Well, now that the new megas are out, I decided to make a team of my own starring my favorite of the megas (and favorite Pokemon overall), Mega-Metagross! Let me know what you think of it and how it could improve. You all know the rules, no essay rants or troll comments.
Metagrossberg (Metagross) @ Metagrossite | Ability: Clear Body -> Tough Claws
EVs: 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe | Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Agility
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Obviously, since Mega-Metagross is my favorite mega introduced in OR/AS, it made sense for me to try it out. I played around with a few sets and I found the Bulky AgiliGross set to be the best. As is true for pretty much any other team it's on, MegaGross is the muscle of the team. It comes in once its checks and counters are removed and cleans up the house. Iron Head is the main STAB of the set, since it hits more reliably than Meteor Mash and also has a handy 30% flinch chance. Ice Punch takes out many Dragons that otherwise threaten my team, such as M-Mence, the Lati-twins, Garchomp, and more, and also removes Landorus-T. Earthquake, while it doesn't get boosted by Tough Claws, provides some vital coverage against many Pokemon that resist Metagross's other attacking moves, most prominently Steel-, Fire-, and Water-types (bar Rotom-W). The EVs and nature are so MegaGross can outspeed Adamant Excadrill in Sand after +2 from Agility, while still hitting like a truck and maintaining insane levels of bulk.
I'm Horny (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs | Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe | Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Scald
I read on the OR/AS Mega Speculation thread (RIP) that a Mega-Metagross/Keldeo core was really good, and as much as I love to hate Keldeo, I decided to give it a try. And boy, does it do work! Keldeo does a good job at taking out Metagross' checks and counters so it can come in and sweep. Hydro Pump and Secret Sword are my main STABs. Secret Sword is useful for hitting special walls like Chansey, while Hydro Pump has more pure power behind it. HP Electric gets past Waters that threaten to wall Keldeo, and also removes Flying-types like Skarmory. Scald is an alternative STAB for whittling down defensive mons that resist Secret Sword. Timid nature to boost speed, since it's already Specs boosted.
Speed Demon (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb | Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave
After my team nearly got swept by a Mega-Swampert, I realized I needed a Ground-resistant (or immune, in this case) mon that could also fire back at Swampert. That's when I got the idea to use Gengar. Gengar is mostly a coverage mon, as he fires back against many Pokemon that otherwise give me team trouble. It's got a wide variety of coverage moves to hit virtually any Pokemon that's put in front of it. He also helps pave the way for Metagross's sweep by taking out key targets that Metagross has trouble taking out. Energy Ball is for hitting bulky Waters and Ground-types like Quagsire, Rotom-W, and the aforementioned M-Swampert that previously gave my team a lot of trouble, and Focus Blast is mostly for hitting Pokemon that resist Gengar's STABs, like Bisharp and T-Tar. Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave are mainly STAB and coverage. Timid nature because it already has LO power backing it up.
Heatranny (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers | Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpA / 68 Spe | Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Earth Power
Heatran has some very nice synergy with the rest of the team. It soaks up Fire-type attacks for Metagross and Ferrothorn, sponges Grass-type attacks for Keldeo and T-Tar, and walls the hell out of many OU mons, such as Talonflame, Scizor, and M-Manectric. Its typing and its bulk let it find a lot of opportunities to come in on many Pokemon, offensive or defensive. Lava Plume is standard STAB and hits many of the things it typically comes in on (Bug, Steel, and Grass-types), and Earth Power hits a bunch of other stuff (Electric, Fire, and Rock-types). Toxic is for crippling sweepers, bulky attackers, and walls alike, and Taunt prevents sweepers from setting up on Heatran and defensive mons from using their support moves. Calm nature to sponge special hits.
TRIPLE PENETRATION (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers | Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD | Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
At this point, I noticed that my team was super weak to Water- and Ground-type attacks. So, I decided to add Ferrothorn to the team. Ferrothorn, obviously, functions as a wall and eats hits that the other party members can not. He also slowly chips away at enemy health with a combination of hazard damage, Leech Seed, Sandstorm damage, and Iron Barbs. As such, Ferrothorn manages to check many Pokemon that otherwise threaten the team, including Azumarill, Excadrill, Gliscor, (Mega) Gyarados, and more. Power Whip is the one offensive move on this set, just so Ferrothorn doesn't become total taunt fodder for Sableye and the like. Leech Seed is for placing a timer on walls and bulky attackers to wear them down slowly over time, while recovering some HP myself. Stealth Rock is, obviously, for setting up entry hazards, which really helps Metagross and Keldeo's sweeping potential. Protect is for stalling out Leech Seed and Sandstorm and gaining Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery. Impish nature to take more hits on the physical side and dish out more Iron Barbs damage.
Bunchie Sanic (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band | Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe | Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Crunch
For my last party member, we have Tyranitar. T-Tar serves as a bulky attacker of sorts, and also provides some valuable Rock- and Dark-type coverage. His main niche on the team comes in his ability to summon Sandstorm, which is greatly appreciated by MegaGross, Heatran, and Ferrothorn. Banded STAB Stone Edge hits many things extremely hard, and Pursuit traps many Psychic- and Ghost-types that can't really do anything to T-Tar in return. Superpower is for coverage against Rock, Steel, and Normal-types. Crunch is a more powerful Dark STAB, mostly for hitting things that resist Stone Edge. Adamant nature for POW!
Metagrossberg (Metagross) @ Metagrossite | Ability: Clear Body -> Tough Claws
EVs: 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe | Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Agility
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Obviously, since Mega-Metagross is my favorite mega introduced in OR/AS, it made sense for me to try it out. I played around with a few sets and I found the Bulky AgiliGross set to be the best. As is true for pretty much any other team it's on, MegaGross is the muscle of the team. It comes in once its checks and counters are removed and cleans up the house. Iron Head is the main STAB of the set, since it hits more reliably than Meteor Mash and also has a handy 30% flinch chance. Ice Punch takes out many Dragons that otherwise threaten my team, such as M-Mence, the Lati-twins, Garchomp, and more, and also removes Landorus-T. Earthquake, while it doesn't get boosted by Tough Claws, provides some vital coverage against many Pokemon that resist Metagross's other attacking moves, most prominently Steel-, Fire-, and Water-types (bar Rotom-W). The EVs and nature are so MegaGross can outspeed Adamant Excadrill in Sand after +2 from Agility, while still hitting like a truck and maintaining insane levels of bulk.
I'm Horny (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs | Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe | Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Scald
I read on the OR/AS Mega Speculation thread (RIP) that a Mega-Metagross/Keldeo core was really good, and as much as I love to hate Keldeo, I decided to give it a try. And boy, does it do work! Keldeo does a good job at taking out Metagross' checks and counters so it can come in and sweep. Hydro Pump and Secret Sword are my main STABs. Secret Sword is useful for hitting special walls like Chansey, while Hydro Pump has more pure power behind it. HP Electric gets past Waters that threaten to wall Keldeo, and also removes Flying-types like Skarmory. Scald is an alternative STAB for whittling down defensive mons that resist Secret Sword. Timid nature to boost speed, since it's already Specs boosted.
Speed Demon (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb | Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave
After my team nearly got swept by a Mega-Swampert, I realized I needed a Ground-resistant (or immune, in this case) mon that could also fire back at Swampert. That's when I got the idea to use Gengar. Gengar is mostly a coverage mon, as he fires back against many Pokemon that otherwise give me team trouble. It's got a wide variety of coverage moves to hit virtually any Pokemon that's put in front of it. He also helps pave the way for Metagross's sweep by taking out key targets that Metagross has trouble taking out. Energy Ball is for hitting bulky Waters and Ground-types like Quagsire, Rotom-W, and the aforementioned M-Swampert that previously gave my team a lot of trouble, and Focus Blast is mostly for hitting Pokemon that resist Gengar's STABs, like Bisharp and T-Tar. Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave are mainly STAB and coverage. Timid nature because it already has LO power backing it up.
Heatranny (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers | Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpA / 68 Spe | Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Earth Power
Heatran has some very nice synergy with the rest of the team. It soaks up Fire-type attacks for Metagross and Ferrothorn, sponges Grass-type attacks for Keldeo and T-Tar, and walls the hell out of many OU mons, such as Talonflame, Scizor, and M-Manectric. Its typing and its bulk let it find a lot of opportunities to come in on many Pokemon, offensive or defensive. Lava Plume is standard STAB and hits many of the things it typically comes in on (Bug, Steel, and Grass-types), and Earth Power hits a bunch of other stuff (Electric, Fire, and Rock-types). Toxic is for crippling sweepers, bulky attackers, and walls alike, and Taunt prevents sweepers from setting up on Heatran and defensive mons from using their support moves. Calm nature to sponge special hits.
TRIPLE PENETRATION (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers | Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD | Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
At this point, I noticed that my team was super weak to Water- and Ground-type attacks. So, I decided to add Ferrothorn to the team. Ferrothorn, obviously, functions as a wall and eats hits that the other party members can not. He also slowly chips away at enemy health with a combination of hazard damage, Leech Seed, Sandstorm damage, and Iron Barbs. As such, Ferrothorn manages to check many Pokemon that otherwise threaten the team, including Azumarill, Excadrill, Gliscor, (Mega) Gyarados, and more. Power Whip is the one offensive move on this set, just so Ferrothorn doesn't become total taunt fodder for Sableye and the like. Leech Seed is for placing a timer on walls and bulky attackers to wear them down slowly over time, while recovering some HP myself. Stealth Rock is, obviously, for setting up entry hazards, which really helps Metagross and Keldeo's sweeping potential. Protect is for stalling out Leech Seed and Sandstorm and gaining Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery. Impish nature to take more hits on the physical side and dish out more Iron Barbs damage.
Bunchie Sanic (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band | Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe | Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Crunch
For my last party member, we have Tyranitar. T-Tar serves as a bulky attacker of sorts, and also provides some valuable Rock- and Dark-type coverage. His main niche on the team comes in his ability to summon Sandstorm, which is greatly appreciated by MegaGross, Heatran, and Ferrothorn. Banded STAB Stone Edge hits many things extremely hard, and Pursuit traps many Psychic- and Ghost-types that can't really do anything to T-Tar in return. Superpower is for coverage against Rock, Steel, and Normal-types. Crunch is a more powerful Dark STAB, mostly for hitting things that resist Stone Edge. Adamant nature for POW!
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