[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Shift Gear
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Leftovers / Electrium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shift Gear doubles Magearna's mediocre Speed to decent levels, letting it outspeed a wide amount of the meta as well as some Choice Scarf users like Landorus-T and Garchomp. Calm Mind allows Magearna to break bulkier builds that would trouble sets with three attacks, as it doesn't rely on getting a Soul Heart boost to boost its power. Calm Mind also makes Magearna harder to revenge kill, with enough boosts. Unfortunately, this leaves Magearna with only two attacking options. Thunderbolt gives it good neutral coverage despite the lack of initial power, hitting two important targets in Celesteela and Toxapex for super effective damage. Ice Beam lets Magearna beat threatening Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Zygarde and gives it BoltBeam coverage alongside Thunderbolt. Other move combinations like Fleur Cannon with Focus Blast can be used instead to surprise usual BoltBeam answers like Gastrodon but aren't usually desirable due to their worse coverage. Flash Cannon is an option over Ice Beam, as it trades the ability to hit Ground-types super effectively to break past Calm Mind Clefable and do more damage to Mega Venusaur.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature lets Magearna outspeed as many Pokemon as possible after a Shift Gear boost, mainly Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Garchomp. Maximum Special Attack gives Magearna as much power as possible, which is further boosted by Calm Mind. Leftovers provides Magearna with much-needed longevity and helps it set up on Pokemon like Clefable and opposing Magearna more easily. Electrium Z is an option over Leftovers that lets Magearna destroy some of its checks such as Toxapex, Celestela, and Heatran without as many boosts. If running Fleur Cannon, Fairium Z can be used to turn it into Twinkle Tackle, a strong STAB nuke that doesn't drop Magearna's Special Attack. Iapapa Berry lets Magearna recover 50% of its health when it gets low and can be more useful than Leftovers in some scenarios where it doesn't get much time to set up. It can also bluff a Z-Move or Assault Vest set.
Usage Tips
========
This set works best as an early- and mid-game breaker against bulky teams that rely on defensive Pokemon such as Mew and Clefable to check Magearna, as it can use these foes as setup fodder. Despite Magearna's great defensive typing and stats, avoid switching it repeatedly into resisted moves because it will need as much HP as possible to set up with Calm Mind. If possible, don't reveal Leftovers until you're ready to set up in order to keep your set hidden for as long as possible, which could allow Magearna to lure checks to other variants like Mew. A very important aspect of using this Magearna set to its fullest potential is knowing when to use which setup move. For example, against slow and bulky teams, using Shift Gear can be a waste of time, since Magearna is fast enough to outpace the likes of Celesteela, Toxapex, and Tangrowth, which are usually its initial switch-ins. Similarly, against offensive teams that lack defensive answers, it's best to use Shift Gear on a free turn and start throwing out attacks from there. Although Magearna is an excellent balance breaker, it can't do much against teams that pack checks for it such as Heatran and Venusaur. Against these teams, it's best to try to remove or weaken checks as soon as possible with lures for Magearna to sweep late-game, rather than breaking early-game.
Team Options
========
This set's versatility allows it to fit on a variety of teams, ranging from balance to bulky offense and even hyper offense. Residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes weakens the opposing team for Magearna, which prevents the likes of Heatran and Volcarona from taking a hit and revenge killing it. Ferrothorn and Toxapex can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, respectively, and they both fit quite well on balance and bulky offense because of the defensive utility they provide, while Focus Sash Greninja can set up both entry hazards for offensively inclined teams. Additionally, Ferrothorn acts as a more reliable Tapu Lele switch-in. Other wallbreakers like Choice Band Hoopa-U and Choice Specs Tapu Lele can act as early-game breakers to put pressure on the likes of Heatran and Celesteela, which need to be weakened for Magearna to sweep. Unless it's being used on hyper offense, Magearna should be paired with another Steel-type that can check Tapu Lele like Ferrothorn and Celesteela, as it can't afford to switch into Choice Specs-boosted Psychics repeatedly. Alolan Ninetales deserves a special mention because of the incredible support it provides in Aurora Veil, which gives Magearna a much easier time setting up and makes it an even deadlier threat.
name: Double Dance
move 1: Shift Gear
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Leftovers / Electrium Z
ability: Soul-Heart
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shift Gear doubles Magearna's mediocre Speed to decent levels, letting it outspeed a wide amount of the meta as well as some Choice Scarf users like Landorus-T and Garchomp. Calm Mind allows Magearna to break bulkier builds that would trouble sets with three attacks, as it doesn't rely on getting a Soul Heart boost to boost its power. Calm Mind also makes Magearna harder to revenge kill, with enough boosts. Unfortunately, this leaves Magearna with only two attacking options. Thunderbolt gives it good neutral coverage despite the lack of initial power, hitting two important targets in Celesteela and Toxapex for super effective damage. Ice Beam lets Magearna beat threatening Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Zygarde and gives it BoltBeam coverage alongside Thunderbolt. Other move combinations like Fleur Cannon with Focus Blast can be used instead to surprise usual BoltBeam answers like Gastrodon but aren't usually desirable due to their worse coverage. Flash Cannon is an option over Ice Beam, as it trades the ability to hit Ground-types super effectively to break past Calm Mind Clefable and do more damage to Mega Venusaur.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature lets Magearna outspeed as many Pokemon as possible after a Shift Gear boost, mainly Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Garchomp. Maximum Special Attack gives Magearna as much power as possible, which is further boosted by Calm Mind. Leftovers provides Magearna with much-needed longevity and helps it set up on Pokemon like Clefable and opposing Magearna more easily. Electrium Z is an option over Leftovers that lets Magearna destroy some of its checks such as Toxapex, Celestela, and Heatran without as many boosts. If running Fleur Cannon, Fairium Z can be used to turn it into Twinkle Tackle, a strong STAB nuke that doesn't drop Magearna's Special Attack. Iapapa Berry lets Magearna recover 50% of its health when it gets low and can be more useful than Leftovers in some scenarios where it doesn't get much time to set up. It can also bluff a Z-Move or Assault Vest set.
Usage Tips
========
This set works best as an early- and mid-game breaker against bulky teams that rely on defensive Pokemon such as Mew and Clefable to check Magearna, as it can use these foes as setup fodder. Despite Magearna's great defensive typing and stats, avoid switching it repeatedly into resisted moves because it will need as much HP as possible to set up with Calm Mind. If possible, don't reveal Leftovers until you're ready to set up in order to keep your set hidden for as long as possible, which could allow Magearna to lure checks to other variants like Mew. A very important aspect of using this Magearna set to its fullest potential is knowing when to use which setup move. For example, against slow and bulky teams, using Shift Gear can be a waste of time, since Magearna is fast enough to outpace the likes of Celesteela, Toxapex, and Tangrowth, which are usually its initial switch-ins. Similarly, against offensive teams that lack defensive answers, it's best to use Shift Gear on a free turn and start throwing out attacks from there. Although Magearna is an excellent balance breaker, it can't do much against teams that pack checks for it such as Heatran and Venusaur. Against these teams, it's best to try to remove or weaken checks as soon as possible with lures for Magearna to sweep late-game, rather than breaking early-game.
Team Options
========
This set's versatility allows it to fit on a variety of teams, ranging from balance to bulky offense and even hyper offense. Residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes weakens the opposing team for Magearna, which prevents the likes of Heatran and Volcarona from taking a hit and revenge killing it. Ferrothorn and Toxapex can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, respectively, and they both fit quite well on balance and bulky offense because of the defensive utility they provide, while Focus Sash Greninja can set up both entry hazards for offensively inclined teams. Additionally, Ferrothorn acts as a more reliable Tapu Lele switch-in. Other wallbreakers like Choice Band Hoopa-U and Choice Specs Tapu Lele can act as early-game breakers to put pressure on the likes of Heatran and Celesteela, which need to be weakened for Magearna to sweep. Unless it's being used on hyper offense, Magearna should be paired with another Steel-type that can check Tapu Lele like Ferrothorn and Celesteela, as it can't afford to switch into Choice Specs-boosted Psychics repeatedly. Alolan Ninetales deserves a special mention because of the incredible support it provides in Aurora Veil, which gives Magearna a much easier time setting up and makes it an even deadlier threat.
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