[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Thunder Punch / Bullet Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers / Shuca Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Meteor Mash is Metagross's primary attack, heavily damaging foes such as Latias, Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Azelf while potentially boosting its Attack. Especially if Metagross leads, it often needs Meteor Mash to threaten the common leads mentioned above. Earthquake fills out Metagross’s coverage by hitting Steel-types hard and notably allows it to 2HKO Jirachi, Empoleon, and opposing Metagross. Earthquake also gives Metagross an accurate move to finish off weakened foes.
Explosion is extremely strong, OHKOing almost everything that doesn't resist it and heavily damaging anything not immune to it. It gives Metagross an option against walls that it otherwise can’t damage effectively, such as Hippowdon, which is almost always OHKOed, Swampert, and Gliscor, and it can even be used when it is low on health and needs to trade with an foe, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Suicune, and Zapdos. Metagross can comfortably set up Stealth Rock especially early in the game due to its bulk and power. However, if something else can set up Stealth Rock, there are several other options. Thunder Punch is a great choice especially if it doesn’t lead, as it OHKOes Gyarados and pressures Pokemon Metagross usually has to use Explosion on such as Starmie, Suicune, and Skarmory. A more aggressive approach is to use Bullet Punch. Metagross’s Bullet Punch hits fairly hard and is most useful to take down Pokemon who survived Meteor Mash or Earthquake with a Focus Sash such as Aerodactyl, frailer Azelf, and Heatran. However, Bullet Punch is also nice to revenge kill weakened sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Note that some versions of lead Metagross want both Stealth Rock and Bullet Punch, so it can drop any of Meteor Mash, Earthquake, or Explosion depending on the rest of the team.
Set Details
========
With maximum HP and Attack, Metagross is both bulky enough and strong enough to survive almost any attack and retaliate as hard as possible.
However, Metagross has almost unrivaled flexibility in its EV spread; especially with a Focus Sash, it can drop HP for Speed to be more threatening, possibly outspeeding Pokemon such as Magnet Rise Magnezone that expect to outspeed Metagross. Bulkier spreads with Leftovers are free to invest some of the Attack EVs into Special Defense; even a little investment helps Metagross avoid 2HKOes from attacks such as Magnezone’s Thunderbolt and Starmie's Hydro Pump. Metagross can also use maximum special bulk with a Careful nature; doing this makes Metagross absurdly bulky, letting it survive attacks such as Timid Heatran’s Fire Blast from full and KO it back with Earthquake. Metagross can also invest in its Defense; an EV spread of 252 HP / 64 Attack / 192 Def with an Adamant nature allows it to survive +2 Tyranitar’s Earthquake and OHKO it back after Stealth Rock. However, beware taking too many EVs from Metagross’s Attack; some scenarios to watch out for are not OHKOing Dragon Dance Tyranitar after Stealth Rock, failing to 2HKO defensive Jirachi, and failing to break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake.
Metagross has a wide variety of items it can use. What to use largely depends on when Metagross is used and what it is trying to do. If Metagross leads, the most common items are Lum Berry to avoid status such as Breloom’s Spore, Roserade’s Sleep Powder, and Machamp’s Dynamic Punch and Focus Sash to take extremely strong attacks such as Heatran’s Fire Blast, mixed Dragonite’s Fire Blast, and Azelf’s Choice Band Explosion and either trade with Explosion, set up Stealth Rock, or KO back. If Metagross does not lead, the most common items are Shuca Berry to survive almost any Ground-type attack Leftovers to stave off residual damage and Jirachi’s Iron Head, and Lum Berry to avoid being burned by Jirachi’s Fire Punch and Gengar’s Will-O-Wisp. Some other choices include Custap Berry to get one last strong hit off or use Explosion on an unsuspecting target and Occa Berry to survive one strong Fire-type attack from attackers such as Infernape and non Choice Specs Heatran and KO back.
Usage Tips
========
Metagross most commonly either leads or gets in the game early and sets up Stealth Rock if it has it. Metagross is unique among leads in that it is bulky enough to survive many attacks in the lead spot without a Focus Sash, can set up Stealth Rock, and threaten almost all other leads with either Explosion or strong attacks. Leverage this to your advantage: Aerodactyl and frailer Azelf will faint to Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch, making them more hesitant to use Taunt on Metagross out of fear they won't be able to get Stealth Rock up. Especially if Metagross does not have Stealth Rock or another teammate has it, using Explosion immediately against bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Swampert can be very advantageous. As a lead, Metagross is typically very liberal with its health; as it commonly either just needs to set up Stealth Rock or be a strong anti-lead, sacrificing a lot of its health to weaken or take out a foe is often advisable.
If Metagross does not lead, try to avoid taking too much chip damage when it comes in. In the back, Metagross is often trying to plug defensive holes such as handling defensive Jirachi or being a backup check to Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Dragonite alongside setting up Stealth Rock. Try to take advantage of Metagross's unique customizability to surprise the opponent; surviving an attack such as Life Orb Flygon's Fire Blast and KOing it back, absorbing Breloom's Spore and hitting it with Meteor Mash, or surprising Starmie or Suicune with Thunder Punch or Explosion are game swinging plays that Metagross very often makes as long as it stays relatively healthy.
Team Options
========
Metagross most commonly features on offensive teams trying to get momentum early and have redundancy in their Steel-types. Metagross should not be the only check to Dragon-types on the team; it takes too much damage early in the game to reliably handle Latias, Dragonite, and Jirachi more than once. As such, Metagross is often paired with Pokemon like Tyranitar, Jirachi, Heatran, and Empoleon. These Pokemon have the additional advantage of being able to set up Stealth Rock, letting Metagross be more aggressive in forgoing Stealth Rock should they set it up. As Metagross does a relatively poor job against defensive teams, it appreciates strong wallbreakers that in turn enjoy Metagross's ability to soft check many foes. A prime example for a good partner is Breloom, but Gyarados, Choice Specs Latias, and mixed Dragonite can also make good partners. Magnezone is also a good choice alongside these Pokemon, as it can trap Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor, prime checks that Metagross often lures in. More utility Metagross sets are fantastic choices on bulkier offenses in general. Some prime partners are Water-types such as Swampert, Choice Specs Kingdra, Starmie, and offensive Suicune. These Pokemon enjoy using their bulk to aid in sweeping; Metagross not only is good to check dangerous anti-leads and Dragon Dance sweepers, but it also gives these Pokemon a free switch in via Fire-type attacks. However, Metagross also appreciates a failsafe against offensive threats, as if it gets chipped it can get overwhelmed. Prominent Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-A, Flygon, and Latias are excellent options.
Metagross also is a premier Stealth Rock user on very offensive teams built around disabling leads or other anti-leads that can't set up Stealth Rock. Lead Breloom is a fantastic partner, as it can use Spore and its strong attacks, and then fall back to Metagross to get Stealth Rock up. Other examples of leads like this include Froslass, Zapdos, Roserade, Choice Specs Latias, and Dragonite. Other common teammates on this style include Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Tyranitar; strong offensive Pokemon that enjoy Spikes such as mixed Jirachi, offensive Latias, offensive Rotom-A, and Gengar; as well as Pursuit users such as Scizor and Tyranitar.
name: Utility
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stealth Rock / Thunder Punch / Bullet Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers / Shuca Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Meteor Mash is Metagross's primary attack, heavily damaging foes such as Latias, Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, and Azelf while potentially boosting its Attack. Especially if Metagross leads, it often needs Meteor Mash to threaten the common leads mentioned above. Earthquake fills out Metagross’s coverage by hitting Steel-types hard and notably allows it to 2HKO Jirachi, Empoleon, and opposing Metagross. Earthquake also gives Metagross an accurate move to finish off weakened foes.
Explosion is extremely strong, OHKOing almost everything that doesn't resist it and heavily damaging anything not immune to it. It gives Metagross an option against walls that it otherwise can’t damage effectively, such as Hippowdon, which is almost always OHKOed, Swampert, and Gliscor, and it can even be used when it is low on health and needs to trade with an foe, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Suicune, and Zapdos. Metagross can comfortably set up Stealth Rock especially early in the game due to its bulk and power. However, if something else can set up Stealth Rock, there are several other options. Thunder Punch is a great choice especially if it doesn’t lead, as it OHKOes Gyarados and pressures Pokemon Metagross usually has to use Explosion on such as Starmie, Suicune, and Skarmory. A more aggressive approach is to use Bullet Punch. Metagross’s Bullet Punch hits fairly hard and is most useful to take down Pokemon who survived Meteor Mash or Earthquake with a Focus Sash such as Aerodactyl, frailer Azelf, and Heatran. However, Bullet Punch is also nice to revenge kill weakened sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Note that some versions of lead Metagross want both Stealth Rock and Bullet Punch, so it can drop any of Meteor Mash, Earthquake, or Explosion depending on the rest of the team.
Set Details
========
With maximum HP and Attack, Metagross is both bulky enough and strong enough to survive almost any attack and retaliate as hard as possible.
However, Metagross has almost unrivaled flexibility in its EV spread; especially with a Focus Sash, it can drop HP for Speed to be more threatening, possibly outspeeding Pokemon such as Magnet Rise Magnezone that expect to outspeed Metagross. Bulkier spreads with Leftovers are free to invest some of the Attack EVs into Special Defense; even a little investment helps Metagross avoid 2HKOes from attacks such as Magnezone’s Thunderbolt and Starmie's Hydro Pump. Metagross can also use maximum special bulk with a Careful nature; doing this makes Metagross absurdly bulky, letting it survive attacks such as Timid Heatran’s Fire Blast from full and KO it back with Earthquake. Metagross can also invest in its Defense; an EV spread of 252 HP / 64 Attack / 192 Def with an Adamant nature allows it to survive +2 Tyranitar’s Earthquake and OHKO it back after Stealth Rock. However, beware taking too many EVs from Metagross’s Attack; some scenarios to watch out for are not OHKOing Dragon Dance Tyranitar after Stealth Rock, failing to 2HKO defensive Jirachi, and failing to break Suicune’s Substitute with Earthquake.
Metagross has a wide variety of items it can use. What to use largely depends on when Metagross is used and what it is trying to do. If Metagross leads, the most common items are Lum Berry to avoid status such as Breloom’s Spore, Roserade’s Sleep Powder, and Machamp’s Dynamic Punch and Focus Sash to take extremely strong attacks such as Heatran’s Fire Blast, mixed Dragonite’s Fire Blast, and Azelf’s Choice Band Explosion and either trade with Explosion, set up Stealth Rock, or KO back. If Metagross does not lead, the most common items are Shuca Berry to survive almost any Ground-type attack Leftovers to stave off residual damage and Jirachi’s Iron Head, and Lum Berry to avoid being burned by Jirachi’s Fire Punch and Gengar’s Will-O-Wisp. Some other choices include Custap Berry to get one last strong hit off or use Explosion on an unsuspecting target and Occa Berry to survive one strong Fire-type attack from attackers such as Infernape and non Choice Specs Heatran and KO back.
Usage Tips
========
Metagross most commonly either leads or gets in the game early and sets up Stealth Rock if it has it. Metagross is unique among leads in that it is bulky enough to survive many attacks in the lead spot without a Focus Sash, can set up Stealth Rock, and threaten almost all other leads with either Explosion or strong attacks. Leverage this to your advantage: Aerodactyl and frailer Azelf will faint to Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch, making them more hesitant to use Taunt on Metagross out of fear they won't be able to get Stealth Rock up. Especially if Metagross does not have Stealth Rock or another teammate has it, using Explosion immediately against bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Swampert can be very advantageous. As a lead, Metagross is typically very liberal with its health; as it commonly either just needs to set up Stealth Rock or be a strong anti-lead, sacrificing a lot of its health to weaken or take out a foe is often advisable.
If Metagross does not lead, try to avoid taking too much chip damage when it comes in. In the back, Metagross is often trying to plug defensive holes such as handling defensive Jirachi or being a backup check to Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Dragonite alongside setting up Stealth Rock. Try to take advantage of Metagross's unique customizability to surprise the opponent; surviving an attack such as Life Orb Flygon's Fire Blast and KOing it back, absorbing Breloom's Spore and hitting it with Meteor Mash, or surprising Starmie or Suicune with Thunder Punch or Explosion are game swinging plays that Metagross very often makes as long as it stays relatively healthy.
Team Options
========
Metagross most commonly features on offensive teams trying to get momentum early and have redundancy in their Steel-types. Metagross should not be the only check to Dragon-types on the team; it takes too much damage early in the game to reliably handle Latias, Dragonite, and Jirachi more than once. As such, Metagross is often paired with Pokemon like Tyranitar, Jirachi, Heatran, and Empoleon. These Pokemon have the additional advantage of being able to set up Stealth Rock, letting Metagross be more aggressive in forgoing Stealth Rock should they set it up. As Metagross does a relatively poor job against defensive teams, it appreciates strong wallbreakers that in turn enjoy Metagross's ability to soft check many foes. A prime example for a good partner is Breloom, but Gyarados, Choice Specs Latias, and mixed Dragonite can also make good partners. Magnezone is also a good choice alongside these Pokemon, as it can trap Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor, prime checks that Metagross often lures in. More utility Metagross sets are fantastic choices on bulkier offenses in general. Some prime partners are Water-types such as Swampert, Choice Specs Kingdra, Starmie, and offensive Suicune. These Pokemon enjoy using their bulk to aid in sweeping; Metagross not only is good to check dangerous anti-leads and Dragon Dance sweepers, but it also gives these Pokemon a free switch in via Fire-type attacks. However, Metagross also appreciates a failsafe against offensive threats, as if it gets chipped it can get overwhelmed. Prominent Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-A, Flygon, and Latias are excellent options.
Metagross also is a premier Stealth Rock user on very offensive teams built around disabling leads or other anti-leads that can't set up Stealth Rock. Lead Breloom is a fantastic partner, as it can use Spore and its strong attacks, and then fall back to Metagross to get Stealth Rock up. Other examples of leads like this include Froslass, Zapdos, Roserade, Choice Specs Latias, and Dragonite. Other common teammates on this style include Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Tyranitar; strong offensive Pokemon that enjoy Spikes such as mixed Jirachi, offensive Latias, offensive Rotom-A, and Gengar; as well as Pursuit users such as Scizor and Tyranitar.
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