Salamence (Revamp)

Inspirited

Inspirited

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salamence-mega.gif

Ho-Oh's worst nightmare.

QC 3/3 (Minority Suspect, Nayrz, Hack)
GP 2/2 (Snobalt, GatoDelFuego)

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Salamence's high-Base Power moves coupled with Aerilate and its solid base 145 Attack stat are very potent despite the high defensive stats that quite a few common Pokemon in Ubers possess. Its defensive capabilities from Intimidate before Mega Evolving and its very good Defense stat after make it a premier Ground-immune Pokemon on most hyper offense teams, and it can use this bulk to boost its Attack and solid base 120 Speed stats to further levels with Dragon Dance. It even gets reliable recovery in Roost to help it perform well as both a Ground-immune Pokemon and setup sweeper. Unfortunately, a nasty Stealth Rock weakness will usually shave off much of its utility it would otherwise have at full health, and due to the nature of hyper offense teams, it will often find itself without Defog support. Many Pokemon in Ubers also have the option of carrying Ice-type moves specifically aimed at Mega Salamence, which can drastically cut into its above-average survivability if they don't OHKO it outright.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

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

Double-Edge gives Mega Salamence a healthy shot at 2HKOing 252 HP / 244 Def Bold Water Arceus after it has taken 12% from a burn, Stealth Rock, or any other source of prior damage. Extreme Killer Arceus is also OHKOed by Double-Edge from +1 Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. Return and Frustration are recoil-less options that are better suited for sweeping rather than trading with big threats and walls like Double-Edge is. Choose its primary STAB move carefully; Mega Salamence loses a very noticeable amount of its power when using Return, and it's a big enough deal that Mega Salamence will want to run Double-Edge more often than Return. Roost amplifies Mega Salamence's ability to set up and keep its sweep sustained should it need to. Facade enables Mega Salamence to take advantage of status used against it and allows it to take Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire without fear of a burn ruining its attacking power. Facade does very meaningful damage to most Steel-types when Mega Salamence has been afflicted with the status move they carry and also leaves large dents in support Arceus forms, especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Earthquake gives Mega Salamence the ability to OHKO Klefki, pick off a weakened Rock Arceus, and bust through Dialga, Tyranitar, and Zekrom if their Shuca Berry is consumed. If Mega Salamence is going to be heavily catered towards sweeping, Refresh can be used to relieve itself of status conditions. Dragon Dance gives Mega Salamence a way of punishing passive play or a forced switch, giving it more power to break open teams and a solid chance to sweep.

Set Details
========

An EV spread of 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature gives Mega Salamence the bulk to always survive an uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less dangerous, and allows Salamence to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner. Alternatively, a spread of 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving, although the lack of bulk allows offensive Stone Edge users, such as Primal Groudon, to OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock. The 176 Speed EVs are most important when Salamence is switching into Jolly Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon do exist. Generally the 176 Spe spread will be used when running Return and Earthquake/Refresh, as 80 HP Mega Salamence is more catered towards sweeping than its 248 HP counterpart.

Usage Tips
========

Knowing what Mega Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a wincon. If Facade is carried, a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe setup opportunity for Mega Salamence, provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Mega Salamence's Speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other examples of Pokemon that Mega Salamence can set up on relatively safely. Primal Groudon is a riskier setup target because of its bulk, raw Attack stat, and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance. Generally, Mega Salamence wants to use Double-Edge or status-boosted Facade on Primal Groudon in order to set up a revenge kill or finish off a weakened Primal Groudon, especially if you have little to no information on what set it is running. Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Mega Salamence is burned, making Mega Salamence a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much. On the downside, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Mega Salamence, and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the opponent's play of choice, bringing Salamence in directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners. Facade is a monstrous STAB move when boosted by status and allows Mega Salamence to force nasty trades with Klefki, among other bulkier and more passive Pokemon, to open up holes for other team members to utilize. If it matters at all, make sure you know what status ailment you would rather have Mega Salamence afflicted with, as all three Facade-boosting statuses have nasty side effects.

Team Options
========

Mega Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams, which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. Mega Salamence is also one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, which is something Xerneas greatly appreciates. Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic, with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Mega Salamence might get KOs on support Arceus variants more easily. Being able to switch into Xerneas for Mega Salamence doesn't hurt either. Support Water Arceus with Defog is a Pokemon to consider when using another Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock alongside Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence can also partner with Giratina-O with Defog on bulky offense teams in order to focus more on finding optimal setup opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.

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

A set consisting of Roost, Dragon Tail, Body Slam, and Defog can be run if a team needs a Defog user that keeps Extreme Killer Arceus in check and doesn't get bowled over by Swords Dance Ghost Arceus. A spread of maximum HP and Defense with an Impish nature should work just fine with this moveset. If your team desperately needs a sleep absorber, a set of Rest, Sleep Talk, Thrash, and Dragon Dance can be used as well.

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

**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but Lugia still has the bulk to survive it even after a Dragon Dance boost and will phaze Mega Salamence or pressure it with Ice Beam and Toxic.

**Rock Arceus**: Rock Arceus KOes Mega Salamence with Judgment after any prior damage and a +1 Earthquake will never OHKO Rock Arceus from full health without a critical hit.

**Support Arceus**: Support Water, Dragon, and Ground Arceus have enough bulk to take Mega Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Mega Salamence, so it should always be scouted for. Mega Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its foes with 140 Base Power Facade after Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Mega Salamence thanks to its STAB Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Mega Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other variants due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Fairy Arceus**: Fairy Arceus survives a hit from +1 Mega Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage, including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga and Zekrom**: Shuca Berry saves Dialga and Zekrom from Earthquake, while Draco Meteor is a surefire OHKO coming from Dialga. Zekrom also has a good shot of OHKOing Mega Salamence with either Draco Meteor or Outrage.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give Klefki a shot at beating Mega Salamence pretty handily; otherwise, it makes Mega Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: Skarmory will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to survive any boosted attack Mega Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Mega Salamence afterwards. Mega Salamence will still beat Skarmory if it is the last Pokemon though, unless Skarmory is carrying the rare Counter.

**Mega Diancie**: Mega Diancie doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and a +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. Mega Diancie does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and can OHKO Mega Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves Tyranitar from Earthquake and it will proceed to cripple Mega Salamence with Thunder Wave and attempt to make it flinch with Rock Slide until it is in the KO range Foul Play.

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon doesn't like taking hits from Mega Salamence at all, but can tank a hit from it regardless and can phaze it with Dragon Tail or Roar, attempt to beat it with Thunder Wave in tandem with Rock Slide or Stone Edge, or pick off a weakened Mega Salamence with the rare Dragon Pulse or Dragon Claw. Lava Plume burns are also very debilitating for Mega Salamence carrying Earthquake instead of Facade or Refresh.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong will only beat Mega Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by a +1 Double Edge or a status-boosted Facade. Mega Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter thanks to Toxic and Gyro Ball pressure, however.
[OVERVIEW]
  • Hits like a high speed plane thanks to Aerilate.
  • Has an excellent set up move in Dragon Dance and can set up on very dangerous Pokemon in the Ubers metagame.
  • Ho-Oh and Pdon hate it. (most of the time in pdon's case)
  • Obnoxiously sturdy on the defense side of things with bulk + Speed + Roost
  • Has Intimidate before mega evolving which is has some nice situational utility to it.
  • Random Ice-type moves ruin its above average survivability.
  • 25% Stealth Rock weakness takes away lots of Salamence's utility after a single switch-in.
  • Uses the "mega slot".

[SET]
name: Resident Dragon
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========
  • Double-Edge is going to be Salamence's go-to STAB option due to its raw power
  • Return (and Frustration) are two powerful, no-drawback STAB options for when Salamence gains Aerilate. It is much weaker than Double-Edge though.
  • Roost only amplifies Salamence's ability to set up by not only out-healing Pokemon that can't deal 50% damage to it but also removing its Flying-type weaknesses until the end of the turn.
  • Facade allows Salamence to punish Ho-Oh for liberally using Sacred Fire, or any other Pokemon that relies on status to beat it.
  • Refresh can be used if Salamence would rather shed its status after setting up than break teams with Facade.
  • Earthquake helps versus Rock Arceus, Diancie, and Klefki.
  • Dragon Dance allows Salamence to tear holes or sweep up remains of opposing teams by capitalizing on common Pokemon that have trouble KOing it.
Set Details
========
  • 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe Adamant nature gives Salamence the bulk to always live uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less impactful, and allows Salamence to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner.
  • 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving although it can be OHKOed by most Stone Edge users after Stealth Rock this way. The Speed is most applicable when facing Jolly natured Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other + Speed nature base 90s do exist. This is generally the spread you will use when running Return and Earthquake / Refresh as 80 HP Salamence is more bent on sweeping than the other.
Usage Tips
========
  • Knowing what Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a keystone to winning the game. If Facade is carried, A Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe set up opportunity for Salamence provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Salamence's speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other example of Pokemon that Salamence can set up on relatively safely.
  • Extreme Killer Arceus and Primal Groudon are riskier set up targets because of Primal Groudon's bulk and raw Attack stat and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance and Arceus's STAB priority Extreme Speed that can ruin Salamence's day if it Dragon Dances on the wrong turn and Salamence fails to KO with +1 Double-Edge afterwards. Generally you want to just Double-Edge / Facade these Pokemon, especially if you have no information on what set Groudon is running.
  • Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Salamence is burned, making it a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much.
  • Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Salamence and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the play of choice from the opponent, bringing in Salamence directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners.
Team Options
========
  • Deoxys-Speed, Thunder Wave Primal Groudon, and Dialga all have the ability to get up Stealth Rock reliably in order to help Mega Salamence seal its important KOes.
  • Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. Salamence is one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire which is also something Xerneas greatly appreciates.
  • Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Salamence may get its KOes on support Arceus formes easier. Being able to switch into Xerneas for doesn't hurt either.
  • Salamence can partner with Giratina-O on bulky offense in order to focus more on finding optimal set up opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Defog / Body Slam / Dragon Tail / Roost
  • Thrash / Rest / Sleep Talk / Dragon Dance if you desperately need a sleep absorber
Checks and Counters
====================
**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but it still has the bulk to live it after a Dragon Dance and will phaze / lay its Ice Beam + Toxic pressure on Salamence. Whether or not a Salamence for Lugia trade is worth making is up to the player.

**Support Arceus**: All of these Support Arceus sets have enough bulk to take Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Salamence so it should be scouted for always. Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its opponents with 140 Base Power Facade from Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Salamence thanks to STAB, Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other formes due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Rock and Fairy Arceus**: It lives a hit from +1 Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga**: Shuca Berry saves it from Earthquake and it OHKOes with Draco Meteor.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give it a shot at beating Salamence pretty handily, otherwise it makes Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: It will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to live any boosted attack Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Salamence afterwards. Salamence will still beat a last mon Skarmory though unless it is not running Whirlwind and using Counter instead.

**Diancie**: It doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. It does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and OHKO Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves it from Earthquake and it will proceed to Thunder Wave Salamence and attempt to paraflinch it with Rock Slide until Salamence is KOed by Foul Play.

**Zekrom**: It is only beaten by Earthquake after Shuca Berry is eaten.

**Bronzong**: It will only beat Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by +1 Double Edge or 140 base power Facade. Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter, however.
 
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Defog set might be worth its own. I personally have had no success with it though.
Some people like Earthquake but I can't understand why. If someone would like to elaborate on that I am all ears (or eyes I guess).
Anyways, I am way too tired do anymore speculating.
 
Without Earthquake you lose to Dialga, Zekrom and Rock Arceus. The latter is pretty rare though, and I think Refresh or Facade are better options overall
 
Dialga, Zekrom and Rockceus are targets of EQ, 2hkoing the former two on the switch (breaking shuca) and ohkoing the latter after rocks damage at +1. It's also a relatively strong move to hit targets in range for it (which, for a +1 mence, is pretty easy), without having to take recoil leading to you being in range of espeed, and hits Primal Groudon harder than return. This can help it avoid being put into range for things like Ekiller's Espeed, especially if it needs to kill something else (ie: xerneas) before facing Ekiller. Also also provides a way of hitting Emergency checks to mence like Klefki and TTar (on the switch in klefki's case). Facade is useful vs Ho-oh, but literally nothing else (plumedon doesn't count, plumedon would prefer to either roar you or twave you, depending on which it had), and mence isn't a reliable answer to Ho-oh, given that it has a possibility to OHKO on the switch in pre-mega (-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 259-306 (65.7 - 77.6%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock) and will outspeed you the turn you mega evolve.

Also you're slow, we discussed this in the skype group and said 310 is a good speed that outspeeds relevent stuff and creeps things, with Lando-T with a jolly nature being the one 310 is for specifically.

If you're not mentioning EQ seriously outside of Other Options, Steels, Zekrom and Rockceus should be added to the 'checks' section.
 
I think bulky Mence deserves a set, as with Toxic & Roost it beats PDon easily, Facade vs Ho-oh and why not EQ for annoying Rock/Steel types. Other options are obviously possible, but this actually works.
 
It turns out the old Durians spread is a bit out of date with all of the faster things running around now. I updated it (and my teams) with the info above along with a small HP adjustment of my own.

KyogreF4N said:
I think bulky Mence deserves a set, as with Toxic & Roost it beats PDon easily, Facade vs Ho-oh and why not EQ for annoying Rock/Steel types. Other options are obviously possible, but this actually works.
Click to expand...
Any QC members have an opinion on this?

Anyways, I think this is ready.
 
I feel the slashing really conveys too few options. DD Mence should run always run a primary STAB move, Roost and Dragon Dance. Facade is certainly not the only option, however, as STAB+Refresh is still the strongest combination for outright cleaning and STAB+EQ is the best combination when it come to pure type coverage. I don't feel like Salamence need multiple DD sets in the analysis as despite the combination of spreads+moves it functions rather similarly, with certain big exceptions. Encouraging the use of multiple alternative spreads should be fine, as long as there is an explicit explanation of each spreads strength and weaknesses.

To be fair I find much of the analysis lackluster so far, I'm noting especially how Zekrom (which runs Shuca Berry) supposedly loses to EQ and how Ekiller is supposedly picking off other Ekiller (which is rather unreliable and thus shouldn't be too relevant).

But aside that focus on the DD set (moves and spreads) for now and we'll se where we land.
 
WreckDra
show some signs of life on this analyis pls, for a top tier mon this is in need of more improvements before QC checks and its been 11 days

i personally think defog should have a set but i'd double check other qc opinions on that first

e: zf is right, stick with just this set
 
I'm not QC but I definitely would not support a defensive Defog set for Mega Mence. Despite having high defense and Intimidate pre-mega, it simply doesn't have the necessary bulk to consistently wall threats in the ubers metagame, losing to many prominent physical attackers after MEvo. In addition, such a set is completely outclassed by base form Salamence, whose ability to hold Leftovers turns some important 2HKOs into 3HKOs (BB from 252+ CB Ho-oh, Stone Edge from 252+ PDon, Double Edge from 252+ MMence) and leaves it less susceptible to status (burn from Ho-oh in particular). If you really need a defogger, why waste your mega on shitty one? Just my 2 cents.
 
I would add Bulky Yveltal to the list of checks. Absent rocks it can take two Double Edges, and respond with Roost or Foul Play, which does over half. If Mence DDs on the switch, Yveltal eats a Double Edge and murders it with Foul Play. You have to be a little more careful if rocks are up, but it's generally a good check.

Relevant Calcs
+0 124+ Atk Aerilate Mega Salamence Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Yveltal: 208-246 (45.7 - 54%) -- 3.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 124+ Atk Aerilate Mega Salamence Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Yveltal: 312-367 (68.5 - 80.6%)
+1 0- Atk Dark Aura Yveltal Foul Play vs. 80 HP / 0 Def Mega Salamence: 270-318 (76.9 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock (or probably an OHKO after recoil?)
 
Alright this probably needs some attention by now... after the IRC discussions between Minority/dice/myself and you, this is getting closer to the standard I wanna see. However - Usage Tips needs to blow up with info.
Knowing what Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it a keystone to winning the game.
Click to expand...
This right here. Blow this line up into multiples with info and make it clear what Salamence's matchups are and what a dude using Salamence needs to be aware of when using it.

Rockceus/Fairyceus can probably be grouped together as like general "supportceus" or something. you can dive into any specifics in the write up.
Steel-types in general should probably see some mentions if Earthquake has fallen in usage a lot - Bronzong and Skarmory (these should have been here regardless!) Aegislash (Kings Shield/Toxic fun) Klefki (can trade itself to para, etc)

Oh and switch the dashes into bullet points like every other skeleton... small thing but this has been rubbing away at me. edit: or just space it out a bit, it seems rly cramped up

I'll annoy other QC to show their faces here.
 
I just grouped together Fairyceus and Rockceus as "Fairy and Rock Arceus" as one of them is purely offensive in nature and the other, while still rather offensive, has some support value to it.

I am mentioning Klefki above Diancie because it actually has a shot at beating Mence 1v1 even if it is pretty slim. Skarmory is also going above Diacie under Klefki because it can phaze mence at the very least or use Counter. Bronzong does not beat Salamence 1v1 though as +1 D-E and 140BP Facade 2HKO and Gyro Ball only does 35% max to +1 310 mence. The only time it beats Mence is with Skill Swap or Trick Room, otherwise it just creates better odds for an actual Salamence check. I will still mention it at the very bottom though.

I always try to avoid list tags whenever possible because when they bug out, it is very tedious to try and fix. They seem to bug out on me quite often, but I'll do it here if it makes you happy. :[
 
Okay this looks a lot better than it was and I think for the most part it's good, just a few minor things.

If you ever use Mence with another SR weak you need anti-hazard support and there's no mention of these Pokemon in team options. In usage tips I think there should be a bullet on how Mega Salamence should be used to force trades when utilized on HO, particularly against Pokemon such as Klefki.

For C&C, Arceus-Rock should have second placement. This is a much more solid Mega Salamence check than support Arc Water / Dragon and Arc Fairy sets, especially because many Mega Salamence no longer run Earthquake. You could combine Dialga and Zekrom here if you wanted since they both check Mence via Flying resist + Shuca + Draco Meteor. Zekrom is less viable and has a roll to OHKO with Draco, but they are largely on equal footing as Mence checks. I'll leave it up to you how you want to place these.

vZDGTOD.gif

QC: 1/3
 
Had another look over this with Minority - assuming appropriate elaboration of the points in places like the overview and adding his changes I don't see any other issues here either.

QC 2/3
 
AMCHECK:
This will not count as one of the two required checks unless it is stamped by an official GP member.

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Salamence is a very important and extremely dangerous Pokemon in the Ubers tier. Its high base power moves coupled with Aerilate and its already solid base 145 Attack stat are very potent,(AC) despite the high defensive stats that quite a few common Pokemon in Ubers possess. Its defensive capabilities, through in Intimidate before mega evolving Mega Evolving and its very good Defense stat after, make it a premier sturdy ("sturdy" implies that it can take hits well, but since it's immune to Ground, it doesn't take any damage) ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon ("immunity"/"resist" can't refer to Pokemon as a noun) on most hyper offense teams,(AC) and it can use this bulk to boost its Attack and solid base 120 Speed stats to further limits with Dragon Dance. It even gets reliable recovery in Roost to help it perform well as both a ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon and set-up setup sweeper. Unfortunately, a nasty Stealth Rock weakness will usually shave off much of its utility it would otherwise have at full health,(AC) and due to the nature of hyper offense teams, it will often find itself without a Defog user on its team (or you could just say "Defog support"). Many Pokemon in Ubers also have the option of carrying Ice-type moves specifically aimed at Salamence,(AC) which can drastically cut into its above average survivability if they don't OHKO it outright. These drawbacks do not stop Mega Salamence from being the premier Ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon and overall physically sturdy sweeper on many teams though; it will destroy underprepared unprepared teams,(AC) and as such,(AC) should not be taken lightly when teambuilding.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

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

Double-Edge gives Mega Salamence a healthy shot at 2HKOing 444 HP / 370 Defense 252 HP / 244 Def (EV spread, not total stat spread after EVs) Water Arceus after it has taken 12% from burn, Stealth Rock, or any other sources of prior damage. Extreme Killer Arceus is also OHKOed by Double-Edge from +1 Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. Return and Frustration are good, recoil-less options that are better suited for sweeping rather than trading with big threats and walls like Double-Edge is. Choose its primary STAB move carefully;(add semicolon) I must stress that (no first person pronouns) Mega Salamence is loses a very large part of its trading power when using Return,(AC) and it's.(remove period) It's a big enough deal to where Mega Salamence will want to run Double-Edge a far more than Return.(end sentence);(remove semicolon) choose its primary STAB carefully. (This was very strangely worded, these changes improve flow and make it more concise) Roost amplifies Mega Salamence's ability to set up and keep keeps itself sustained should it need to. Facade makes using status against enables Mega Salamence a massive trade off to take advantage of status used against it and allows it to take Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire without fear of a burn ruining its STAB (doesn't matter) attacking power (Yeah, I wasn't keen on the whole "trade off" thing. I think this improves quality). It Facade does very meaningful damage to most Steel-types when Mega Salamence has been afflicted with the status move they carry and also leaves large dents in support Arceus formes; especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Earthquake gives Mega Salamence the ability to OHKO Klefki, KO a weakened Rock Arceus, and bust through Dialga, Tyranitar, and Zekrom if their Shuca Berry is consumed. If Mega Salamence is going to be heavily bent towards sweeping, Refresh can be used to relieve itself of status conditions so that there are no negative side effects cutting its sweep short or slowing it down. Dragon Dance gives Mega Salamence a way of punishing passive play or a forced switch,(AC) by giving it more power to break open teams with or and giving it a solid chance to sweep.

Set Details
========

A spread of 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature gives Mega Salamence the bulk to always live an uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less impactful, and allows Salamence to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner. Alternatively, 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving,(AC) although it can be OHKOed by most Stone Edge users after Stealth Rock this way. The Speed is most applicable when facing Jolly natured Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other + positive-(add hyphen)Speed nature base 90s do exist (I don't understand. For one, I don't know what spread you're talking about. Secondly, both spreads outspeed positive natured base 90s, so the "although x, y, and z do exist" part is confusing, sicne the "although" implies that it is not applicable for the following. I suggest you reword this part) This is generally the spread you will use when running Return and Earthquake / Refresh,(AC) as 80 HP Salamence is more bent on sweeping than the other.

Usage Tips
========

Knowing what Mega Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a keystone to winning the game. If Facade is carried, A a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe set up setup opportunity for Salamence,(AC) provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Mega Salamence's speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other example examples of Pokemon that Salamence can set up on relatively safely. Primal Groudon is a riskier set up setup target because of its bulk, raw Attack stat, and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance. Generally,(AC) Mega Salamence wants to use Double-Edge or status-boosted Facade on Primal Groudon in order to set up a revenge kill or finish off a weakened Primal Groudon, especially if you have little to no information on what set it is running. Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Salamence is burned, making it a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much. The other side of the Ho-Oh problem (Don't like this wording of this, as throughout the whole article you've been emphasizing that Ho-oh is a great target for Salamence to set up on) is that Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Mega Salamence (I'm assuming you meant mega salamence but if you're not don't change anything) and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the opponent's play of choice from the opponent (more concise), bringing in Salamence in directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners. Facade is a monstrous STAB move when boosted by status and allows Mega Salamence to force nasty trades with Klefki,(AC) among other bulkier and more passive Pokemon,(AC) to open up holes for other team members to abuse. If it matters at all, make sure you know what status you would rather have Mega Salamence afflicted with,(AC) as all three Facade-boosting statuses have nasty side effects.

Team Options
========

Mega Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams,(AC) which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. It Mega Salamence (unclear if "it" is referring to Salamence or Xerneas. I originally thought it was Xerneas) is also one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire,(AC) which is also something Xerneas greatly appreciates. Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic,(AC) with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Salamence may get its KOes on support Arceus formes easier. Being able to switch into Xerneas for Mega Salamence doesn't hurt either. Support Water Arceus with Defog is a Pokemon to consider when Mega Salamence has another Stealth Rock weak Pokemon on its team (this wasn't worded properly to begin with, and saying "adds another SR weakness on its team" is actually wrong, since Mega Salamence might be the only SR weakness on one's team. Besides, it was kind of just filler anyway). Mega Salamence can also partner with Giratina-O as a with Defog user (sounded like Salamence was the Defog user) on bulky offense teams in order to focus more on finding optimal set up setup opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.

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

A set consisting of Roost, Dragon Tail, Body Slam, and Defog can be run if a teams needs a Defog user that keeps Extreme Killer Arceus in check that doesn't get bowled over by Swords Dance Ghost Arceus (the extra "a set consisting of" clarifies that these moves should be run together as another set, rather than several other random options). A spread of max maximum HP and max Defense spread with an Impish nature should work just fine with this moveset. If your team desperately needs a sleep absorber, a set of Rest, Sleep Talk, Thrash, and Dragon Dance can be used.

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

**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but it Lugia still has the bulk to live it after a Dragon Dance and will phaze / lay its Ice Beam + Toxic pressure on Mega Salamence or pressure it with Ice Beam and Toxic (flows better). Whether or not a Salamence for Lugia trade is worth making is up to the player (don't know how I feel about this sentence).

**Rock Arceus**: It KOes Mega Salamence with Judgment after any prior damage and a +1 Earthquake will never KO Rock Arceus from full health without a critical hit.

**Support Arceus**: All of these Support the support (You never mentioned them, so "these" isn't applicable) Arceus sets have enough bulk to take Mega Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Mega Salamence,(AC) so it should be scouted for always. Mega Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its opponents with 140 Base Power Facade from Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Salamence thanks to its STAB,(RC) Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other formes due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Fairy Arceus**: It lives a hit from +1 Mega Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage,(AC) including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga and Zekrom**: Shuca Berry saves them from Earthquake,(AC) while Draco Meteor is a surefire OHKO coming from Dialga. Zekrom also has a good shot of OHKOing Mega Salamence with either Draco Meteor or Outrage.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give it a shot at beating Mega Salamence pretty handily, otherwise it makes Mega Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: It will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to live any boosted attack Mega Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Salamence afterwards. Mega Salamence will still beat Skarmory if it is the a last Pokemon,(AC) Skarmory though,(AC) unless it is not running Whirlwind and using Counter instead.

**Diancie**: It doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and a +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. It does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and can OHKO Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves it from Earthquake and it will proceed to Thunder Wave Mega Salamence and attempt to paraflinch it with Rock Slide until Salamence it is KOed by Foul Play.

**Primal Groudon**: It doesn't like taking hits from Mega Salamence at all, but can tank a hit from it regardless and can phaze it out with Dragon Tail or Roar, attempt to beat it with Thunder Wave in tandem with Rock Slide or Stone Edge, or pick off a weakened Mega Salamence with the rare Dragon Pulse or Dragon Claw. Lava Plume burns are also super nasty for Earthquake Mega Salamence.

**Bronzong**: It will only beat Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by a +1 Double Edge or a status-boosted Facade. Mega Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter, however.
 
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Fireflame479: Remove Add Comments
Me: remove add comment
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Salamence's is a very important and extremely dangerous Pokemon in the Ubers tier. Its high base power Base Power moves coupled with Aerilate and its already solid base 145 Attack stat are very potent,(AC) (no need to add a comma) despite the high defensive stats that quite a few common Pokemon in Ubers possess. Its defensive capabilities, (RC) through from Intimidate before mega evolving Mega Evolving and its very good Defense stat afterwards, (RC) make it a premier sturdy ("sturdy" implies that it can take hits well, but since it's immune to Ground, it doesn't take any damage) ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon ("immunity"/"resist" can't refer to Pokemon as a noun) on most hyper offense teams,(AC) and it can use this bulk to boost its Attack and solid base 120 Speed stats to further limits levels with Dragon Dance. It even gets reliable recovery in Roost to help it perform well as both a ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon and set-up setup sweeper. Unfortunately, a nasty Stealth Rock weakness will usually shave off much of its utility it would otherwise have at full health,(AC) and due to the nature of hyper offense teams, it will often find itself without a Defog user on its team (or you could just say "Defog support"). Many Pokemon in Ubers also have the option of carrying Ice-type moves specifically aimed at Mega Salamence,(AC) which can drastically cut into its above average survivability if they don't OHKO it outright. These drawbacks do not stop Mega Salamence from being the premier Ground immunity Ground-immune Pokemon and overall physically sturdy sweeper on many teams though; it will destroy underprepared unprepared teams,(AC) and as such,(AC) should not be taken lightly when teambuilding. (Take it all out; I don't find that it adds anything.)

[SET] (Is this really the only set it runs nowadays? Shows how out of the loop I am :P)
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

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

Double-Edge gives Mega Salamence a healthy shot at 2HKOing 444 HP / 370 Defense 252 HP / 244 Def (EV spread, not total stat spread after EVs) Water Arceus after it has taken 12% from a burn, Stealth Rock, or any other sources of prior damage. Extreme Killer Arceus is also OHKOed by Double-Edge from +1 Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. Return and Frustration are good, recoil-less options that are better suited for sweeping rather than trading with big threats and walls like Double-Edge is. Choose its primary STAB move carefully;(add semicolon) I must stress that (no first person pronouns) Mega Salamence is loses a very large part of its trading power when using Return,(AC) and it's.(remove period) It's a big enough deal to where Mega Salamence will want to run Double-Edge a far more often than Return.(end sentence);(remove semicolon) choose its primary STAB carefully. (This was very strangely worded, these changes improve flow and make it more concise) Roost amplifies Mega Salamence's ability to set up and keep keeps ("keep" is fine) itself sweep sustained should it need to. Facade makes using status against enables Mega Salamence a massive trade off to take advantage of status used against it and allows it to take Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire without fear of a burn ruining its STAB (doesn't matter) attacking power (Yeah, I wasn't keen on the whole "trade off" thing. I think this improves quality). It Facade does very meaningful damage to most Steel-types when Mega Salamence has been afflicted with the status move they carry and also leaves large dents in support Arceus formes;, (change to comma) especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Earthquake gives Mega Salamence the ability to OHKO Klefki, KO pick off (subjective, but this eliminates the need to specify a [#]HKO) a weakened Rock Arceus, and bust through Dialga, Tyranitar, and Zekrom if their Shuca Berry is consumed. If Mega Salamence is going to be heavily bent catered towards sweeping, Refresh can be used to relieve itself of status conditions so that there are no negative side effects status ailments cutting its sweep short or slowing it down. Dragon Dance gives Mega Salamence a way of punishing passive play or a forced switch,(AC) by giving it more power to break open teams with or and giving it a solid chance to sweep.

Set Details
========

An EV spread of 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature gives Mega Salamence the bulk to always live survive an uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less impactful, and allows Salamence to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner. Alternatively, a spread of 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving,(AC) although it can be OHKOed by most Stone Edge users after Stealth Rock this way. The Speed investment is most applicable when facing Jolly natured Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other + positive-(add hyphen)Speed nature base 90s Speed Pokemon do exist (I don't understand. For one, I don't know what spread you're talking about. Secondly, both spreads outspeed positive natured base 90s, so the "although x, y, and z do exist" part is confusing, sicne the "although" implies that it is not applicable for the following. I suggest you reword this part) This is generally the spread you will use when running Return and Earthquake / Refresh,(AC) as 80 HP Salamence is more bent on catered towards sweeping than the other its 248 HP counterpart.

Usage Tips
========

Knowing what Mega Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a keystone to winning the game. If Facade is carried, A a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe set up setup opportunity for Salamence,(AC) provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Mega Salamence's speed Speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other example examples of Pokemon that Salamence can set up on relatively safely. Primal Groudon is a riskier set up setup target because of its bulk, raw Attack stat, and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance. Generally,(AC) Mega Salamence wants to use Double-Edge or status-boosted Facade on Primal Groudon in order to set up a revenge kill or finish off a weakened Primal Groudon, especially if you have little to no information on what set it is running. Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Salamence is burned, making it a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much. The other side of the Ho-Oh problem (Don't like this wording of this, as throughout the whole article you've been emphasizing that Ho-oh is a great target for Salamence to set up on) (Yeah, agreed. Try "On the downside,") is that Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Mega Salamence, (AC) (I'm assuming you meant mega salamence but if you're not don't change anything) and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the opponent's play of choice from the opponent (more concise), bringing in Salamence in ("in" is fine where it is now) directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners. Facade is a monstrous STAB move when boosted by status and allows Mega Salamence to force nasty trades with Klefki,(AC) among other bulkier and more passive Pokemon,(AC) to open up holes for other team members to abuse utilize/take advantage of. (pick whichever you like better) If it matters at all, make sure you know what status ailment you would rather have Mega Salamence afflicted with,(AC) as all three Facade-boosting statuses have nasty side effects.

Team Options
========

Mega Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams,(AC) which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. It Mega Salamence (unclear if "it" is referring to Salamence or Xerneas. I originally thought it was Xerneas) is also one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire,(AC) which is also something Xerneas greatly appreciates. Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic,(AC) with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Mega Salamence may get its KOes on support Arceus formes easier more easily. Being able to switch into Xerneas for Mega Salamence doesn't hurt either. Support Water Arceus with Defog is a Pokemon to consider when using another Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock Mega Salamence has another Stealth Rock weak Pokemon on its team (this wasn't worded properly to begin with, and saying "adds another SR weakness on its team" is actually wrong, since Mega Salamence might be the only SR weakness on one's team. Besides, it was kind of just filler anyway). (Nah, I think this part may have some value. Perhaps QC can look at this part agaMega Salamence can also partner with Giratina-O as a with Defog user (sounded like Salamence was the Defog user) on bulky offense teams in order to focus more on finding optimal set up setup opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.

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

A set consisting of Roost, Dragon Tail, Body Slam, and Defog can be run if a teams a team needs a Defog user that keeps Extreme Killer Arceus in check that and doesn't get bowled over by Swords Dance Ghost Arceus (the extra "a set consisting of" clarifies that these moves should be run together as another set, rather than several other random options). A spread of max maximum HP and max Defense spread with an Impish nature should work just fine with this moveset. If your team desperately needs a sleep absorber, a set of Rest, Sleep Talk, Thrash, and Dragon Dance can be used as well.

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

**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but it Lugia still has the bulk to live survive it even after a Dragon Dance boost and will phaze / lay its Ice Beam + Toxic pressure on Mega Salamence or pressure it with Ice Beam and Toxic (flows better). Whether or not a Salamence for Lugia trade is worth making is up to the player (don't know how I feel about this sentence). (Not entirely necessary but not really filler either. Wreckdra can keep it if he wants to.)

**Rock Arceus**: It KOes Mega Salamence with Judgment after any prior damage and a +1 Earthquake will never OHKO Rock Arceus from full health without a critical hit.

**Support Arceus**: All of these Support the support (You never mentioned them, so "these" isn't applicable) (Indeed. You should specify them as well) Arceus sets have enough bulk to take Mega Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Mega Salamence,(AC) so it should always be scouted for always. Mega Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its opponents foes with 140 Base Power Facade from after Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Salamence thanks to its STAB,(RC) Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other formes due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Fairy Arceus**: It lives survives a hit from +1 Mega Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage,(AC) including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga and Zekrom**: Shuca Berry saves them from Earthquake,(AC) while Draco Meteor is a surefire OHKO coming from Dialga. Zekrom also has a good shot of OHKOing Mega Salamence with either Draco Meteor or Outrage.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give it a shot at beating Mega Salamence pretty handily,;(change to semi) otherwise, (AC) it makes Mega Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: It will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to live survive any boosted attack Mega Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Salamence afterwards. Mega Salamence will still beat Skarmory if it is the a last Pokemon,(AC) Skarmory though,(AC) unless it is not running Whirlwind and using Counter instead of Earthquake.

**Diancie**: It Diancie doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and a +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. It does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and can OHKO Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves it Tyranitar from Earthquake and it will proceed to cripple Thunder Wave Mega Salamence with Thunder Wave and attempt to paraflinch it make it flinch with Rock Slide until Salamence it is in the KOed by range Foul Play.

**Primal Groudon**: It Primal Groudon doesn't like taking hits from Mega Salamence at all, but it can tank a hit from it regardless and can phaze it out with Dragon Tail or Roar, attempt to beat it with Thunder Wave in tandem with Rock Slide or Stone Edge, or pick off a weakened Mega Salamence with the rare Dragon Pulse or Dragon Claw. Lava Plume burns are also super nasty very debilitating (This isn't an article. Sorry.) for Earthquake Mega Salamence.

**Bronzong**: It Bronzong will only beat Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by a +1 Double Edge or a status-boosted Facade. Mega Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter, however. (How so?)
Fireflame479, I see some good things in terms of cleaning up prose, but take care not to make too many changes of word choice.
GP 1/2
0AlNOKo.gif
 
Fireflame479
(I don't understand. For one, I don't know what spread you're talking about. Secondly, both spreads outspeed positive natured base 90s, so the "although x, y, and z do exist" part is confusing, sicne the "although" implies that it is not applicable for the following. I suggest you reword this part)
Click to expand...
Both spreads outspeed base 90s as Mega Salamence but not as Salamence. The 176 EV spread gives Salamence and Mega Salamence the ability to outspeed max 90s. 136 Speed only allows Mega Salamence to outspeed them, not Salamence. I'll try to make it more clear which spread i am talking about.
Nayrz
http://pastebin.com/gxGjVNSp
 
WreckDra

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Salamence's high-Base Power moves coupled with Aerilate and its solid base 145 Attack stat are very potent despite the high defensive stats that quite a few common Pokemon in Ubers possess. Its defensive capabilities from Intimidate before Mega Evolving and its very good Defense stat after make it a premier Ground-immune Pokemon on most hyper offense teams, and it can use this bulk to boost its Attack and solid base 120 Speed stats to further levels with Dragon Dance. It even gets reliable recovery in Roost to help it perform well as both a Ground-immune Pokemon and setup sweeper. Unfortunately, a nasty Stealth Rock weakness will usually shave off much of its utility it would otherwise have at full health, and due to the nature of hyper offense teams, it will often find itself without Defog support. Many Pokemon in Ubers also have the option of carrying Ice-type moves specifically aimed at Mega Salamence, which can drastically cut into its above-average survivability if they don't OHKO it outright.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

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

Double-Edge gives Mega Salamence a healthy shot at 2HKOing 252 HP / 244 Def Bold Water Arceus after it has taken 12% from a burn, Stealth Rock, or any other sources of prior damage. Extreme Killer Arceus is also OHKOed by Double-Edge from +1 Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. Return and Frustration are recoil-less options that are better suited for sweeping rather than trading with big threats and walls like Double-Edge is. Choose its primary STAB move carefully; Mega Salamence loses a very large part of its trading of power when using Return, and it's a big enough deal to where that Mega Salamence will want to run Double-Edge more often than Return. Roost amplifies Mega Salamence's ability to set up and keep its sweep sustained should it need to. Facade enables Mega Salamence to take advantage of status used against it and allows it to take Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire without fear of a burn ruining its attacking power. Facade does very meaningful damage to most Steel-types when Mega Salamence has been afflicted with the status move they carry and also leaves large dents in support Arceus forms, especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Earthquake gives Mega Salamence the ability to OHKO Klefki, pick off a weakened Rock Arceus, and bust through Dialga, Tyranitar, and Zekrom if their Shuca Berry is consumed. If Mega Salamence is going to be heavily catered towards sweeping, Refresh can be used to relieve itself of status conditions so that there are no status ailments cutting its sweep short or slowing it down. Dragon Dance gives Mega Salamence a way of punishing passive play or a forced switch, giving it more power to break open teams and giving it a solid chance to sweep.

Set Details
========

An EV spread of 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature gives Mega Salamence the bulk to always survive an uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less impactful dangerous, and allows Mega Salamence unless you meant with the Intimidate? to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner. Alternatively, a spread of 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving, although the lack of bulk allows offensive Stone Edge users, such as Primal Groudon, (AC) to OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock. The 176 Speed EVs Speed investment is are most applicable important when Salamence is switching into Jolly Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other positive-Speed natured base 90 Speed Pokemon do exist. Generally the 176 Speed spread will be used when running Return and Earthquake/Refresh, as 80 HP Salamence is more catered towards sweeping than its 248 HP counterpart.

Usage Tips
========

Knowing what Mega Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a keystone to winning the game wincon. If Facade is carried, a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe setup opportunity for Salamence, provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Mega Salamence's Speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other examples of Pokemon that Salamence can set up on relatively safely. Primal Groudon is a riskier setup target because of its bulk, raw Attack stat, and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance. Generally, Mega Salamence wants to use Double-Edge or status-boosted Facade on Primal Groudon in order to set up a revenge kill or finish off a weakened Primal Groudon, especially if you have little to no information on what set it is running. Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Salamence is burned, making it Mega Salamence a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much. On the downside, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Mega Salamence, and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the opponent's play of choice, bringing Salamence in directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners. Facade is a monstrous STAB move when boosted by status and allows Mega Salamence to force nasty trades with Klefki, among other bulkier and more passive Pokemon, to open up holes for other team members to utilize. If it matters at all, make sure you know what status ailment you would rather have Mega Salamence afflicted with, as all three Facade-boosting statuses have nasty side effects.

Team Options
========

Mega Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams, which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. Mega Salamence is also one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, which is something Xerneas greatly appreciates. Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic, with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Mega Salamence may get KOes might get KOs on support Arceus formes variants more easily. Being able to switch into Xerneas for Mega Salamence doesn't hurt either. Support Water Arceus with Defog is a Pokemon to consider when using another Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock alongside Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence can also partner with Giratina-O with Defog on bulky offense teams in order to focus more on finding optimal setup opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.

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

A set consisting of Roost, Dragon Tail, Body Slam, and Defog can be run if a team needs a Defog user that keeps Extreme Killer Arceus in check and doesn't get bowled over by Swords Dance Ghost Arceus. A spread of maximum HP and Defense with an Impish nature should work just fine with this moveset. If your team desperately needs a sleep absorber, a set of Rest, Sleep Talk, Thrash, and Dragon Dance can be used as well.

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

**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but Lugia still has the bulk to survive it even after a Dragon Dance boost and will phaze Mega Salamence or pressure it with Ice Beam and Toxic.

**Rock Arceus**: It Rock Arceus KOes Mega Salamence with Judgment after any prior damage and a +1 Earthquake will never OHKO Rock Arceus from full health without a critical hit.

**Support Arceus**: Support Water Arceus, Dragon Arceus, and Ground Arceus have enough bulk to take Mega Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Mega Salamence, so it should always be scouted for. Mega Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its foes with 140 Base Power Facade after Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Salamence thanks to its STAB Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other formes variants due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Fairy Arceus**: It Fairy Arceus survives a hit from +1 Mega Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage, including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga and Zekrom**: Shuca Berry saves them Dialga and Zekrom from Earthquake, while Draco Meteor is a surefire OHKO coming from Dialga. Zekrom also has a good shot of OHKOing Mega Salamence with either Draco Meteor or Outrage.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give it Klefki a shot at beating Mega Salamence pretty handily; otherwise, it makes Mega Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: It Skarmory will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to survive any boosted attack Mega Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Salamence afterwards. Mega Salamence will still beat Skarmory if it is the last Pokemon though, unless Skarmory is carrying the rare Counter.

**Diancie**: Diancie doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and a +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. It Diancie does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and can OHKO Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves Tyranitar from Earthquake and it will proceed to cripple Mega Salamence with Thunder Wave and attempt to make it flinch with Rock Slide until it is in the KO range Foul Play.

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon doesn't like taking hits from Mega Salamence at all, but it can tank a hit from it regardless and can phaze it with Dragon Tail or Roar, attempt to beat it with Thunder Wave in tandem with Rock Slide or Stone Edge, or pick off a weakened Mega Salamence with the rare Dragon Pulse or Dragon Claw. Lava Plume burns are also very debilitating for Earthquake Mega Salamence. But not Facade, add that

**Bronzong**: Bronzong will only beat Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by a +1 Double Edge or a status-boosted Facade. Mega Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter thanks to Toxic and Gyro Ball pressure, however.
gatoo

2/2

By the way, ensure that "Salamence" is changed to "Mega Salamence" unless it is specifically talking about pre-Mega Evolution.
 
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