[OVERVIEW]
Mega Altaria is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in 1v1. With its unique Dragon / Fairy typing, it can take on Dark-types such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Sableye as well as Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X. Its amazing natural bulk allows it to tank both physical and special attacks while simultaneously recovering 50% of its with Roost. After Mega Evolving, it gains Pixilate for a powerful STAB attack in Hyper Voice. Mega Altaria also has access to useful setup and coverage moves between Cotton Guard and Fire Blast, which aid it in withstanding damage from the many powerful physical attackers that occupy 1v1 such as Mega Charizard X, Landorus-T, and Mega Heracross as well as taking on certain Steel-types that resist its STAB Hyper Voice such as Genesect and Kartana. However, Poison-types such as Naganadel and Mega Venusaur, Steel-types such as Heatran, and Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir and Magearna threaten it. Additionally, due to its relatively low Speed, Pokemon that can outspeed it or hinder its Speed stat such as Smeargle, Jumpluff, and Vivillon take advantage of it.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Cotton Guard
move 2: Roost
move 3: Hyper Voice
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Altarianite
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 16 SpA / 92 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Cotton Guard allows Mega Altaria to boost its Defense and beat Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and physical Dragonite. Roost is the only source of recovery Mega Altaria receives outside of Rest, allowing it to recover damage after tanking hits from attackers such as Donphan, Golem, Zeraora, and Zygarde-C. Hyper Voice hits decently hard after Mega Evolving, hitting Pokemon such as Dragonite, Garchomp, and Zygarde-C super effectively while bypassing Substitute to beat Pokemon such as Whimsicott. Fire Blast is run as coverage to hit Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Genesect, and Kartana that beat Mega Altaria without it.
Set Details
========
The given defensive investment with a Calm nature allows Mega Altaria to tank a Choice Specs Flash Cannon from Timid Genesect, as well as a Continental Crush followed by a Rock Wrecker from Crustle after one Cotton Guard. 16 Speed EVs allow Mega Altaria to outspeed Adamant Donphan. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to let Mega Altaria hit slightly harder.
Usage Tips
========
Send Mega Altaria against Pokemon that cannot threaten it with strong, super effective attacks such as Donphan and Mega Lopunny. Against Pokemon such as Groundium Z Landorus-T, Choice Band Kartana, Mega Scizor, and Choice Band Hoopa-U, not Mega Evolving retains Altaria's Dragon / Flying typing and lets it not take super effective damage from attacks Fairy is weak to, such as Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch and Hoopa-U's Gunk Shot. This turn can be used to set up Cotton Guard and Roost off damage taken previously and attack afterwards. These matchups may be mind games, however, such as if Hoopa-U predicts you to not Mega Evolve and hits Altaria with Ice Punch. Against attackers such as Donphan, Zygarde, and Golem, use Cotton Guard on the first turn followed by Roost or Hyper Voice depending on whether Mega Altaria is 2HKOed if it does not use Roost. Avoid bringing Mega Altaria against Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Magearna, since they can OHKO it with their powerful STAB attacks while avoiding the OHKO themselves. Furthermore, avoid bringing it against Pokemon with powerful Ice-type coverage such as Protean Greninja with Ice Beam as well as Weavile and Kyurem.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Volcarona and both Charizard Mega Evolutions are highly appreciated due to the weakness that Mega Altaria possesses to Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile. In return, Mega Altaria counters Mega Gyarados and Zeraora, which the aforementioned Pokemon struggle with. Pokemon with Sturdy such as Magnezone, Sawk, and Crustle function well with Mega Altaria, as they beat special wallbreakers such as Greninja and Naganadel, which can break through it. Mega Altaria in return beats Earthquake Mega Gyarados and Dragonite, which Magnezone struggles with. Mega Altaria takes care of Mega Gyarados, Garchomp, and Ferrothorn, which Crustle struggles with, and deals with Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and Dragonite, while Sawk beats threats to Mega Altaria such as Heatran and Magearna. Fast teammates such as Zeraora and Greninja make up for Mega Altaria's lackluster Speed, as Zeraora beats opposing Water-types such as Greninja, Tapu Fini, and Primarina as well as Porygon-Z, while Greninja beats Mega Slowbro, Aegislash, and Heatran. In return, Mega Altaria beats Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T that Zeraora struggles with, as well as Pokemon like opposing Zeraora, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Lopunny that Greninja struggles with.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Confide can be used against special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y, Primarina, and Choice Specs Necrozma to stall them out; however, it is outclassed by the combination of Cotton Guard, Roost, Hyper Voice, and Fire Blast, as you lose valuable matchups by replacing any of these moves. Return or Frustration can be used with a Careful nature to beat Soundproof users, which evade Hyper Voice. Mega Altaria can use Dragon Dance with Giga Impact to fire off a powerful physical Fairy-type attack to beat Pokemon such as Kommo-o, which is not hit by Hyper Voice thanks to Soundproof, and Protean Greninja, which is not OHKOed by Hyper Voice. Unfortunately, this set is outclassed by the special attacking set, as not having Fire-type coverage leaves Mega Altaria walled by Steel-types, and not having Cotton Guard and Roost loses multiple matchups. Hyper Beam can be run as a stronger STAB attack than Hyper Voice and to beat Soundproof Kommo-o, which is not affected by Hyper Voice, and Protean Greninja, but it is extremely situational because Mega Altaria does not have much Special Attack investment to guarantee OHKOs against pokemon such as Dragonite, and Sawk due to Sturdy alongside the detriment of having to recharge for a turn. Bulldoze can be used to decrease the Speed of Pokemon such as Magnezone, but it is again inferior to the given set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Altaria struggles against Steel-types such as Magnezone, Mega Metagross, and Aegislash due to their super effective STAB moves that inflict too much damage for it to deal with. Pokemon such as Registeel and stall variants of Celesteela can PP stall Fire Blast and knock out Mega Altaria.
**Fairy-types**: Mega Altaria struggles against most Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, and Magearna, as they can OHKO it with super effective STAB moves.
**Poison-types**: Naganadel beats Mega Altaria with its STAB attacks, while Mega Venusaur's bulk and Thick Fat give it the upper hand against Mega Altaria.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers such as Protean Greninja and Mega Diancie OHKO Mega Altaria. Porygon-Z also OHKOes Mega Altaria with its STAB Normalium Z-boosted Hyper Beam as well as Uproar if it is carrying a Choice Scarf.
**Stall Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Type: Null outstall Mega Altaria with Amnesia and Confide and have reliable recovery in Slack Off and Rest, while Taunt users such as Mew and Whimsicott disable Mega Altaria's Roost and heal off the damage taken from it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Kaif, 455212]]
- Quality checked by: [[lost heros, 316445], [Osra, 239997], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Mega Altaria is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in 1v1. With its unique Dragon / Fairy typing, it can take on Dark-types such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Sableye as well as Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X. Its amazing natural bulk allows it to tank both physical and special attacks while simultaneously recovering 50% of its with Roost. After Mega Evolving, it gains Pixilate for a powerful STAB attack in Hyper Voice. Mega Altaria also has access to useful setup and coverage moves between Cotton Guard and Fire Blast, which aid it in withstanding damage from the many powerful physical attackers that occupy 1v1 such as Mega Charizard X, Landorus-T, and Mega Heracross as well as taking on certain Steel-types that resist its STAB Hyper Voice such as Genesect and Kartana. However, Poison-types such as Naganadel and Mega Venusaur, Steel-types such as Heatran, and Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir and Magearna threaten it. Additionally, due to its relatively low Speed, Pokemon that can outspeed it or hinder its Speed stat such as Smeargle, Jumpluff, and Vivillon take advantage of it.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Cotton Guard
move 2: Roost
move 3: Hyper Voice
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Altarianite
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 16 SpA / 92 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Cotton Guard allows Mega Altaria to boost its Defense and beat Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and physical Dragonite. Roost is the only source of recovery Mega Altaria receives outside of Rest, allowing it to recover damage after tanking hits from attackers such as Donphan, Golem, Zeraora, and Zygarde-C. Hyper Voice hits decently hard after Mega Evolving, hitting Pokemon such as Dragonite, Garchomp, and Zygarde-C super effectively while bypassing Substitute to beat Pokemon such as Whimsicott. Fire Blast is run as coverage to hit Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Genesect, and Kartana that beat Mega Altaria without it.
Set Details
========
The given defensive investment with a Calm nature allows Mega Altaria to tank a Choice Specs Flash Cannon from Timid Genesect, as well as a Continental Crush followed by a Rock Wrecker from Crustle after one Cotton Guard. 16 Speed EVs allow Mega Altaria to outspeed Adamant Donphan. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to let Mega Altaria hit slightly harder.
Usage Tips
========
Send Mega Altaria against Pokemon that cannot threaten it with strong, super effective attacks such as Donphan and Mega Lopunny. Against Pokemon such as Groundium Z Landorus-T, Choice Band Kartana, Mega Scizor, and Choice Band Hoopa-U, not Mega Evolving retains Altaria's Dragon / Flying typing and lets it not take super effective damage from attacks Fairy is weak to, such as Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch and Hoopa-U's Gunk Shot. This turn can be used to set up Cotton Guard and Roost off damage taken previously and attack afterwards. These matchups may be mind games, however, such as if Hoopa-U predicts you to not Mega Evolve and hits Altaria with Ice Punch. Against attackers such as Donphan, Zygarde, and Golem, use Cotton Guard on the first turn followed by Roost or Hyper Voice depending on whether Mega Altaria is 2HKOed if it does not use Roost. Avoid bringing Mega Altaria against Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Magearna, since they can OHKO it with their powerful STAB attacks while avoiding the OHKO themselves. Furthermore, avoid bringing it against Pokemon with powerful Ice-type coverage such as Protean Greninja with Ice Beam as well as Weavile and Kyurem.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Volcarona and both Charizard Mega Evolutions are highly appreciated due to the weakness that Mega Altaria possesses to Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile. In return, Mega Altaria counters Mega Gyarados and Zeraora, which the aforementioned Pokemon struggle with. Pokemon with Sturdy such as Magnezone, Sawk, and Crustle function well with Mega Altaria, as they beat special wallbreakers such as Greninja and Naganadel, which can break through it. Mega Altaria in return beats Earthquake Mega Gyarados and Dragonite, which Magnezone struggles with. Mega Altaria takes care of Mega Gyarados, Garchomp, and Ferrothorn, which Crustle struggles with, and deals with Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and Dragonite, while Sawk beats threats to Mega Altaria such as Heatran and Magearna. Fast teammates such as Zeraora and Greninja make up for Mega Altaria's lackluster Speed, as Zeraora beats opposing Water-types such as Greninja, Tapu Fini, and Primarina as well as Porygon-Z, while Greninja beats Mega Slowbro, Aegislash, and Heatran. In return, Mega Altaria beats Pokemon such as Garchomp and Landorus-T that Zeraora struggles with, as well as Pokemon like opposing Zeraora, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Lopunny that Greninja struggles with.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Confide can be used against special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y, Primarina, and Choice Specs Necrozma to stall them out; however, it is outclassed by the combination of Cotton Guard, Roost, Hyper Voice, and Fire Blast, as you lose valuable matchups by replacing any of these moves. Return or Frustration can be used with a Careful nature to beat Soundproof users, which evade Hyper Voice. Mega Altaria can use Dragon Dance with Giga Impact to fire off a powerful physical Fairy-type attack to beat Pokemon such as Kommo-o, which is not hit by Hyper Voice thanks to Soundproof, and Protean Greninja, which is not OHKOed by Hyper Voice. Unfortunately, this set is outclassed by the special attacking set, as not having Fire-type coverage leaves Mega Altaria walled by Steel-types, and not having Cotton Guard and Roost loses multiple matchups. Hyper Beam can be run as a stronger STAB attack than Hyper Voice and to beat Soundproof Kommo-o, which is not affected by Hyper Voice, and Protean Greninja, but it is extremely situational because Mega Altaria does not have much Special Attack investment to guarantee OHKOs against pokemon such as Dragonite, and Sawk due to Sturdy alongside the detriment of having to recharge for a turn. Bulldoze can be used to decrease the Speed of Pokemon such as Magnezone, but it is again inferior to the given set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Altaria struggles against Steel-types such as Magnezone, Mega Metagross, and Aegislash due to their super effective STAB moves that inflict too much damage for it to deal with. Pokemon such as Registeel and stall variants of Celesteela can PP stall Fire Blast and knock out Mega Altaria.
**Fairy-types**: Mega Altaria struggles against most Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, and Magearna, as they can OHKO it with super effective STAB moves.
**Poison-types**: Naganadel beats Mega Altaria with its STAB attacks, while Mega Venusaur's bulk and Thick Fat give it the upper hand against Mega Altaria.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Special wallbreakers such as Protean Greninja and Mega Diancie OHKO Mega Altaria. Porygon-Z also OHKOes Mega Altaria with its STAB Normalium Z-boosted Hyper Beam as well as Uproar if it is carrying a Choice Scarf.
**Stall Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Type: Null outstall Mega Altaria with Amnesia and Confide and have reliable recovery in Slack Off and Rest, while Taunt users such as Mew and Whimsicott disable Mega Altaria's Roost and heal off the damage taken from it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Kaif, 455212]]
- Quality checked by: [[lost heros, 316445], [Osra, 239997], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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