Mega Salamence GP 1a

Mega Salamence's high Base Power moves coupled with Aerilate and its solid base 145 Attack stat are very potent despite the high defensive stats that quite a few common Pokemon in Ubers possess. Its defensive capabilities from Intimidate before Mega Evolving and its very good Defense stat after make it a premier Ground-immune Pokemon on most hyper offense teams, and it can use this bulk to boost its Attack and solid base 120 Speed stats to further levels with Dragon Dance. It even gets reliable recovery in Roost to help it perform well as both a Ground-immune Pokemon and setup sweeper. Unfortunately, a nasty Stealth Rock weakness will usually shave off much of its utility it would otherwise have at full health, and due to the nature of hyper offense teams, it will often find itself without Defog support. Many Pokemon in Ubers also have the option of carrying Ice-type moves specifically aimed at Mega Salamence, which can drastically cut into its above average survivability if they don't OHKO it outright.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Roost
move 3: Facade / Earthquake / Refresh
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Salamencite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Double-Edge gives Mega Salamence a healthy shot at 2HKOing 252 HP / 244 Def Bold Water Arceus after it has taken 12% from a burn, Stealth Rock, or any other sources of prior damage. Extreme Killer Arceus is also OHKOed by Double-Edge from +1 Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. Return and Frustration are recoil-less options that are better suited for sweeping rather than trading with big threats and walls like Double-Edge is. Choose its primary STAB move carefully; Mega Salamence loses a very large part of its trading power when using Return, and it's a big enough deal to where Mega Salamence will want to run Double-Edge more often than Return. Roost amplifies Mega Salamence's ability to set up and keep its sweep sustained should it need to. Facade enables Mega Salamence to take advantage of status used against it and allows it to take Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire without fear of a burn ruining its attacking power. Facade does very meaningful damage to most Steel-types when Mega Salamence has been afflicted with the status move they carry and also leaves large dents in support Arceus forms, especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Earthquake gives Mega Salamence the ability to OHKO Klefki, pick off a weakened Rock Arceus, and bust through Dialga, Tyranitar, and Zekrom if their Shuca Berry is consumed. If Mega Salamence is going to be heavily catered towards sweeping, Refresh can be used to relieve itself of status conditions so that there are no status ailments cutting its sweep short or slowing it down. Dragon Dance gives Mega Salamence a way of punishing passive play or a forced switch, giving it more power to break open teams and giving it a solid chance to sweep.

Set Details
========

An EV spread of 248 HP / 124 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature gives Mega Salamence the bulk to always survive an uninvested Ice Beam from Water Arceus as well as Judgment from Rock and Fairy Arceus, makes Double-Edge recoil less impactful, and allows Salamence to switch into physical attackers in a more forgiving manner. Alternatively, a spread of 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe will always allow Salamence to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon before and after Mega Evolving, although the lack of bulk allows offensive Stone Edge users, such as Primal Groudon to OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock. The 176 EV Speed investment is most applicable when Salamence is switching into Jolly Ho-Oh, although Timid Primal Kyogre, Jolly Primal Groudon, and other positive-Speed nature base 90 Speed Pokemon do exist. Generally the 176 Speed spread will be used when running Return and Earthquake / Refresh, as 80 HP Salamence is more catered towards sweeping than its 248 HP counterpart.

Usage Tips
========

Knowing what Mega Salamence can and can't set up on is pretty key to its play, especially if it is a keystone to winning the game. If Facade is carried, a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire is a pretty safe setup opportunity for Salamence, provided Ho-Oh's team is weakened enough to make Mega Salamence's Speed boost from Dragon Dance worthwhile. Landorus-T locked into Earthquake or Superpower and Swords Dance Ground Arceus are two other examples of Pokemon that Salamence can set up on relatively safely. Primal Groudon is a riskier setup target because of its bulk, raw Attack stat, and Stone Edge combined with Swords Dance. Generally, Mega Salamence wants to use Double-Edge or status-boosted Facade on Primal Groudon in order to set up a revenge kill or finish off a weakened Primal Groudon, especially if you have little to no information on what set it is running. Know that Facade ignores the Attack drop when Salamence is burned, making it a very safe switch into Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire so long as the residual damage won't matter much. On the downside, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird will 2HKO Mega Salamence, and Jolly Ho-Oh will outspeed most Salamence the turn it is Mega Evolving. If Brave Bird is likely the opponent's play of choice, bringing Salamence in directly isn't the best idea. Alternatively, Salamence's Intimidate can cut Ho-Oh's Attack in order to soften the blow for one of its partners. Facade is a monstrous STAB move when boosted by status and allows Mega Salamence to force nasty trades with Klefki, among other bulkier and more passive Pokemon, to open up holes for other team members to utilize. If it matters at all, make sure you know what status ailment you would rather have Mega Salamence afflicted with, as all three Facade-boosting statuses have nasty side effects.

Team Options
========

Mega Salamence tends to beat down the Steel-types on balance teams, which helps make way for a partnered Xerneas to win the game later. Mega Salamence is also one of the best Pokemon to switch into Primal Groudon's attacks and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, which is something Xerneas greatly appreciates. Klefki can switch into support Dragon Arceus and Ice Beam + Defog Water Arceus very soundly and threaten them both out with Toxic, with the added bonuses of bringing Spikes so that Mega Salamence may get KOes on support Arceus formes more easily. Being able to switch into Xerneas for Mega Salamence doesn't hurt either. Support Water Arceus with Defog is a Pokemon to consider when using another Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock alongside Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence can also partner with Giratina-O with Defog on bulky offense teams in order to focus more on finding optimal setup opportunities while Giratina-O picks up most of the defensive slack.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A set consisting of Roost, Dragon Tail, Body Slam, and Defog can be run if a team needs a Defog user that keeps Extreme Killer Arceus in check and doesn't get bowled over by Swords Dance Ghost Arceus. A spread of maximum HP and Defense with an Impish nature should work just fine with this moveset. If your team desperately needs a sleep absorber, a set of Rest, Sleep Talk, Thrash, and Dragon Dance can be used as well.

Checks and Counters
====================

**Lugia**: It might power up Facade with Toxic, but Lugia still has the bulk to survive it even after a Dragon Dance boost and will phaze Mega Salamence or pressure it with Ice Beam and Toxic.

**Rock Arceus**: It KOes Mega Salamence with Judgment after any prior damage and a +1 Earthquake will never OHKO Rock Arceus from full health without a critical hit.

**Support Arceus**: Support Water Arceus, Dragon Arceus, and Ground Arceus have enough bulk to take Mega Salamence's hits reasonably. Support Water Arceus needs Ice Beam to threaten Mega Salamence, so it should always be scouted for. Mega Salamence can set up all over it and start smashing its foes with 140 Base Power Facade after Arceus's Toxic otherwise. Dragon Arceus will have the upper hand on Salamence thanks to its STAB Dragon-type Judgment. Support Ground Arceus will usually take Salamence's boosted hits worse than its other formes due to it running less bulk, but it will be running Ice Beam far more often than not.

**Fairy Arceus**: It survives a hit from +1 Mega Salamence and can KO it with Judgment after any kind of prior damage, including Double-Edge recoil.

**Dialga and Zekrom**: Shuca Berry saves them from Earthquake, while Draco Meteor is a surefire OHKO coming from Dialga. Zekrom also has a good shot of OHKOing Mega Salamence with either Draco Meteor or Outrage.

**Klefki**: Thunder Wave and Play Rough give it a shot at beating Mega Salamence pretty handily; otherwise, it makes Mega Salamence very easy to revenge kill after Klefki has been pulverized.

**Skarmory**: It will usually carry Whirlwind and plenty of bulk to survive any boosted attack Mega Salamence want to throw at it and phaze Salamence afterwards. Mega Salamence will still beat Skarmory if it is the last Pokemon though, unless Skarmory is carrying the rare Counter.

**Diancie**: Diancie doesn't like switching into Double-Edge at all and a +1 Earthquake OHKOes it. It does, however, avoid the Double-Edge 2HKO narrowly and can OHKO Salamence with Moonblast after recoil.

**Tyranitar**: Shuca Berry saves Tyranitar from Earthquake and it will proceed to cripple Mega Salamence with Thunder Wave and attempt to make it flinch with Rock Slide until it is in the KO range Foul Play.

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon doesn't like taking hits from Mega Salamence at all, but it can tank a hit from it regardless and can phaze it with Dragon Tail or Roar, attempt to beat it with Thunder Wave in tandem with Rock Slide or Stone Edge, or pick off a weakened Mega Salamence with the rare Dragon Pulse or Dragon Claw. Lava Plume burns are also very debilitating for Earthquake Mega Salamence.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong will only beat Salamence if it is carrying Skill Swap or Trick Room. Otherwise, it is 2HKOed by a +1 Double Edge or a status-boosted Facade. Mega Salamence will be severely weakened after the encounter thanks to Toxic and Gyro Ball pressure, however.