Other Metagames Sacred New Beginnings (Mix and Mega, peaked at 4th)

Daylight

angels roll their eyes
is an Artistis a Contributor to Smogon
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So, this is the first Mix and Mega team I’ve ever built and also the first one I’ve ever piloted. But within two days of laddering with the team, I broke into both the 1500s and the top 15. The next day I broke 1550 and was in the top 10. And then a day later, I was in the number four spot. I’ve never played Mix and Mega before so my success really surprised me! I think I owe a lot of that success to this serendipitously solid team, which is—I think—consistent and intuitive and (most importantly) very fun to play.
Note: I built this team on the 4th of March while the Eternatus suspect test was going and reached the top 5 just as it was ending. As Eternatus is now banned, I’m not yet sure what effect that’ll have on this team, but it seemed important to mention.

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Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?

In essence, this is an offensive team with a defensive volt-turn backbone. Together, Mew and Milotic provide abundant opportunities to bring in their offensive teammates. Regieleki and Milotic (with his Sablenite) keep the field free from hazards for Entei and Xerneas. Xerneas, Entei, and Regieleki all have late-game finisher potential. And both Eleki and Landorus are packing a very fun self-destruct button to push the team ahead once they’ve done their jobs. All in all, it’s a very synergistic team and a very fun team to pilot. But surprisingly, the way this team came together was surprisingly quick and easy. Only one slot here ever really changed after all the members were decided and I made only slight moveset tweaks as I got more and more experienced playing it.

I’m really proud of this team as I built it on my own (with a few very helpful suggestions from iapt) and learned how to use it very quickly while laddering up pretty high. It’s my favorite team I’ve ever built. It’s consistent and fun to play and features some of my favorite ‘mons at their best.​


Team Building Process:
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1) I have to confess: a big reason I got interested in Mix and Mega is because I saw that my favorite Pokémon—Milotic—was pretty high in the viability rankings. So when I went to build this team, I started there. (I went with the standard Haze Sablenite set—which works fabulously.)

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2) I knew I needed some kind of defensive complement to Milotic. Having looked through the Mix and Mega thread, I saw that Manectite Magearna was a popular partner-in-crime. I thought that sounded cool, but I started looking at other Manectite users and honestly Mew was… just much cuter. So I went with that. I know that’s not a very competitive reason, but, thankfully, it’s really worked out. Mew is an excellent pivot and is great at providing opportunities to bring in Xerneas, Regieleki, or Entei. I also really love Teleport over Volt Switch, being able to guarantee that those teammates don’t take any damage as they come in is really nice. Also, versus other pivots that aren’t using teleport, being able to adapt my switch-in to what they choose first is always nice. And, as iapt very helpfully pointed out to me, Mew really improves my Groudon matchup.

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3) The other ‘Mon I knew I had to use is another one of my favorites—Xerneas. I’ve never played an Ubers-based metagame before, and the idea of a Geomancy sweep was just too tantalizing to pass up. Plus, I figured with Milotic’s slow flip turn and Mew’s Teleport, opportunities to make that happen would be abundant.

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4) With half the team chosen, I started looking at ways to add hazards and hazard control to the team. I started with the latter and UT very helpfully told me to “use Altarianite Regieleki btw. it’s very good.” So I did. And it is. Ans it also fits perfectly here. It slots itself into the pivoting core that is Milotic and Mew, as well as provides much-needed offensive pressure, wears down it and Xerneas’ shared checks, can revenge KO with ease, and clears hazards reliably. Oh, and it goes boom! Very very fun.

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5) As for hazards, before trying out Mix and Mega, I had previously been playing Godly Gift and had repeatedly lost to a team that used Rocks + Explosion Landorus. So I decided to give that a go, and with Salamencite making Landorus’ explosion a STAB flying type move, I think it’s even stronger here.

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6) Finally, while Landorus does provide some very complementary coverage to Xerneas and Regieleki, he’s often too busy setting up rocks or going boom to actually be pressuring their checks. I figured a Fire type would be the appropriate choice. I tried three.

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I started with CB Ho-Oh and while it was good, it often felt a little slow and CB locking it to one move often made matchups against mons like Heatran a little tricky. So, I briefly switched to Pinsirite Entei for Extremespeed. It was excellent, but didn’t offer much in the way of defensive utility.

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Arcanine, on the other hand, comes with both the defensive advantages of Teleport, Morning Sun, and Intimidate and the offensive advantages of a second Extremespeed and strong Fire Stab. The problem is… Arcanine wants Altarianite—like a lot. And while Regieleki *can* use Glalilite, the power drop is very noticeable—and, to me, not worth it.

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I think ideal version of this team would have both Altarianite Arcanine and Altarianite Eleki. But since that’s not possible, I eventually settled back on Pinsirite Entei. I did briefly switch back to Ho-Oh—this time a defensive variant. But since two members of the team exert very little offensive pressure (at least not unless a Manectite ‘mon accidentally grants Apollo a competitive boost or a Ground-type stays in on Mew’s Ice Beam), Entei became the clear choice with both its power and Extreme Speed.

We were a fresh page on the desk, filling in the blanks as we go

The Team…

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Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now
It’s brighter now


Apollo / Like Daylight (Milotic) (M) @ Sablenite
Ability: Competitive
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Flip Turn
- Recover
- Haze (There’s a dazzling)

My favorite. This set is very standard but also very effective. His slow Flip Turn is probably the most clicked move on this set, but Haze is really helpful for checking Genesect, Xerneas, and any other runaway sweepers as long as he’s healthy. I’ve yet to see anything KO him from full. Between Apollo, Eleki, and Mew pivoting to either of them, keeping hazards clear for Entei and Xerneas is a pretty sure thing. Competitive is also a pretty nifty little perk and matters more than you would think it would with Manectite being such a popular stone (not to mention Landorus and Arcanine’s native Intimidate).
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It’s cool, that’s what I tell ‘em
No rules in breakable heaven but, ooh, woah-oh
It’s a cruel summer with you


Breakable Heaven (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave / Future Sight

Mew wasn’t one of my favorite mons before, but he is now. Aside from being pink and adorable, Intimidate + Teleport make him a very reliable pivot and pretty much unmatched at bringing in whatever ‘Mon I need at the moment. Ice Beam is for Landorus, Dragonite, Garchomp, Groudon, and Zygarde. Meanwhile, Thunder Wave can stop a speedy sweeper and is a nice complement to Ice Beam, as the Ground types immune to Thunder Wave tend not to enjoy taking an Ice Beam. It is worth noting that the Thunder Wave slot is really flexible. Future Sight and Spikes are moves I’ve previously used on Mew, and while I especially has a lot of fun with Future Sight, I’ve found that Thunder Wave has been the most broadly useful in my experience so far. I am also considering testing Taunt, Encore, and Heal Bell as options in the future to improve my matchup versus bulkier teams.

Also worth noting: versus Blissey, leaving Mew un-Mega’d can be useful so that Synchronize will share their own Toxic with them. Most don’t have Heal Bell. But even if they do, they need to spend a turn using it, which can be used to grab momentum with Teleport. (Replay)
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I asked the traffic lights if it’ll be alright
They say “I don’t know”


Tamlin / One for the Ages (Xerneas) @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 44 HP / 104 Def / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Substitute

There’s nothing particularly unique about this set, but it is very very fun. I’m pretty sure Xerneas is typically used as a late-game finisher—and he’s very very good at that. But since Regieleki has similar checks and can also clean up the late game, I’ve occasionally actually brought Tam out earlier in the game as a kind of wallbreaker. I’ve even led with him a handful of times and just immediately set up a substitute on Stealth Rock/Toxic/Yawn/etc and had a pretty big lead early in the game as a result. And maybe I just play really offensively with my mons, but a handful of times I’ve also even set up a second Geomancy on the Blisseys that like to switch in on him. Since Blissey needs two Seismic Tosses to break Tam’s substitute, a second Geomancy is actually pretty doable and allows him to 2HKO Blissey with Moonblast.
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Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh
We could follow the sparks, I’ll drive


I’ll Drive (Regieleki) @ Altarianite
Ability: Transistor
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 200 SpA / 56 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
- Extreme Speed
- Explosion

The star of the show. This is the ‘Mon that has impressed me the most in Mix and Mega. It’s just so good. It’s good early game and great late game—an incredible combination of power, speed, and utility. I’ve tried both Glalilite and Altarianite but Altarianite is undeniably the superior option here. The additional power the STAB boost gives you is very very noticeable. All in all, they clear hazards very reliably, maintain momentum with Volt Switch, and pretty much always get at least one KO thanks to the combination of Extremespeed and Explosion.
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I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type
When everyone believes ya—What’s that like?


Just like Leo (Landorus-Therian) @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Explosion
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Like Eleki, Just like Leo here almost always takes at least one KO thanks to STAB Aerilate Explosion. Also like Eleki though, timing is everything because Exploding too early means you lose both the ability to set up Stealth Rock and pressure Steel-types like Solgaleo with Earthquake. The ideal time to explode is almost always after hazards have been set up on either something like a Blissey trying to reflect rocks or a Zygarde that thinks it can set up on you.

Like Mew, keeping him un-mega’d before you need his Explosion can be helpful because he frequently gets to intimidate with all the pivoting going round on this team.

It’s also worth noting that I used to run U-Turn over SD because… I like pivoting moves. However, I found that in practice I rarely used U-Turn and Swords Dance is really helpful for breaking through the more defensive teams that I’ve found this team has a trickier time with.

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I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost
The room is on fire, Invisible smoke


Ready for Combat (Entei) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Double-Edge
- Stone Edge

There isn’t too much to say about Entei that isn’t captured in its name. Sacred Fire nails Steel-types like Solgaleo and Magearna that Eleki and Tam want out of the way. Stone Edge is for Ho-Oh. Extremespeed is extraordinarily useful for revenge KOs as well as checking Xerneas, Genesect, and other speedy sweepers. And Double Edge is for punching holes in just about everything. It’s kind of ridiculous how strong it is. If you don’t need to be fast that turn and Sacred Fire isn’t super-effective, Double Edge is almost always the move to click.

Here are the sets I previously ran in Ready for Combat’s place. I think they all have their merits, Arcanine in particular is great. I just really really prefer Altarianite Regieleki.

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Like Daylight (Ho-Oh) @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Like Daylight (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
- Thunder Wave
- Roost

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Afterglow (Arcanine) (M) @ Altarianite
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Flare Blitz
- Teleport
- Morning Sun

All the king’s horses, all the king’s men couldn’t put me together again
’Cause all of my enemies started out friends
Help me hold onto you


Threatlist…

This is by no means comprehensive. Just a few things I noticed in my experience laddering. I would definitely appreciate any advice regarding any weaknesses my team has that I may be missing.

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Opposing Regieleki are tricky and can really wear down my team if they’re positioned well. Xerneas one shots it even before setting up, but takes up ~67% from Pixilate Extreme Speed thanks to its own Fairy Aura boosting it, so it has to be behind a substitute. Landorus is good versus Altarianite Eleki, especially pre-mega thanks to Intimidate, but the Glalilite variant one shots him so it’s important to figure out which it is prior to sending him in. Ironically, Entei is probably the best answer as Aerilate Extreme Speed has a 75% chance to OHKO from full.

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Setup sweepers like opposing Xerneas, Genesect, Zygarde, and Shift Gear Magearna are all tricky if they get set up (and especially if they boost speed) and it can be hard to prevent them from taking a KO. Preserving the two Extreme Speeds on the team is important as a result. And Mew and Milotic both put in a lot of work here as well.

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Bulky teams are probably the most difficult thing to deal with for this team. Ironically, Milotic, my favorite, is actually pretty annoying to deal with especially with other tanky teammates like Blissey, Solgaleo, and Rhyperior supporting him. Entei and Landorus can put in a lot of work here but it can still be quite tricky.

There’s no single ‘mon that I ran into that ever felt individually overwhelming or impossible for the team to handle. It’s really when several difficult to deal with threats are used in tandem that give my team trouble. For example, a bulky team with Milotic, Rhyperior, etc. AND Regieleki can be really hard to pin down. And my team can get worn down in the process, making it easy for something like Eleki (or Eternatus—I laddered with this team during the suspect test) to mop up the team—especially once my own defensive pivots are worn down.

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts
Flashbacks waking me up


Replays…

Unfortunately, I wasn’t expecting this team to be as strong as it was or for me to do as well with it as I have, so I don’t have too many replays to share. Here are some of the few (but very fun!) games that I did save though:

Poképaste

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Like Daylight (Milotic) (M) @ Sablenite
Ability: Competitive
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Flip Turn
- Recover
- Haze

Breakable Heaven (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave

One for the Ages (Xerneas) @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 44 HP / 104 Def / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Substitute

I’ll Drive (Regieleki) @ Altarianite
Ability: Transistor
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 200 SpA / 56 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
- Extreme Speed
- Explosion

Just like Leo (Landorus-Therian) @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Explosion
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Ready for Combat (Entei) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Double-Edge
- Stone Edge

From what I understand, when you make a post like this, it’s customary to give shoutouts!

So, I’d like to especially shout out UT who got me into OMs in the first place and is super awesome in general <3, iapt for their very helpful input regarding this team, as well as cool people Zephyri (who I unknowingly played against on the ladder many times) and Rain Moon (who I also played against on the ladder but did recognize lol).

Also special thanks to my fellow Taylor fan UT for the nickname ideas.

“I wanna be defined by the things that I love
Not the things I hate
Not the things I’m afraid of
The things that haunt me in the middle of the night
I just think that
You are what you love”
- Taylor Swift


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Thank you to everyone who spent some time reading this (my first ever) RMT. I spent a lot of time creating all the art for it and writing it. I love this team a great deal. And if you have any suggestions on how it could be improved and optimized, I would love to hear them!

Barefoot in the kitchen
Sacred new beginnings
That became my religion, listen

 
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