GP:- x / x
[OVERVIEW]
* Magearna is a great pivot with decent all-around stats and useful typing which allow it to easily fit in all Steel teams.
* Magearna also provides Steel teams with a special wallbreaker that they often lack.
* Magearna has a wide movepool including Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Ice Beam, and an extremely strong STAB move in Fleur Cannon, which gives it a way to hit its checks, like Toxapex.
* Magearna doesn't lack in the utility department either, with useful moves like Volt Switch and Trick Room.
* It's great bulk, combined with Assault Vest, lets it act as a great pivot and allows it to switch into threats like Keldeo.
* However, a lack of reliable recovery often holds Magearna back, especially when used as a pivot or a Calm Mind sweeper, as it is worn down easily by having to take repeated hits and having to switch into entry hazards multiple times.
* Furthermore, Magearna's low speed makes it extremely easy to revenge kill.
* That being said, however, Magearna is one of the most diverse and unpredictable Pokemon in the Monotype metagame as it can viably run five completely different sets.
[SET]
name: Trick Room (Steel)
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Fleur Cannon
move 3: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Fairium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Trick Room swings momentum in Magearna's favour for five turns, allowing it to outspeed most Pokemon and wallbreak freely.
* Fleur Cannon is Magearna's strongest STAB move which turns into an insanely powerful 195 BP Twinkle Tackle, thanks to Fairium Z, which lets it nab a Soul-Heart boost easily.
* Aura Sphere is used to hit Steel-types that resist Fleur Cannon, like Heatran and Excadrill. It can be interchanged with Focus Blast to guarantee an OHKO on Excadrill and a 2HKO on Ferrothorn at the cost of accuracy.
* Thunderbolt is the last preferred coverage move to hit Pokemon that can wall Magearna, like Celesteela and Toxapex.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investments are made in HP and Special Attack to make Magearna as strong and bulky as possible.
* 0 IVs should be run in Speed along with a Quite nature to make Magearna as slow as possible.
* Fairium Z turns Fleur Cannon into a strong Twinkle Tackle.
* Soul-Heart helps Magearna sweep by boosting its Special Attack after an initial KO.
Usage Tips
========
* This Magearna set should mostly be used as a late-game sweeper.
* Try to keep Magearna healthy until its time to sweep so that it can set up Trick Room more easily
* However, if Magearna is being used at other points of a game, try to hide Trick Room until the opposing team is worn down to catch it by surprise and sweep.
* While setting up Trick Room is essential for Magearna to sweep, be wary of slower threats like Alolan Marowak that can take advantage of Trick Room.
* Trick Room can be used for other teammates to check faster Pokemon. For example, Trick Room lets Heatran outspeed and KO Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y with ease.
* That being said, be mindful of the fact that Trick Room can turn against Magearna's faster teammates.
* Twinkle Tackle is best used right after Trick Room to help Magearna secure a KO as fast as possible to start its sweep.
Team Options
========
* Skarmory is a Ground-immune Pokemon that can set entry hazards like Spikes and Stealth Rock, helping wear down the team to the point where Magearna can sweep easily.
* Heatran's Fire immunity lets it check threats to Magearna like Volcarona. More importantly, Heatran can trap and remove specially defensive Pokemon like Chansey with Taunt + Magma Storm for Magearna.
* Mega Scizor can utilize Magearna's ability to take out its checks by cleaning up later on. It can also sometimes use Trick Room to its advantage.
* Ferrothorn is a good check to Water- and Ground-types like Swampert and Gastrodon, while also being able to set Stealth Rock and Spikes.
* Choice Scarf Excadrill can take out faster threats, most notably Fire-types, like Mega Charizard Y and Terrakion.
* While building a Trick Room Steel team is not recommended, slower Pokemon like Magnezone and Doublade can take advantage of Magearna's Trick Room.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest (Steel)
move 1: Fleur Cannon
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Flash Cannon
item: Assault Vest
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Modest
evs: 200 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Fleur Cannon is Magearna's strongest STAB move that does a ton of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. It notably hits Fighting- and Dark-types like Keldeo and Mega Sableye.
* Aura Sphere deals with Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Heatran that otherwise wall Magearna.
* Volt Switch takes advantage of Magearna's slow Speed to bring in a teammate safely.
* Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move which is mainly used to hit Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Mega Venusaur.
* Ice Beam can be used over Flash Cannon to guarantee the OHKO on Landorus as well as hit other Ground-types like Gliscor.
Set Details
========
* The EVs in HP and Defense allow Magearna to live an Earthquake from Choice Scarf Excadrill.
* 44 EVs are put into Speed to outspeed base 70 Pokemon like Mantine.
* The rest of the EVs are put into Special Attack along with a Modest nature to let Magearna hit as hard as possible, giving it a good chance to OHKO Landorus with Fleur Cannon.
* Assault Vest lets Magearna live special hits from the strongest of wallbreakers, like Greninja and Landorus.
Usage Tips
========
* Thanks to Assault Vest's added bulk, use Magearna as a pivot to special attackers like Tapu Koko and Greninja.
* Avoid letting it take too much damage if it needs to check something. For example, a little chip damage puts it in range of Landorus and Flamethrower Mega Charizard Y.
* Since this set can't be used as a sweeper because of its low Speed, don't be afraid to Volt Switch out even if Magearna has a Soul-Heart boost.
* Use Magearna's ability to force switches to gain momentum with Volt Switch.
* While Fleur Cannon should be spammed in most cases due its sheer power, be careful of the Special Attack drop as it can end up being setup bait.
Team Options
========
* Due to its ability to check a plethora of threats, Assault Vest Magearna is extremely splashable on most Steel teams.
* Skarmory provides a Ground immunity for Magearna while also being able to check physical attackers like Excadrill. Additionally, it can set entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes, which helps Magearna get some KOs due to the lower power of this set. In return, Magearna can check special attackers like Keldeo.
* Heatran covers Magearna's weakness to Fire-types and can set Stealth Rock. Conversly, Heatran appreciates Magearna's slow Volt Switch to trap Pokemon and its ability to check Fighting-types.
* Ferrothorn and Celesteela's Leech Seed provide Magearna with some sort of recovery. Ferrothorn can additionally set Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Celesteela is immune to Ground-type attacks.
* Choice Scarf Excadrill is a great partner as it can check faster Fire-types. It can also alleviate some pressure off of Magearna by checking Electric-type threats like Tapu Koko.
* Due to Magearna's slow Volt Switch, it forms a good VoltTurn core with Pokemon like Mega Scizor and Magnezone. Magnezone can also trap annoying Steel-types like Celesteela.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs (Steel)
move 1: Fleur Cannon
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Specs
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Fleur Cannon is Magearna's strongest move. It's extremely strong and spammable, hitting all Pokemon that don't resist it extremely hard.
* Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move, mainly targeting Fairy-resistant Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Gengar.
* Aura Sphere and Focus Blast are great coverage options, used to target Steel-types and other Pokemon that resist both of Magearna's STAB moves, like Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Magnezone. Aura Sphere is often preferred over Focus Blast for guaranteed damage because of its flawless accuracy.
* Volt Switch is used to punish the switches that Magearna forces and gain momentum.
* Thunderbolt is an alternative option to KO Celesteela and Water-types like Mantine and Toxapex.
Set Details
========
* The EVs on this set are fairly simple, with maximum investments made in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to allow Magearna to hit as hard as possible while outspeeding Adamant Tapu Bulu.
* Choice Specs boosts Magearna's Special Attack to insane levels.
* Soul-Heart gives Magearna an easier time wallbreaking as it boosts Magearna's Special Attack after every KO. It can also prevent Magearna from being used as setup bait, especially when locked into a coverage move.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Magearna in as much as possible to break walls and put pressure on the opposing team.
* Try to keep it healthy throughout a game, notably against Dark teams, as Magearna usually can't be defensively checked late-game.
* Thanks to its good bulk, Magearna can usually switch into weaker walls like Mantine.
* Fleur Cannon can be spammed most of the time due to its sheer power and good coverage. However, be careful of the Special Attack drop, as it can give Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y a free turn.
* Use Volt Switch on forced switches to walls like Chansey and Toxapex and bring in the appropriate teammate.
* Be careful of using Volt Switch on Electric-immune threats like Landorus, however.
Team Options
========
* Skarmory is a great teammate as it provides a Ground immunity and can set entry hazards like Spikes and Stealth Rock, making Magearna much harder to switch into.
* Heatran covers Magearna's weakness to Fire-type attacks, and can trap and remove specially defensive walls like Chansey and Zapdos.
* Magnezone can trap Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn and let Magearna spam Fleur Cannon more freely. They also form a good Volt Switch core.
* Ferrothorn can set entry hazards and use Leech Seed to wear down checks to Magearna like Chansey. Leech Seed also provides Magearna with recovery.
* Excadrill is a great teammate as it can revenge kill a lot of faster Pokemon that threaten Magearna, especially Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y and Heatran.
* Celesteela can annoy common switch-ins to Magearna with Leech Seed, effectively wearing them down, while also providing a much-needed Ground immunity.
* Mega Scizor's slow U-turn brings Magearna into play without letting it take too much damage. It can also set up and sweep after Magearna wallbreaks.
[SET]
name: Shift Gear (Steel)
move 1: Shift Gear
move 2: Fleur Cannon
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
item: Fairium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Shift Gear boosts up Magearna's Speed by two stages, allowing Magearna to outpace a lot of Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily revenge kill it, such as Choice Scarf Excadrill and Mega Charizard Y, upto Choice Scarf Garchomp.
* Fleur Cannon is Magearna's main STAB move, doing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it, helping it break past Pokemon like Lanturn that can stop its sweep; however, it drops Magearna's Special Attack by two stages.
* Fairium Z turns Fleur Cannon into Twinkle Tackle, a monstrous 195 BP move without Fleur Cannon's side effect that helps Magearna start its sweep.
* Thunderbolt is used to hit Pokemon that resist Magearna's other moves, like Toxapex and Celesteela.
* Aura Sphere gives Magearna a way to hit Steel-types like Excadrill and Heatran.
* Focus Blast is an alternative option that allows Magearna to OHKO Excadrill and 2HKO Ferrothorn. However, it is unlikely that these Pokemon will directly switch into Magearna, so it usually has a +1 boost against them.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investments are made in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to let Magearna hit as hard as possible, while also being able to outspeed Pokemon upto Choice Scarf Garchomp after a Shift Gear boost.
* Fairium Z turns Fleur Cannon into a 195 BP Twinkle Tackle which, in conjunction with Soul-Heart, allows Magearna to start its sweep.
Usage Tips
========
* Shift Gear Magearna should mostly be used as a late-game sweeper, performing best when the opposing team has been worn down.
* Avoid taking excess chip damage prior to setting up, as it makes Magearna revenge killable through priority from Pokemon like Azumarill and Mega Scizor.
* Twinkle Tackle is most successfully used after setting up Shift Gear to help nab a Soul-Heart boost and start steamrolling through the opposing team.
* However, if it isn't required to get an initial Soul-Heart boost, try not to use it needlessly. Preserve it to net a surprise KO on walls like Zapdos that can easily live a Fleur Cannon.
* If Magearna is unlikely to pull off a sweep, use Twinkle Tackle to take out walls for its teammates.
* Don't use Fleur Cannon when you don't have to, as the Special Attack drop may stop Magearna's sweep completely.
Team Options
========
* Shift Gear Magearna fits really well on offensive teams, as they can wear down the opposing team to the point where Magearna can clean up easily.
* Suicide lead Skarmory is a fantastic partner as it can stack entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes, making it easy for Magearna to sweep.
* Swords Dance setup sweepers like Bisharp, Doublade, and Mega Scizor can wear down and severely pressurize the opposing team, allowing Magearna to clean up more easily. Conversly, Magearna can use its Twinkle Tackle to take out physical walls like Porygon2.
* Heatran provides Magearna with a Fire immunity that can trap and remove specially defensive walls like Chansey with Magma Storm + Taunt.
* Choice Scarf Excadrill can outspeed and KO most Fire-types that can otherwise ruin Magearna's sweep.
* Magnezone can help trap and remove Steel-types like Ferrothorn for Magearna.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind (Steel)
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Fleur Cannon
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Aura Sphere
item: Leftovers
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 168 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Calm Mind boosts Magearna's Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels, turning it into a terrifying setup sweeper.
* Fleur Cannon is Magearna's strongest STAB move which lets it break walls like Zapdos and Chansey after Calm Mind.
* Aura Sphere hits Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Excadrill.
* Thunderbolt rounds off Magearna's coverage to an extent and lets it hit Water-types like Toxapex and Mantine as well as Celesteela.
Set Details
========
* The EVs in HP and Defense allow Magearna to live a Choice Scarf Excadrill's Earthquake and Choice Scarf Infernape's Flare Blitz after Stealth Rock damage.
* 252 HP EVs also let Magearna take 4 Seismic Tosses from Chansey.
* 44 EVs are put into Speed to outspeed base 60 Pokemon like Skarmory.
* The rest of the EVs are put into Special Attack with a Modest nature to let Magearna hit as hard as possible.
* Leftovers provides Magearna with passive recovery which helps it set up more wasily due to the lack of recovery on the set.
* Soul-Heart boosts Magearna's Special Attack after every KO which lets it sweep more easily.
Usage Tips
========
* Since Magearna lacks reliable recovery, try to keep it healthy until its time to set up Calm Mind and sweep.
* Magearna is especially useful against bulkier teams like Stall Water, so try to keep it healthy against them.
*Magearna can setup on defensive Pokemon like Porygon2 and Mantine thanks to its good bulk. It can also try to bluff other items like Choice Specs to force switches and use the opportunity to set up.
* Magearna can weaken its checks with Fleur Cannon and take them out later on once it has set up a Calm Mind. However, be careful of Fleur Cannon's PP since it's Magearna's most spammable move.
Team Options
========
* Skarmory can wear down the opposing team with Spikes and Stealth Rock which allows Magearna to sweep without having to use Calm Mind too many times. It is also immune to Ground-type attacks.
* Ferrothorn can also set Stealth Rock and Spikes and Celesteela is another Ground-immune Pokemon. Both of them can help wear down the opposing team with Leech Seed + protect too.
* Heatran is a great Fire-type check and can trap and remove fatter walls so that Magearna doesn't need to use Calm Mind too much.
* Excadrill is an another fantastic check to Fire-types as well as Electric-types.
* Swords Dance Mega Scizor and Calm Mind Magearna can put a lot of pressure on the opposing team together. Mega Scizor can also bring Magearna in safely with its slow U-turn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* The famous BoltBeam coverage seems appealing to make the matchup against Flying teams much better, especially on the Shift Gear set. However, the coverage Aura Sphere provides is extremely important.
* Z-Focus Blast with Dazzling Gleam over Fleur Cannon on the Shift Gear set makes Magearna much more reliable against offensive teams as well as against opposing Steel teams. Nevertheless, Fleur Cannon's power is more useful in more matchups and Aura Sphere's accuracy gives it the edge over Focus Blast.
* Air Balloon on the Shift Gear set provides a Ground immunity on offensive teams while also allowing Heatran to run the trapper set freely, although getting an initial Soul-Heart boost becomes difficult without Fairium Z.
* Choice Scarf can catch faster threats like Landorus off guard; however, it is quite underwhelming after being scouted.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Chandelure and Alolan Marowak resist both of Magearna's STAB moves and can easily OHKO it in return.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Landorus and Excadrill can easily OHKO all Magearna sets after minor chip damage, but cannot switch into Magearna well.
**Chansey**: Chansey completely walls Magearna and can KO it with Seismic Toss; however, it needs to be wary of Calm Mind Magearna as it can beat Chansey one-on-one if Chansey switches in on a Calm Mind.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive Pokemon like Jirachi and Toxapex can easily switch into Magearna; however, Toxapex needs to be wary of Choice Specs and Calm Mind Magearna.
**Residual Damage**: While Magearna is fairly bulky, it can be easily worn down through chip damage due to its lack of reliable recovery.
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