[OVERVIEW]
Charizard has two Mega Evolutions at its disposal; however, Mega Charizard X isn't very viable in the metagame. Mega Charizard Y, on the other hand, has explosive power in the form of a powerful sun-boosted spread move and a great Special Attack stat. Because of that, Mega Charizard Y can check common Pokemon in the metagame, such as Amoonguss, Aegislash, and Bisharp. Mega Charizard Y has good coverage, with Solar Beam being able to hit Water-types that its Fire-type attacks cannot hit for super effective damage and its Fire-type attacks still doing decent damage even against Pokemon that resist it. However, it is pretty reliant on Drought to do massive damage and is weak to common coverage moves, such as Rock Slide and Thunderbolt. Mega Charizard X is a nice surprise option at best, as most opponents will be expecting Mega Charizard Y due to Mega Charizard X being horribly outclassed by common Dragon Dance users such as Mega Salamence.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Overheat / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Protect
item: Charizardite Y
ability: Blaze
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Heat Wave is Mgea Charizard Y's spread STAB move that is extremely powerful when boosted by sun. Solar Beam provides coverage for Water-types that resist Mega Charizard Y's Fire-type STAB options. Overheat, despite the Special Attack drops, is Mega Charizard Y's strongest STAB move and lets it OHKO Pokemon that its other moves normally would not, such as maximum HP Mega Kangaskhan. Other Fire-type moves, such as Fire Blast and Flamethrower, are viable options, but the power loss is very noticeable. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ground allows Mega Charizard Y to hit Heatran, one of its biggest counters, for super effective damage. Protect lets Charizard scout for foes' moves and avoid double targeting, and lets its partner take out a threat while it stays safe.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed EVs allow Mega Charizard Y to outspeed or Speed tie with everything up to neutral-natured base 100s and maximum Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Mega Charizard Y's damage output. A Timid nature can be used so that Mega Charizard Y can Speed tie with other positive-natured base 100s, such as Mega Kangaskhan. Tweaking Mega Charizard Y's bulk to fit your team is useful, as most of its power is due to sun and its astounding base 159 Special Attack stat. A spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 20 SpA / 44 SpD / 188 Spe gives Mega Charizard Y a reasonable chance to tank a Thunderbolt from a Life Orb Thundurus. If taking investment out of Speed, running 188 EVs with a neutral nature is the lowest recommended, as that's the slowest Mega Charizard Y can get while still outrunning Adamant Landorus-T. Mega Charizard Y beats most Rotom-W one-on-one by outspeeding and OHKOing them with Solar Beam, but for extra insurance, 12 Special Defense EVs let Mega Charizard Y survive maximum Special Attack Rotom-W's Thunderbolt. Mega Charizard Y can't live through most Rock Slides without huge investments. For example, the minimum investment to live through Jolly Garchomp's Rock Slide is 60 HP / 124 Def, Adamant Landorus-T will require 156 HP / 220 Def, and Terrakion will still always OHKO Mega Charizard Y. Therefore, instead of investing heavily into Defense, running an Intimidate user is recommended, as Mega Charizard Y can stomach Landorus-T and Garchomp's Rock Slide with no investment while they're at -1 attack.
Usage Tips
========
With its powerful Heat Waves, Mega Charizard Y can punch massive holes in teams early-game or close the match out once Pokemon it struggles with have been removed late-game. Keep Mega Charizard Y safe with the rest of your team through Wide Guard, Fake Out, and sleep support. Mega Charizard Y draws in a lot of Pokemon that are resist or are immune to Fire, such as Rotom-H and Heatran, so it is best to have a partner ready to read a switch into something that can tank a Heat Wave. Despite the temptation, it is sometimes best to postpone Charizard's Mega Evolution if your opponent has a Pokemon that can change the weather, such as Tyranitar or Politoed. Overheat should be used in extreme cases where you have to OHKO a big threat such as Mega Kangaskhan and should not be spammed.
Team Options
========
One of the first partners that come to mind for Mega Charizard Y is Venusaur. Mega Charizard Y's Drought will benefit Venusaur greatly, as it doubles Venusaur's Speed due to Chlorophyll. Venusaur can check bulky Water-types that can take Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam while also being able to support Mega Charizard Y by putting opposing Pokemon to sleep with Sleep Powder. Mega Charizard Y, in turn, checks Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash which wall Venusaur. Generally, Pokemon that carry Earthquake are good partners for Mega Charizard Y. One example is Choice Scarf Landorus-T, as it can use Earthquake freely without worrying about damaging its partner. It can also check Heatran, a big counter to Mega Charizard Y, with Earthquake as well as soft-check Rotom-H with Rock Slide. Mega Charizard Y, in turn, checks Ferrothorn, which Landorus-T generally has trouble breaking through, and Rotom-W. Between Earthquake and Heat Wave, the opponent doesn't have many options that can switch into those powerful spread moves. Mamoswine is another good partner. While it lacks the Speed that Choice Scarf Landorus-T possesses, it can check most of the Pokemon that Landorus-T can, besides Rotom-H, while also being able to snipe opposing Landorus-T and Garchomp with Ice Shard. It also has amazing synergy with Mega Charizard Y, as Mamoswine can easily switch into Rock- and Electric-type moves aimed at Mega Charizard Y while Mega Charizard Y can switch into Fighting- and Steel-type moves aimed at Mamoswine. Garchomp is another great partner as, again, it can use Earthquake freely without worrying about hitting its partner. Garchomp can also hit Dragon-types that resist Mega Charizard Y's attacks, such as Hydreigon. Terrakion has access to Close Combat and Rock Slide, which allows it to check Heatran and Rotom-H respectively, while Mega Charizard Y is able to check Aegislash, which Terrakion has trouble against. Mega Charizard Y also greatly benefits from Pokemon that carry Wide Guard. Hitmontop offers Intimidate support, which can weaken opposing Rock Slides, allowing Mega Charizard Y to tank one. It also checks opposing Tyranitar, a common Mega Charizard Y switch-in, and Heatran. Mega Charizard Y, in return, checks Aegislash, which Hitmontop has trouble hitting. Aegislash is another great partner, as it can offer Wide Guard support for Rock Slides while also being able to switch into Rock-type moves aimed at Mega Charizard Y with no problem at all. Mega Charizard Y can check opposing Aegislash and Bisharp, which generally give Aegislash problems. Keep in mind, however, that this pair will be walled pretty hard by Heatran. Swampert is a great teammate, not only for Wide Guard support but also for checking Heatran and Rotom-H, two of Mega Charizard Y's biggest switch-ins. Swampert can also check common Pokemon that carry Rock-type moves, such as Garchomp and Landorus-T, with Ice Beam. Mega Charizard Y, in turn, checks Grass-types that threaten Swampert. Mega Charizard Y greatly benefits from speed control as well, as that will allow it to invest more into bulk. If running Tailwind, Suicune is a good partner, as even with the sun weakening its Water-type attacks it can deal with Heatran, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Cresselia's Icy Wind and Helping Hand help Mega Charizard Y immensely. It also pairs well with the Earthquake users Mega Charizard Y tends to see used alongside it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mega Charizard X is really only good for the surprise factor. As a Dragon Dance user, it's outclassed by Mega Salamence despite not being walled by Steel-types. Due to Mega Charizard Y's middling Speed tier, it is possible to use it in a Trick Room team by investing more into its bulk. Ancient Power is an option for checking opposing Mega Charizard Y or Talonflame, while Dragon Pulse or Hidden Power Ice can be used to hit Salamence, Garchomp, and Hydreigon harder. Air Slash is a secondary STAB move, but it generally isn't the best move to use because most of its targets are hit either as hard or even harder by sun-boosted Fire-type moves anyways. Fire Pledge can be used with Venusaur's Grass Pledge. Focus Blast can be used to hit opposing Heatran and Hydreigon harder. Substitute, in place of another coverage move, can allow Mega Charizard Y to take a hit.
Checks and Counters
=================
**Opposing Weather**: By taking away Mega Charizard Y's sun, its damage output will be severely lowered. Rain also weakens its Fire-type attacks. Keeping track of sun turns can help you stall it out and render Mega Charizard Y mostly helpless.
**Rock-type Moves**: Due to Mega Charizard Y's 4x Rock weakness, common Rock-type moves, such as Rock Slide and Stone Edge, will do massive damage to it. Terrakion is a great check to Mega Charizard Y, as it can outspeed and OHKO with Rock Slide. Garchomp and Landorus-T work as well, though Mega Charizard Y can run heavy defensive investment or get a partner to Intimidate to live through their Rock Slides. A Stone Edge from just about everything with usable Attack can also OHKO Mega Charizard Y.
**Typing Advantage**: Common Electric-type moves from Pokemon such as Rotom-H, offensive Thundurus, Thundurus-T, and Zapdos will do major damage to Mega Charizard Y. Entei, Heatran, Mega Salamence, and Choice Band Arcanine resist most of Mega Charizard Y's attacks and can heavily damage or OHKO it. Heatran and Chandelure flat out wall Mega Charizard Y if it is not carrying Hidden Power Ground, and Latios as well as bulky Mega Salamence can hammer away at Mega Charizard Y unless it is carrying Hidden Power Ice.
**Speed Control**: If using fast Mega Charizard Y, speed control will greatly cripple it. Thunder Wave from Thundurus is really deadly as it slows Mega Charizard Y down while also giving Thundurus the chance to deal massive damage to it due to paralysis.
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