Articles

Published on June 4th, 2014 | by Sir Chicken

48

Unleashing the Full Potential of Mega Evolutions

While Pokémon has always been a source of intense strategic play, the addition of mega evolution has added another level of intensity to the game. These insanely powerful Pokémon are staples to nearly every team made after generation 6 began, as they create great foundations to build a team around and can attack with never-before-seen levels of power. Some mega evolutions are easier to use than others, but all of them will only ever do well with some degree of team support. This article is meant to give you an idea of how to maximize your mega evolution’s performance, from move sets and EV spreads to team building options.

Presently Prominent Mega Evolutions

These are the mega evolutions that rose to power for a reason, whether it’s their raw power or strategic options. Some are seen less than others, but those listed here have more than enough ability to be called threats.

Mega Kangaskhan

Normal

Stats: 105 HP / 125 Atk / 100 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spd
Ability: Parental Bond – Allows the Pokémon to hit twice with single-target attacks. Status and spread moves do not hit twice. The second hit has less power.

Overview

Since the beginning of generation 6, Mega Kangaskhan has been one of the best and most used Mega Pokémon to date. It has the ability to utilize its well rounded out stats and fantastic ability with its great movepool. Its Parental Bond ability, which attracted most players to it, acts just like a free Choice Band, but allows you to choose more than one move. In fact, this ability along with its STAB from normal moves and high attack stat makes it have a powerful Fake Out. Arguably, it has the best Fake Out in the game, and it is an excellent option for supporting those teammates that need it. Its Power-Up-Punch allows it to double its attack stat while still dishing out damage, putting tremendous pressure on opponents. Its powerful STAB options like Return and Double Edge only add to that pressure. Mega Kangaskhan’s ability to use its tools almost totally independently is what keeps it one of the most threatening Mega Pokémon to date.

Common Move Sets and EV Spreads to use and look out for

252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
– Fake Out
– Return
– Sucker Punch
– Power-Up-Punch/Hammer Arm

252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
– Fake Out
– Return/Double-Edge
– Sucker Punch
– Power-Up-Punch/Hammer Arm

These are likely the most common sets that are run on Mega Kangaskhan. Usually they run the same moves, but one focuses on living longer while the other hits as hard and fast as possible. It comes to personal preference whether or not you use its alternative moves. It should be noted that its moves with higher base power come with downsides, such as recoil or lowering speed. For this reason, many people run Return and Power up Punch over Double Edge and Hammer Arm. Even so, the powerful moves are always a good option for getting unexpected KOs. This is something to watch out for- a Pokémon that has EVs to survive a Return attack will likely not survive a Double-Edge.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

Even though Mega Kangaskhan is very independent in the way that is functions, it can be stopped in its tracks by some adversaries. Since Mega Kangaskhan uses primarily fighting-and-normal type moves, and Sucker Punch only hits if the foe is attacking, bulky ghost-types such as Trevenant and Gourgeist will give it a huge amount of trouble. Neither of these Pokémon even need to attack- they can both use Leech Seed and Will-o-Wisp to whittle down at Kangaskhan’s health, slowly destroying it. To stop these Pokémon, consider using a powerful flying, fire, ghost, or dark type to do massive damage to them. Talonflame, Chandelure, Aegislash, and Bisharp are all great examples of each to consider. You can also use a Pokémon with Taunt to force them to attack or switch out, letting Kangaskhan continue doing its work.

Mega Mawile

Steel/Fairy

Stats: 50 HP / 105 Atk / 125 Def / 55 SpA / 95 SpD / 50 Spd
Ability: Huge Power (Doubles the Pokémon’s attack stat.)

Overview

Mega Mawile is a Pokémon that underwent an amazing change upon Mega Evolving. From a horribly frail and fairly weak Pokémon, it becomes an offensive behemoth. With 105 base attack and huge power, it reaches the highest attack in the game, even higher than that of Deoxys-Attack. This, along with the intimidate support it offers in its normal form, is what made it one of the most popular Mega Pokémon in usage. While Mega Mawile’s high defense is boosted even higher by the intimidate it provides before evolving, its special defense is not much to be shocked about. Its speed is also low, usually forcing it to take a hit before retaliating. Even so, with the proper team support, Mega Mawile is truly devastating.

Common Move Sets and EV Spreads to look out for

What I Recommend:
252 HP / 52 Atk / 180 SDef / 24 Spd
Careful Nature
– Play Rough
– Fire Fang/Iron Head
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

What I Don’t Recommend:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
– Play Rough
– Fire Fang/Iron Head
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

Looking at these two spreads, you may realize that one of them is the same one that Ray Rizzo (Ray) used to get first place at Virginia during the winter regionals. Since then, most players have run some variant of this – focusing on defensive stats, since Mega Mawile’s attack is already so high. Simply put, Mega Mawile’s special defense is pathetic. If it can’t stick around after taking a special attack, it won’t be able to use its strength at all! The bottom EV spread is used occasionally, mostly by players who wish to have more firepower. When considering Mega Mawile’s stats, bulkier EV spreads are usually superior. Even with less attack, it does not miss knocking out important Pokémon. Its move set should always contain Play Rough, as it is its most powerful attack. Iron Head is an option for dealing damage to certain fairy-type Pokémon, while Fire Fang stops Pokémon such as Ferrothorn from completely stopping Mawile. The choice between these is usually personal preference.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

In order to shine properly, Mega Mawile needs some basic team support. Its typing is very useful, giving it only two weaknesses – fire and ground. Even so, Earthquake and Heat Wave users usually give Mawile some trouble. Rain can be helpful for supporting Mawile’s fire weakness, and a strong water type could eliminate any ground and fire types around. Good examples of this are Pokémon such as Kingdra, hitting Garchomp with ice-and-dragon type attacks and hitting fire types with water type attacks. Alternatively, a simple solution is to run a Pokémon with Wide Guard. This blocks Earthquake and Heat Wave, which are both very common attacks. Even so, it is important to watch out for Pokémon with single-target attacks of these types. Mawile has to be played intelligently to avoid slipping up in these types of situations, anyway.

Mega Charizard Y

Fire/Flying

Stats: 78 HP / 104 Atk / 78 Def / 159 SpA / 115 SpD / 100 Spd
Ability: Drought (Creates harsh sunlight on the battlefield)

Overview

Mega Charizard Y is, in all honesty, everything that its original form lacked. With decent defensive stats and an amazing special attack stat that its ability only helps compliment, it can rip holes through teams that have no way to stop it. It gains access to Overheat and Heat Wave, which when boosted by the sunlight it creates, hit the enemy with amazing intensity. This lets it KO slower Kangaskhan with ease, and can still easily KO faster ones when played properly. Even though Mega Charizard Y hits so hard, it still has downsides. Its 4X weakness to rock leaves it vulnerable to some dangerous Pokémon that it needs support to take out, and for that reason it needs some special support in order to function. Even so, if used intelligently, Mega Charizard Y is an amazing option for any team.

Common Move Sets and EV Spreads to look out for

What I Recommend:
100 Hp / 252 SAtk / 156 Spd
Modest Nature
– Overheat
– Heat Wave
– Solar Beam
– Protect

What I Don’t Recommend:
252 SAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
– Overheat
– Heat Wave
– Solar Beam
– Protect

In the past, Mega Charizard Y usually used EV spreads that focused on being fast and hitting hard. The only problem is it cannot outspeed one of its biggest threats using this – Garchomp. For that reason, 156 speed can be used to out speed Focus Sash Smeargle by one point, the fastest big threat that Charizard can outspeed. The rest can be put into bulk – why waste speed outspeeding nothing important when you can take less damage from attacks?

Team Building Around This Pokémon

A great partner for Mega Charizard Y that comes to mind very quickly is Venusaur. Using the sun set upon the battlefield by drought, it can fire off super-fast Sleep Powder attacks in order to put threats to Charizard asleep. This will let it slowly take them out, or make the enemy switch. Since Mega Charizard Y is weak to Rock Slide, it is paired well with Wide Guard, blocking Rock Slide and significantly increasing its lifespan. If Wide Guard is not what you would want to use, a Pokémon to switch into that resists rock-type moves is an ideal way to deal with them. Rhydon is another great option for Charizard. With Lightningrod, it can stop Mega Manectric from dealing massive damage. Charizard cannot take out Garchomp easily and Garchomp threatens to OHKO it. Have something to take it out. Charizard is a Mega Pokémon that has its fair share of support options- but it will always need them to succeed.

Mega Manectric

Electric

Stats: 70 HP / 75 Atk / 80 Def / 135 SpA / 80 SpD / 135 Spe
Ability: Intimidate (Lowers the foe’s attack stat)

Overview

The way that Mega Manectric functions can actually be slightly supportive. Its base form has the Lightning Rod ability, allowing it to switch in and absorb electric-type attacks from enemies. Not only does that support your electric-weak teammates, it boosts Manectric’s special attack stat, which allows it to hit even harder. If that wasn’t enough, its mega form has the Intimidate ability, letting it lower the foe’s attack stat. Even after supporting its team, Mega Manectric can use its powerful moves and stats to wreak havoc upon the enemy. While its not quite as popular as some other Mega Pokémon, the correct support lets Mega Manectric become a force of destruction.

Common Move Sets and EV Spreads to look out for

252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest/Timid Nature
– Thunderbolt
– Flamethrower/Overheat
– Hidden Power Ice
– Protect

With its frail defenses, Mega Manectric focuses on one thing – annihilating the enemy. Simple 252/252 spreads do this well, giving it speed and power. With Hidden Power Ice, it can easily KO Garchomp and other dragon types that give it trouble. Note that timid-natured Mega Manectric will only KO 4 HP Garchomp 43.8% of the time. A fire-type move like Overheat or Flamethrower makes steel-types that would give it trouble (Ferrothorn) take plenty of damage. While Mega Manectric’s movepool supplies it with proper tools, it’s important to note that it’s still fairly reliant on the way its team functions.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

A gigantic threat to Mega Manectric is Mamoswine. With its ice/ground typing and Thick Fat, it resists its Hidden Power Ice and takes neutral damage to its Flamethrower, while Thunderbolt can do nothing to touch it. Mamoswine will also usually be able to hit back very powerfully with an Icicle Crash or Earthquake. As a solution, fighting and water types can take it down without too much struggle. Machamp, Conkeldurr, and Rotom-Wash are some good examples of Pokémon that have absolutely no problem defeating it. As far as teammates that could benefit from Mega Manectric’s presence, a Pokémon with a strong electric-type weakness such as Gyarados can be switched into Manectric’s base form, which will raise its special attack. After that, it becomes a force of destruction in its mega evolution.

Mega Lucario

Fighting/Steel

Stats: 70 HP / 145 Atk / 88 Def / 140 SpA / 70 SpD / 112 Spe
Ability: Adaptability (This Pokémon’s STAB attacks have their damage multiplier increased from 1.5x to 2x.)

Overview

Mega Lucario’s great offensive stats on both sides of the spectrum allow it to run both physical and special sets. This lets it get a wide range of move coverage. Usually, the choice between these sets lies in personal preference, but it is important to consider certain factors that are brought upon it by the metagame. A physical Mega Lucario will have access to Close Combat, but will suffer the consequences of Intimidate and the defense lowering that Close Combat causes. Its special set has lower power moves such as Aura Sphere, but it simply does not care about Intimidate, burns, or defense-lowering. Mega Lucario’s speed allows it to out speed a very large portion of the metagame, meaning that it can put its offensive stats to good use. However, its weaknesses require some careful management before it can do much of a job at all.

Good Move Sets and EV Spreads

12 HP / 68 Def / 180 SAtk / 4 SDef / 244 Spd
Timid Nature
– Nasty Plot
– Aura Sphere
– Flash Cannon
– Protect

60 HP / 60 Def / 176 SAtk / 28 SDef / 180 Spd
Timid Nature
– Nasty Plot
– Aura Sphere
– Flash Cannon
– Protect

Mega Lucario does not have a singular common EV spread, as people who use it come up with different ideas. Instead, the two EV spreads listed here do a good job of exploiting its main abilities. Since Mega Lucario has few useful support options when considering its natural bulk, both spreads focus on its offensive traits. The first one will survive both a jolly natured Garchomp’s Earthquake and Choice Band Talonflame’s Brave Bird most of the time, while striking both of them back hard. It has the ability to easily knock out Talonflame in one hit, while knocking out Garchomp in 2 hits. The second spread is the same one that Wolfe Glick (Wolfey) brought to the Florida Regionals. It utilizes Nasty Plot to boost Mega Lucario’s special attack stat to high levels, and then continues to hit hard with two moves that are boosted by its amazing ability, Adaptability. When you combine those two together, it can easily KO most Pokémon in a single hit.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

Although with the correct EV spread Mega Lucario has a chance to survive attacks from Talonflame and Garchomp, it won’t all of the time, and it is important to have other means of taking out these Pokémon. Mega Lucario also has a hard time with Mega Mawile. A strong fire-type move will easily KO it, especially if it is a special attack. If a fire-type move comes out of Pokémon that Mega Lucario cannot KO in one hit, then it is important to have something to switch into that will easily take fire-type attacks. Examples are Rotom-Wash, Rotom-Heat, Garchomp, Rhydon, and Chandelure.

Mega Venusaur

Grass/Poison

Stats: 80 HP, 100 Atk, 123 Def, 122 SAtk, 120 SDef, 80 Spd
Ability: Thick Fat (Halves the damage from fire-and-ice type moves.)

Overview

The huge bulk that Mega Venusaur has is only helped by its ability, Thick Fat. It even has a high special attack stat, meaning that it can hit hard while still living on the field for a long time. Because of its well-distributed stats, Mega Venusaur becomes one of the best tanks in the entire game. In fact, it even has access to Synthesis, Leech Seed, and Giga Drain! With those options, it can prolong its field life for a long, long time. Its great special attack stat lets it 2HKO Rotom-Washes with the right special attack investment, and it becomes an absolute nightmare to rain teams. With enough bulk, it can survive Choice Specs Gardevoir’s Psychic, and even Life Orb Talonflame’s Brave bird! When you factor all of these in, Mega Venusaur makes for a solid option.

Good Move Sets and EV Spreads

220 HP / 196 Def / 28 SAtk / 4 SDef / 60 Spd
Modest Nature
– Giga Drain
– Sludge Bomb
– Synthesis/Leech Seed/Sleep Powder
– Protect

220 HP / 4 Def / 172 SAtk / 4 SDef / 108 Spd
Modest Nature
– Giga Drain
– Sludge Bomb
– Synthesis
– Protect

Before going into what these spreads do, one thing has to be made clear. These two recommended spreads do two ABSOLUTELY different things. Make sure you pay attention when I move on to the second! Anyway, the first EV spread listed survives a plethora of attacks. Notably, it can survive Life Orb Talonflame’s Brave Bird, and then can KO Talonflame with Sludge Bomb after the recoil damage has been taken. It is 4HKOed by Garchomp’s Dragon Claw, and 3HKOs with Giga Drain. Furthermore, it out speeds Rotom-Wash, allowing it to get some damage off on it before it can even do anything. This spread is a nightmare to rain teams, its Thick Fat making it take less damage from Ice Beam, and Giga Drain doing super-effective damage to water types. With Leech Seed and Synthesis as options, this EV spread becomes ever more useful. The second EV spread listed focuses more on attacking. It 2HKOs Rotom-Wash with Giga Drain, even ones that are meant to survive a modest natured Mega Charizard Y Solar Beam. That also includes a Sitrus Berry that Rotom may be holding. It will also out speed maximum speed Modest Tyranitar, assuring the ability to hit it before it hits you.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

While Mega Venusaur has the ability to survive Life Orb Talonflame’s Brave Bird, there is little way to tell whether or not it has a Choice Band before it hits you. Because of that, it is important to have Pokémon that can take out Talonflame- better to not take that damage at all. Garchomp, Rhydon, Mamoswine, Krookodile, Rotom-Wash, and Rotom-Heat are all examples of Pokémon that can easily do this. Next, psychic-types like Gardevoir also give it some problem. Dark and ghost-type Pokémon can take them out without problem, most of the time.

Mega Charizard X

Fire/Dragon

Stats: 78 HP / 130 Atk / 111 Def / 130 SAtk / 85 SDef / 100 Spd
Ability: Tough Claws (This Pokémon’s contact moves do 33% more damage.)

Overview

Mega Charizard X was never really appreciated in VGC until recently, and it was always thought of as the singles version of Mega Charizard Y. However, an enormous spike in usage lately seems to mean that players are giving this dragon a second chance. Its Tough Claws ability gives it a sizable boost to its high attack stat when considering it gets two STAB contact moves- Dragon Claw and Flare Blitz. With these, it can threaten a large portion of the metagame, especially when considering most Mega Charizard X sets often rely on boosting its stats even further! Don’t let this get to your head, though – like most megas, this Pokémon only works as well as you play it.

Good Move Sets and EV Spreads

100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spd
Adamant Nature
– Dragon Claw
– Flare Blitz
– Dragon Dance
– Protect

Essentially a physical version of the Mega Charizard Y spread I recommended. This spread capitalizes on offense while still attempting to abuse Mega Charizard X’s natural bulk. The speed EVs will allow it to out speed Focus Sash Smeargle at neutral speed, and out speed jolly Aerodactyl after a Dragon Dance boost! The attack EVs let it hit as hard as possible, OHKOing Ray Rizzo’s Mawile spread with Flare Blitz, even at -1. Finally, its HP EVs allow it to survive some attacks it wouldn’t be expected to, such as Play Rough from the aforementioned Mawile- that never hurt! This EV spread may not be flawless, however it still will get the job done when played correctly.

Team Building Around This Pokémon

Mega Charizard X can take out threats such as Garchomp using its element of surprise, but if the opponent sees it coming (or you are already mega evolved), they can easily hit very hard with a Rock Slide, Dragon Claw, or Earthquake. For that reason, Ferrothorn makes a great partner for Mega Charizard X to switch into- it will easy shake off any of Garchomp’s attacks. Even in these scenarios, more versatile attackers such as Salamence will easy adapt to Ferrothorn, hitting it with Fire Blasts and other tricky moves depending on who is on the other side of the field. For that reason, a Pokémon that covers Ferrothorn’s weaknesses will quite easily round out a core. As an example, Azumarill resists both fire and fighting-type moves and can utilize its dual STAB attacks to easily eliminate both.

Honorable Mentions

While not having as much obvious potential as the first 7 mega evolutions that I have covered, these guys can still perform well under the right hands. Some can be significantly harder to use, and some just bring less payoff. Either way, if they are built around properly they will still have a solid foundation for success. This section is not ordered by strength whatsoever.

Mega Tyranitar

Rock/Dark

Stats: 100 HP / 164 Atk / 150 Def / 95 SpA / 120 SpD / 71 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream (On switch in, the weather becomes sandstorm.)

Mega Tyranitar is overlooked a bit too much by most players. Its amazing attack and natural defenses make it one of the bulkiest tanks in VGC. It has access to Dragon Dance, letting it boost its speed and attack at the same time. The only thing keeping it from getting to be one of the top megas is its number of weaknesses from very common Pokémon. Among these are Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Mawile, Rotom-Wash, and Amoonguss. Despite these, Mega Tyranitar can still work- if its teammates make up for these problems. Rock Slide and Crunch hit very hard after Dragon Dances, and it can use its Sand Stream upon mega evolving to control the weather so that it can be beneficial to your team. It requires expert prediction, but Mega Tyranitar is a solid option.

Mega Blastoise

Water

Stats: 79 HP / 103 Atk / 120 Def / 135 SpA / 115 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Mega Launcher (Boosts the power of aura/pulse moves by 50%)

Mega Blastoise makes for an interesting mega evolution. With its offensive power due to a special attack stat of 135 and Mega Launcher it can decimate enemies, and can even offer support with its Fake Out. Even though it sounds promising enough as a Pokémon, it still almost always fails to KO its biggest threats such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard Y, Ferrothorn, Rotom-Wash, and Venusaur fast enough, which can leave it in the dust easily. Despite this being true, there are ways to counter these Pokémon and give Mega Blastoise a bit of an easier time- even so, it has very little ability to function without counters to these very common Pokémon. For that reason, it remains one of the lesser used Mega Pokémon.

Mega Gyarados

Water/Dark

Stats: 95 HP / 155 Atk / 109 Def / 70 SpA / 130 SpD / 81 Spe
Ability: Mold Breaker (This Pokémon’s moves ignore the target’s ability if it could modify the effectiveness.)

Mega Gyarados comes out with some impressive assets after mega evolution. 155 base attack and great defenses allow it to hit very hard and stick around, and in some cases even use Dragon Dance to make itself nearly unstoppable. Its Mold Breaker and Earthquake will easily OHKO Rotom-Wash and Rotom-Heat, one of the few Pokémon in VGC capable of doing so. Its 4x electric-type weakness is also neutralized by a new water/dark typing- however, this adds new weaknesses to fighting, bug, and fairy type moves. This is where Mega Gyarados’s problems begin, as fighting and fairy type moves are very common throughout the meta. Even so, this can be built around and will rid it of some of its problems. However, when it simply needs to face one of its threats, it will usually fail to KO in time if its attack is unboosted. Even so, the ability to KO Rotom-Wash is amazing, and with some intelligent plays Mega Gyarados is worth giving a shot.

Mega Heracross

Bug/Fighting

Stats: 80 HP / 185 Atk / 115 Def / 40 SpA / 105 SpD / 75 Spe
Ability: Skill Link (This Pokémon’s multi-hit attacks always hit the maximum number of times.)

Mega Heracross was granted ridiculous attack and Skill Link upon mega evolution. With new multi-hit moves this generation, it actually can be a fairly good Mega Pokémon. With moves like Tailwind coming from support Pokémon such as Aerodactyl, it can reach a respectable speed and begin bashing enemies with its high attack. Pin Missile is a solid STAB option, while Close Combat should be chosen for a fighting-type STAB (out damages Arm Thrust) and Bullet Seed can be used to OHKO bulky water types such as Rotom-Wash. Rock Blast is not a viable option as Talonflame will always be able to out speed Heracross and Mega Charizard Y (or X) will usually do so, and Protect should be used. That being said, Rotom-Heat makes for a great partner for Mega Heracross, countering Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, and Mega Mawile. While needing support to beat some very common Pokémon, Mega Heracross can still be a solid option.

Mega Abomasnow

Ice/Grass

Stats: 90 HP / 132 Atk / 105 Def / 132 SpA / 105 SpD / 30 Spe
Ability: Snow Warning (On switch-in, the weather becomes hail.)\

Mega Abomasnow comes out with promising stats upon mega evolving, with a great mix of bulk and offense. Its speed stat, however, is abysmal. While this can be used to your advantage with Trick Room support, it is first important to note the current stress that Trick Room is under. As statistics have indicated by now, this metagame is heavily offensive and filled with heavy attackers that can easily wreck a trick room scenario. For that reason, it has died down this generation. While this leaves Mega Abomasnow a bit harder to use, it still makes for a great mega evolution. Its balanced attacking stats allow for mixed sets, which can abuse its Snow Warning ability to spam Blizzard while hitting enemies with Ice Shard priority or the mighty Wood Hammer. Its bulk is sadly almost wasted by its typing which gives it 7 weaknesses, one of which is a quadruple weakness. That makes it even harder on Mega Abomasnow, as it now has to deal with Mega Kangaskhan, Rotom-Heat, Talonflame, and Mega Mawile (especially with Fire Fang) giving it trouble. Even so, if you can find a way to get Trick Room up or make Mega Abomasnow succeed without it, it can be a heavy hitter and an overall useful Pokémon.

Mega Gardevoir

Fairy/Psychic

Stats: 68 HP / 85 Atk / 65 Def / 165 SpA / 135 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Pixilate (This Pokémon’s normal-type moves become fairy-type and deal 1.3x more damage.)

Upon its mega evolution, Gardvoir gains large boosts to its special attack, special defense, and speed. While it can hit hard using its respective STAB moves, its ability is near useless for it as the only relevant moves it powers up are Hyper Beam and Round-both of which are questionable moves. Its special attack is lower than that of Choice Specs Gardevoir, and its speed is lower than that of Choice Scarf Gardevoir. While that might make you think its new boosts are a waste, they aren’t completely. Mega Gardevoir is one of the rare mega Pokémon that can support the team using options such as Will-o-Wisp and Safeguard. Its moves still hit hard and it is still quite fast despite its loss of using Choice Specs or a Choice Scarf, and its usage becomes more versatile due to not having to always choose one move. It is heavily hit by Mega Mawile, Mega Kangaskhan, Aegislash, and Talonflame, which is not a very hard-to-counter threat list. While normal Gardevoir should be considered in its stead, Mega Gardevoir is still something to try out if it can be supported properly.

Mega Ampharos

Electric/Dragon

Stats: 90 HP / 95 Atk / 105 Def / 165 SpA / 110 SpD / 45 Spe
Ability: Mold Breaker (This Pokémon’s moves ignore the target’s ability if it could modify the effectiveness.)

Mega Ampharos’s glorious hair might hold up well- but what about its performance in battle? Its new form gets a large boost in special attack, and a generous boost in defenses. The low speed it already had slightly dropped, so it can function in Trick Room easily. Its main choices for attacking are Thunderbolt and Dragon Pulse – both of which are obvious STAB-boosted moves. Its new ability is Mold Breaker, which lets it ignore Lightningrod users. Sadly, Mega Ampharos’s new dragon typing gives it more problems than advantages. Being weak to enemies like Salamence, Mega Mawile and Kingdra means it will usually take heavy damage (or be KOed) before striking. For that reason, Trick Room is the key to using this mega, allowing it to “out speed” its main threats and KO some of them with Dragon Pulse and Thunderbolt. Mega Ampharos may take some work to use due to Trick Room being challenging to set up in the current metagame, but it can pay off properly with the correct setting.

Mega Aerodactyl

Flying/Rock

Stats: 80 HP / 135 Atk / 85 Def / 70 SpA / 95 SpD / 150 Spe
Ability: Tough Claws (This Pokémon’s contact moves do 33% more damage.)

Mega Aerodactyl comes out with two notable factors – ridiculous speed, and high attack. In all honesty, it isn’t much different from its original form. Its high speed makes it a great option for setting up support moves such as Tailwind, and picking up enemies with Sky Drop. However, its typing and not-so-great defenses leave it with a frailness that is hard to work around. Often, when it tries to work offensively, it finds itself KOed within a few turns. For that reason, normal Aerodactyl is arguably better- gaining use of an item, usually a Focus Sash. While it’s a little hard to abuse its offensive traits, Mega Aerodactyl is actually an interesting option for supporting your teammates that need more speed, or even to keep enemies off the field.

Mega Medicham

Fighting/Psychic

Stats: 60 HP / 100 Atk / 85 Def / 80 SpA / 85 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Pure Power (This Pokémon’s attack is doubled.)

Upon its mega evolution, Mega Medicham gains a fair boost to its attack and speed, while getting minor boosts to its frail defenses. Its Pure Power ability performs the exact same purpose as Huge Power, giving it an ultra-high attack stat that rivals Mega Mawile. What gives our turban-wearing friend trouble is its middling speed that ties with that of the likes of Mega Kangaskhan, and its ultra-frail defenses. Using it almost always requires some kind of speed control, such as paralysis or tailwind. If you can get that aspect under control, however, it offers a fast Fake Out and a super-strong High Jump Kick that OHKOes our aforementioned Mega Kangaskhan, along with all three elemental punches! Do note that High Jump Kick has to be played intelligently to avoid dying quickly, so don’t go kicking everyone you see. If you can work around its annoying speed tier, Mega Medicham can have a fair purpose on your team.

Mega Houndoom

Fire/Dark

Stats: 75 HP / 90 Atk / 90 Def / 140 SpA / 90 SpD / 115 Spe
Ability: Solar Power (If the weather is sunny, this Pokémon’s SpA is 1.5x and loses 1/8 max HP per turn.)

With a high special attack and speed, Mega Houndoom is much like Mega Charizard Y without the 4x rock weakness. Its new Solar Power ability lets it reach a maximum unboosted special attack stat of 316 (in sun), making it one of the strongest special powerhouses in the game. Its speed stat is respectably high, out speeding enemies such as Mega Lucario with proper investment. It counters sun teams well, however it is often hard to find ways for it to set up sun on its own. Most of the time, people run this Pokémon without any sun active, considering that Mega Houndoom’s defenses are not spectacular and Solar Power causes it to lose more HP. Plus, its Flash Fire ability in its original form can allow it to abuse switch-ins to fire moves and gain a similar boost to its fire attacks. It can eliminate enemies with high defense such as Ferrothorn, Mega Mawile, and Aegislash, and can even deal with some of its threats well (Mega Kangaskhan is a large exception). Dragon-types tend to completely stop it, so it is important to carry an ice-or-fairy type while using this Pokémon. Overall, Mega Houndoom makes for a promising mega evolution.

Mega Gengar

Ghost/Poison

Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 80 Def / 170 SpA / 95 SpD / 130 Spe
Ability: Shadow Tag (Prevents foes from switching out normally unless they have this ability.)

Mega Gengar’s ultra-high special attack and speed stats make it look like an amazing attacker, which it certainly does have the potential to be. However, the high amount of priority in this metagame, especially Sucker Punch, makes things a lot harder for Mega Gengar. For that reason, most people use a much more frowned upon but arguably more effective strategy, known as “Perish Trap” by most people. This strategy relies on its ability to use Perish Song and to trap enemies using its Shadow Tag. Commonly paired with other Shadow Tag users such as Gothitelle, it can be a deadly strategy in the right hands. However, powerful priority moves such as Talonflame’s Brave Bird still give it trouble and Pokémon with access to moves such as U-Turn or Volt Switch can switch out of its Shadow Tag. Most of the time, Perish Trap requires at least three Pokémon to function around it, making it a dangerous option as if it is countered the team will face a lot of trouble. For that reason, Mega Gengar’s credibility still remains questionable.

Not-So-Honorable Mentions

These mega Pokémon just don’t have tools to do much. They often find themselves not being able to cause damage to the foe’s team before fainting, and rarely eliminate anything important by themselves. In some cases, their original forms may even be better than their mega forms!

Mega Garchomp

Dragon/Ground

Stats: 108 HP / 170 Atk / 115 Def / 120 SpA / 95 SpD / 92 Spe
Ability: Sand Force (This Pokémon’s rock, steel, and ground-type attacks are boosted 1.3x when the weather condition is Sandstorm.)

Gaining a massive boost in its attack and good defense boosts, it may be hard to see what Garchomp lacks. After all, it only could have gained more power…right? While it is true that mega Garchomp gains a huge amount of attacking power, its speed drop becomes an enormous slap in the face. It now under speeds important enemies like Salamence (without any boosts, of course), but most notably is now always outsped by Mega Kangaskhan. Add that to its loss of Rough Skin and it becomes a serious problem. Speaking of losses, mega Garchomp’s lack of an item also gives it a really hard time. Losing a Lum Berry makes it become a burn target, making that super-high attack boost not so high anymore. It also misses out on other important items, such as Focus Sashes. Finally, its Sand Force ability is almost useless for it to gain. While it does power up moves that are used on it very often, it requires Sandstorm to be set up for it to work, usually involving help from something like Tyranitar. The aforementioned Kangaskhan problem must be noted for this, and how much more helpful Rough Skin would have been. Overall, Garchomp’s regular form is far better than its mega form.

Mega Scizor

Bug/Steel

Stats: 70 HP / 150 Atk / 140 Def / 65 SpA / 100 SpD / 75 Spe
Ability: Technician (This Pokémon’s attacks of 60 base power or less do 1.5x damage. Includes Struggle.)

In previous formats, Scizor was always an amazing Pokémon. Considering the fact that Mega Scizor is essentially just a powered-up version of Scizor, why isn’t he so good now? Scizor faces a lot of problems in generation 6. First of all, it loses Bug Bite, one of its best moves considering its ability. So many common Pokémon in VGC 2014 are things that it finds annoying to take out and is often defeated by. Things like Ferrothorn, Azumarill, Charizard, and Rotoms of all flavors are absolutely everywhere, giving it a hard time. There’s little it actually does well against, as they are either very rare or banned from the format, such as Cresselia. Looking at that, it is very hard to see a reason to use it.

Mega Banette

Ghost

Stats: 64 HP / 165 Atk / 75 Def / 93 SpA / 83 SpD / 75 Spe
Ability: Prankster (This Pokémon’s status moves get their priority increased by 1.)

Mega Banette is usually considered one of the most strange mega evolutions, and it makes sense why. Its new prankster ability does little for it, as its best options to abuse this ability are Will-o-Wisp and Swagger. While some say Swagger may make it overpowered, it is hard to see it succeeding in this very offensive format. With the low defenses that it has, most Pokémon will be able to truck right through it before it can set up its status moves, and its low speed puts it under most priority users allowing things such as Talonflame to squash it without much of a second thought.

Mega Pinsir

Flying/Bug

Stats: 65 HP / 155 Atk / 120 Def / 65 SpA / 90 SpD / 105 Spe
Ability: Aerilate (This Pokémon’s normal moves become flying-type and do 1.3x damage.)

Pinsir takes to the skies with its new mega evolution, giving it a flying type and an interesting new ability. Sadly, there’s little it can really do. Its Aerilate boosts Return and Quick Attack most notably, and even though ULTIMATE MEGADEATH QUICK ATTACKS sound amazing, it does not usually seem to knock out most threats. The extreme popularity of Rock Slide in this format is also a problem for mega Pinsir, as it usually isn’t able to knock out any of this move’s users before they strike. It also suffers from the same problem as Mega Scizor- it doesn’t defeat much that is relevant with its best moves.

Mega Aggron

Stats: 70 HP/ 140 Atk / 230 Def / 60 SpA / 80 SpD / 50 Spe
Ability: Filter (This Pokémon receives 3/4 damage from super effective attacks.)

Mega Aggron’s ridiculous defense is pretty much the biggest thing that stands out about it. Its attacking options are not that great, and its special defense is at an unmanageable low. The amount of investment needed to get it to work is tremendous, and that gives it its biggest problems. You can either go for a special defense stat that gets it killed by most special attackers, or one that takes so much away from its other stats. Any decent special move will take it out, making it pretty frail considering that things such as Rotom are very common. Not to mention, it can do little against these Pokémon.

Mega Absol

Dark

Stats: 65 HP / 150 Atk / 60 Def / 115 SpA / 60 SDef / 115 Spe
Ability: Magic Bounce (This Pokémon blocks most status moves and uses the move itself.)

With its paper-thin defenses and art that appears to be a rejected Kingdom Hearts character, mega Absol really has little going for it. In the wise words of one player, it just uses Sucker Punch and then dies. Its main attacking moves, mainly dark-and-psychic type, fail to knock out much that is important. Its ability is near useless, as a burned Rotom-Wash isn’t exactly going to win a game. It is wiped out by almost any strong non-resisted attack, so it doesn’t stick around to do any damage. There isn’t really much else to say about mega Absol, but there are certainly better options.

Effectively Using Mega Evolutions in Battle

It is extremely important to know when to use your mega evolution. Is the enemy team something that it can handle? Should you send it out first? Think about this for a moment when entering a battle. If you see a team with a lot of flying or fire types, should you bring a Mega Venusaur? Too many people find it a necessity to always send out their mega Pokémon at some point, and it usually loses them battles. Another problem that people tend to put themselves in is that when they send out a mega, they use a specific strategy all the time. This usually happens with things such as Tailwind. A lot of people feel obligated to use the same combination when they send out a mega Pokémon, and set up whatever moves they need to. This makes you too predictable. Mix it up! This also goes with not boosting every first turn if your mega Pokémon can use a boosting move.

Also, a lot of teams use a second mega Pokémon. If you plan on doing this with your team, don’t just combine the two megas you think would be the strongest – combine ones that complement each other. You’ll usually want something to deploy if one mega just can’t handle what the enemy team is throwing at it.

Conclusion

Well, there we go. I hope that this article has given you a better idea of mega evolutions – strategic tools that really add some oomph if used correctly. I really want to emphasize on how this article is based upon my opinion, and I do expect several people to disagree with how I evaluated some of these Pokemon. I ranked them like this to give an idea on what is and isn’t used, and why that is so. With that being said, this is as an idea guide – not an instructions handbook. Try and diversify your teams with things you never would have tried before, make your own sets and EV spreads, switch things up a bit! Do this, and you’ll be one step ahead on the path to becoming a top trainer.

About the Author

Sir Chicken is a senior-division VGC player who has played in the official format since the fall of 2013, however only began to see real success this past season, becoming a two-time regional champion securing his worlds invite. He hopes to continue performing well this season. He also loves food and traveling.

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