Metagross (Anti-Lead)

[Blue_Tornado]

First proper contribution aside from random fails. Cheers.

Metagross Analysis

Status: GP Checks done, ready for upload.

[SET]
name: Attacking Lead
move 1: Meteor Mash / Iron Head
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Lum Berry / Occa Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 248 Atk / 20 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Metagross set, unlike the rather similar Lead set, utilizes four attacking moves, meaning it can make the most of its potential to beat other common leads. Using Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and Bullet Punch all in the same set grants Metagross the ability to cover many other leads at once, while Explosion can be used once Metagross has outlived its usefulness.</p>

<p>The combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch lets Metagross beat most frail leads one-on-one, such as the standard Lead Azelf and Ninjask, while Earthquake and Bullet Punch beats Infernape leads, provided you have Occa Berry as Metagross's item. Earthquake also hits Steel- and Fire-types such as Metagross, Jirachi, and Heatran; Heatran is only beaten if he uses Stealth Rock on the first turn, due to his commonly used Shuca Berry. Explosion deals with bulkier leads such as Swampert and Hippowdon, meaning they won't be able to set up Stealth Rock, while others like Gliscor and Machamp won't be able to execute their usual strategy. If you choose Occa Berry to beat Infernape leads, you lose the ability to beat Roserade, Gengar, and Smeargle leads. If you are not happy with Meteor Mash's 85% hit rate, Iron Head is an alternative option, beating the same leads despite the Base Power drop, although it will slightly hurt Metagross's ability to handle threats later in the game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs offer Metagross a great amount of bulk, giving it the ability to take numerous hits when used as a lead and to stop boosting threats with Explosion when used later in the game. The spread of 236 HP / 248 Atk / 20 Def / 4 Spe gives Metagross the highest chance of surviving an Adamant Mamoswine's Earthquake followed by Ice Shard, allowing it to strike back with its super effective STAB attack. The 248 Attack EVs offer Metagross the offensive power it needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads. Speaking of leads, there are certain Pokemon, such as Empoleon, Skarmory, Tyranitar, and opposing Metagross that can be outpaced by using a few extra EVs in Speed. However, if you prefer to outspeed more threats, an alternative spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Speed offers a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for Speed. The 244 Speed EVs put Metagross at 237 Speed, outpacing neutral base 100 Speed Pokemon who don't invest in Speed, such as Celebi and Tentacruel. This also allows Metagross to outspeed Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon who aim for 231 Speed such as Magnezone and mixed Tyranitar. The 252 Attack EVs are once again used to power up Metagross's attacks, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum Berry, placing 140 EVs in HP guarantees that Metagross will survive a Fire Blast from Lead Azelf, while the remaining 116 Speed EVs are enough to outpace 8 Speed Rotom-A, as well as most defensive Suicune.</p>

<p>Since this Metagross does not use Stealth Rock, another teammate who is able to set up Stealth Rock is an asset. Swampert is a good choice and also pairs well with Lum Berry Metagross, taking on Infernape and Heatran leads with impunity, excluding the likely Explosion or Hidden Power Grass on the latter. If Metagross lacks Lum Berry, its best bet is to Bullet Punch sleep-inducing leads to break their Focus Sashes while taking the sleep, after which the best course of action is to switch to a faster Pokemon that is able to revenge kill them, such as offensive Starmie or Choice Scarf Jirachi.</p>

<p>Since Metagross carries Explosion, and thus is most likely to take down an opposing bulky lead like Swampert, Hippowdon, or Gliscor along with it, using Pokemon who can effectively take advantage of them being gone is advised. Tyranitar is a good bet, benefiting from the fact that Swampert and Hippowdon—his best counters—are out of play. Lucario also benefits from their absence, as he will have a much easier time sweeping a team clean once his main counters are gone. Dragon Dance Dragonite, as well as Heatran and Magnezone, can also take advantage of the lack of Swampert.</p>

 

[Zystral]

edits
remove

[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Occa Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Metagross set, unlike the rather similar Lead set, lets it utilize four attacking moves, meaning it can make the most out of it's potential to beat other common leads. Using Meteor Mash, Earthquake and Bullet Punch all in the same set grants Metagross the ability to cover many other leads at once, while Explosion is still there for when Metagross has outlived it's usefullness.</p>

<p>The combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch with Earthquake and Bullet Punch lets Metagross beat most frail leads one-on-one, such as standard lead Azelf, Infernape and Ninjask. Earthquake also hits Steel- and Fire-types such as opposing Metagross, Jirachi and Heatran, beating the latter if it chooses to SR on the first turn. Explosion deals with bulkier leads such as Swampert and standard Hippowdon, meaning they won't be able to set up SR, while others like Gliscor and Machamp won't be able to execute their usual strategy. If you choose Lum berry, Metagross is also able to beat Roserade, Gengar and Smeargle leads one-on-one at the cost of not beating Azelf, Infernape or Heatran.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs offer a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for speed. 224 Speed puts Metagross at 232 Speed, meaning it outspeeds Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon that aim for 231 speed such as Magnezone and Mixed Tyranitar (which also often acts as a lead). 252 Attack offers Metagross the offensive power in needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum berry, you are vulnerable to Fire Blast from Azelf, Heatran and Infernape. For this, a spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe is usable, which guarantees Metagross' survival against Azelf's Fire Blast while still outspeeding 8 Speed Rotom-A and Suicune which do not invest in speed.</p>

<p>Since this Metagross is an anti-lead without the ability to use SR, another teammate that is able to consistently set up SR is an asset. Swampert is a good choice, which also pairs well with Lum variants, taking on Infernape and Heatran leads with impunity, excluding the likely Explosion on the latter. Speaking of Infernape and Heatran, Latias is another stellar partner to take the two on. If Metagross lacks Lum Berry, it's best bet is to Bullet Punch against sleep-inducing leads, breaking their Sash and taking the sleep, after which the best course of action is to switch to a fast Pokemon that is able to revenge kill all three, such as offensive Starmie and Choice Scarf Jirachi.</p>

<p>Since Metagross carries Explosion, and thus is most likely to take down an opposing lead Swampert, Hippowdon or Gliscor along with it, Pokemon who can effectively take advantage of them being gone is advised. Tyranitar is a good bet, benefiting from the fact that Swampert and Hippowdon - it's best counters - are out of play. Lucario also benefits from their absence, as it has a much easier time sweeping a team clean with his three main counters out of sight. DD Salamence also takes advantage of the lack of Swampert, as well as others such as Heatran and Magnezone.</p>

I think you should mention something about watching out for Trick Leads, since that ruins your Attack+Bullet Punch combo.

Explaining some removals: If you're mentioning Tyranitar on an ANTI-LEAD set, it is assumed that said tyranitar is a lead anyway.
Also, DDMence, even with only +1 can comfortably beat Magnezone and Heatran with Earthquake.

 

[Blue_Tornado]

I think you've got me wrong: I meant that Heatran and Magnezone are Pokemon that benefit from the absence of Swampert, not Pokemon that stop DD Mence. Most Trick leads carry a Scarf, and the most common out of them are Azelf and Metagross - against Azelf, Metagross Mashes and then outspeeds thanks to the Scarf, and against Metagross, Metagross 2HKOs with EQ. Metagross outspeeds opposing lead Metagross regardless. I don't really see a need to mentioning Trick.

I'll add in the edits.

Edit: Ok, that looks better. Regarding Jirachi, why would I Meteor Mash it first turn if I have EQ which 2HKOs regardless? It really isn't worth a mention.

 

[Zystral]

re:Trick
Fair enough. Just watch though that anybody that tricks you, from Azelf to Jirachi isn't 2HKO'd (unless your first meteor mash gets an attack boost), so they can predict around you. But hey.

re: last line
If you mean that Magnezone and Heatran benefit from the lack of Swampert, I would change that last line to

DD Salamence, as well as Heatran and Magnezone, also take advantage of the lack of Swampert.

Just so people don't get confused like I did.

 

[Snorlaxe]

I've used a set similar to this and I almost always prefer the extra HP EVs over the Speed EVs; helps a lot in taking random hits from random Swampert leads who like to EQ. Also I think Lum should be the main option if only for the sake of beating more leads; Heatran and Infernape are easily taken on by any bulky Water, and so I see less need to run Occa Berry as opposed to Lum Berry which actually adds to Gross's anti-lead capabilities.

[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Occa Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Metagross set, unlike the rather similar Lead set, lets it utilize four attacking moves, meaning it can make the most out of its potential to beat other common leads. Using Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and Bullet Punch all in the same set grants Metagross the ability to cover many other leads at once, while Explosion is still there for when Metagross has outlived it's usefulness.</p>

<p>The combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch with Earthquake and Bullet Punch lets Metagross beat most frail leads one-on-one, such as standard lead Azelf, Infernape, and Ninjask. Earthquake also hits Steel- and Fire-types such as opposing Metagross, Jirachi, and Heatran, beating the latter if it chooses to Stealth Rock [don't abbreviate] on the first turn. Explosion deals with bulkier leads such as Swampert and standard Hippowdon, meaning they won't be able to set up Stealth Rock, while others like Gliscor and Machamp won't be able to execute their usual strategy. If you choose Lum berry, Metagross is also able to beat Roserade, Gengar, and Smeargle leads one-on-one at the cost of not beating Azelf, Infernape, or Heatran.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs offer a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for speed. 224 Speed EVs put Metagross at 232 Speed, meaning it outspeeds Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon who [Pokemon are treated as people when being referred to as nouns] aim for 231 speed such as Magnezone and Mixed Tyranitar. 252 Attack EVs offer Metagross the offensive power it needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum berry, you are vulnerable to Fire Blast from Azelf, Heatran, and Infernape. For this, a spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe is usable, which guarantees Metagross' survival against Azelf's Fire Blast while still outspeeding 8 Speed Rotom-A and Suicune who do not invest in Speed.</p>

<p>Since this Metagross is an anti-lead without the ability to use Stealth Rock, another teammate who is able to consistently set up Stealth Rock is an asset. Swampert is a good choice, who also pairs well with Lum variants, taking on Infernape and Heatran leads with impunity, excluding the likely Explosion on the latter. [HP Grass ShucaTran?]Speaking of Infernape and Heatran, Latias is another stellar partner to take the two on. If Metagross lacks Lum berry, its best bet is to Bullet Punch against sleep-inducing leads, breaking their Sash and taking the sleep, after which the best course of action is to switch to a fast Pokemon who is able to revenge kill all three, such as offensive Starmie and Choice Scarf Jirachi.</p>

<p>Since Metagross carries Explosion, and thus is most likely to take down an opposing lead Swampert, Hippowdon, or Gliscor along with it, Pokemon who can effectively take advantage of them being gone is advised. Tyranitar is a good bet, benefiting from the fact that Swampert and Hippowdon - its best counters - are out of play. Lucario also benefits from their absence, as it has a much easier time sweeping a team clean with its three main counters out of sight. Dragon Dance Salamence, as well as Heatran and Magnezone, also take advantage of the lack of Swampert.</p>

 

[Blue_Tornado]

Oh, I was sure it was supposed to be x, y and x instead of x, y, and z all this time. Thanks for the proofread.

I think I made Occa and Lum weigh about the same imo. Both have ups and downs, and I listed them.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

You only need 228 Attack EVs and Iron Head to claim LITERALLY the same KOs you would with max attack and Meteor Mash. Azelf, Babri TTar, Roserade, Smeargle, Aerodactyl, Gengar, Ninjask etc.

Iron Head will not miss, which is important as you do not want to let opposing Azelf get up Stealth Rocks AND Flamethrower your ass. Or worse, Meteor Mash miss against Mamoswine or Smeargle.

WHY would you run that much speed? Drop the speed down to about 24-28, and pur the rest in HP. This will allow you to stay in on Azelf without Occa Berry and survive even Mamoswine's Earthquake + Ice Shard most of the time (even if you don't, they are left with a one HP Mamoswine and no rocks). Not running much HP means you are just OHKOed by it.

 

[Fuzznip]

I was just thinking about this: why don't you run 244 Speed EVs instead of 224 Speed EVs? I realized that the HP EVs are just there for filler purposes, so I think investing in 244 Speed EVs will be more worthwhile. You reach 237 Speed with them, so you get to outpace neutral natured Tentacruel, Celebi, and Jirachi that run no Speed EVs. That way, you can Earthquake Tentacruel and Jirachi before they hit you and you can move first and use Explosion against Celebi before it can Recover. You also still get to outpace mixed Tyranitar and the like. I mean, you're already running a considerable amount of Speed, so unless you survive something notable with 32 HP EVs, you should probably look into it.

Cool set and good job!

 

[Blue_Tornado]

@Epic Cherubi: Maybe I haven't noted this much, but if Metagross doesn't blow up it can also be an asset to teams. Meteor Mash is much better factoring the fact that you need the added damage to be the most effective. The base power difference is cruical many times.

And I already noted an alternative spread to Lum Berry Metagross that offers a guaranteed survival against Azelf's Fire Blast. Yeah, Mamoswine is the only factor that matters here, most likely. Though even 252 HP Metagross fails to live an EQ + BP guaranteed, so it can't beat it anyway.

@Fuzznip: Yeah, that seems like a good option. The 32 EVs don't seem to matter overall, so I might change that completely. If I'm going for 244, going for max won't be much of a difference.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

@Epic Cherubi: Maybe I haven't noted this much, but if Metagross doesn't blow up it can also be an asset to teams. Meteor Mash is much better factoring the fact that you need the added damage to be the most effective. The base power difference is cruical many times.

I agree that MM is nice for the power boost, but iron Head is at least an option to help guarentee these kills. Each attack you are rolling a dice where 15% of the time you miss, and completely fail as a lead. Yes, late game Meteor Mash is better, but factoring in misses its average base damage is only 85 anyway.

You're right late game it is useful, which is why HP is nice. It lets you check Gyarados and Kingdra much easier while taking down the odd Weavile or laughing at Electivire.

And the speed seems relatively useful for blowing up Substitute Magnezone and max speed Swords Dance Scizor, but not much else. Suicune and Cresselia can't OHKO Metagross and most things are faster (or slower) just as they would be with 24-28 speed.

And I already noted an alternative spread to Lum Berry Metagross that offers a guaranteed survival against Azelf's Fire Blast. Yeah, Mamoswine is the only factor that matters here, most likely. Though even 252 HP Metagross fails to live an EQ + BP guaranteed, so it can't beat it anyway.

Having Azelf and Mamoswine drop you in one shot is much different from killing Azelf, and either killing Mamoswine or forcing it to one HP and not have rocks up. Its a pretty big difference.

 

[Blue_Tornado]

Like I said, the alt spread lets Metagross beat Azelf one-on-one and even 252/0 Metagross is not able to beat Mamoswine. I don't see why you insist on repeating that point.

Now, about Iron Head, I do agree that it doesn't make much difference when facing leads due to Iron Head + BP still beating 0/0 Azelf. Fine, I'll slash it in for now.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

Thank you for putting Iron Head in as an option. We've all had Meteor Mash miss at crucial times, and having Azelf actually get rocks down AND bring you to the brink of death just sucks.

As for the Mamoswine thing.. Admittedly you survive Jolly Mamoswine's Earthquake most of the time anyway (Adamant WILL OHKO), but the point isn't to beat Mamoswine, its to force in a difficult position.

Mamoswine used EQ! Metagross used Iron Head!
Mamoswine used Ice Shard! Metagross fainted!

Now they have a one HP Mamoswine and NO rocks down. Its not hard to force it out and prevent rocks. OR..

Mamoswine used SRs. Metagross used Iron Head.
Mamoswine used Ice Shard. Metagross used Bullet Punch.

This time they get rocks at the cost of Mamoswine and Metagross lives with about 90% left.

With HP EVs (252 in this case) Jolly Mamoswine Earthquake plus Ice Shard will cap at 93.13% damage. Adamant will KO with Earthquake plus Ice Shard just 7.69% of the time. Metagross only needs 299 attack with Iron Head to 2HKO all its targets (less with Meteor Mash) which means only 24-28 is needed to outrun other Metagross leads. Metagross has plenty of spare EVs for HP.



Yeah, speed EVs outrun some stuff. But come on, its a Metagross. The things you listed to outrun are situational and not as useful as giving Metagross the bulk to take not only Salamence and Gyarados (surviving DD Salamence Fire Blast 100% of the time, and even a +1 LO Earthquake about 25% of the time) but also the ability to survive random Scarf Heatran or Celebi Earth Powers and be a last ditch buffer for Choice Band or bulky Swords Dance Scizor.

Leads like Salamence and Dragonite can wipe Metagross out in one hit if it doesn't invest in HP. Even Infernape needs Fire Blast to actually OHKO Lum Berry Metagross with HP EVs. HP Lets you survive the same threats you want to outspeed barring +2 Scizor. I feel HP should be the primary option and speed a secondary one. Rockless Metagross is a bulky lead, not a fast one.

 

[frogbandit]

changes in bold

[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Meteor Mash / Iron Head
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Occa Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Metagross set, unlike the rather similar Lead set, lets it utilize four attacking moves, meaning it can make the most out of its potential to beat other common leads. Using Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and Bullet Punch all in the same set grants Metagross the ability to cover many other leads at once, while Explosion remains for when Metagross has outlived its usefulness.</p>

<p>The combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch with Earthquake and Bullet Punch lets Metagross beat most frail leads one-on-one, such as standard lead Azelf, Infernape, and Ninjask. Earthquake also hits Steel- and Fire-types such as opposing Metagross, Jirachi, and Heatran, beating the latter if it chooses to Stealth Rock on the first turn. Explosion deals with bulkier leads such as Swampert and standard Hippowdon, meaning they won't be able to set up Stealth Rock, while others like Gliscor and Machamp won't be able to execute their usual strategy. If you choose Lum Berry, Metagross is also able to beat Roserade, Gengar, and Smeargle leads one-on-one at the cost of not beating Azelf, Infernape, or Heatran. If you are not happy with Meteor Mash's 15% miss chance, Iron Head is an alternative option, beating the same leads even after the power drop, although it will slightly hurt Metagross' ability to handle threats later in the game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs offer a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for speed. 244 Speed EVs put Metagross at 237 Speed, outpacing Base Speed 100 Pokemon who don't invest in Speed, such as Celebi and Tentacruel. It also means it outspeeds Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon who aim for 231 speed such as Magnezone and Mixed Tyranitar. 252 Attack EVs offer Metagross the offensive power it needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum Berry, you are vulnerable to Fire Blast from Azelf, Heatran, and Infernape. For this, a spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe is viable, guaranteeing Metagross' survival against Azelf's Fire Blast while still outspeeding 8 Speed Rotom-A and Suicune who do not invest in Speed.</p>

<p>Since this Metagross is an anti-lead without the ability to use Stealth Rock, another teammate who is able to consistently set up Stealth Rock is an asset. Swampert is a good choice and also pairs well with Lum variants, taking on Infernape and Heatran leads with impunity, excluding the likely Explosion on the latter. Speaking of Infernape and Heatran, Latias is another stellar partner to take the two on. If Metagross lacks Lum Berry, its best bet is to Bullet Punch against sleep-inducing leads, breaking their Focus Sash and taking the sleep, after which the best course of action is to switch to a fast Pokemon that is able to revenge kill all three, such as offensive Starmie or Choice Scarf Jirachi.</p>

<p>Since Metagross carries Explosion, and thus is most likely to take down an opposing lead Swampert, Hippowdon, or Gliscor along with it, Pokemon who can effectively take advantage of them being gone is advised. Tyranitar is a good bet, benefiting from the fact that Swampert and Hippowdon - its best counters - are out of play. Lucario also benefits from their absence, as it has a much easier time sweeping a team clean with its three main counters out of sight. Dragon Dance Salamence, as well as Heatran and Magnezone, can also take advantage of the lack of Swampert.</p>

 

[Blue_Tornado]

Epic Cherubi, I think I finally see it. The Smogon calc actually puts in Adamant as the set nature, which is what fooled me all along -.-

Anyway, 176 HP gaurantees survival against Jolly Mamoswine's EQ+Ice Shard, even when it rolls max damage on both of them. 80 Speed EVs does nothing in particular, so I nerfed it down to 24 EVs to outspeed the standard lead Empoleon (2HKOing with EQ). So the defensive spread looks like this: 228/252/24. I'll mention it, thanks.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

Hey I just noticed something. If 176 EVs guarentees survival of Azelf Fire Blast and Jolly Mamoswine, 28 speed outruns virtually all other enemy Metagross (and Skarmory, and some Magnezone) and 228 Attack EVs guarentees the same KOs with both Iron Head and Meteor Mash (you lose 1.5% attack power overall) that gives you 76 leftover EVs if you throw these into Defense then Metagross will take 99.43% max from Adamant Mamoswine Earthquake + Ice Shard.

So 176 HP / 228 Attack / 28 Speed / 76 Defense seems to be an option, or an improvement over 228 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Speed. It ends up with higher physical defense overall (you are also 3HKOed by lead Gallade Close Combat 84.55% of the time).

 

[Blue_Tornado]

I'm not sure that last part is right. Metagross' defense is much much higher than his HP, so those 76 EVs should go in HP. Unless I'm wrong and this is some rare extraordinary case, the 76 EVs in HP > Def should increase Metagross' defensive capabilities more overall. Don't forget that it helps taking Hydro Pumps from Empoleon and Starmie as well.

also lol I wasted 1k :OOOOOOO

 

[macle]

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs offer a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for speed. 244 Speed EVs put Metagross at 237 Speed, outpacing Base Speed 100 Pokemon whom don't invest in speed, such as Celebi and Tentacruel. It also means it outspeeds Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon who aim for 231 speed such as Magnezone and Mixed Tyranitar. 252 Attack EVs offer Metagross the offensive power it needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum berry, you are vulnerable to Fire Blast from Azelf, Heatran, and Infernape. For this, a spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe is viable, guaranteeing Metagross' (i believe there should be another s but im not sure but it should be capitalized) survival against Azelf's Fire Blast while still outspeeding 8 Speed Rotom-A and Suicune who do not invest in Speed. If you feel like you do not have enough bulk, or feel as if the added speed is useless, a spread of 228 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spe is an option, outspeeding most lead Metagross, Tyranitar, and Empoleon, while managing to beat Jolly lead Mamoswine one-on-one, as well as others.</p>

 

[Blue_Tornado]

Metagross' survival... It's survival?

I'm not completely sure, but I'll leave it like that for now.

 

[Zystral]

Metagross' is correct.

Also, second to last line, "Lucario also benefits from their absence, as it will have a much easier time sweeping a team clean once its main counters are gone."
You had like three tenses going on at once, so I put it all into the conditional future.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

I'm not sure that last part is right. Metagross' defense is much much higher than his HP, so those 76 EVs should go in HP. Unless I'm wrong and this is some rare extraordinary case, the 76 EVs in HP > Def should increase Metagross' defensive capabilities more overall. Don't forget that it helps taking Hydro Pumps from Empoleon and Starmie as well.

also lol I wasted 1k :OOOOOOO

No. 76 Defense gives him more physical defense then they would if placed in HP. Putting 76 EVs in Defense instead of HP gives you about 100.83% more defense then maxing HP would. While in virtually every case this is inferior due to the 5% drop in Special Defense it actually guarentees survival against Adamant Mamoswine Earthquake plus Ice Shard where max HP doesn't.

As you already showed, 176 HP gives you enough bulk to survive Azelf Fire Blast (and most other non SE STAB special attacks in OU including Dragon Dance Salamence Life Orb Fire Blast) so running the rest in defense to add ANOTHER pokemon to the list of leads you beat seems like a good idea. It also gives you a fraction more defense against Dragon Danced Earthquake, surviving Naive Salamence +1 Earthquake 66% of the time.

 

[alamaster]

I've used this set a lot but I put more emphasis on hp than speed, my spread was EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spd to hit 190 speed which outspeeds most opposing Metagross. I don't see the need to have 237 speed to beat Tentacruel and other base 100s because they aren't usually leads. My spread lets you beat Azelf as well as the majority of other leads in the top 10. The only ones it doesn't beat are Swampert, Heatran, Gliscor, and Roserade (25% of the time Metagross wins against Roserade though).

It's a cool set if you can afford another slot for Stealth Rock on something else, good job.

 

[Blue_Tornado]

Ok, so after calcing every single possibility between 176 HP / 80 Def to 252 HP / 8 Def, 236 HP / 20 Def has the highest HP score out of all the possibilities that give 78%-92% and 8%-9% results from Mamoswine's EQ and Ice Shard, which is the highest possibility reached out of all these. There have been some others like 216 HP and 176 HP, but like I said, they eventually achieve exactly the same results, and since the more EVs in HP = the more investment in Metagross' ability to take SpD hits better, 236 HP / 228 Atk / 20 Def / 24 Speed is the best bulky spread.

@Ala: This set's purpose is to beat leads (and potentially making them not get SR up), so if you explode on Swampert and Hippowdon and the like, it still counts as "beating" them, oddly enough. The high Speed spread is the prefered spread since if Metagross doesn't explode or die to an opposing lead, it can outspeed many defensive Pokemon and take them out as well, usually thanks to Explosion.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

236 HP / 228 Atk / 20 Def / 24 Speed.

That seems completely fine to me. It seems like its been narrowed down to just two spreads now, the bulky one and speedy one. The third "medium" spread might as well just be listed as an alternate option for speed instead of a full-blown spread to avoid clutter ("You may drop your speed to 140 to outrun 8 speed Rotom and most Suicune" etc).

I know you prefer speed, and I prefer defense, but I still believe HP to be a superior base option (depends on the team, sometimes I'm sure speed can be more useful sometimes). HP allows you to have a much better shot against Mamoswine (Adamant OHKOs you without HP) and it also lets you beat Azelf with or without Occa Berry. HP allows Metagross to survive a +1 Gyarados Earthquake, but will always survive a Life Orb Jolly Gyarados Earthquake. HP lets you take on DD Salamence to an extent and Kingdra much better, as well as combating bulky Choice Band Scizor (admittedly speed EVs lets you blow up on speedy Swords Dance Scizor before it OHKOs you). HP EVs guarentee survival against neutral nature Life Orb Tyranitar or boosting nature Expert Belt Tyranitar Fire Blast. Running speed will outrun some Tyranitar (including Smogon standard "Bait" TTar) so both end up losing if they switch in on a Fire Blast.

If this set is designed to beat leads, HP EVs improves that (beating Azelf and Mamoswine!). If you want it to last late game, running it as a tank seems better then a last dich counter for Swords Dance Scizor and Suicune (Crocune can't hurt you much and offensive cune just beats you harder). I respectfully disagree with Speed taking priority on metagross than HP, but hey its just my opinion.

Just wondering if Lum Berry should be the superior option over Occa Berry (on a set with HP). Occa only lets you beat Infernape, since Azelf loses and Heatran wins regardless. Lum Berry protects you from not only Azelf and Jirachi's burns but turns lead Smeargle and Roserade leads into mush. I do like how Occa works late game, but you survive most fire attacks anyway.

 

[Blue_Tornado]

The main reason why I don't want to start changing priorities is that it requires a completely different write-up to be made. I'll try though, since I do agree that Metagross prefers bulk overall. I first went with Speed since I thought it was important if you're using Metagross as an early attacker, but I guess I can change my opinion. I'll also change Occa to Lum priority-wise.

Edit: Done surprisingly fast.

 

[Epic Cherubi]

It looks pretty good. Just some MINOR nitpicks, but the EVs and set look fine.

<p>The EVs offer Metagross a great amount of bulk, giving it the ability to take numerous hits when used as a lead and to stop boosting threats with Explosion when used later in the game. The spread of 236 HP / 228 Atk / 20 Def / 24 Spe grants Metagross the ability to outspeed most lead Metagross, Tyranitar, and Empoleon, while managing to beat Jolly lead Mamoswine one-on-one, as well as others (Name something, things like tanking Gyarados or surviving Azelf Fire Blast). This spread also gives you the most chances of living an Adamant Mamoswine's Earthquake followed by Ice Shard more than 90% of the time (92.31% if you want to be exact). 228 Attack EVs offer Metagross the offensive power it needs to achieve the OHKOs and 2HKOs it manages against other leads with either Iron Head or Meteor Mash (re-write this as you will, just stress that 228 attack is conditioned for Iron Head + Bullet Punch). If you prefer to outspeed more threats, an alternative spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Speed offers a more offensive approach to the usual lead Metagross, sacrificing bulk for speed. 244 Speed EVs put Metagross at 237 Speed, outpacing Base Speed 100 Pokemon whom don't invest in speed, such as Celebi and Tentacruel. It also means it outspeeds Adamant Scizor, as well as Pokemon who aim for 231 speed such as Magnezone and Mixed Tyranitar. 252 Attack EVs are once again used to power up Metagross' attacks, while the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to give Metagross some added bulk. If you choose to run Lum Berry, placing 140 EVs in HP guarantees Metagross' survival against a Fire Blast from standard lead Azelf, while the remaining 116 Speed EVs are enough to outpace 8 Speed Rotom-A, as well as most defensive Suicune.</p>

Looks great otherwise!