[OVERVIEW]
Metang's blend of offensive and defensive tools lends it a great amount of versatility and utility within the tier. By virtue of Metang's bulk and typing, it's able to check potent offensive Pokemon like Haunter, Calm Mind Chimecho, and Golbat. Offensively, Metang's access to near-perfect coverage lets it heavily pressure defensive cores, with Meteor Mash's chance to raise Metang's Attack leaving traditional physical walls at risk of being overpowered by even non-Choice Band variants, while its access to Agility helps it give offensive teams headaches. Metang also has access to an incredibly powerful Explosion, which makes it great at drawing in and removing bulky Water-types for its teammates. Unfortunately, Metang struggles to pressure bulky Water-types without sacrificing itself and faces a fair amount of competition from Mawile as a defensive Steel-type due to the latter's better capabilities as a physical wall thanks to Intimidate, which makes it less susceptible to coverage moves from the likes of Murkrow and Pidgeot. Additionally, Metang is vulnerable to common coverage attacks from Pokemon such as Raticate and Pidgeot as well as less common options like Hidden Power Fire from Roselia and Will-O-Wisp from Haunter.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Explosion
item: Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash is Metang's best way to apply consistent damage to Pokemon like Chimecho, Roselia, and Dewgong, while Earthquake hits Steel-resistant foes like Mawile, Flareon, and Torkoal. Toxic lets Metang cripple bulky Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash, which switch into its primary attacks with ease. Protect is great for racking up poison damage and scouting Choice item Pokemon such as Relicanth and Murkrow. Explosion is an alternative to Protect that lets Metang remove problematic foes for its teammates, although due to Metang's lack of Attack investment, it may require decent chip damage to do so. 252 HP EVs and 136 Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature let Metang avoid the 2HKO from defensive Chimecho's +1 Hidden Power Fire, while the Defense EVs help it pivot into attacks from Normal- and Flying-types like Raticate and Pidgeot. Leftovers lets Metang repeatedly switch into attacks from Pokemon like Haunter, Chimecho, and Golbat. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
Metang's goal is to switch into Pokemon it checks such as Haunter and begin spreading poison with Toxic and weakening the opposition with its attacks. As Metang draws in defensive Water-types very frequently, it's usually wise to double switch to a teammate that can handle a predicted switch into such a foe. Although Metang can check Choice Band attackers like Pidgeot and Raticate, it must be cautious of super effective coverage from them; use Protect to scout them so you can decide whether or not to keep Metang in.
Team Options
========
Metang benefits greatly from Water-types like Wailord and Pelipper, since they can switch into Fire-type attacks and threaten Ground-types. In return, Metang handles Roselia and Cacturne. On the flip side, Metang can't really make any headway against opposing Water-types, since they commonly carry Rest to remove poison and take little damage from Metang's attacks; therefore, Pokemon like Roselia, Pikachu, and Plusle are beneficial teammates. Although Metang can switch into certain attacks from Pokemon like Pidgeot, Murkrow, and Raticate, it's ideal to pair it with a sturdy physical wall like Chimecho, Sableye, or Torkoal that can more consistently handle such Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Agility / Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash is a strong STAB attack that deals great damage to common physically defensive Pokemon such as Chimecho and Sableye, with a useful chance to boost Attack to help Metang wallbreak further. Earthquake synergizes well with Meteor Mash, targeting foes like Mawile, Torkoal, and Wailord. Explosion lets Metang outright remove defensive Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash. Agility lets Metang serve as a late-game sweeper and outspeed Pokemon such as Raticate, Haunter, and Pikachu. Protect and Toxic are alternatives to Agility that aid Metang in wallbreaking; Protect provides it with insurance against Choice Band Pokemon like Relicanth and Pidgeot that only have one attack to threaten Metang with, while Toxic cripples Pokemon like Sableye and Pelipper. 124 Speed EVs allow Metang to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon like Roselia and defensive Flareon; the remaining EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Metang's Attack and improve its bulk somewhat. Leftovers helps sustain Metang's health against attacks from Pokemon it soft checks like Haunter and Pidgeot. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
Early-game, Metang should be focusing on using its great coverage to weaken its checks so it can sweep late-game with Agility. Against more offensive builds, however, using Agility can help let Metang wallbreak more safely, with it no longer having to worry about being revenge killed by a faster foe. Gauging when to use Explosion is necessary; it is usually ideal to use it to remove a bulky Water-type like Whiscash or Pelipper when they're expected to switch in, assuming Metang's defensive utility is no longer needed.
Team Options
========
Spikes support from Pokemon like Roselia and Glalie is incredibly useful in wearing down checks like Wailord, Whiscash, and Sableye so Metang can sweep late-game more consistently. Additionally, having Pokemon like offensive Wailord and Flareon that can directly pressure bulky Water-types is helpful. If using Metang as more of a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper, Pokemon such as Huntail and Pupitar that appreciate it pressuring Pokemon such as Wailord and Whiscash with Explosion are ideal. On the other hand, other Self-Destruct and Explosion users like Wailord and Haunter are good to remove checks to Metang like opposing Wailord and Chimecho.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Sleep Talk / Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash and Earthquake have amazing offensive synergy, with Meteor Mash smacking anything that doesn't resist it for great damage and Earthquake hitting resistant targets such as Wailord, Torkoal, and opposing Metang for a good amount. Choice Band-boosted Explosion essentially lets Metang remove any foe that isn't resistant or immune to it, with bulky Water-types being a common target. Sleep Talk is beneficial for leading with Metang, letting it absorb Venomoth's Sleep Powder, although Toxic is a fine alternative so Metang can cripple bulky Water-types. Maximum Speed investment is necessary so Metang can outspeed Sunny Day Bellossom outside of sun. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature and Choice Band allows Metang to 2HKO defensive Chimecho and Sableye. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
With this set, Metang will only be looking to use a move other than Meteor Mash on expected switches into resistant foes; otherwise, Meteor Mash is optimal due to its great power and damage output against neutral targets like Chimecho and defensive Sableye. Although Earthquake can generate decent damage against Wailord and Whiscash, particularly with Spikes support, Explosion is a guaranteed way to remove them, so long as it connects. However, be careful with your timing of it; if Metang's defensive properties are helpful to check a Pokemon like Haunter or Pidgeot, it may be more beneficial to keep chipping away with Earthquake or cripple them with Toxic if you opt to run it.
Team Options
========
Spikes from Glalie or Roselia is extremely beneficial, as it makes breaking through Wailord and Whiscash with Earthquake less of a daunting task. Roselia is also great because it can threaten heavy damage to Water-types and paralyze faster Pokemon like Murkrow and Pidgeot with Stun Spore. Late-game sweepers such as Huntail, Calm Mind Chimecho, and Salac or Petaya Berry Haunter benefit from Metang's wallbreaking; in particular, Huntail enjoys having Wailord removed by Metang's Explosion, while Chimecho and Haunter appreciate Sableye and opposing Chimecho being heavily pressured.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metang can make use of RestTalk so it has a more reliable form of recovery and isn't passive while asleep, although it loses out on a great deal of utility by dropping Toxic, Protect, and Explosion. Rock Slide is usable on Choice Band variants to target Pelipper specifically, but Sleep Talk and Toxic will usually be better options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash are unfazed by Metang's Meteor Mash and Earthquake and can remove poison with Rest. Relicanth is also a fair check to Metang, although it's more susceptible to being removed by Earthquake. Although Metang can remove all of them bar Relicanth with a well-timed Explosion, trading Metang isn't always ideal, making it an overall unreliable way to deal with them. These foes can retaliate with consistent damage from Surf and Earthquake.
**Physical Walls**: Pokemon like Chimecho, Sableye, and Torkoal can switch into at least one of Metang's moves with ease. In particular, Hidden Power Fire + Heal Bell Chimecho prevents defensive variants of Metang from handling it as reliably. Nonetheless, Choice Band-boosted Meteor Mash handily deals with the former two, while Earthquake gives Torkoal problems. Additionally, Toxic severely hampers their longevity and can force Chimecho into giving up momentum by using Heal Bell.
**Faster Attackers**: Diglett can trap Metang and KO it with Earthquake after some chip damage so long as it doesn't have a Speed boost from Agility. Other Pokemon like Flareon, Pikachu, and Golbat threaten to OHKO or heavily damage Metang. None of the listed Pokemon can safely switch into Metang's attacks, however.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Disjunction, 224927], [Oglemi, 40358], [poh, 298730]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Metang's blend of offensive and defensive tools lends it a great amount of versatility and utility within the tier. By virtue of Metang's bulk and typing, it's able to check potent offensive Pokemon like Haunter, Calm Mind Chimecho, and Golbat. Offensively, Metang's access to near-perfect coverage lets it heavily pressure defensive cores, with Meteor Mash's chance to raise Metang's Attack leaving traditional physical walls at risk of being overpowered by even non-Choice Band variants, while its access to Agility helps it give offensive teams headaches. Metang also has access to an incredibly powerful Explosion, which makes it great at drawing in and removing bulky Water-types for its teammates. Unfortunately, Metang struggles to pressure bulky Water-types without sacrificing itself and faces a fair amount of competition from Mawile as a defensive Steel-type due to the latter's better capabilities as a physical wall thanks to Intimidate, which makes it less susceptible to coverage moves from the likes of Murkrow and Pidgeot. Additionally, Metang is vulnerable to common coverage attacks from Pokemon such as Raticate and Pidgeot as well as less common options like Hidden Power Fire from Roselia and Will-O-Wisp from Haunter.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Explosion
item: Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash is Metang's best way to apply consistent damage to Pokemon like Chimecho, Roselia, and Dewgong, while Earthquake hits Steel-resistant foes like Mawile, Flareon, and Torkoal. Toxic lets Metang cripple bulky Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash, which switch into its primary attacks with ease. Protect is great for racking up poison damage and scouting Choice item Pokemon such as Relicanth and Murkrow. Explosion is an alternative to Protect that lets Metang remove problematic foes for its teammates, although due to Metang's lack of Attack investment, it may require decent chip damage to do so. 252 HP EVs and 136 Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature let Metang avoid the 2HKO from defensive Chimecho's +1 Hidden Power Fire, while the Defense EVs help it pivot into attacks from Normal- and Flying-types like Raticate and Pidgeot. Leftovers lets Metang repeatedly switch into attacks from Pokemon like Haunter, Chimecho, and Golbat. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
Metang's goal is to switch into Pokemon it checks such as Haunter and begin spreading poison with Toxic and weakening the opposition with its attacks. As Metang draws in defensive Water-types very frequently, it's usually wise to double switch to a teammate that can handle a predicted switch into such a foe. Although Metang can check Choice Band attackers like Pidgeot and Raticate, it must be cautious of super effective coverage from them; use Protect to scout them so you can decide whether or not to keep Metang in.
Team Options
========
Metang benefits greatly from Water-types like Wailord and Pelipper, since they can switch into Fire-type attacks and threaten Ground-types. In return, Metang handles Roselia and Cacturne. On the flip side, Metang can't really make any headway against opposing Water-types, since they commonly carry Rest to remove poison and take little damage from Metang's attacks; therefore, Pokemon like Roselia, Pikachu, and Plusle are beneficial teammates. Although Metang can switch into certain attacks from Pokemon like Pidgeot, Murkrow, and Raticate, it's ideal to pair it with a sturdy physical wall like Chimecho, Sableye, or Torkoal that can more consistently handle such Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Agility / Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash is a strong STAB attack that deals great damage to common physically defensive Pokemon such as Chimecho and Sableye, with a useful chance to boost Attack to help Metang wallbreak further. Earthquake synergizes well with Meteor Mash, targeting foes like Mawile, Torkoal, and Wailord. Explosion lets Metang outright remove defensive Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash. Agility lets Metang serve as a late-game sweeper and outspeed Pokemon such as Raticate, Haunter, and Pikachu. Protect and Toxic are alternatives to Agility that aid Metang in wallbreaking; Protect provides it with insurance against Choice Band Pokemon like Relicanth and Pidgeot that only have one attack to threaten Metang with, while Toxic cripples Pokemon like Sableye and Pelipper. 124 Speed EVs allow Metang to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon like Roselia and defensive Flareon; the remaining EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Metang's Attack and improve its bulk somewhat. Leftovers helps sustain Metang's health against attacks from Pokemon it soft checks like Haunter and Pidgeot. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
Early-game, Metang should be focusing on using its great coverage to weaken its checks so it can sweep late-game with Agility. Against more offensive builds, however, using Agility can help let Metang wallbreak more safely, with it no longer having to worry about being revenge killed by a faster foe. Gauging when to use Explosion is necessary; it is usually ideal to use it to remove a bulky Water-type like Whiscash or Pelipper when they're expected to switch in, assuming Metang's defensive utility is no longer needed.
Team Options
========
Spikes support from Pokemon like Roselia and Glalie is incredibly useful in wearing down checks like Wailord, Whiscash, and Sableye so Metang can sweep late-game more consistently. Additionally, having Pokemon like offensive Wailord and Flareon that can directly pressure bulky Water-types is helpful. If using Metang as more of a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper, Pokemon such as Huntail and Pupitar that appreciate it pressuring Pokemon such as Wailord and Whiscash with Explosion are ideal. On the other hand, other Self-Destruct and Explosion users like Wailord and Haunter are good to remove checks to Metang like opposing Wailord and Chimecho.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Sleep Talk / Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Meteor Mash and Earthquake have amazing offensive synergy, with Meteor Mash smacking anything that doesn't resist it for great damage and Earthquake hitting resistant targets such as Wailord, Torkoal, and opposing Metang for a good amount. Choice Band-boosted Explosion essentially lets Metang remove any foe that isn't resistant or immune to it, with bulky Water-types being a common target. Sleep Talk is beneficial for leading with Metang, letting it absorb Venomoth's Sleep Powder, although Toxic is a fine alternative so Metang can cripple bulky Water-types. Maximum Speed investment is necessary so Metang can outspeed Sunny Day Bellossom outside of sun. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature and Choice Band allows Metang to 2HKO defensive Chimecho and Sableye. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho.
With this set, Metang will only be looking to use a move other than Meteor Mash on expected switches into resistant foes; otherwise, Meteor Mash is optimal due to its great power and damage output against neutral targets like Chimecho and defensive Sableye. Although Earthquake can generate decent damage against Wailord and Whiscash, particularly with Spikes support, Explosion is a guaranteed way to remove them, so long as it connects. However, be careful with your timing of it; if Metang's defensive properties are helpful to check a Pokemon like Haunter or Pidgeot, it may be more beneficial to keep chipping away with Earthquake or cripple them with Toxic if you opt to run it.
Team Options
========
Spikes from Glalie or Roselia is extremely beneficial, as it makes breaking through Wailord and Whiscash with Earthquake less of a daunting task. Roselia is also great because it can threaten heavy damage to Water-types and paralyze faster Pokemon like Murkrow and Pidgeot with Stun Spore. Late-game sweepers such as Huntail, Calm Mind Chimecho, and Salac or Petaya Berry Haunter benefit from Metang's wallbreaking; in particular, Huntail enjoys having Wailord removed by Metang's Explosion, while Chimecho and Haunter appreciate Sableye and opposing Chimecho being heavily pressured.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metang can make use of RestTalk so it has a more reliable form of recovery and isn't passive while asleep, although it loses out on a great deal of utility by dropping Toxic, Protect, and Explosion. Rock Slide is usable on Choice Band variants to target Pelipper specifically, but Sleep Talk and Toxic will usually be better options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash are unfazed by Metang's Meteor Mash and Earthquake and can remove poison with Rest. Relicanth is also a fair check to Metang, although it's more susceptible to being removed by Earthquake. Although Metang can remove all of them bar Relicanth with a well-timed Explosion, trading Metang isn't always ideal, making it an overall unreliable way to deal with them. These foes can retaliate with consistent damage from Surf and Earthquake.
**Physical Walls**: Pokemon like Chimecho, Sableye, and Torkoal can switch into at least one of Metang's moves with ease. In particular, Hidden Power Fire + Heal Bell Chimecho prevents defensive variants of Metang from handling it as reliably. Nonetheless, Choice Band-boosted Meteor Mash handily deals with the former two, while Earthquake gives Torkoal problems. Additionally, Toxic severely hampers their longevity and can force Chimecho into giving up momentum by using Heal Bell.
**Faster Attackers**: Diglett can trap Metang and KO it with Earthquake after some chip damage so long as it doesn't have a Speed boost from Agility. Other Pokemon like Flareon, Pikachu, and Golbat threaten to OHKO or heavily damage Metang. None of the listed Pokemon can safely switch into Metang's attacks, however.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Disjunction, 224927], [Oglemi, 40358], [poh, 298730]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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