[OVERVIEW]
Dragon
========
Mega Altaria's Dragon / Fairy typing,
good bulk
, and access to Dragon Dance make
Mega Altaria a deadly setup(rs) sweeper. Its Dragon / Fairy typing gives Mega Altaria
resistances to Dark-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks along with a handy immunity to Dragon-type attacks,(ac) making it instrumental in the Dragon matchup. Mega Altaria's 75 / 110 / 105 bulk along with reliable recovery in Roost gives it sustainability,(ac) allowing it to take powerful attacks from likes of Latios and Keldeo. It also has Pixilate,(ac) which
turn
s its Normal-type attacks into powerful STAB Fairy-type attacks. Mega Altaria has both Heal Bell and Refresh,(ac) which allow
it to remove status conditions (and serve as a status absorber/cleric? instead of the rest of the sentence, which is a tad redundant)
. It also has Earthquake to get pas
t some of its checks and counters,(ac) such as Nidoking and Alolan Muk.
(new paragraph to separate this relatively large one. a lot of these concepts may be better off saved for the set analyses, as this really is a pretty big overview)
However, Mega Altaria has a mediocr
e base 80 Speed stat, which means it is revenge killed by bothSand Rush Excadrill and Choice Scarf Gengar even with a Dragon Dance boost. It is also vulnerable to priority from the likes of Bullet Punch Scizor and Ice Shard Mamoswine,(ac) meaning it can be revenge killed if weakened
. Mega Altaria is extremely predictable:
Pokemon such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn can almost always wall Mega Altaria.
With an average Attack stat,
Mega Altaria relies on Dragon Dance boosts to deal significant damage. Before Mega Evolving,(not strictly necessary but useful for clarity) Altaria
has a 2x weakness to Stealth Rock,(ac) making it less sustainable(more difficult to switch in? it can Roost if necessary to remain "sustainable"). It also faces
competition from Mega Latias because without Mega Latias,(ac) Dragon teams lack a bulky Defog user(Defogger also acceptable), so they have to rely on Choice Scarf Defog Latios to remove hazards. Mega Altaria faces competition from Salamence as a Dragon Dance user, as Salamence is faster and has the ability to wallbreak with Devastating Drake, but Mega Altaria is considered a better option because of its Fairy-type STAB and better bulk.
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Earthquake / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is Altaria's STAB Fairy-type attack that allows Altaria to hit Dragon-, Fighting-, and Dark-types such as Latios, Keldeo, and Mega Sableye. Dragon Dance allows Mega Altaria to simultaneously boost its Speed and Attack stats,(ac) making Mega Altaria a powerful setup(rs) sweeper. Roost allows Mega Altaria to recover its HP,(ac) giving it sustainability. Earthquake can be used to get pas
t Steel- and Poison-types such as Heatran and Nidoking that would otherwise wall Mega Altaria. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be used to allow Mega Altaria to rid it and its teammates of status aliments.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Mega Altaria to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment along with a Jolly nature allows Mega Altaria to be as fast as possible,(ac) outspeeding threats such as Dragonite and Breloom
(rc) while also outspeeding threats such as Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu whenat +1. Natural Cure is thepreferred ability over Cloud Nine,(ac) as it allows Altaria to cure status if it switches. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria while also changing its ability to Pixilate. Pixilate turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type attacks into Fairy-type attacks while also giving them a slight boost.
Usage Tips
========
It is usually best to remove hazards,(ac) as
Mega Altaria typicallyneeds to be at full health to successfully set up multiple Dragon Dance
boosts. Avoid unnecessarilyswitching Mega Altaria into
attacks because
being weakened makes it a lot harder for Mega Altaria to take super effective hits from Mamoswine and Keldeo. It is usually best to useDragon Dance on a predicted switch so that Mega Altaria doesn't have to take unnecessary damage. Since this Mega Altaria set doesn't have any HP or Defense investment, it is best to bring Mega Altaria in on a fainted teammate. If Mega Altaria is running Heal Bell,(ac) it is best to preserve its meager 8PP so that Mega Altaria doesn't get permanentlycrippled by status upon running out of PP. Only reveal Heal Bell if it is absolutely necessary so that Mega Altaria can force out Pokemon such as Heatran and Gengar, which are otherwise weak to Earthquake. Before trying to sweep late-game,(ac) make sure Mega Altaria's checks and counters are weakened or KOed so it can successfully sweep.
If there are no opposing revenge killers, Mega Altaria
should be used to wallbreak
early-game because few Pokemon can switch into Mega Altaria at +1. Mega Altaria is important in the Dragon matchup,(ac) so it should be preserved,(ac) as it can easily sweep Dragon teams once its checks such as Dragalge and Choice Scarf Salamence are eliminated.
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a great addition to any Dragon-type team due to its good bulk
along with its immunity to Dragon-type attacks. Garchomp can set up Stealth Rock,(ac) making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game. Garchomp can also check Swords Dance Mega Scizor with Fire Blast and can eliminate Poison-types with its STAB Ground-type attacks. Latios can remove hazards with Defog
(rc) while also being able to revenge kill threats such as Nidoking and Nihilego, which themselves
can revenge kill Mega Altaria. Kyurem-B can eliminate some of Mega Altaria's checks and counters such as Skarmory
(rc) and Mega Venusaur, with Ice Beam, and Toxapex, with
Earth Power
. Mega Altaria in return can easily take Fighting-type attacks for Kyurem-B. Dragonite can eliminate certain Steel-types that wall Mega Altaria such as Skarmory
(rc) andFerrothorn, with Fire Punch,and Heatran, with
Earthquake
. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes,(ac) making it much easier for Mega Altaria to sweep late-game. Dragalge also can eliminate Fairy-types such as Azumarill and Tapu Koko that give
Mega Altaria trouble. Hydreig
on can take on bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Jellicent and Slowbro, while Mega Altaria can eliminate Mega Sableye,(ac) allowing Hydreig
on to sweep Ghost teams with ease. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill threats such as Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko with Iron Tail and Earthquake. Dragon Dance Salamence with Devastating Drake can also be ran to form a powerful wallbreaking core with Mega Altaria. Latias can remove hazards with Defog and can also provide
Healing Wishsupport, meaning that Mega Altaria can be played a bit more recklessly.
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Refresh / Heal Bell
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
PixilateReturn is a powerful Fairy-type attack
that makes it so Mega Altaria isn't
setup(rs) bait,(ac) being able to hit Dark-, Fighting-, and Dragon-types such as Tyranitar, Terrakion, and Hydreig
on. Dragon Dance is used to boost Mega Altaria's Attack and Speed,(ac) turning Mega Altaria into a potent setup(rs) sweeper. Roost is used to recover Mega Altaria's HP,(ac) allowing it to
stay healthy throughout the match. Refresh is preferred over Heal Bell because it has more PP
, making it easier for Mega Altaria to beat bulky walls that rely on status such as Porygon2 and Chansey. Heal Bell has less PP butcan be used to
healteammates'status aliments as well.
Set Details
========
240 EVs are put into Speed to allow Mega Altaria to outspeed Adamant Diggersby unboosted and Greninja whileat +1. Maximum HP investment and 16 EVs in Defense along with an Impish nature ensure
that Mega Altaria is as bulky as possible. Natural Cure is cho
sen over Cloud Nine because it allows Altaria to remove status if it doesn't Mega Evolve. Altarianite allows Altaria to become Mega Altaria,
changing its ability to Pixilate
, which turns Mega Altaria's Normal-type Attacks into Fairy-type attacks
(rc) while also giving them a slight boost.
Usage Tips
========
Since Mega Altaria has good natural bulk
bolstered by HP and Defense investment, Mega Altaria should be switched into neutral STAB attacks because it can easily tank multiple attacks and recover the damage with Roost. If Mega Altaria is running Refresh,(ac) it is a great idea to use Mega Altaria to take on bulky walls such as Chansey and Porygon2,(ac) as it doesn't care about status because of Refresh's high PP. (and can turn them into setup bait) Preserve Heal Bell's PP, though, as without Heal Bell,(ac) Mega Altaria is susceptible to poison, paralysis, and burn,(ac) making it impossible for Mega Altariato sweep late-game
. It is usually best to set up
Dragon Dance on Choice-locked(ah) Pokemon,(ac) as with its HP and Defense investment, Mega Altaria can set up on Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Band Tapu Bulu. Remove Stealth Rock before switching Altaria,(ac)
because
with Stealth Rock damage Mega Altaria can more easily be revenge killed. (if it were completely easy to revenge kill with only 25% less hp, what would be the point of investing in bulk?) With the extra HP investment,(ac) Mega Altaria can easily set up a Dragon Danceand then use its Attack boost to break through certain threats at
the cost of very little of its HP. (what does this sentence mean? is this the fact that it can tank a hit more easily and then proceed to break through the threats?)
Team Options
========
Mega Altaria is a welcome addition to any Dragon team because of its immunity to Dragon-type attacks, Heal Bell support, and its excellent bulk. Garchomp can take multiple hits from Mega Scizor for Mega Altaria and can KO it with Fire Blast.
Garchomp can also set up Stealth Rock,(ac) somewhat making up for Mega Altaria's mediocr
e Attack stat without Attack investment. Latios can eliminate Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur and Nidoking that wall Mega Altaria. Latios also has Defog to remove hazards,(ac) making it much easier for Mega Altaria to set up a Dragon Dance. Latias has access to Healing Wish,(ac) which allows
Altaria to take some unnecessary hits,
and Defog, which
removes hazards. Dragalge can set up Toxic Spikes,(ac) making up for the lack of Attack investment by slowly wearing down grounded threats
. It also has decent special bulk and can take some special attacks in Altaria's stead.
Hydreig
on,(ac) with its powerful STAB Dark-type attacks,(ac) can eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Alolan Marowak and Jirachi that Mega Altaria cannot easily break. Mega Altaria in return can easily take Fighting-type attacks from Keldeo and Terrakion. Choice Scarf Salamence can revenge kill Mega Diancie, which otherwise threatens Altaria, with Iron Tail
. Choice Band Dragonite can hit Steel-types such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory with its coverage moves in Earthquake and Fire Punch.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon
--------
Fire Blast can be used to hit Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, but without Roost (or Refresh) Mega Altaria is easily worn down. Facade can be used to allow Mega Altaria to deal massive damage when burned or poisoned, but it is very inconsistent,(ac) as it relies on Mega Altaria being statused to be more powerful than Return.
Checks and Counters
===================
Dragon
--------
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur can easily take all of Mega Altaria's attacks and can KO it with Sludge Bomb.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can take all of Mega Altaria's attacks bar the extremely rare Fire Blast,(ac)
easily setting up Swords Dance and
KOing it with Bullet Punch.
**Poison-types**: Offensive Poison-types such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Nihilego can revenge kill Mega Altaria, while defensive Poison-types such as Crobat and Toxapex can take multiple hits,(ac)
Taunt it,(ac) or use Haze to get rid of its Dragon Dance boosts.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran can take Mega Altaria's Fairy-type attacks with ease. However, Heatran must be wary of Earthquake.
**Ditto**: Choice Scarf Ditto can copy Mega Altaria's Dragon Dance boosts and can easily revenge kill it.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Skarmory can take multiple hits from Mega Altaria.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie and Mimikyu can KO Mega Altaria with their powerful Fairy-type attacks.
**Revenge Killers**: Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Gengar and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily revenge kill Mega Altaria with STAB super effective attacks.
