Pokemon Focus: #376 - Metagross

Introduction

Metagross is the other pseudo-legendary Pokemon of 3rd Generation, and for good reason. With monstrous offensive and defensive stats, a huge set of powerful moves, and weaknesses to only two types plus a huge list of resistances, Metagross is perfectly set to mow down the enemies it faces.

By the way, it is pure coincidence that we are covering the only two Pokemon to use Meteor Mash in a row.

Capture/Training

Catching a Beldum/Metang in HeartGold/SoulSilver will be difficult. They appear in the Safari Zone, but will require 70 or 30 days before they start appearing... and then, they have a catch rate of... 3. The same as the hardest-to-catch legendaries. It will be easiest to trade one over from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, where at least they swarm. (They'll still have that catch rate of 3, though...)

The evolution into Metang is a no-brainer... the evolution into Metagross, less so. Definitely wait to learn Meteor Mash at Lv. 48, as that is one of its best attacks. The question is whether you want to learn Zen Headbutt as well; it's a delay of 7 levels to learn it 10 levels earlier, which is definitely worth it if you're using it.

Statistics

80 HP, 135 Atk, 130 Def, 95 Sp. Atk, 90 Sp. Def, 70 Spd

Those stats are definitely half the reason why Metagross is such a threat. 135 Attack is no joke, and with only two weaknesses and a huge list of resistances (and one immunity), 130 Defense is going to be hard to overcome. Its only real shortcoming is Speed, and even that can be fixed.

Since most Metagross won't be using special attacks, the safest natures are those that hinder said stat. Other than that, stat distribution will likely see things going all sorts of places depending on whether the moveset is offensive, defensive, or attempting to outspeed certain foes.

Abilities

Clear Body is its only ability, and has a number of uses both in-game and in the metagame. Most notably, it will keep Intimidate from working, which is good as Metagross definitely does not need enemies lowering its Attack stat.

Moves

When it comes to a primary attack of the Steel type, you're mainly looking at either Meteor Mash, which is powerful and comes with a decent chance at kicking Metagross's already-huge Attack up yet another notch, or Iron Head, which is less powerful but is fully accurate and can flinch a slower enemy. If you'd rather not have your Metagross be the fastest thing around, you might find use for Gyro Ball, though the other two attacks are powerful enough as they are. The Psychic side won't see much use in the competitive metagame, though in-game it is more useful. The move of choice here is, of course, Zen Headbutt, a nice physical Psychic attack that got added along with the physical-special split. While Metagross does have decent special attacks, use of Flash Cannon and Psychic should generally be left to novelty sets.

For a secondary attack, undoubtedly Earthquake is the top choice, hitting a large number of Pokemon and hitting them hard. Metagross also gets two elemental punches, Thunderpunch and Ice Punch, both of which can hit Pokemon that might otherwise give Metagross trouble. Slightly less reliable than those two is Rock Slide, which is mainly for hitting certain hard-hitting flyers. Other than that, there's Hammer Arm, which could go well with Gyro Ball since the Speed cut will increase Gyro Ball's power. That's pretty much it, though.

Metagross does have some nice options for more specialized attacks. Bullet Punch does its job as a priority move very well, and Pursuit hits where it hurts for any fleeing foe. However, the big one here is Explosion. With base 135 Attack, if Metagross is put in a corner, it can always go out with a bang.

Metagross has two secondary special attack options that can surprise foes. Shadow Ball is used in the metagame to smack Rotom; it has its uses here, as well. Grass Knot will trip up unsuspecting bulky Waters. If accessible, a Hidden Power of Fire can surprise some enemies, as well. If certain Grass/Psychics are giving you trouble (*coughCelebicough*), Signal Beam is an unusual but effective choice. Finally, it sure is a long shot, but you might just catch a Dragon or other ice-sensitive foe by surprise with... Icy Wind. Yeah.

Moving on to supporting moves. It was mentioned, that Metagross's only real weakness is its low Speed, right? Well, Agility fixes that up nicely.

Metagross is mostly a very offensive Pokemon. Its job is to hit and hit hard, and possibly also hit quickly. The use of supporting moves that don't directly benefit this style is thus rarely seen. That said... Rest-Sleep Talk is a workable combo for Metagross, who will absorb most hits, thus making Rest work well. Also, Metagross can learn Stealth Rock, can Trick Choice items onto enemies, activate Gravity, and can set up Reflect and Light Screen for teammates (and itself). Those are pretty much its best supporting moves.

Other than that, it can Psych Up, dodge ground attacks with Magnet Rise, kick its defenses to the skies with Iron Defense, set up Substitutes, and... well, it has a fair amount of options, but few really strike as particularly useful when Metagross is better at just smacking around the competition.

Moveset 1: Agiligross
- Agility
- (primary Steel attack)
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt/(secondary attack)/Explosion

Well I say, this works out nicely, doesn't it? Kick up Metagross's Speed, and start going to town! This works best as a late-game sweeper, when enemies don't particularly need the heaviest of hits to go down. Meteor Mash is the obvious Steel choice, but Iron Head can work here to abuse its 30% flinch rate, in case something doesn't quite go down (or you want more accuracy).

Moveset 2: Mix-gross
- (primary Steel attack)
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball/Psychic/Grass Knot
- (special attack)

The idea here is to prey on enemies that have high defenses but low special defenses. That, and Grass Knot has a way of tripping up certain Pokemon that might try to ruin Metagross's fun.

Moveset 3: Dual Screen
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Explosion
- Earthquake/(primary Steel attack)/(secondary attack)/(support move)

Really, all you need are the first three. Set up screens, then blow up on your opponent and get your next Pokemon in right away to take as much advantage of those screens as possible. Best to get rid of those ghosts first, though, especially if they Levitate...

Moveset 4: Gravi-gross
- Gravity
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Agility/Zen Headbutt/Explosion

My attempt at making a Gravity set. Once Gravity is active, Meteor Mash becomes fully accurate, and Earthquake can hit anyone (which means the two together pretty much have full coverage). Past that, you can kick up your speed with Agility, use a fully-accurate Zen Headbutt if you so wish, or, once you're ready, blow up and get in a teammate who can also take advantage of gravity.

General Moveset
- (primary Steel attack)
- Earthquake
- (secondary attack)/(support move)/Explosion
- Explosion/(support move)

Opportunities abound here. Four attacks, or three attacks + Trick, invites a Choice set.

Effective Movesets

1. Agiligross

- Agility

- Meteor Mash

- Zen Headbutt

- Earthquake

Note: Same as the Agiligross above, with ideal choices for moves selected, particularly the lack of Explosion since it is a non-replenishable TM.

2. Choice Band

- Meteor Mash

- Earthquake

- Zen Headbutt/ThunderPunch

- Bullet Punch

Item: Choice Band

3. Lead

- Stealth Rock

- Meteor Mash

- Bullet Punch

- Zen Headbutt/Explosion

Item: Occa Berry/Shuca Berry

Note: This is an example of a Lead set. Its job is to set up Stealth Rock for the team's use later on, as well as serve as a general scout for what the opponent has. Metagross's lack of weaknesses makes this easy, and an Element-berry, which are thankfully relatively easy to come by in HG/SS, helps out quite a bit in this regard. Explosion fits well on this set as a "suicide lead": it sets up, and then immediately blows up to remove the opponent from play as well.

4. Choice Scarf

- Meteor Mash

- Earthquake

- ThunderPunch

- Ice Punch

Item: Choice Scarf

Note: With the additional Speed, Bullet Punch isn't a necessity. Instead, go for near-full-coverage with a BoltBeamPunch combo, which, combined with Earthquake, is only resisted by Shedinja.

5. MixedMeta

- Meteor Mash

- Earthquake

- Shadow Ball

- Grass Knot

Note: Did you know Metagross can go mixed? Metagross can go mixed.

6. GraviGross

- Gravity

- Meteor Mash

- Earthquake

- Zen Headbutt

Note: Metagross's high defenses make it a great candidate for setting up Gravity. It can hit anything with Earthquake, and has fully accurate STAB Meteor Mash and Zen Headbutt to back it up. This is not a set to be trifled with.

7. Tank/Dual Screen

- Meteor Mash

- Earthquake/Zen Headbutt

- Light Screen

- Reflect

Item: Leftovers/Light Clay

Note: Metagross's high defenses make it a great candidate for an all-purpose tank or a team supporter with dual screens. If using for team support, use Light Clay.

Items

Leftovers and Life Orb are classics, of course. Besides that, you have Choice items, and Light Clay if you want to use the Dual Screen set. Expert Belt can be used on the Mixed set to bluff a Choice item.