pqs
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Lopunny's high Attack and Speed stats along with great STAB moves like Fake Out, Giga Impact, and High Jump Kick let it outspeed and KO many common threats such as offensive Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, non-Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, Mega Tyranitar, and Heatran. Mega Lopunny also has several utility and coverage moves such as Substitute, Encore, Endure, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch. The wide range of options give Mega Lopunny a significant surprise factor, but other than Substitute, these options are generally rare. Scrappy is a very useful ability to take on Ghost-types like Mega Sableye and Aegislash, which it can't hit otherwise. Unfortunately, Mega Lopunny's offensive capabilities can only go so far, as foes commonly invest in bulk to survive its attacks, which leaves it prone to threats like Mega Charizard X, Mega Altaria, and Victini. Furthermore, Mega Lopunny's defensive stats leave much to be desired, as other fast offensive threats that can outspeed it will undoubtedly KO it, such as Timid Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z and Kyurem-B.
[SET]
name: Hyper Offense
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Giga Impact
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Fake Out gives Lopunny a safe turn to Mega Evolve before Mega Lopunny's Speed tier kicks in, as well as getting off some very useful chip damage, which aids it in almost every matchup. Giga Impact goes well with Fake Out, allowing Mega Lopunny to always beat Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard Y, Garchomp, Meloetta, Serperior, and offensive Mega Charizard X. High Jump Kick covers Kyurem-B, Mega Sableye, and Choice Specs Porygon-Z, and it will generally be the move of choice after Fake Out against Pokemon that resist Giga Impact such as Heatran, Mega Tyranitar, and Genesect. Substitute gives Mega Lopunny a better matchup against Counter users like Registeel, along with stall Pokemon, blocking moves like Charm from Mega Venusaur and Will-O-Wisp from Mew. It also helps against Custap Berry users like Porygon-Z and Manaphy while giving Mega Lopunny a better chance against Aegislash and non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard X. Limber, though rarely applicable, should be used to have a better matchup against defensive Thunder Wave Togekiss and Porygon2. Scrappy lets Mega Lopunny beat Mega Sableye and Aegislash, as well as Mega Gengar if Mega Lopunny chooses to use a Jolly nature over an Adamant one.
EVs
========
252 Attack EVs along with an Adamant nature is the standard, as alternatives make its already imperfect power even more of a concern. 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed Pokemon such as Serperior, Jumpluff, and Modest Greninja. Though usually outclassed by Adamant due to the noticeable loss of strength, a Jolly nature can be used to consistently beat Greninja and Mega Gengar, but this will give Mega Lopunny less reliability against semi-bulky Mega Charizard X, bulky Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, Choice Scarf Genesect, and Togekiss. A spread of 40 HP / 204 Atk / 56 Def / 208 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to always survive a neutral-nature Choice Scarf Kyurem-B's Outrage, and it maintains enough Speed for Serperior. Alternatively, Mega Lopunny could use 64 HP / 108 Atk / 128 Def / 208 Spe with an Adamant nature to always take an Outrage from Choice Scarf Kyurem-B. These options are generally outclassed by the standard spread, though, as they make once-guaranteed KOs unreliable and lose the chance of winning the mirror matchup. Choice Scarf Kyurem-B is also not very common.
Strategy & Support
========
Mega Lopunny is generally simple to use, using Fake Out and then the appropriate STAB move. Exceptions to this, though, are times where Mega Lopunny needs to use Substitute. Pokemon like Manaphy and Aegislash force mindgames, as Mega Lopunny should use Substitute on the turn(s) they use Endure or King's Shield, respectively. Another important matchup is that against Mega Charizard X: if you look at the opponent's team and expect Mega Charizard X lacks Flame Charge, you should immediately use Substitute after Fake Out, either fishing for Outrage confusion self-damage or accumulating its Flame Flare Blitz recoil. Both give Mega Lopunny a better chance to KO it with Giga Impact once it can no longer use Substitute. If you do expect the Mega Charizard X to have Flame Charge, after using Fake Out, Mega Lopunny should immediately use Giga Impact and hope that it doesn’t have adequate Defense investment to guarantee survival or falls to a critical hit. Don't assume Mega Lopunny has a good matchup against Gyarados due to Mega Gyarados's Fighting weakness. Gyarados can just avoid Mega Evolving immediately and, depending on its set, use Dragon Dance right after Fake Out and then OHKO or 2HKO semi-reliably with Waterfall. Fake Out into Giga Impact is very unreliable versus bulkier variants of Gyarados, making Mega Lopunny very unreliable as a whole against Gyarados. Substitute Mega Charizard X is a great partner for Mega Lopunny because it can cover the Steel-types that aren't weak to Mega Lopunny's High Jump Kick, as well as taking on some stall Pokemon that Mega Lopunny has trouble with, like Mega Venusaur, Mega Ampharos, and non-Occa Berry Whimsicott. There are also many options with its EVs, as Mega Charizard X could run a specially defensive set to take on Choice Specs Greninja, or it could run a physically defensive set to take on other Mega Lopunny. Alternatively, Belly Drum could be run over Substitute on Mega Charizard X, though this will give it a worse time against Mega Venusaur. Fire-types, by extension, are generally good partners for Mega Lopunny. Mega Slowbro aids in the Mega Charizard X matchup and is generally helpful against Steel-types that Mega Lopunny can’t already beat like Mega Mawile and Mega Metagross. Mega Gyarados also reliably beats Mega Charizard X, and it can cover non-Choice Specs Hoopa-U and Aegislash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
The combination of High Jump Kick and Thunder Punch can be used to beat most Gyarados, though be wary of a Gyarados EV spread that has close to 252 Attack EVs and enough Speed to outspeed Mega Lopunny at +1, as Mega Gyarados can always KO Mega Lopunny with a +1 Waterfall after a Dragon Dance. If you want to reliably beat Mega Gyarados with Thunder Punch, a spread of 32 HP / 184 Atk / 84 Def / 208 Spe and an Adamant nature will always take a +1 Waterfall from Mega Gyarados and KO back. Ice Punch lets Mega Lopunny reliably beat non-Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Dragonite. Flail over Giga Impact gives Mega Lopunny more reliability against non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard X and Choice Band Victini, though this is generally a big downgrade, as it loses out on key matchups where being able to attack early is crucial, such as those against Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, Garchomp, Hoopa-U, and Serperior. Endure gives Mega Lopunny a chance versus unsuspecting Timid Choice Specs Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, which, under normal circumstances, would use their recharge move instantly. It also gives Mega Lopunny reliability against Custap Berry users, like Manaphy and Porygon-Z. Encore over Substitute allows Mega Lopunny to lock foes into status moves, such as slower Substitute users and some stall Pokemon, but leaves Lopunny more vulnerable to attacks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Faster offensive Pokemon like Timid Greninja, as well as Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, Kyurem-B, Dragonite, and Victini, can all take out Mega Lopunny in one hit, giving it no time to react.
**Stall**: Generally, Mega Lopunny has a poor matchup against stall Pokemon like Mew, Mega Slowbro, Mega Altaria, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Ampharos, as they survive anything Lopunny can throw at them. Encore can help, but only versus some stall Pokemon.
**Bulky Offensive Pokemon**: Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, Victini, Sylveon, and Landorus-T are all threats that can easily EV themselves to take Mega Lopunny’s hits— or just tank them naturally— and KO back with their own moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[pqs, 425798]]
- Quality checked by: [[DEG, 234355], [LRXC, 289008]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [UT, 523866]]
Mega Lopunny's high Attack and Speed stats along with great STAB moves like Fake Out, Giga Impact, and High Jump Kick let it outspeed and KO many common threats such as offensive Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, non-Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, Mega Tyranitar, and Heatran. Mega Lopunny also has several utility and coverage moves such as Substitute, Encore, Endure, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch. The wide range of options give Mega Lopunny a significant surprise factor, but other than Substitute, these options are generally rare. Scrappy is a very useful ability to take on Ghost-types like Mega Sableye and Aegislash, which it can't hit otherwise. Unfortunately, Mega Lopunny's offensive capabilities can only go so far, as foes commonly invest in bulk to survive its attacks, which leaves it prone to threats like Mega Charizard X, Mega Altaria, and Victini. Furthermore, Mega Lopunny's defensive stats leave much to be desired, as other fast offensive threats that can outspeed it will undoubtedly KO it, such as Timid Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z and Kyurem-B.
[SET]
name: Hyper Offense
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Giga Impact
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute
item: Lopunnite
ability: Limber
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Fake Out gives Lopunny a safe turn to Mega Evolve before Mega Lopunny's Speed tier kicks in, as well as getting off some very useful chip damage, which aids it in almost every matchup. Giga Impact goes well with Fake Out, allowing Mega Lopunny to always beat Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard Y, Garchomp, Meloetta, Serperior, and offensive Mega Charizard X. High Jump Kick covers Kyurem-B, Mega Sableye, and Choice Specs Porygon-Z, and it will generally be the move of choice after Fake Out against Pokemon that resist Giga Impact such as Heatran, Mega Tyranitar, and Genesect. Substitute gives Mega Lopunny a better matchup against Counter users like Registeel, along with stall Pokemon, blocking moves like Charm from Mega Venusaur and Will-O-Wisp from Mew. It also helps against Custap Berry users like Porygon-Z and Manaphy while giving Mega Lopunny a better chance against Aegislash and non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard X. Limber, though rarely applicable, should be used to have a better matchup against defensive Thunder Wave Togekiss and Porygon2. Scrappy lets Mega Lopunny beat Mega Sableye and Aegislash, as well as Mega Gengar if Mega Lopunny chooses to use a Jolly nature over an Adamant one.
EVs
========
252 Attack EVs along with an Adamant nature is the standard, as alternatives make its already imperfect power even more of a concern. 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed Pokemon such as Serperior, Jumpluff, and Modest Greninja. Though usually outclassed by Adamant due to the noticeable loss of strength, a Jolly nature can be used to consistently beat Greninja and Mega Gengar, but this will give Mega Lopunny less reliability against semi-bulky Mega Charizard X, bulky Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, Choice Scarf Genesect, and Togekiss. A spread of 40 HP / 204 Atk / 56 Def / 208 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to always survive a neutral-nature Choice Scarf Kyurem-B's Outrage, and it maintains enough Speed for Serperior. Alternatively, Mega Lopunny could use 64 HP / 108 Atk / 128 Def / 208 Spe with an Adamant nature to always take an Outrage from Choice Scarf Kyurem-B. These options are generally outclassed by the standard spread, though, as they make once-guaranteed KOs unreliable and lose the chance of winning the mirror matchup. Choice Scarf Kyurem-B is also not very common.
Strategy & Support
========
Mega Lopunny is generally simple to use, using Fake Out and then the appropriate STAB move. Exceptions to this, though, are times where Mega Lopunny needs to use Substitute. Pokemon like Manaphy and Aegislash force mindgames, as Mega Lopunny should use Substitute on the turn(s) they use Endure or King's Shield, respectively. Another important matchup is that against Mega Charizard X: if you look at the opponent's team and expect Mega Charizard X lacks Flame Charge, you should immediately use Substitute after Fake Out, either fishing for Outrage confusion self-damage or accumulating its Flame Flare Blitz recoil. Both give Mega Lopunny a better chance to KO it with Giga Impact once it can no longer use Substitute. If you do expect the Mega Charizard X to have Flame Charge, after using Fake Out, Mega Lopunny should immediately use Giga Impact and hope that it doesn’t have adequate Defense investment to guarantee survival or falls to a critical hit. Don't assume Mega Lopunny has a good matchup against Gyarados due to Mega Gyarados's Fighting weakness. Gyarados can just avoid Mega Evolving immediately and, depending on its set, use Dragon Dance right after Fake Out and then OHKO or 2HKO semi-reliably with Waterfall. Fake Out into Giga Impact is very unreliable versus bulkier variants of Gyarados, making Mega Lopunny very unreliable as a whole against Gyarados. Substitute Mega Charizard X is a great partner for Mega Lopunny because it can cover the Steel-types that aren't weak to Mega Lopunny's High Jump Kick, as well as taking on some stall Pokemon that Mega Lopunny has trouble with, like Mega Venusaur, Mega Ampharos, and non-Occa Berry Whimsicott. There are also many options with its EVs, as Mega Charizard X could run a specially defensive set to take on Choice Specs Greninja, or it could run a physically defensive set to take on other Mega Lopunny. Alternatively, Belly Drum could be run over Substitute on Mega Charizard X, though this will give it a worse time against Mega Venusaur. Fire-types, by extension, are generally good partners for Mega Lopunny. Mega Slowbro aids in the Mega Charizard X matchup and is generally helpful against Steel-types that Mega Lopunny can’t already beat like Mega Mawile and Mega Metagross. Mega Gyarados also reliably beats Mega Charizard X, and it can cover non-Choice Specs Hoopa-U and Aegislash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
The combination of High Jump Kick and Thunder Punch can be used to beat most Gyarados, though be wary of a Gyarados EV spread that has close to 252 Attack EVs and enough Speed to outspeed Mega Lopunny at +1, as Mega Gyarados can always KO Mega Lopunny with a +1 Waterfall after a Dragon Dance. If you want to reliably beat Mega Gyarados with Thunder Punch, a spread of 32 HP / 184 Atk / 84 Def / 208 Spe and an Adamant nature will always take a +1 Waterfall from Mega Gyarados and KO back. Ice Punch lets Mega Lopunny reliably beat non-Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Dragonite. Flail over Giga Impact gives Mega Lopunny more reliability against non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard X and Choice Band Victini, though this is generally a big downgrade, as it loses out on key matchups where being able to attack early is crucial, such as those against Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, Garchomp, Hoopa-U, and Serperior. Endure gives Mega Lopunny a chance versus unsuspecting Timid Choice Specs Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, which, under normal circumstances, would use their recharge move instantly. It also gives Mega Lopunny reliability against Custap Berry users, like Manaphy and Porygon-Z. Encore over Substitute allows Mega Lopunny to lock foes into status moves, such as slower Substitute users and some stall Pokemon, but leaves Lopunny more vulnerable to attacks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Faster offensive Pokemon like Timid Greninja, as well as Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, Kyurem-B, Dragonite, and Victini, can all take out Mega Lopunny in one hit, giving it no time to react.
**Stall**: Generally, Mega Lopunny has a poor matchup against stall Pokemon like Mew, Mega Slowbro, Mega Altaria, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Ampharos, as they survive anything Lopunny can throw at them. Encore can help, but only versus some stall Pokemon.
**Bulky Offensive Pokemon**: Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, Victini, Sylveon, and Landorus-T are all threats that can easily EV themselves to take Mega Lopunny’s hits— or just tank them naturally— and KO back with their own moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[pqs, 425798]]
- Quality checked by: [[DEG, 234355], [LRXC, 289008]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [UT, 523866]]
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