A Guide to Mega Evolution

By Shiba.

Introduction

Pokemon X and Y brought us the power of Mega Evolution, which has made some Pokemon much more viable in OU while being simply equipped with a Mega Stone. Either way, Mega Evolution has certainly become a very significant and almost centralizing aspect in the metagame, and it's very easy to see why. With several top-tier threats that happen to be Mega Evolutions, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Sableye, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Metagross, it's all too clear that Mega Evolutions have really defined the metagame. But Mega Evolutions aren't flawless, as they do have two restrictions that prevent them from becoming broken. First, you're only allowed to have one Mega Evolution on your team. This means you can't have a whole team of Mega Evolutions sweeping your opponent; you have to decide which Mega Evolution you want on your team, and then you have to stick with it the whole match. And second, a Mega Evolution can't hold an item, since they're already holding their Mega Stone, so no Choice Band for Mega Scizor, no Life Orb for Mega Charizard X, and no Black Sludge for Mega Venusaur. This guide will hopefully give you some insight on how every Mega Evolution fares in OU, as well as showing if Mega Evolution makes a bad Pokemon worth using.

Mega Venusaur

Mega Venusaur

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Mega Venusaur is such a good tank thanks to its typing, as it not only blesses it with a Toxic immunity but also grants it resistances to Fighting-, Water-, Electric-, Grass-, and Fairy-type moves, and Thick Fat rids it of its Fire and Ice weaknesses. This, combined with its respectable 80 / 123 / 120 bulk, lets it easily wall some big names in OU, including Keldeo, Azumarill, Weavile, Landorus-T, and Mega Manectric. Its movepool is also good, with useful tools like Knock Off, Synthesis, Sleep Powder, and Leech Seed, as well as more offensive options like Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Hidden Power Fire, and Earthquake to avoid being too passive.

Sadly, Mega Venusaur has plenty of flaws keeping it at bay. Much like most other Mega Evolutions, Venusaur needs to find the opportunity to Mega Evolve, but this weighs especially against Mega Venusaur due to its multiple weaknesses and lower defenses before Mega Evolving. Even after Mega Evolving, Mega Venusaur still has to deal with its flawed recovery, since Synthesis is drastically nerfed when in the rain or sand and Leech Seed is a slow process, meaning its staying power is limited. Its weaknesses to Flying- and Psychic-type moves leaves it open to Mega Alakazam, Latios, Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Medicham, making it easy to find an answer to it. It's also relatively weak to status, as burn and paralysis are carried on a wide variety of Pokemon it checks. Finally, its defensive set is very passive, since nearly every Steel-type can get a free switch in and do as it pleases

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Regular Venusaur can be used as a Chlorophyll sweeper, and it's actually not bad at what it does. Having good defenses, decent power, a usable movepool, and Growth can make Venusaur a powerful sweeper. The only real flaws here are the lack of good sun setters for teammates, as Mega Charizard Y can't hold a Heat Rock and everything else has no business setting up sun in OU, and its susceptibility to being revenge killed by Talonflame. Regular Venusaur isn't going to be a common sight, but it does have its uses. Limited uses, but uses nonetheless.

Mega Charizard X

Mega Charizard X

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Where do I even begin with this one? Mega Charizard X has so much to offer; nearly perfect neutral coverage in its dual STAB types; setup moves in Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and Tailwind; recovery in Roost; and an immunity to burns. Its stats are also very good, with base 130 Attack and base 100 Speed to sweep teams after a boost and 78 / 111 / 85 bulk to give it some setup opportunities. While it's true that Mega Evolutions can't hold items, Tough Claws still gives it a huge power boost, so it can pack one hell of a punch. Its defensive set is nothing to scoff at either, as it can use Will-O-Wisp to burn would-be switch-ins like Azumarill, Tyranitar, Landorus-T, and Mega Altaria.

Mega Charizard X certainly sounds like a menace, but it has some serious shortcomings that prevent it from completely dominating OU. For one, its Stealth Rock weakness limits its opportunities to switch in, especially before Mega Evolving, and its vulnerability to Spikes and Ground-type moves after Mega Evolving makes this problem worse, so an entry hazard remover and an answer to Ground-types are mandatory when teambuilding. It also has severe four-moveslot syndrome, sometimes preventing it to hit common checks like Mega Altaria and Heatran.

Mega Charizard Y

Mega Charizard Y

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While not quite as popular as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y is still quite a threat to face in battle. Thanks to Drought, Mega Charizard Y has an intimidating offensive presence, especially when backed by a base 159 Special Attack and Fire Blast; even most Pokemon that resist Fire-type moves will lose large chunks of their health. Drought also has the benefit of reducing the power of Water-type moves, thus temporarily removing its Water weakness and causing Pokemon that would normally threaten Mega Charizard Y, such as Keldeo, Azumarill, and Manaphy, to miss out on would-be OHKOs. Solar Beam and Focus Blast are great coverage moves, threatening the Water- and Rock-types that would threaten Mega Charizard Y, respectively.

Mega Charizard Y is not without its faults, though. First, it has a 4x Stealth Rock weakness to constantly worry about, meaning entry hazard removal support is absolutely mandatory. Second, it lacks a move to boost its Special Attack, so if it can't 2HKO a wall that has recovery, it'll get stalled out. And third, Drought is temporary, which means it'll lose its use for Solar Beam, its Fire-type moves will see a noticeable drop in power, and it'll be weak to Water-type moves again after sun runs out.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Charizard has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Charizard, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Blastoise

Mega Blastoise

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Mega Blastoise is an interesting case, as it seems to have the makings of a truly good spinner. Between its great base 135 Special Attack and rather impressive 79 / 120 / 115 bulk, it's quite clear that it can take a hit and retaliate hard. Sadly, the problem with using it is its complete lack recovery. It can take hits pretty well, but having no form of recovery is a painful sight, especially when looking at those solid defenses. Its vulnerability to burns and Toxic don't help the cause either, and being vulnerable to every hazard is even worse.

But despite all this, Mega Blastoise still has some usefulness, since it can tank hits well and OHKO the likes of Bisharp, Excadrill, Talonflame, and Terrakion, and it can threaten walls such as support Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Heatran, Hippowdon, Landorus-T, Latias, Gliscor, and Skarmory. Its resistances to Ice-, Water-, Fire-, and Steel-type moves are also very convenient, and its niche as a spinner that can beat out most Ghost-types isn't unnoticed.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Blastoise has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Blastoise, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Beedrill

Mega Beedrill

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Mega Beedrill is quite possibly the very personification of "kill or be killed". First, it boasts a sizable base 150 Attack, which is already rather impressive, but it also comes with Adaptability, giving its STAB Poison Jab and U-turn an effective 160 and 140 Base Power, respectively. U-turn is especially notable in this case, as not only is Mega Beedrill the strongest user of it, but it also makes Mega Beedrill difficult to hit for slower Pokemon. Speaking of its Speed, Mega Beedrill rests at a very impressive base 145, meaning even speed demons like Mega Manectric and Mega Lopunny fail to keep up.

Though this offensive ability seems phenomenal at first, it's flaws are gaping. While its Adaptability-boosted attacks are naturally powerful, Poison / Bug coverage is easily walled by Steel-types, meaning it must run either Drill Run or Brick Break to threaten them, both of which are somewhat weak. Mega Beedrill also has to deal with mediocre Speed before Mega Evolving, and its pitiful defenses aren't improved after Mega Evolving either, leaving it vulnerable to bulky attackers. But the final nail in the coffin is how often if switches, leaving vulnerable to all entry hazards, including a weakness to Stealth Rock.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Beedrill has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Beedrill, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.;

Mega Pidgeot

Mega Pidgeot

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When looking for sweepers, Mega Pidgeot usually isn't the first to come to mind, but it is still one that can easily sweep unprepared teams. Its biggest quality is its ability to fire off perfectly accurate and hax-inducing Hurricanes thanks to No Guard, which is often the reason why people use it in the first place, as the move's high Base Power makes up for its middling base 135 Special Attack. But Mega Pidgeot also has some tools to make its job easier, such as Heat Wave to threaten Steel-types, U-turn to maintain offensive momentum and punish switches, Roost to heal off any damage received, and even Work-Up to do a little wallbreaking in the case of emergencies as well as make late-game sweeps a bit easier.

Of course, Mega Pidgeot is heavily threatened by opposing sweepers and revenge killers due to their greater natural Speed, such as Weavile, Mega Manectric, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam. Being weak to Stealth Rock is also pretty bad when repeatedly revenge killing and pivoting out with U-turn, as it cuts down on Mega Pidgeot's valuable opportunities to switch in. Mega Pidgeot also faces fierce competition from Tornadus-T, which has the same Speed tier, has much greater power thanks to its ability to use Life Orb, doesn't cost the team its Mega Evolution, and can actually threaten Rock-types with its Fighting coverage. While perfectly accurate Hurricanes with No Guard are a nice luxury, rain can make this happen as well, making Mega Pidgeot's place in OU somewhat niche.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Pidgeot has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Pidgeot, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.;

Mega Alakazam

Mega Alakazam

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Mega Alakazam is a very potent threat in OU and should never be taken lightly. For one, it has one of the highest base Speed stats in the game, as well as a monumental base 175 Special Attack, thus posing a threat to offense. Trace is the real selling point, though, as it allows Mega Alakazam to revenge kill, sweep, and possibly even switch into Pokemon in ways that would otherwise be impossible or at least very dangerous. For example, Mega Alakazam can switch into Heatran's Fire-type moves by copying Flash Fire and can revenge kill Excadrill by copying Sand Rush. Its movepool, while small, is just enough to threaten the tier, with Psyshock to wear down special walls, Focus Blast to bust down Dark-, and Steel-types, Shadow Ball to threaten Psychic-types, and Encore to cripple setup sweepers and walls.

Sadly, losing Magic Guard to ignore passive damage like Toxic and Stealth Rock is a shame, and having to stay in a turn to Mega Evolve is a gamble, since if Mega Alakazam fails to KO its target, it has to take a hit, and its bad 55 / 65 / 95 defenses usually fail it unless it's taking resisted hits. A vulnerability to priority move users makes these meager defenses even more exploitable, with good examples being Talonflame, Bisharp, and Choice Band Scizor; it's worth noting that the latter two also carry Pursuit, so they can trap Mega Alakazam. Mega Alakazam is also fairly easy to read, as its one set has little variation to it, so approaching it isn't a strenuous challenge when you have a counter.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: While Mega Alakazam is the better of the two by a good margin, regular Alakazam is still a very viable Pokemon. Base 120 Speed is very good, base 135 Special Attack lets it hit slightly harder than Mega Alakazam when holding a Life Orb, and Magic Guard is incredibly useful for keeping its health up by ignoring Life Orb recoil and entry hazard damage. The Focus Sash set also benefits greatly from Magic Guard, as it lets Alakazam revenge kill very reliably without having to worry about being OHKOed by a priority move.

Mega Slowbro

Mega Slowbro

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When looking for physical bulk, Mega Slowbro is one of the first Pokemon to come to mind, and for good reason; it is one of the most physically bulky Pokemon in the game, as it sports a respetable base 95 HP and a monumental base 180 Defense, letting it reach up to 504 Defense with maximum investment! As if this weren't enough physical bulk, Mega Slowbro has Slack Off for good recovery and comes packed with great resistances to Fire-, Ice-, Fighting-, Water-, and Psychic-type moves, letting it take on a wide array of physical sweepers and even some wallbreakers. But Mega Slowbro isn't just a punching bag that winds up being setup bait, as it sports a hefty base 130 Special Attack to defend itself with, as well as some great offensive options like Calm Mind, Psyshock, Scald, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot.

But while Mega Slowbro is a spectacular physical wall, its meager base 80 Special Defense leaves it easily targeted by special attackers. Mega Slowbro is also weak to some common offensive types like Electric, Dark, Ghost, and Bug, several of which are commonly used by special attackers. While Shell Armor has its uses with setup sets, a critical hit immunity is a negligible and often forgotten quality, which also makes approaching Mega Slowbro somewhat easy compared to some other walls. But perhaps the biggest flaw is just how slow Mega Slowbro is, as even though this poor Speed has its uses on Trick Room teams (and it can set up Trick Room on its own), outside of such teams, Mega Slowbro is almost always being outsped by offensive Pokemon with few exceptions, and even most defensive Pokemon can outrun it.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: While Mega Slowbro is used mostly as a filler Mega Evolution, its regular forme definitely has some pros over it. For one, it gets to keep its fantastic ability Regenerator, which allows it to continuously sponge hits from OU's plethora of physical attackers by pivoting in and out of play. In a lot of cases, most players opt to use its regular forme over its Mega due to not having to pass over other Mega Evolutions.

Mega Pinsir

Mega Pinsir

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Mega Pinsir is one of the most fearsome sweepers to face and a threat that teams must have an answer to. A massive base 155 Attack and access to Swords Dance are such a beautiful combination, and that decent 105 base Speed lets it outrun some pretty dangerous threats, such as Landorus, Garchomp without a Choice Scarf, and Charizard. Its power is further boosted by Aerilate, which acts as a Life Orb for Normal-type moves and changes them to Flying-type moves, so factoring STAB and Aerialate, Quick Attack becomes a 72-BP priority attack to sweep offensive teams, and Return becomes an amazing wallbreaking move backed by a whopping 199 Base Power! As if that weren't enough, it also gets Earthquake to deal with most Rock- and Steel-types that would hope to switch into a Flying-type move.

However, its Stealth Rock weakness is an ever-looming problem that absolutely mandates Rapid Spin or Defog support, since losing half its health with every switch in severely restricts its opportunities to set up. It also has some Speed problems, since, despite base 105 being a decent Speed tier, there are faster sweepers that can take a Quick Attack and OHKO it back, such as Mega Diancie, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Manectric, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Raikou. Furthermore, its defensive typing also leaves it with nasty Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying weaknesses, and despite gaining some pretty solid defenses, they won't hold when taking hits backed by STAB.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Absolutely not. Regular Pinsir may have Moxie and Mold Breaker, but these are far from worth giving up Mega Pinsir. Its Speed is rather bad, and Choice Scarf sets are stopped fairly easily with Fairy-types running around. You COULD fake a player out and pretend that you have Mega Pinsir when you actually have another Mega Pokemon, such as Gyarados or Scizor, but such a tactic can easily backfire. Honestly, just use Mega Pinsir.

Mega Gyarados

Mega Gyarados

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Mega Gyarados is one of the bulkiest Dragon Dance sweepers in the game, and it hits quite hard as well. Thanks to its 95 / 109 / 130 bulk, Mega Gyarados can easily find the chance to set up a Dragon Dance or two and proceed to sweep with a massive base 155 Attack stat and decent base 81 Speed. Mega Gyarados is different from most other Mega Evolutions for two reasons. For one, Mold Breaker lets it act more freely, such as using Earthquake to ignore Levitate users and ignoring Unaware to threaten Quagsire and Clefable. Additionally, Mega Gyarados is one of the few commonly seen Mega Evolutions that have a different typing from its original forme, meaning you can create mind games before Mega Evolving to possibly trick the enemy. Furthermore, Gyarados can run Intimidate before Mega Evolving, which can provide safe setup opportunities against a wide variety of physical attackers.

However, Gyarados faces a good deal of competition as a Dragon Dance sweeper, since Mega Altaria has a better defensive typing and recovery, and Mega Charizard X has both more Speed and Tough Claws. Attempting to play mind games can also backfire, such as Diancie counterpredicting you and going for Diamond Storm instead of Moonblast. The Dark typing leaves it with three additional weaknesses, two of which replace resistances to Fighting- and Bug-type moves, meaning Pokemon like Azumarill, Keldeo, and Mega Altaria give it a hard time.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Regular Gyarados may not be as good as its Mega counterpart, but it's still plenty viable when you already have a Mega Evolution on your team. Intimidate and the ability to hold Leftovers mean that Substitute and support sets do better in the long run, carving a niche of sorts over its Mega Evolution. Offensively, Moxie Gyarados can surprise opponents that expect Mega Gyarados and is still a fairly viable threat. But if you can, it's greatly advised to just use Mega Gyarados over the original.

Mega Aerodactyl

Mega Aerodactyl

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Mega Aerodactyl's worth in OU is questionable at times, but rest assured— it can do its job just fine. What first catches the eyes of many is its blistering base 150, which lets it outspeed a wide variety of sweepers and revenge killers, such as Tornadus-T, Weavile, Mega Manectric, Mega Sceptile, and Mega Beedrill. Tough Claws is also a very useful ability to have, giving Mega Aerodactyl a usable Flying-type move in Aerial Ace, as well as powering up most of its coverage moves, such as Aqua Tail, Iron Head, and Fire Fang.

Unfortunately, Aerodactyl still has some major issues that hinder its performance. First off, being weak to Stealth Rock is never a good thing, weaknesses to Water-, Steel-, Ice-, and Electric-type moves leave it with few safe switches in, and rather mediocre bulk before Mega Evolving makes getting a chance to Mega Evolve challenging at times. While Tough Claws powers up some of its coverage options, they're generally not too strong to begin with, such as the elemental fangs and Aerial Ace, and some of its strongest moves, such as Stone Edge and Earthquake, don't receive the boost, limiting its power somewhat.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Some people could argue that regular Aerodactyl still has some merit, but its use is very limited. Aerodactyl can work as a Focus Sash-carrying suicide lead that can lay down Stealth Rock and Taunt the opposing lead. However, the suicide lead is used purely for the surprise factor, as regular Aerodactyl should never go offensive, whether or not your team already has a Mega Evolution. Besides, Aerodactyl can't really leave much of an impression after fainting, as it's easy to remove entry hazards. Unless you want to surprise some people, just use Mega Aerodactyl.

Mega Ampharos

Mega Ampharos

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Mega Ampharos has a tough time standing out in OU, and it's pretty easy to see why. Its Speed is simply atrocious, both before and after Mega Evolving, meaning it's always going last against teams with any kind of Speed; even some defensive Pokemon such as Chansey, Sylveon, and Clefable can outspeed and threaten it. Its defensive typing leaves it with weaknesses to Ground, Dragon, Ice, and Fairy, meaning teams almost always have a way to easily threaten Mega Ampharos out. Mold Breaker, while allowing it to hurt Pokemon with Volt Absorb, Sturdy, and Lightning Rod, has no use anywhere else, meaning it's often effectively left without an ability. Finally, Ampharos is a very one-dimensional Pokemon, as its all-out attacker set is its best chance at threatening teams, and even though it has Agility, it has to run a Timid nature just to match base 76 Choice Scarf users, and you have to factor in the resulting loss of power, especially considering the fact that Mega Ampharos can't hold an item such as a Life Orb.

But it would simply be a false statement if you said Mega Ampharos doesn't have some positives that can allow it to survive in OU. While very slow, it more often than not can survive a hit and retaliate accordingly, and being the slowest Volt Switch user in the game usually guarantees safe switches for teammates. Offensively speaking, Mega Ampharos has an incredible base 165 Special Attack, as well as excellent neutral coverage with just its STAB moves alone; the only relevant Pokemon that resist them are Excadrill, Mega Altaria, Magnezone, and Ferrothorn. Due to its terrible Speed, it makes for a fairly good Trick Room sweeper, as it can easily threaten offensive teams with its high power and good bulk.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Ampharos should only ever be used for its Mega Evolution. Regular Ampharos has little to no place in OU and should never be used on a serious team.

Mega Scizor

Mega Scizor

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Mega Scizor is one of the more threatening Mega Evolutions that OU has to offer and has many qualities that let it excel in OU. First, its stats are exceptional, with what seems like buffs everywhere, from getting base 150 Attack, to getting 140 / 100 defenses, to getting base 75 Speed. Its excellent defensive Bug / Steel typing grants it a plethora of resistances at the cost of one weakness, granting it a good number of favorable matchups. Mega Scizor also has a method to preserve its excellent bulk in Roost, a way to increase its already destructive power to insane levels with Swords Dance, and the ability to support its team with Defog, giving it a lot of flexibility. Mega Scizor has a good STAB move in Technician-boosted Bullet Punch, as well as coverage moves in Knock Off and Superpower to hit a wide variety of Pokemon.

However, Mega Scizor does have difficulty setting up when the opponent still has a Fire-type or a means of inflicting burns alive, and with Gengar, Rotom-W, Keldeo, Slowbro, Heatran, and both Mega Charizard formes as common as they are, Mega Scizor will need a good deal of team support. Mega Scizor also lacks any good STAB attacks outside of Bullet Punch, Bug Bite, and U-turn, somewhat limiting its effectiveness. Defensive sets are also very passive considering the lack of coverage, with notable setup sweepers that can take advantage of them including Mega Charizard X, Manaphy, Excadrill, Keldeo, and Talonflame.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Scizor is a Pokemon that's completely outclassed by its Mega Evolution, though it still has its uses on a team. For example, if your team already has a Mega Evolution, Scizor can still be a good choice, since it can run most sets that Mega Scizor can and, unlike Mega Scizor, can use a Choice Band for immediately powerful attacks. But if your team lacks a Mega Evolution when you decide to add Scizor to it, unless you want to use the Choice Band set, you really should just use Mega Scizor.

Mega Heracross

Mega Heracross

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When looking for a wallbreaker to add to the team, Mega Heracross is the first, or at least one of the first, Pokemon that come to mind for good reason. First and foremost, Mega Heracross has even more Attack than Deoxys-A, having a gargantuan base 185 Attack which is always the eye-catcher for people just learning about it. To go along with that incredible power, Mega Heracross also has rather impressive bulk combined with several resistances, allowing it to take a few hits before going down. With Skill Link, Mega Heracross is able to use Pin Missile over Megahorn and Rock Blast over Stone Edge, both of which are stronger and more accurate than the moves that they replace. As if this weren't enough, Mega Heracross also has access to Swords Dance, thus diminishing any hopes at walling it without using a Pokemon with Unaware. All of this makes Mega Heracross one of the most feared wallbreakers in the entire game, and it is one of the reasons that stall teams don't do too well these days.

But Mega Heracross has some very fatal shortcomings that prevent it from being a top-tier threat. Being weak to Flying-, Fire-, Fairy-, and Psychic-type moves can really offset its solid defenses, and with the likes of Talonflame, Latios, Mega Diancie, and Charizard as common as they are, Mega Heracross will often be forced out, making entry hazards are an issue. Losing out on Speed after Mega Evolving can also affect its performance, as Mega Heracross fails to outspeed the likes of Gallade, Gardevoir, and Medicham even before they Mega Evolve, as well as Mega Altaria, Mega Venusaur, and Gyarados, all of which can threaten it easily. While its Attack is massive, Will-O-Wisp and Scald are massive problems, since a burned Mega Heracross is a useless one.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Whenever I mention that Mega Heracross is vulnerable to burns, some people may be annoyed by the fact that I never mention Heracross having Guts before Mega Evolving. Heracross can use Guts as its ability to punish those that throw burns around recklessly before it Mega Evolves so it can hit noticeably harder than Mega Heracross. Guts is the reason why some people choose Megahorn and Stone Edge over Pin Missile and Rock Blast, respectively, as then Heracross getting burned isn't all that bad. This power even tempts people to use a Toxic Orb set, as it acts as a nice status absorber as well as a powerful wallbreaker, though this set has situational use.

Mega Houndoom

Mega Houndoom

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Mega Houndoom is a risky Pokemon to use nowadays, as it has some great qualities but also some flaws that can't be overlooked. For the positives, Mega Houndoom sits at a very comfortable base 115 Speed, allowing it to outpace the base 110s that frequent the metagame, such as Mega Metagross, Latios, Gengar, and Mega Gallade, as well as some Pokemon above that threshold, like Thundurus and Serperior. Mega Houndoom also carries a unique Fire / Dark STAB combination that super effectively damages many sweepers and walls alike, with notable examples including but not being limited to Ferrothorn, Latios, Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Gengar, Mew, Skarmory, Slowbro, Jirachi, and Klefki. This typing also gives it a slight advantage defensively, as it's immune to burns and Psychic-type moves and resists Fire-, Ice-, Steel-, Ghost-, and Dark-type moves, potentially giving it an opportunity to Mega Evolve or set up against weaker attackers. Aside from its STAB attacks, Mega Houndoom also has access to Taunt to cripple walls, Will-O-Wisp to threaten physical switch-ins, Destiny Bond to potentially remove a counter, and Nasty Plot to crush walls.

While Mega Houndoom's offensive potential can make it seem very threatening, it has some serious flaws that keep it from being a relevant threat. While its defensive typing brings it unique benefits, it also burdens it with some crippling weaknesses, namely to Water-, Ground-, Rock-, and Fighting-type moves, letting Pokemon like Mega Altaria, Azumarill, Keldeo, Tyranitar, and Garchomp easily revenge kill it. 75 / 90 / 90 bulk is rather middling, so Mega Houndoom can only switch into resisted attacks, which is made even more challenging by a Stealth Rock weakness. Finally, Houndoom has horrible stats before Mega Evolving, namely awful 70 / 50 / 80 bulk and lacking base 90 Speed, meaning it not only must be switched in carefully but also must be switched in against something it both outspeeds and KOes.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Houndoom has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Houndoom, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Tyranitar

Mega Tyranitar

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Mega Tyranitar is a Pokemon with a lot of problems, but it can demolish teams when given the right support. Its amazing 100 / 150 / 120 bulk makes it the bulkiest Dragon Dance sweeper in OU, and useful resistances to Flying-, Normal-, Ghost-, and Dark-type moves and a Psychic immunity can make setting up even easier. The sand summoned by Sand Stream gives it a 50% boost to its Special Defense, making its defenses outrageous, and can also chip away at the health of most Pokemon, making it harder to wall. Its STAB coverage is pretty solid, and its good coverage moves in Ice Punch, Fire Punch, and Superpower make it even harder to wall.

But Mega Tyranitar is heavily outclassed as a Dragon Dancer for several reasons. While its defenses are titanic, its 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves combined with its weaknesses to Ground-, Water-, Grass-, Bug-, Fairy-, and Steel-type moves dramatically devalues its bulk. Its base 71 Speed makes it the slowest of all the viable Dragon Dancers in OU, as Mega Tyranitar fails to outspeed Pokemon with at least base 135 Speed even when it's at +1.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: While most Mega Evolutions are superior to their original formes, Tyranitar is one of the exceptions to this pattern. Its ability to hold items makes all the difference, since Smooth Rock lets it provide more turns for sand for Excadrill and the rest of its team, Choice Scarf acts as a useful revenge killer, and a Choice Band lets it bust down walls without needing to set up. So long story short, yes, non-Mega Tyranitar is plenty usable.

Mega Sceptile

Mega Sceptile

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Mega Sceptile is one of the few sweepers in OU that don't fear Prankster Thunder Wave, which gives it a huge niche. This is thanks to its ability Lightning Rod, which lets it freely switch into Electric-type moves, including Volt Switch, thus posing a potential threat to VoltTurn cores. But Mega Sceptile isn't just an Electric absorber, as it has some traits that make most other sweepers envious, such as a massive base 145 Speed to outrun Mega Manectric and Mega Lopunny with, as well as a powerful STAB move in Leaf Storm for that extra power needed to revenge kill or KO a wall. Its other notable moves include STAB Giga Drain to attack and heal, STAB Dragon Pulse for coverage and the ability to hit Dragon-types, and Focus Blast and Earthquake to hit Steel-types, and it also has respectable 110 / 145 offenses to use these moves with.

However, Mega Sceptile has some rather glaring flaws for a sweeper. For one, its lack of powerful STAB attacks outside of Leaf Storm means it doesn't hit as hard as one might think, since Leaf Storm's side effect kills momentum whether the opponent's Pokemon was KOed or not. It's also vulnerable to Talonflame, which is already a huge problem for a sweeper, and is easily threatened by Ice Shard, which is a fairly common sight given Weavile's popularity.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Sceptile has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Sceptile, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Swampert

Mega Swampert

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Mega Swampert is one of those Pokemon that do their job well but just don't do it as well as others. For the positives, Mega Swampert is easily the bulkiest of the Swift Swimmers, boasting meaty 100 / 110 / 110 defenses, as well as a nice defensive typing that lets it resist Rock-, Fire-, Steel-, and Poison-type moves and provides it with an Electric immunity. This immunity gives it a huge niche over most other Swift Swimmers, since it prevents Thunder Wave Klefki and Thundurus from acting as checks to it. Mega Swampert also has a massive base 150 Attack to throw around, and good STAB attacks in Earthquake and Waterfall, as well as access to Ice Punch, give it great coverage. Finally, Mega Swampert is capable of beating out Tyranitar and Hippowdon, two of the biggest problems for rain teams to face, and can do so even in the sand.

As for the negatives, lacking any means to raise its Attack outside of the weak Power-Up Punch means walls can potentially stall out both Mega Swampert and the rain, which is a problem that Kabutops doesn't face thanks to Swords Dance. Mega Swampert also requires a turn to Mega Evolve before it can take advantage of Swift Swim, potentially making it dead weight if it fails to Mega Evolve in time. Finally, Mega Swampert locks you out of using other Mega Evolutions when facing teambuilding issues. For example, Mega Medicham is a great Mega Evolution for rain teams, and other Swift Swimmers can be used alongside Mega Medicham, something Mega Swampert can't do.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Swampert has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Swampert, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Gardevoir

Mega Gardevoir

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Cons:

Mega Gardevoir’s Hyper Voice is incredibly strong; it 2HKOes almost every Pokemon that doesn't resist it. Thankfully for Gardevoir, only three types resist Fairy-type moves, and one of them, Poison, is hit super effectively by Mega Gardevoir’s other STAB move, Psyshock. In tandem with Taunt, Psyshock actually allows Gardevoir to beat Chansey, one Pokemon that can comfortably take a Hyper Voice. The other two types that resist Gardevoir's Hyper Voice are Steel and Fire, and the former is hit super effectively by Focus Blast. Additionally, before Mega Evolving, Gardevoir can use Trace to switch in on a Pokemon with a beneficial ability, such as Intimidate, Water Absorb, or Flash Fire, and benefit from it. Lastly, Gardevoir is able to beat Pokemon that wish to OHKO it with Sucker Punch by using Will-O-Wisp. With flawless three-move coverage, in addition to the utility provided by Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Trace, it's easy to argue that Mega Gardevoir is one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into and counter.

Despite being so good on paper, Mega Gardevoir has two major flaws that prevent it from being dominant in OU. The first is its terrible physical bulk, as 68 / 65 is beyond salvageable. Even resisted physical hits often will 2HKO it. Gardevoir's second major flaw is its mediocre Speed. It's outsped by almost every notable attacker in OU, and almost all of the ones that don't outspeed it Speed tie with it. Gardevoir's two flaws show why it isn't that effective against offense; it's easily revenge killed by faster physical attackers such as Terrakion, Garchomp, and Talonflame. None of these threats stand a chance switching in, but if given a free switch, they will destroy Gardevoir.

Is the Original Still Worth Using?: Non-Mega Gardevoir is a very niche Pokemon in OU. Its Moonblast is significantly weaker than Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice, and so it seems useless. However, the ability to use a Choice Scarf makes it worth a teamslot on select teams. With a maximum of 328 Speed, Mega Gardevoir is the second fastest unboosted Fairy-type in the tier. Thus, Pokemon weak to Fairy such as Terrakion and Keldeo never have to worry about being revenge killed by Gardevoir. However, Choice Scarf Gardevoir reaches 426 Speed, and so it is able to revenge kill these Pokemon, as well as everything up to Mega Manectric. While Mega Gardevoir is significantly better than its regular counterpart, if your team requires the support of a Fairy-type revenge killer, look no further than Gardevoir.

Mega Sableye

Mega Sableye

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Cons:

In this offensively oriented metagame with wallbreakers and stallbreakers around nearly every corner, you would think stall teams went extinct, but Mega Sableye is a big reason why they still see success. First and foremost, Magic Bounce blocks all sorts of moves that would trouble stall teams, such as Stealth Rock, Taunt, and Toxic, which is already enough to make it a key Pokemon. But its defensive presence outside of Magic Bounce is still respectable, since it has good 50 / 125 / 115 bulk and a Dark / Ghost typing, giving it another unique niche as a bulky spinblocker. Mega Sableye's movepool is also great, with good options in Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, Recover, and Foul Play for defensive sets, and it can even use Calm Mind and Shadow Ball for a more offensive approach. Since Sableye has Prankster before Mega Evolving, it can use the increased priority as it Mega Evolves to either burn a would-be check or counter or set up Calm Mind quickly, making it hard to approach Sableye early in the battle.

As indestructible as I've made Mega Sableye out to be, though, it does have some big chinks in its armor. For one, nearly every Fairy-type can beat it one-on-one, since they resist its Dark-type moves and can hit it super effectively with their own STAB moves. Sableye also has very poor stats all around before Mega Evolving, making it a challenge to switch in. Once it has Mega Evolved, nearly every relevant Pokemon in the tier can outrun Mega Sableye, even sluggish Pokemon like Conkeldurr, Mega Ampharos, and Dragalge.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Sableye's worth in OU is really hard to justify, since its niche is so tiny. All it does is act like Mega Banette without being a Mega Evolution, using Prankster with Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, and it isn't even good at that. Mega Banette has all of these moves and more, and despite needing Protect, it can still do its job better than Sableye. Trust me when I say the only kind of Sableye you should be using is Mega Sableye.

Mega Aggron

Mega Aggron

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Cons:

If stats alone were what made a Pokemon good, Mega Aggron would be top tier, but it has some crippling flaws that keep it from excelling. Its greatest flaw by far has to be its lack of recovery outside of Rest, which dramatically limits what it can and can't take on. This weighs heavily against its ability to tank hits, since there are a whole slew of defensive Pokemon with recovery, which can make it hard to justify using Mega Aggron over its competition. Its base 80 Special Defense also requires a majority of the EV investment, and it can still fail to take repeated special attacks due to its lack of good recovery.

While Mega Aggron's longevity isn't that great and it does poorly against special attackers, it still acts as a phenomenal answer to physical attackers thanks to its titanic base 230 Defense stat. Its Steel typing grants it multiple resistances and a Poison immunity, and while its weaknesses are usually easy to exploit, Filter alleviates this somewhat; to put this into perspective, a +2 Excadrill can't guarantee an OHKO even after Stealth Rock damage with Earthquake thanks to Filter. But Mega Aggron wouldn't be a tank without an offensive presence, and its base 140 Attack and good moves in STAB Heavy Slam, Earthquake, Avalanche, Fire Punch, and Rock Slide let it hit hard; it can even use Thunder Wave to mess up its counters.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Aggron has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Aggron, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Medicham

Mega Medicham

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Cons:

Mega Medicham is easily one of the hardest-hitting wallbreakers available in OU, and for good reason. Huge Power on top of base 100 Attack effectively gives Mega Medicham up to 656 Attack, easily topping those of the likes of Mega Heracross and Diggersby, but this alone isn't the secret to Mega Medicham's success in OU. High Jump Kick is what truly makes Mega Medicham so difficult to switch into, as even defensive titans like Hippowdon and Garchomp fail avoid the 2HKO from this monstrous STAB attack. But Mega Medicham has other useful moves in its arsenal, such as STAB Zen Headbutt for those that resist Fighting, Ice Punch to OHKO Gliscor and Garchomp and at worst 2HKO Landorus-T, Thunder Punch to threaten Slowbro and OHKO Gyarados, Bullet Punch to finish off Pokemon like Tornadus-T, and Fake Out to safely Mega Evolve and chip away at the foe's health.

While Mega Medicham crushes balance and defensive teams, it fares rather poorly against offensive teams due to its base 100 Speed, which, while very useful for defensive and tankish Pokemon that dont invest much in Speed, lets dozens of Pokemon outrun and pressure it. This flaw is made much worse when factoring in Mega Medicham's mediocre 65 / 85 / 85 bulk, its weaknesses to Flying-, Fairy-, and Ghost-type moves, and very few resistances. High Jump Kick also doesn't come without a price, since Mega Medicham loses half of its health if it misses or the foe uses Protect or is a Ghost-type, and a 10% chance of missing makes using it a gamble each time. Finally, bulky Psychic-types like Mega Slowbro and Mew resist both of its STAB moves and can also burn it, and Mega Sableye in particular is immune to both of its STAB types and shrugs off all its other moves, making it the best Mega Medicham switch-in.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Medicham has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Medicham, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Manectric

Mega Manectric

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Cons:

In such an offensively oriented metagame, Mega Manectric truly shines as an offensive threat. This is due to a lot of factors, but the greatest is its excellent base 135 Speed, allowing it to outrun threats like Alakazam, Tornadus-T, and Weavile, making it hard to revenge kill before taking a hit. Unlike most other speedy Pokemon, though, what can make Mega Manectric so hard to approach is its defensive qualities, namely Intimidate and its Electric typing. The former allows Mega Manectric to weaken physical attackers and possibly get an opportunity to Mega Evolve, and it also complements Volt Switch beautifully. The latter provides useful resistances to Electric-, Steel-, and Flying-type moves, allowing it to stomach attacks like Talonflame's Brave Bird, Mega Metagross's Iron Head, and Thundurus's Thunderbolt while also providing a paralysis immunity, which is a godsend for anything that relies on its Speed.

Thankfully, Mega Manectric has some pretty big flaws that prevent it from being too powerful. Its base 135 Special Attack seems appealing at first, but not being able to boost its power at all, be it with an item or move, leaves a lot to be desired. Since Mega Manectric is constantly switching around with Volt Switch, entry hazards tend to wear it down very quickly, and adding that to its middling 70 / 80 / 80 bulk means that without Rapid Spin or Defog support, Mega Manectric has a fairly short lifespan. But perhaps its biggest flaw is its predictability, since it only has one viable set, meaning nearly every special wall in the game can wall it pretty easily. In particular, most Ground-types have a field day with Mega Manectric, since they render Volt Switch useless, can easily take advantage of its Ground weakness, and are typically bulky enough to take a hit or two from its coverage moves.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Manectric has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Manectric, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Sharpedo

Mega Sharpedo

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Cons:

Mega Sharpedo is a Pokemon that looks great on paper but just falls short of being even just good. The only real reason to use Mega Sharpedo is because of Speed Boost, since it can take advantage of its ability before Mega Evolving to sweep teams late-game, outspeeding a wide variety of sweepers without the need for paralysis support. This Speed is complemented by its passable 140 / 110 offenses, good moves in Hydro Pump, Poison Jab, Crunch, and Ice Fang, and post-Mega ability Strong Jaw to power up the latter two moves, making its attacks deceptively powerful.

But Mega Sharpedo is as high risk as they come, since it has several very glaring flaws. Mega Sharpedo's stats outside of its mixed offenses are rather lacking, as it's very frail even after Mega Evolving, and base 105 Speed is only so good without a Speed boost, meaning Protect is absolutely mandatory. But being forced to run Protect not only means you forgo a whole moveslot that could have gone to a coverage move, it also makes Mega Sharpedo very easy to play around, since the opponent can get a free turn to set up or switch out. The worst part is once Mega Sharpedo is forced out, it loses its increased Speed and can't get it back on its own, meaning it will only ever pull off a successful sweep either when the opponent's team is severely crippled or weakened or when all threats are removed, meaning Mega Sharpedo can only be properly used very late-game.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Sharpedo has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Sharpedo, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Camerupt

Mega Camerupt

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Cons:

Mega Camerupt seems like a terrifying wallbreaker at first, but it has far too many crippling flaws to really justify using over other options. For one, its mediocre defenses before Mega Evolving make it difficult to safely switch in, and its abysmal Speed makes it nearly impossible to attack before being attacked. Mega Camerupt's defensive typing is also questionable, as even though it gets several resistances, its two weaknesses are to the very common Water- and Ground-type moves, the former being a 4x weakness. Despite having a massive base 145 Special Attack and Sheer Force, Mega Camerupt can't really OHKO much that resists Fire Blast, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if not for its middling defenses and awful Speed, so it desperately needs support not only to wear down foes with entry hazards and possibly extra prior damage but also to make up for its pitiful Speed. All of these flaws make Mega Camerupt too risky to use without a good deal of knowledge and skill.

But even though Mega Camerupt is heavily outclassed by most wallbreakers, that isn't to say it's entirely useless, as it does well as a Trick Room sweeper. With base 20 Speed, Mega Camerupt can underspeed everything in the tier and sweep whole teams when Trick Room is up, solidifying a niche in a niche yet unprepared-for playstyle. Its typing also gives it some useful resistances, such as to Fairy, Fire, and Steel, and provides it with Electric and burn immunities, letting it take hits if absolutely needed after Mega Evolving. And while its power is insufficient to OHKO walls, Mega Camerupt's Fire Blasts are very capable of OHKOing many offensive Pokemon that don't resist them thanks to Sheer Force, and it requires little support to break down offensive teams when under Trick Room.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Camerupt has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Camerupt, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Altaria

Mega Altaria

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Cons:

Mega Altaria is a jack-of-all-trades kind of Pokemon, having several sets that can catch the opponent off guard, and isn't particularly shabby in any set either. Mega Altaria's mixed 110 / 110 offenses may seem underwhelming at first, but Pixilate and Dragon Dance make up for it, the former granting Mega Altaria powered-up STAB moves in Return and Hyper Voice and the latter making sweeps easier to pull off. Mega Altaria also has two useful coverage moves in Earthquake and Fire Blast, allowing it to hit most Steel- and Poison-types for good damage. Its respectable 75 / 110 / 105 bulk is also quite good, and with seven resistances, a Dragon immunity, Heal Bell, Roost, Refresh, and Cotton Guard, Mega Altaria can effectively pull off bulky and defensive sets.

But Mega Altaria has a tough time switching in before Mega Evolving, as regular Altaria's defenses aren't as good, it's weak to Stealth Rock, and it lacks the Fairy typing its Mega Evolution carries, which can limit its opportunities to safely Mega Evolve. But even after Mega Evolving, it has weaknesses to Ice-, Fairy-, Poison-, and Steel-type moves, leaving itself open to some big names in OU, such as Weavile, Mega Metagross, Gengar, and Azumarill. 110 / 110 offenses are also very poor outside of its Pixilate-boosted STAB moves, especially since it can't hold a boosting item, severely limiting the power of its coverage moves, and even its STAB moves can be somewhat underwhelming when faced with bulker foes. As for its Speed, base 80 Speed is rather mediocre before getting a Dragon Dance boost and still leaves it outsped by some Pokemon even after a boost, such as Mega Manectric, Mega Lopunny, and most Choice Scarf users.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Altaria has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Altaria, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Banette

Mega Banette

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Cons:

Mega Banette is one of those Pokemon that, while severely outclassed by most other options, still do have a niche of sorts. Its base 165 Attack is gargantuan even compared to that of most Mega Evolutions, and its Shadow Sneaks and Knock Offs are quite powerful, so it isn't easy switching into it. But it's its access to Prankster that gives it its actual niche in the tier, as it has access to some very useful moves, namely Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Destiny Bond, with extra emphasis being put on the last move, as Mega Banette is the only Prankster user in the game with access to it, which is a fairly big niche on its own.

Sadly, Mega Banette has far too many shortcomings to really justify using it over other options. Its base 165 Attack is quickly devalued by the fact that it lacks any powerful and reliable STAB attacks, with Phantom Force being a two-turn attack and Shadow Claw only being a little stronger than Knock Off. Lacking Prankster before Mega Evolving means it will usually be outsped before Mega Evolving, and its mediocre defenses usually won't hold even against moderately powerful attackers, so it's forced to run Protect, which creates four-moveslot syndrome and really limits it to running only two of its Prankster-affected moves. Any offensive sets would also do poorly due to its poor stats outside of Attack and lack of powerful moves, so it's really limited to just Prankster sets.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Banette has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Banette, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Absol

Mega Absol

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Cons:

Mega Absol is a powerful monster at first glance, boasting great power, high Speed, and a good movepool, but ultimately falls short in practice. 150 / 115 mixed offenses are spectacular for any offensive Pokemon, which is made even better with a sweet base 115 Speed stat to sweep with, letting it effectively pull off late-game sweeps. These offensive stats are complemented by particularly useful STAB moves in Pursuit to trap foes, Knock Off to deal big damage and remove items, and Sucker Punch to potentially revenge kill and get a safe chance to Mega Evolve, as well as great coverage moves in Fire Blast, Superpower, Iron Tail, and Ice Beam to hit a wide variety of threats. Its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass is also pretty big, since it can either pull off a sweep on its own or help a teammate do the sweeping for it. But the biggest draw is its access to Magic Bounce, protecting it from moves like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, and Roar, as well as punishing any attempts to set up entry hazards.

But there are two huge flaws that hold it back from being a dominant threat: its bad bulk and vulnerability to Fairy-types. The former flaw is perhaps its biggest, as it prevents Mega Absol from finding opportunities to switch in safely even against resisted hits due to its terrible bulk, which is made even worse due to its abysmal Speed before Mega Evolving. Mega Absol can't even find the room to run Protect, since it needs all the coverage it can get on the all-out attacker set and would be too passive if running the Swords Dance set. But using Swords Dance and Baton Pass is almost as risky, since giving the opponent a free turn could mean Mega Absol has to take a hit, limiting its setup opportunities. Its inability to threaten most Fairy-types is also a big problem, since being checked by the likes of Keldeo, Azumarill, Clefable, and Mega Diancie can easily kill momentum.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Absol has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Absol, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Glalie

Mega Glalie

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Cons:

Mega Glalie normally wouldn't be worth adding to a serious OU team, since 120 / 120 mixed offenses aren't very good for a Mega Evolution, but having access to Refrigerate Explosion is its saving grace. With Refrigerate Explosion, Mega Glalie has the strongest move available in OU, capable of OHKOing most offensive Pokemon, even those that resist Ice, or greatly damaging a wall to make a sweep easier for a teammate. But Mega Glalie isn't just about blowing up as soon as it hits the field, as it also carries Double-Edge in its movepool, which even though it isn't even half as powerful as Explosion still isn't easily switched into. Mega Glalie also comes with Ice Shard to get the jump on weakened foes, letting it bypass its Speed to Mega Evolve a bit more safely. But Mega Glalie can hit some Pokemon that resist its STAB types with moves like Earthquake and Freeze-Dry, the former for Steel- and Fire-types and the latter for Water-types.

But Refrigerate Explosion is really the only notable thing Mega Glalie has going for it, and its flaws weigh heavily against it. For one, it's very predictable, and while base 100 Speed is good in some cases for outrunning most defensive Pokemon, it pales in comparison to most of the tier's offensive Pokemon and their Speed stats. To make this worse, Mega Glalie's stats are underwhelming in every department before Mega Evolving, its meager 80 / 80 / 80 bulk isn't improved on at all after Mega Evolving, and Ice-types have some of the worst weaknesses in the game, making Mega Glalie only really useful against defensive teams. While Refrigerate gives Explosion and Double-Edge a huge boost, it does nothing for Ice Shard and its coverage moves, leaving them with rather underwhelming power.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Glalie has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Glalie, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Metagross

Mega Metagross

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Cons:

Mega Metagross seems like one of the most threatening Pokemon in the game just on paper, and it mostly holds true in practice. Mega Metagross's stats are amazing all around; with 145 / 105 mixed offenses, 80 / 150 / 110 bulk, and a crucial base 110 Speed, no stat really goes to waste here. Its amazing offenses are made even greater by Tough Claws, powering up many of its many moves, including Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt, Pursuit, Hammer Arm, Grass Knot, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch. While its only power-boosting move is the subpar Hone Claws, an Agility set is more than viable, allowing it to slice through weakened teams like a hot knife through butter. Meanwhile, Mega Metagross has a great defensive typing to complement its bulk, granting it nine resistances and a Poison immunity, including a Stealth Rock resistance, giving it many setup opportunities.

There aren't any flaws that are exactly gaping, but it does have its fair share of problems. For one, Metagross is only at base 70 Speed before Mega Evolving, meaning it's almost always outsped by anything with decent Speed, leaving it open to attacks before it gets an attack of its own off if it lacks Bullet Punch. Its typing may be good, but being weak to Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves can make the former problem easier to exploit. But its biggest flaw is its case of four-moveslot syndrome, since it has so many moves that take out certain threats, yet it can't carry all of them at once, limiting how well it can perform a sweep.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Metagross is generally used as Mega Metagross, but there does exist a non-Mega variant of Metagross in the form of an Assault Vest set. With an Assault Vest on top of its naturally good bulk, Metagross acts as an effective check to some noteworthy Pokemon, such as Clefable, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Gardevoir. Its lack of recovery makes it hard to use, and it only really has one chance to beat something, but Assault Vest Metagross can work if a Mega slot is already being taken.

Mega Latias

Mega Latias

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Cons:

Mega Latias has the raw bulk and even the power to be either a sweeper that can take a few hits or a wall that can hit back hard. Defensively, Mega Latias already has impressive 80 / 120 / 150 bulk to tank attacks with, but it also comes packed with six useful resistances, a Ground immunity thanks to Levitate, Roost for longevity, Roar to shuffle the opposing team, and Reflect Type to more easily wall even some Pokemon that would otherwise counter it, which can make it a hard nut to crack. Offensively, base 140 Special Attack and base 110 Speed are already good, but Mega Latias also has Calm Mind to sweep teams in conjunction with Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, or even Stored Power. This means it needs little else in terms of offense, so it can run other moves to support itself better, such as Substitute to protect from status, Roost for recovery, and Reflect Type to get more setup opportunities.

But while Mega Latias has few flaws, these flaws are pretty major. For one, it carries six exploitable weaknesses, the biggest ones being to Fairy-, Ice-, and Dark-type moves. These weaknesses alone leave it weak to big names like Weavile, Bisharp, Clefable, Azumarill, Mega Diancie, Mega Altaria, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Gyarados, and many more. You could say Reflect Type variants can beat some of these Pokemon, but that's only assuming Mega Latias is faster than the foe or the move is used on a predicted switch. Finally, Calm Mind variants rely solely on Stored Power for damage, which makes them helpless against Dark-types, particularly those with Pursuit, as well as Unaware Clefable completely ignoring its stat buffs and threatening it with Moonblast.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Latias is arguably a better Pokemon when not Mega Evolving, but that argument can go either way. For the pros, Latias has the luxury of being able to fit Healing Wish onto its moveset, giving weakened teammates a second chance to do their job in a battle. This move, along with its good 80 / 90 / 130 bulk, is what sets Latias apart from Latios, which otherwise outclasses Latias. For the cons, Latias is still considered a weaker Latios, even with Healing Wish, due to its lesser power, and in a metagame where offense is king, having less power is often more of a hindrance than having less bulk is, putting it at a huge disadvantage. But overall, if you see a regular Latias in a battle, you likely have to take its presence seriously.

Mega Latios

Mega Latios

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Cons:

Mega Latios is one of the very few Mega Evolutions that are overall weaker than their original formes, but it's not as though Mega Latios on its own is weak, as it does have some strong qualities to it. It boasts good 130 / 160 mixed offenses, so it can be either a mixed attacker with Earthquake or a pure special attacker with moves like Draco Meteor, Psyshock, and Surf, and having a good base 110 Speed makes its offensive presence better. It's no slouch defensively either, boasting solid 80 / 100 / 120 bulk, Levitate for a useful Ground immunity, six very useful resistances, and Roost to keep itself alive; Mega Latios is arguably better at using Calm Mind than its regular forme thanks to the increased bulk, and it has much more immediate power than Mega Latias, so there's some justification to using Mega Latios.

The problem with Mega Latios isn't that it's bad, it's just that there's rarely ever a real reason to use it over regular Latios at the cost of the team's Mega slot. Latios has the ability to use items, such as Life Orb to actually outdamage Mega Latios with special attacks and deal nearly as much damage with physical ones, and Choice Scarf to catch normally faster foes off guard and cripple walls with Trick, while the only benefits Mega Latios brings are increased bulk, lack of Life Orb recoil, and... uh... not taking increased damage from Knock Off? This wouldn't be such a big deal if not for the fact that you're giving up the ability to use other Mega Evolutions like Mega Diancie and Mega Lopunny by using Mega Latios, and its lack of dramatic improvement over regular Latios makes it really hard to justify using.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Absolutely. Latios has a lot of variety in OU, ranging from sets that use Defog, Calm Mind, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, and even Reflect and Light Screen, so it's customizable to its team's needs, and each set is powerful in its own right. It boasts access to one of the strongest Draco Meteors available in OU on top of STAB Psyshock to threaten special walls and has a respectable base 110 Speed to sweep with, making it an offensive monster. If you're looking for offensive Dragon-types, Latios should be at or near the top of the list.

Mega Lopunny

Mega Lopunny

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Cons:

In such an offensively oriented metagame, Mega Lopunny has a great time in OU for several reasons. Most notably, its STAB coverage combined with Scrappy gives it nearly perfect neutral coverage, with the only exception being Shedinja, and combined with base 136 Attack, base 135 Speed, and a powerful STAB move in High Jump Kick, Mega Lopunny has pretty intimidating power for something so fast. While base 105 Speed before Mega Evolving is middling, Fake Out makes this a non-issue, making Mega Lopunny one of the few Mega Evolutions that have no problems with Speed before Mega Evolving. Its other moves are also capable of shutting down possible counters, which include Encore, Baton Pass, Power-Up Punch, Iron Tail and Ice Punch. It's not exactly meant for bulk, but it has very handy resistances to Dark-, Rock-, and Bug-type moves, letting it take less damage from Sucker Punch and Stealth Rock.

Thankfully, Mega Lopunny isn't without some exploitable flaws. For one, its weaknesses to Fighting-, Flying-, Fairy-, and Psychic-type moves are problematic, especially since the latter three types resist High Jump Kick. Which leads me to the next big flaw, as bulky Pokemon that resist High Jump Kick are capable of walling and threatening Mega Lopunny if it lacks the appropriate move, with notable examples including Unaware Clefable, Gliscor, Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur. High Jump Kick is also a risky move on its own, as failing to land the move, whether from simply missing or from the opponent using Protect, will cost Mega Lopunny half of its max HP, giving it somewhat shaky matchups against Pokemon it would otherwise have an advantage against, such as Heatran and Ferrothorn.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Lopunny has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Lopunny, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Garchomp

Mega Garchomp

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Cons

Mega Garchomp boasts insane mixed offenses and defenses and an ability that augments the power of its Ground- and Rock-type moves when they're used under the sand by 30%. It is able to terrorize teams with sand-boosted Stone Edges and Earthquakes coming off of a base 170 Attack and threaten physical walls thinking that they can tank them with Fire Blast or STAB Draco Meteor coming off of a base 120 Special Attack. Because of Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop, Mega Garchomp is often forced to switch out during battle. However, this isn't too much of an issue, due to its adequate defensive typing that gives it a resistance to Stealth Rock as well as an immunity to Electric-type moves, notably Thunder Wave. It also resists Fire-type moves, which allows it to check Mega Charizard Y, a Pokemon that threatens sand teams by changing the weather to sun.

Mega Garchomp has some key flaws that prevent it from being a dominant force in the OU metagame. First of all, when it Mega Evolves, its Speed stat gets reduced by 10. Thus, it's unable to outspeed and damage some key threats that its base forme can take on, such as Kyurem-B, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Medicham. Additionally, while its typing gives useful resistances to Fire- and Rock-type moves and an immunity to Electric-type moves, it also gives it weaknesses to three common attacking types in OU: Fairy, Dragon, and Ice. Thus, it's rather easy to revenge kill. Latios and Mega Gardevoir are just a few of the Pokemon able to seamlessly remove it.

Is the Original Still Worth Using?: All things considered, Mega Garchomp is a threatening Pokemon in OU. However, its biggest flaw is that it lacks the potential to be as versatile as its base forme. The ability to use any item desired as well as outspeed many more Pokemon is what makes non-Mega Garchomp generally superior. Garchomp is able to run a Stealth Rock lead set that uses a Focus Sash to guarantee its effectiveness, a Choice Scarf set using its great Speed and power to revenge kill common threats such as Mega Charizard X, a Swords Dance set that uses a Lum Berry and high Speed to sweep weakened teams, and a physically defensive set that handles Pokemon like Talonflame by taking advantage of its ability Rough Skin in tandem with either a Rocky Helmet or Leftovers.

Mega Gallade

Mega Gallade

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Cons:

Mega Gallade seems like an absolute monster to face and would probably be a monster too, but certain metagame trends hold it back from being top tier. Boasting a massive base 165 Attack as well as a key base 110 Speed, Mega Gallade already looks fierce from the get-go, but STAB Close Combat also gives it a very powerful STAB attack to throw around. Other moves include STAB Zen Headbutt to hit Poison-types, Knock Off to hit Psychic-types and provide good neutral coverage with Close Combat, Ice Punch for Flying-types, and Shadow Sneak to surprise faster Pokemon and possibly KO them if they're weakened. But the real draw is Swords Dance, which allows Mega Gallade to bust down even some of the sturdiest of walls that don't resist its attacks. It's even adequate in terms of bulk, with decent 65 / 95 / 115 base stats to at least let it take special attacks, as well as its typing giving it resistances to Fighting- and Rock-type moves.

But here's where the metagame trends really hurt Mega Gallade. Most notably, Mega Sableye is the hard counter to end all hard counters, thanks to its typing giving it immunity to both of Mega Gallade's STAB moves, Recover to heal off the damage from its weak coverage moves, and Will-O-Wisp to cripple it. It's also easily revenge killed by Talonflame even before a Swords Dance, often being forced out and forced to give a free turn to the opponent. Its STAB moves are also the main way it deals damage when Swords Dance isn't available, so Fairy-types resisting Close Combat and Psychic-types resisting both of its STAB types can make its life in OU rough.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Gallade has no practical use over anything available in OU. If you wish to succeed in OU with Gallade, either use the Mega Evolution or just stay away.

Mega Diancie

Mega Diancie

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Mega Diancie is a Pokemon with a plethora of good qualities mixed with few yet big flaws. 160 / 160 mixed offenses are the eye-catcher right off the bat, as being able to go mixed with such high offenses isn't something to take lightly. These offenses are complemented excellently by its key base 110 Speed to sweep teams with, Rock Polish to outspeed the likes of Serperior, Starmie, Alakazam, Tornadus-T, Weavile, and even Sand Rush Excadrill, and Calm Mind to improve its already great offensive presence as well as give it extra special bulk, giving it a good deal of versatility with its sets. Its offensive movepool consists of Diamond Storm for a powerful physical STAB move that can also raise Defense with each use, Moonblast as a generally good special STAB move, Earth Power to hit Steel-types, and Psyshock to hit Poison-types, making Mega Diancie rather hard to wall. But Magic Bounce is frequently the reason why it's chosen as the team's Mega Evolution, since immunity to moves like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, Roar, and Encore makes it harder to force out, and being able to punish the opponent setting entry hazards simply by being on the field is huge.

Mega Diancie's flaws are few, but they hold a good deal of weight behind them. For one, Protect is often used on non-setup sets, since Diancie's poor base 50 Speed before Mega Evolving combined with its weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, and Steel-type moves means Pokemon like Bisharp, Garchomp, Heatran, Keldeo, and Manaphy can easily outspeed and KO Diancie before it gains its Speed from Mega Evolving, and some of them can even predict the Protect and set up on it. Some bulky Steel-types are generally great answers to non-Calm Mind variants of Mega Diancie lacking Hidden Power Fire, with Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory being good examples, and the former two can actually OHKO it with their Steel-type moves, since Mega Diancie is 4x weak to them.

Is The Original Still Worth Using?: Diancie's role in OU isn't particularly notable when not Mega Evolving, but it does have a good niche for a Trick Room setter in its ability to wall Talonflame while also having surprising utility. Diancie has a unique combination of qualities for a Trick Room setter, such as access to moves like Stealth Rock for entry hazard support and Explosion to soften the foe and provide a safe switch to a teammate, Diamond Storm to threaten Talonflame directly, and useful resistances to Flying-, Fire-, Dark-, Bug-, and Normal-type moves while also having a Dragon immunity. All of this makes Diancie a solid option for Trick Room teams; it's just a shame that the playstyle itself is kind of shaky and generally unused, as otherwise Diancie would possibly be more known.

Conclusion

Mega Evolutions are, have been, and likely always will be one of the most relevant forces in OU that everyone must put into consideration when teambuilding. Whether you're preparing your team to take on Mega Evolutions or trying to fit that one Mega Evolution you really want onto your team, Mega Evolutions are a huge element in teambuilding and competitive battling alike, so knowing the ins and outs of how each Mega Evolution works will hopefully improve your experience with them.