on these teams. The most prominent of these are Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, Dragonite, and Swords Dance Gliscor. Swords Dance Gliscor in particular is a good partner, as it can drop the otherwise less useful Thunder Fang for the more generally powerful Sky Attack or Night Slash. Tyranitar can use a Pursuit set to take advantage of Rotom-A instead of using a Dragon Dance set. Other good teammates include Scizor, Azelf to get Stealth Rock up immediately, and Dragonite.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Thunder Punch / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Pursuit / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With a Choice Scarf, Metagross turns into a great revenge killer. Meteor Mash makes Metagross a fantastic Dragon Dance Tyranitar check, as it outspeeds and OHKOes it after Stealth Rock. If Metagross gets an Attack boost from Meteor Mash, it can potentially clean up weakened teams, as it outspeeds the unboosted metagame except for the uncommon Jolteon and Aerodactyl. Earthquake not only gives Metagross great coverage on Steel-types, it lets it OHKO Pokemon such as Infernape, Lucario, and Heatran that normally outspeed Metagross.
Thunder Punch makes Metagross a great Gyarados check, as Thunder Punch always OHKOes it and has a good chance to OHKO Wacan Berry variants after Stealth Rock. Thunder Punch also does good damage to other Water-types such as Starmie, Suicune, and Milotic. Another option is Ice Punch, as it allows Metagross to always OHKO Dragonite and Flygon while hitting Gliscor and Latias very hard. Explosion is most commonly the best option in the last slot, as it allows Metagross to trade with a sweeper it doesn’t have the coverage for or KO almost any wall. However, more specialized moves include Pursuit, which is fantastic at trapping frail Pokemon threatening out by a fast Metagross such as Gengar and Choiced Latias and Trick, which neuters walls with a Choice Scarf and can prevent foes such as Suicune and Calm Mind Clefable from setting up on it.
Set Details
========
Metagross needs absolute maximum Speed EVs and a Jolly nature to outspeed neutral-natured +1 Dragon Dance Gyarados as it hits a Speed stat of 393. The remaining EVs are put in Attack to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Metagross should try to get in on predicted switches, set-up moves, and revenge kills, as it is quite frail without investment. As an example, it is 2HKOed by Modest Choice Specs Latias's Draco Meteor and, if it has Pursuit, must wait for Latias to use Draco Meteor or Trick before it can try to trap it. Note that Choice Scarf Metagross is often a surprise; neutral-natured Dragon Dance Gyarados must guess whether Metagross is has a Shuca Berry to survive Earthquake or has a Choice Scarf, often leaving it to faint to Thunder Punch. Swords Dance Lucario is under the same predicament, as Metagross resists most priority. If Metagross has Trick or Explosion, be careful about using them until it is no longer needed to revenge kill threats. Also note that Choice Scarf Metagross isn't the strongest set; it often needs the element of surprise to KO foes and, once it is revealed, is easier to play around.
Team Options
========
Metagross is a great revenge killer on frailer teams, as it still poses the threat of Explosion or Trick and handles dangerous threats for offensive teams such as Lucario, Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Gyarados. One of its best partners, especially if it has Pursuit, is Breloom. Breloom can use Spore on Latias, as it commonly has Sleep Talk, and then Metagross can come and use Pursuit. If Stealth Rock is up, Latias without bulk investment can potentially faint on its next switch in. This freedom potentially allows Tyranitar to use more offensive sets such as Dragon Dance. Choice Scarf Metagross is also fantastic alongside Magnezone, as it can remove Steel-types that switch into Metagross as well as potentially trap opposing Magnezone or Magneton with a Shuca Berry. Some good partners on this style are other Steel-types such as Bronzong and Jirachi and strong attackers such as Dragonite and Gengar. Choice Scarf Metagross also allows other Pokemon more commonly tasked with having a Choice Scarf use more offensive sets. As an example, Latias can use Choice Specs and Rotom-A can use a more offensive Substitute set. Metagross enjoys having an additional Steel-type not only to help handle normal Steel-type defensive responsibilities such as switch into Latias and handling Jirachi. Passho Berry Heatran is an excellent partner, as it can take on that defensive responsibility while also luring in and using Explosion against Water-types that wall Metagross.
Metagross is also a good revenge killer on more offensive Spikes teams using offensive Skarmory and Froslass, as either its checks are weakened by Spikes or its teammates can take down the Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon that check it. Mixed Dragonite is perhaps its best partner here, as it can switch into Skarmory trying to wall it and unleash strong attacks. Other good partners include Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragon Dance Gyarados, and Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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As Metagross often only needs Earthquake to be effective, it has many additional options. A prominent one is to drop Explosion for Toxic and Protect with Leftovers on defensive teams alongside Magnezone or Magneton. Metagross is highly effective without Skarmory and Forretress in the picture, is a fantastic Jirachi and Clefable check with Leftovers, and can spread Toxic on defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Zapdos, and Swampert. There are many other options in the last slot alongside Meteor Mash and Explosion: some prominent ones include Pursuit with a lot special bulk to trap Latias; Endure alongside Custap Berry to always survive a hit and revenge sweepers without priority; Zen Headbutt to surprise Breloom, Machamp, and Rotom-A; Refresh to heal off paralysis or burns from Jirachi and Gengar; and Rest with a Chesto Berry to heal off residual damage and give Metagross a second chance. Metagross can also use an effective mixed set with options such as Hidden Power Fire for Skarmory, Scizor, and Forretress, Grass Knot for Swampert, Hippowdon, and Slowbro, and Psychic for Rotom-A, Breloom, Gengar, and Machamp. Expert Belt on such a set lets Metagross hit its targets very hard, 2HKOing Hippowdon and Skarmory and OHKOing Swampert, Scizor, and Forretress with their respective moves. Grass Knot also is good on physical sets to 2HKO Swampert and potentially physically defensive Hippowdon. Metagross can also use Hammer Arm to heavily damage Clefable and Tyranitar while also hitting Magnet Rise Magnezone and Heatran.
Choice Band seems like it would be a fantastic choice on such a strong Pokemon, but all of Metagross attacks have drawbacks when it locks into them. Heatran, Skarmory, and physically defensive Jirachi can punish Metagross hard for using Meteor Mash, while Metagross isn't fast enough or bulky enough to get enough advantage for locking into one attack. While Explosion can now KO almost anything not immune to it, it still can’t OHKO physically defensive Skarmory. It simply doesn’t have enough utility compared to other sets.
Checks and Counters
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**Rotom-A**: Rotom-A is the classic Metagross counter, as it resists Meteor Mash, is immune to Earthquake and Explosion, and can either burn it with Will-O-Wisp or roast it with Overheat. Even though Agility Metagross outspeeds Choice Scarf Rotom-A, Metagross still typically loses to it if both are at full health and Metagross doesn’t have Zen Headbutt. Metagross can get past Rotom-A if Metagross Tricks it an Iron Ball, as Earthquake 2HKOes it, but Metagross still hates being burned.
**Bulky Flying-types**: Skarmory, Zapdos, and Gyarados resist Meteor Mash and are immune to Earthquake. Despite not resisting Meteor Mash, Gliscor is bulky enough to take it fairly well. Of these, physically defensive Skarmory is perhaps the best answer, as it fears almost nothing Metagross can do, heals off even Thunder Punch and Explosion, and isn’t 2HKOed by Earthquake if it is Tricked an Iron Ball. Zapdos and Gyarados can 2HKO Metagross with Heat Wave and Earthquake, respectively, while physically defensive versions of both can take repeated punishment from Meteor Mash. However, neither enjoy an Iron Ball, both are OHKOed by Explosion, and Gyarados is also OHKOed by Thunder Punch. Gliscor needs a lot of Defense investment to continually endure Metagross’s attacks, is OHKOed by Explosion, and additionally hates Ice Punch.
**Water-types**: Swampert, Suicune, Starmie, Milotic, Ludicolo, Quagsire, and Slowbro are all good answers to Metagross unless Metagross packs Thunder Punch or Grass Knot depending on the Pokemon. Even then, they often can survive these attacks and heavily weaken Metagross or force it to use Explosion. Special Water-types like Kingdra and offensive Empoleon can overpower Metagross with Hydro Pump, especially if boosted by rain or Choice Specs.
**Ground-types**: Both offensive and defensive Ground-types threaten Metagross. Offensive Ground-types such as Mamoswine, Flygon, Swampert, and Gliscor can hit Metagross very hard with Earthquake, especially Mamoswine which OHKOes maximum HP Metagross with a Choice Band Earthquake. Defensive Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Quagsire, and Donphan 2HKO it with Earthquake and force it to use Explosion unless it has Grass Knot.
**Fire-types**: While they can’t switch in freely, Infernape and Heatran outspeed Metagross and devastate it with Fire-type attacks unless it has an Occa Berry. Choice Specs Heatran is notable in that it OHKOes Metagross through the Occa Berry.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types, especially if they aren’t hit super effectively by Earthquake, are good answers to Metagross because they resist Explosion and Meteor Mash. Bronzong is immune to Earthquake and hits it hard with Earthquake. Scizor and Forretress either set up on Metagross or hit it hard in Scizor case. Magnezone is notable in that it often outspeeds Metagross and can trap it with Magnet Rise or KO it if it is weakened, but watch out for Iron Ball or faster Metagross.
**Residual Damage**: Metagross doesn’t have access to reliable recovery and is vulnerable to Spikes and burn. Metagross easily lets Skarmory and Forretress set up Spikes and detests getting burned. Both Gengar and Rotom-A outspeed Metagross and burn it. Any additional damage makes it harder for Metagross be a utility counter, as many Pokemon can hit it super effectively to KO it once it’s sufficiently chipped.
**Magnet Pull** While not as susceptible to trapping as Skarmory, Metagross is often slower than Magneton and Magnezone and is prone to be revenge killed by STAB Thunderbolt. Faster Magnezone variants in particular can use Magnet Rise to suppress their Earthquake weakness, forcing Metagross to explode. Although risky, Magneton and Choice Scarf Magnezone can also switch into a predicted Trick, locking Metagross into a non damaging move and 2HKOing it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sakito.433460/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/johnnyg2.57904/
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