"ORAS Megas in OU"
With ORAS having just been released, many people would think that we would have to give the new Metagame some time before forming any opinions on how the newly introduced Megas will affect OU. However, through late October and most of November, an ORAS OU Ladder was implemented into Pokémon Showdown once the massive data leak happened from the Demo, which allowed everyone to play with the new toys a little bit early, and see how they fare in OU. In this article, I’ll go over every new Mega introduced with ORAS and how they affect the tier, as well as their most effective set and how to use it.
The Megas:
Sceptile
Sceptile got the buff he needed to become a force to be reckoned with in OU. His new typing in Grass / Dragon gave him some good resistances and powerful STAB Dragon moves to work with, with the most notable one being Dragon Pulse. Additionally, he got a massive increase in his Special Attack and Speed, which allows him to put in work against offense once he has Mega evolved. His new ability, Lightningrod, is admittedly situational, as he already has a 4x resistance to Elelctric-type attacks, but it also gives him a cool niche in blocking Volt Switch, as well as being a full stop to Rotom-W.
Sceptile @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast / HP Fire
This set’s main goal is to come in on something Scpetile forces out, Mega Evolve, then set up a Substitute. This allows for an easier time handling bulky offense and balance teams, as it eases prediction and protects against status. Giga Drain is a STAB move that recovers HP to allow for more substitutes, while Dragon Pulse is used to hit opposing Dragons and other mons that resist Grass-type moves. The last slot provides coverage against Steel-types. Focus Blast is good for nailing every Steel-type not named Scizor, while HP Fire is a good option against Ferrothorn, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor.
Swampert
After one and a half generations of obscurity, dwelling in the depths of UU, Swampert has made a splash in OU once again with his new Mega Evolution. Receiving big buffs in his Attack and Defenses, Swampert has the power and bulk to be a dominant force in the Metagame. That’s not all though, as Swampert’s new ability is Swift Swim, which doubles his speed under rain. This finally gives Rain teams the Pokémon they’ve been looking for, as a Water / Ground type has excellent STAB coverage, and an immunity to Thunder Wave, which only Seismitoad could boast before. Previously, Kabutops was the go-to physical Swift Swimmer, but Swampert is stepping up to claim the throne, as he has a higher attack, better coverage, a better defensive typing, and much higher bulk.
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Low Kick / Superpower / Protect
Swampert’s best set is his Rain sweeper set, hands down. He's got the bulk, typing, and STABs to do this extremely effectively. Waterfall is his main STAB move. Despite the lower Base Power than earthquake, Waterfall is boosted in the rain which allows it to actually outdamage Earthquake when both hit their targets neutrally. Ice Punch is the mandatory coverage option in the third slot, as it provides important coverage against the likes of Dragons and Grass-types. Finally, the last slot is a tossup between a Fighting move, and Protect, which allows Swampert to get off a safe Mega Evolution. The Speed EVs outspeed Mega Sceptile in the rain.
Sableye
Sableye’s massive defense buffs and improved Special Attack has made him a staple of stall teams already. His ability, Magic Bounce, also makes him a terrifying Calm Mind Sweeper, as any attempts to Taunt or status him will simply be bounced back. This also applies to hazards, as previous common Stealth Rock users like Ferrothorn and Landorus-T have lost some viability due to being completely walled by Mega Sableye. Additionally, Sableye’s Pre-Mega ability, Pranskter, allows him to be useful even before Mega Evolving, as getting off priority Will-o-Wisps and Recoverscan greatly bolster his effectiveness and longevity.
Sableye @ Sableite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Will-o-Wisp
- Recover
- Shadow Ball / Dark Pulse
Sableye’s best set is arguably his Calm Mind set, as it poses utility against a wide range of playstyles. Pre-Mega, Sableye can spread around burns with Prankster Will-o-Wisp, and heal with Prankster Recover. Additionally, he can set up a Calm Mind against a plethora of special attackers the turn he Mega Evolves, which allows him to take on top tier special threats like Greninja, Keldeo, and Latios much better. The choice between Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse boils down to having better neutral coverage, or having no immunities. Both have their merits and are equally viable, so it really just comes down to personal preference.
Beedrill
Let’s
bee honest here, who would have ever thought that Beedrill would be relevant in OU? Like everyone else, you are wrong when you said no for the past 15+ years. Beedrill got one of the most lopsided stat increases, as his Attack and Speed skyrocket to match those of even Ubers Pokémon. To do this, they even took away from his Special Attack just to reach those numbers. Add on the fact that he received Adaptability as his ability, and youd think that there's no reason not to use him. However, he got no boost to his bulk, and has a poor typing, leaving him susceptible to all priority moves not named Mach Punch. His STABs aren’t particularly impressive either, as he is completely walled by Steel-types when he isn’t using Drill Run, and his coverage is all but nonexistent. Additionally, he has a poor speed tier pre-mega, which forces him to run Protect in order to Mega Evolve safely.
Beedrill @ Beedrillite
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Poison Jab
- U-Turn
- Drill Run / Knock off
Beedrill’s best set is not an SD set. He does not have the bulk or access to priority to make use of any boosts. Beedrill’s best set is a Dual STAB momentum grabbing set. U-Turn is his best move, as it deals a large blow to even some resists, Like Landorus-T. Poison Jab is used to clean up late game, as it gets decent neutral coverage and makes Fairies regret ever becoming a type. Protect is used to scout choice attackers and to Mega Evolve safely. His last slot goes to either Drill Run or Knock Off, as they both have merits over the other. Drill Run is preferred, however, as it allows Beedrill to get past Steel-types that would otherwise wall him. Both Adamant and Jolly are viable options, but Adamant is preferred to maximize Beedrill’s power output.
Camerupt
Despite getting a great buff to both his offensive and defensive stats, Camerupt struggles to make a significant impact in OU. That’s not to say he's bad, however, as he still holds a niche as a powerful special attacker that is able to take on the likes of Mew, Mega Gardevoir, and any Electric-type not named Rotom-W. Additionally, Camerupt has access to Sheer Force, which boosts his two main STAB moves, as well as coverage like Rock Slide, Ancient Power, and Flash Cannon. He even has access to Will-o-Wisp, which is a great move to his mons like Azumarill on the switch. However, a 4x weakness to Water, and a very low speed stat stop him from being a top tier threat.
Camerupt @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SAtk / 84 Spe
Modest
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Will-o-Wisp / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
Camerupt’s best used as a bulky special attacker to take full advantage of Sheer Force, which boosts of his STABs. Additionally, Ancient Power receives a boost as well, and its useful for hitting the likes of Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, asnd other Flying-types. The final slot is for coverage against Water-types with HP Grass, or to cripple opposing physical attacks with Will-o-Wisp. Neither option is definitevely better than the other, as it really depends on the team. HP Ice can also be used to hit Dragons on the switch, as it OHKOes Garchomp and does upwards of 50% to the likes of Latios and Latias. The speed EVs allow you to ouspeed and 2HKO Slowbro with earth Power.
Sharpedo
Sharpedo is one of those mons that would be good if he weren’t a Mega Evolution. He's got great all around stats, and an ability in Strong Jaws that boosts his STAB Crunch to insane levels, but he finds himself foregone in favor of other, more powerful megas. However, he still has his uses as a late game cleaner. His pre-mega ability, Speed Boost, allows him to KO a weakened target or Protect in his base for to gain a Speed Boost. After Mega Evolving, he outspeeds a good portion of the Meta and can clean up weakened teams with Strong Jaw Crunch and Ice Fang. He can even make use of his Special attack stat by using Ice Beam > Ice Fang, but its personal preference and both have their uses.
Sharpedo @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Naughty Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang / Ice Beam
Sharpedo’s best set is a late-game cleaner set to take advantage of his Base-forme’s Speed Boost and clean up weakened teams with Strong Jaw-boosted Crunches. Protect is there to guarantee at least one speed boost, as a base 105 Speed with an Adamant nature isn’t particularly fast without the boost. Waterfall is the secondary STAB move, but it should only be used when Crunch is resisted, or when Waterfall hits Super Effectively, as Crunch is otherwise more powerful. Ice Fang also gets a Strong Jaws boost, and its useful for hitting Dragons and Grass-types Super Effectively. If physically defensive Landorus-T is a problem, however, then Ice Beam can be used instead to guarantee the OHKO.
Altaria
Altaria is another one of those mons who has never had the chance to shine in the higher tiers in any generation. She has always been held back by mediocre stats across the board, and a typing that has been severely overdone. However, ORAS granted Altaria the greatest gift ever in the form of a Mega Evolution, which changes her bland Dragon / Flying-typing into an amazing Dragon / Fairy typing. On top of this, Altaria received Pixilate as an ability, which grants a 1.33x boost to all Normal-type moves and changes them into the Fairy-type. Lastly, Altaria’s stats got universal boosts, which allows her to perform multiple roles effectively for any type of team. This is only bolstered by her movepool, which contains gems like Hyper Voice, Return, Dragon Dance, and Heal Bell.
Altaria @ Altarite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 136 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
-Dragon Dance
-Return
-Roost / Refresh
-Earthquake / Fire Blast
This set is arguably Altaria’s most effective set. Dragon Dance boosts both her Attack and Speed, and with the HP and Defense investment, allow Altaria to rack up boosts in tandem with Roost, thanks to her excellent defensive typing. Return is the obligatory STAB here, as Fairy is an excellent attacking type. To round off her coverage, both Fire Blast and Earthquale work in the last slot. Earthquake gets boosted by DD, and hits many Steel-types super effectively like Heatran and Jirachi. However, Fire Blast is a good option in you want to hit Ferrothorn, (Mega) Scizor, and Skarmory harder. Additionally, Refresh over Roost is an option in order to avoid burns from bulky Water-types, but Roost is generally the superior option as it makes it harder to wear Altaria down.
Gallade
Many people expected Gallade to get a Mega Evolution after seeing Mega Gardevoir, and ORAS has granted our wish. Gallade got a massive boost to his viability, as his once-mediocre base speed of 80 got boosted to a very respectable base 110. Additionally, his Attack stat was boosted to an insane base 165, and his once pitiful physical defense is now a respectable base 95, meaning he can actually live a hit or two. Unfortunately, he received a less-than-impressive ability in Inner Focus, but even that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a top tier threat. His movepool, stats, and amazing cape has pushed Mega Medicham into obscurity, and it’s looking to stay that way for the rest of Generation VI.
Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
Gallade’s most effective set is his Swords Dance set, hands down. Thanks to his excellent dual-STAB coverage and great speed stat, he has no trouble forcing out slower mons and nabbing a boost. His coverage move of choice is Knock Off. Not only does it hit the bulky Psychic types that he would otherwise have trouble with, but it also removes items and is in general a very spammable move. Both Close Combat and Zen Headbutt are his STAB moves of choice, as Gallade likes the high power output provided from each of these moves to deal as much damage as possible. The only variation that I could recommend on this set is Poison Jab > Knock Off, but that should only be used if Clefable gives your team trouble.
Metagross
Aside from being the coolest Mega Evolution introduced in ORAS, Mega Metagross is also arguably the strongest. Metagross went into obscurity after Generation IV due to a number of factors, with the main ones being a mediocre base 70 speed and having poor offensive STAB coverage. However, Metagross got everything he could dream of to dominate OU once again. His speed was increased to a base 110, which puts him near the top of OU in terms of speed tiers. Additionally, both his defense and special defense received massive buffs, giving him excellent 80 / 150 / 110 bulk along with a very good Steel-typing. Metagross also received a small attack boost to both his attack and special attack stats, but his most notable buff was the ability he received: Tough Claws. Tough Claws is an excellent ability, as we already know from Mega Charizard X and Mega Aerodactyl. Metagross has all the right moves to take advantage of his ability with Dual STABs, the Elemental Punches, and even Grass Knot. All these traits have pulled him from obscurity to becoming a top tier threat.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake / Hammer Arm / Grass Knot
Mega Metagross has two extremely effective sets. One is a Rock Polish set, while the other is an all-out attacking set. The latter is more consistent, which is why it is the one that is chosen to be covered. Metagross takes full advantage of the buffs he received through an all-out attacking set. He becomes a premier check for top tier threats such as Latios, Mega Gardevoir, Azumarill, Clefable, and Sylveon, while also sporting the coverage to hit most of his switch-ins extremely hard. Tough Claws boosted Meteor Mash hits insanely hard, and should be the go-to move against anything neutral or weak to it. Zen Headbutt is a secondary STAB move capable of of 2HKOing even physically defensive Rotom-Wash. Ice Punch is the first coverage move, as it hits Dragons and Ground-types hard for super effective damge, while also gaining a boost from Tough Claws. The last slot is used to determine what actually counters Metagross. If Hammer Arm is used, both Ferrothorn and Skarmory lose, as the speed drop allows Metagross to underspeed the latter. Earthquake is useful for hitting Heatran and other mons weak to ground such as Mega Charizard X. Lastly, Grass Knot is capable of 2HKOing physically defensive (Mega) Slowbro, who otherwise hard walls Metagross.
Diancie
Diancie, when first released, was hyped up to be an offensive monster thanks to a good typing, and powerful offensive STABs. Sadly, that wasn’t the case thanks to a pitiful base 50 speed. However, Diancie became the first Gen VI mon to receive a Mega Evolution, and in addition to Earth Power via Move Tutor, has become a real threat in OU. She got buffs to both of her offensive stats at the cost of her bulk, which gives her 160 base attack and special attack to work with. Additionally, a base 100 speed allows her to speed tie with other top threats like Latios, Mega Metagross, and Mega Gallade. Her movepool also contains gems such as Diamond Storm, which is a Stone Edge that doesn’t miss as much and has a chance to raise her defense one stage, Moonblast, and Earth Power. Additionally, she has access to two boosting moves in Rock Polish and Calm Mind, which give trouble to offensive and defensive teams alike, respectively. Finally, her new ability Magic Bounce allows her to not care about attempts to status her, and she can even bounce back entry hazards as well. However, a 4x weakness to steel and being forced to go mixed to take advantage of Diamond Storm keep her from being at the top of the pack.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power Fire
Diancie’s best set is an all-out attacking set, as without it she lacks valuable coverage against important threats. Diamond Storm is the only Rock STAB worth using, and is used to take on the likes of Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, Gardevoir, and Mega Venusaur. Moonblast is her secondary STAB, which is the move she shouls spam the most as it sports great power and gets good neutral coverage against most types. Earth Power is to nail Steel-types such as Heatran, Bisharp, Mega Metagross, and Jirachi for large hits, while HP Fire is to hit Ferrothorn and nail (Mega) Scizor on the switch. If Scizor and Ferrothorn aren’t a problem, however, then either Calm Mind or Rock Polish can be used depending on what your team needs.