VGC 18 VGC 2019 Mega Rayquaza

[Sole Survivor]

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Rayquaza is a powerful Pokemon in the metagame thanks to its monstrous offensive stats, high Speed that lets it outrun the crowded base 90 Speed tier, and excellent movepool, which make it strong against a majority of the format. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza has a lot of flexibility with its movesets, leaving opponents guessing about its set and item and making it well worth the Restricted slot. It has a good offensive typing, commonly utilizing Dragon Ascent to threaten a majority of the format for neutral or super effective damage, such as Primal Groudon, Amoonguss, and Incineroar, which are generally slow and cannot threaten -1 Mega Rayquaza back for much damage barring a Dragon Claw from Groudon. Mega Rayquaza can also utilize coverage moves like Earth Power, Crunch, Waterfall, and Draco Meteor, which allows it to threaten super effective damage onto a multitude of Pokemon that it would otherwise hit neutrally such as Primal Groudon, Lunala, and Mega Salamence. Mega Rayquaza's diverse toolkit also allows it to play a supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to nullify the effects of weather via Air Lock before Mega Evolving. Despite its overwhelming BST and diverse movepool, Mega Rayquaza can struggle against Pokemon like Incineroar and Salamence if it doesn't have the proper coverage moves or Swords Dance to counteract repeated Attack drops from Intimidate. It is also threatened by the format's offensive Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele, as well as surprise tech options like Dragon Claw or Hidden Power Ice on Primal Groudon, depending on its moveset, or Ice Beam on Lunala. Mega Rayquaza is still relatively frail in comparison to other Restricted Pokemon as well and, in combination with the stat drops from Dragon Ascent, can be knocked out quickly if not supported adequately.


[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earth Power / Overheat
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Mega Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move, hitting a majority of the format for neutral damage and threatening physically frail Pokemon like Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power lets Mega Rayquaza oppose threats like Stakataka, Tapu Koko, and Mega Metagross more effectively. Alternatively, Overheat allows Mega Rayquaza to threaten Mega Metagross and Ferrothorn, which are critical targets to weaken for Primal Kyogre. Extreme Speed allows Mega Rayquaza to pick off weakened targets or get a last-ditch attack in before fainting. Focus Sash allows Mega Rayquaza to survive any single attack from full HP, potentially allowing it to get two attacks off thanks to its high Speed. Life Orb is an alternative item that raises Mega Rayquaza's already great damage output to terrifying levels, allowing it to OHKO 4 HP variants of Primal Groudon and Tapu Koko with Earth Power and Primal Kyogre with Dragon Ascent. The Speed EVs let Mega Rayquaza outspeed maximum Speed Jolly Mega Lucario after Mega Evolving.

Mega Rayquaza pairs well with Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, helping remove one of their better checks in Amoonguss. It also cancels out Primal Groudon's Desolate Land for Primal Kyogre before Mega Evolving with Air Lock and pressures OHKOs on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon for Xerneas, letting it use its Fairy-type moves unmatched. It also helps chip down Incineroar into KO range from a +2 Moonblast for Xerneas. Xerneas, in turn, deals with opposing Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma, which can be tough for Mega Rayquaza to deal with.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Aguav Berry
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Swords Dance lets Mega Rayquaza punish passive switches into Incineroar and Salamence by counteracting Intimidate, turning it into a massive threat. Dragon Ascent hits a majority of the format for neutral damage and combined with Swords Dance matches the power of some of the strongest attacks in the game, like Ultra Necrozma's Light That Burns The Sky. Physically frail Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Amoonguss are prime targets. Extreme Speed combined with Swords Dance is capable of picking off Pokemon weakened by Dragon Ascent, such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Ultra Necrozma, which would otherwise threaten Mega Rayquaza thereafter. The Speed EVs allow Mega Rayquaza to outspeed Mega Metagross, Mega Kangaskhan, and Nihilego, and the bulk allows it to survive attacks like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast.

Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza pairs well with Primal Kyogre, as it nullifies Primal Groudon's Desolate Land and threatens an OHKO on Amoonguss. Kyogre helps break down Primal Groudon in return, which this Mega Rayquaza variant cannot deal with well without a Swords Dance boost. Mega Rayquaza appreciates partners such as Incineroar and Light Screen Tapu Fini that provide opportunities for it to set up with Swords Dance. Nihilego is another helpful partner because it checks Xerneas well. Fairium Z variants of Tapu Koko also make for good partners, as they can outrun and OHKO Mega Salamence and Ultra Necrozma, which would otherwise outspeed and threaten massive damage onto Mega Rayquaza.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sole Survivor, 518634]]
- Quality checked by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835], [[zee, 501951]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Astra, 240732]]

 

[TheKingVillager]

Yo. Good post, but there's a couple things I think could use some work.

-Include the unique strength Rayquaza has in not having to hold a Mega Stone in your Overview. This should be priority #1 and is one of Rayquaza's most defining features that gives it an immediate edge over choosing other Mega Evolutions despite it filling a Restricted slot.

Remove all of these:
It acts as one of the best Primal Groudon checks as Groudon cannot damage it too hard unless it is carrying Dragon Claw.

The former two don't have many commonly used moves outside of Ice Beam from Primal Kyogre making Rayquaza have only one significant weakness in Fairy-types, the most common of which is Xerneas.

Despite its strength, Rayquaza can sometimes be Intimidate bait if the opponent is certain it isn't running something like Earth Power to punish passive switches to Incineroar. It can also get worn down easily if not played with carefully because of the prevalence of Fake Out and Dragon Ascent lowering Rayquaza's defenses.

And put them all together:
Despite its overwhelming BST and diverse movepool, Rayquaza can still struggle against Pokemon like Incineroar and Salamence if it does not have the proper coverage moves or Swords Dance to counteract Intimidate cycling. It is also under threat from the format's offensive Fairy-Types, such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele, as well as surprise tech options like Dragon Claw Groudon, or Ice Beam Lunala. Rayquaza is still relatively frail in comparison to other restricted Pokemon as well, and in combination with Defense drops from Dragon Ascent can be knocked out extremely quickly if not supported adequately.

I'd recommend just putting all of the downsides into the last part of the overview. This lets you highlight Rayquaza's strengths first without having to flip-flop between the good and bad.

-Remove Tailwind. Your explanation that this is a Worlds winning move makes sense, but it should be noted the Sample Set should provide an idea of what the Pokemon frequently used. More niche selections can be discussed in the Overview, an example would be including that, "Rayquaza's diverse toolkit also allows it to play a Supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to inherently remove weather."

-Add a second set. This one's more of a personal peeve, but the lack of a second set here undersells Rayquaza's usefulness on teams when generally it's largest strength is its massive variety of sets it can run to cater to a team's specific needs. https://pokepast.es/ff10c3008d2abd2d the link provided has additional sets that were prevalent during Ultra Series. This is more work though, so by all means feel free to skip it.

If anything I said sounds stupid feel free the contact me.

 

[TheKingVillager]

Yo, couple more changes:

-Add something about Protect in your Set Comments. It's pretty obvious to determine why you'd use Protect, but still list why it's important for Rayquaza to use it considering some sets do not.

Get rid of:

It has a good offensive typing but generally Flying-type moves, mainly Dragon Ascent are used more on it since Dragon-type moves don't hit much outside of Rayquaza mirrors where Dragon Ascent still deals relatively the same damage.

Mega Rayquaza's good bulk allows it to use Dragon Ascent without always fearing an OHKO. (This just looks wrong, since one of Rayquaza's biggest issues is that it cannot often spam Dragon Ascent into opponents without repercussion in the form of being OHKO'd. This also feels contradictory later on in your analysis.)

And change to:

It has a good offensive typing, commonly utilizing its signature move Dragon Ascent to threaten a majority of the format for neutral or super-effective damage. Rayquaza can also utilize coverage moves like Earth Power, Crunch, Waterfall, and Draco Meteor that allow it to threaten super-effective damage onto a multitude of Pokémon. Its diverse toolkit also allows Rayquaza to play a supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to inherently remove weather via Air Lock and Delta Stream. (This also leads into your Overview of Delta Stream so it flows better.)

Get rid of:

Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's most powerful Physical Flying-type move which hits almost the entire meta for neutral damage. Crucial targets include Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power helps it break through Steel-types such as Stakataka which would otherwise wall it. Other crucial targets include Incineroar, Tapu Koko, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Groudon. Extreme Speed allows Rayquaza to pick off chipped targets. It can also utilise its diverse movepool and play a supportive role with Tailwind / Icy Wind allows Rayquaza's powerful teammates like Xerneas and Primal Kyogre to safely set up Geomancy or use Water Spout uncontested respectively. With Focus Sash, it can reliably set up Tailwind without the fear of being OHKOed if paired with a Fake Out user such as Incineroar. (Feels slightly stilted. The acknowledgement of Tailwind and Icy Wind should be provided in your Overview as potential options for any set of Rayquaza, and do not need this much attention in the Set Comments where it's not even present on said set.)

And change to:

Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's primary STAB move, chunking a majority of the format for neutral damage and threatening physically frail Pokémon like Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power lets Rayquaza oppose threats like Stakataka, Tapu Koko, and Nihilego more effectively than Dragon Ascent can, as well as giving it an strong alternative to lowering its defenses with every attack. Extreme Speed allows Rayquaza to pick off chipped targets or get a last-ditch attack in before fainting.

Get rid of and change slightly:

It can also set up Tailwind to help Xerneas set up Geomancy safely, allowing it to run rampant on turns afterwards. With Earth Power, it complements Xerneas even better as it can pressure OHKOes on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon, allowing Xerneas to use its Fairy-type moves unmatched.

Once again if anything I said sounds stupid feel free to contact me. I'll QC once changes are implemented.

 

[TheKingVillager]

qc 1/2

 

[zee]

Sole Survivor, post: 8983050, member: 518634

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Rayquaza is a powerful Pokemon in the metagame thanks to its monstrous offensive stats and excellent movepool which allow it to be flexible on what it can do depending on the team it's on. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, Rayquaza can hold an item which gives it an advantage over them o I think the point I'd emphasize here is that this gives Rayquaza much more variety which is good in the teambuilder and in the game, it's incredibly customizeable to whatever team it's on and will usually leave the opponent guessing on the moveset at team preview, which many players figure was worth a restricted slot. even though it takes up a Restricted slot. It has a good offensive typing, commonly utilizing Dragon Ascent to threaten a majority of the format for neutral or super effective damage i would mention prime targets here - you're threatening primarily slow targets who can't threaten it back much at -1 defenses like Primal Groudon, Incineroar, and Amoognuss. Rayquaza can also utilize coverage moves like Earth Power, Crunch, Waterfall, and Draco Meteor that allow it to threaten super effective damage onto a multitude of Pokemon. Rayquaza's diverse toolkit also allows it to play a supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to remove weather via Air Lock and Delta Stream. Delta Stream removes the Rock- and Electric-type weaknesses of Rayquaza's Flying typing, effectively making it have only 3 weaknesses in Dragon, Ice, and Fairy. dex information the player can find in any pokedex, remove this Despite its overwhelming BST and diverse movepool, Rayquaza can struggle against Pokemon like Incineroar and Salamence if it does not have the proper coverage moves or Swords Dance to counteract Intimidate drop-stacking. It is also threatened by the format's offensive Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele, as well as surprise tech options like Dragon Claw on Primal Groudon or Ice Beam on Lunala. Rayquaza is still relatively frail in comparison to other Restricted Pokemon as well, and in combination with the stat drops from Dragon Ascent can be knocked out quickly if not supported adequately.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe

​

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move, hitting a majority of the format for neutral damage and threatening physically frail Pokemon like Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power lets Rayquaza oppose threats like Stakataka, Tapu Koko, and Nihilego more effectively than Dragon Ascent can. remove the nihilego mention for mega metagross, it's a much more important target. I would also slash overheat in this section and mention that it can hit mmeta and ferrothorn, vital for being paired with kyogre Extreme Speed allows Rayquaza to pick off chipped targets or get a last-ditch attack in before fainting. Focus Sash allows Rayquaza to survive any one attack, potentially allowing it to get two attacks off thanks to its high Speed. Life Orb is an alternative item that raises Rayquaza's already great damage output to insane levels, allowing it to OHKO specify 4 HP, you dont get bulkier variants Primal Groudon and Tapu Koko with Earth Power and specify again Primal Kyogre with Dragon Ascent. The Speed EVs allow Rayquaza to outspeed maximum Speed Jolly Mega Lucario after Mega Evolving and the rest of the EVs are poured into its offensive stats to hit as hard as possible.

Rayquaza pairs well with Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas as it helps remove one of their better checks in Amoonguss and cancels out Primal Groudon's Desolate Land for Kyogre to freely use its Water-type moves. With Earth Power, Mega Rayquaza complements Xerneas even better as it can pressure OHKOes on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon, allowing Xerneas to use its Fairy-type moves unmatched. It also helps chip down 236 HP / 236 Special Defense Careful you don't have to specify here, this is the standard Incineroar in range of a KO from a +2 Moonblast. Xerneas in turn deals with opposing Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma which can be tough for Rayquaza to deal with.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Aguav Berry
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move which hits a majority of the format for neutral damage. Physically frail Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Amoonguss are prime targets. Swords Dance lets Rayquaza punish passive switches to Incineroar or Salamence by nullifying Intimidate counteracting is better than nullifying, which I would reserve for things like clearbody, turning it into a massive threat. Extreme Speed is strong priority and, combined with Swords Dance, is capable of KOing Pokemon like Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Ultra Necrozma that would otherwise threaten Rayquaza. focus less on the KOs here and more on the ability to pick off weakened Pokemon that barely survive its dragon ascent at any speed range The EVs and Aguav Berry help maximise Rayquaza's chances of getting a Swords Dance up. i dont like this description. i would rather mention that this allows it to outrun mega metagross, mega kangaskhan, and nihilego, while still giving it the bulk to survive things like scarf tapu lele's moonblast

Rayquaza pairs well with Primal Kyogre as it nullifies Primal Groudon's Desolate Land and pressures an OHKO on Amoonguss. Kyogre helps break down Primal Groudon in return, which this Rayquaza cannot deal with well without a Swords Dance. Rayquaza appreciates partners such as Incineroar and Light Screen Tapu Fini which provide opportunities for it to set up Swords Dance. Nihilego is another helpful partner which checks Xerneas well. give fairium z koko a shout for ohkoing salamence and ultra necrozma

​

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sole Survivor, 518634]]
- Quality checked by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835], [name, id]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

2/2

 

[Plague von Karma]

Leaving an amcheck to help this along. Not an official GP, implement as you see fit.
Add
Remove
Comments
(AC) = Add Comma

I believe you're meant to refer it as Mega Rayquaza in general, I noticed it left out a bit. Been out of it for a while though.
I may overstep in a few areas. I have a lot of fond memories of this format...

here ya go

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Rayquaza is a powerful Pokemon in the metagame thanks to its monstrous offensive stats and excellent movepool which make it strong against a majority of the format. (Hmm, it feels like something is missing here.) Unlike other Mega Evolutions, Rayquaza has a lot of flexibility with its movesets leaving opponents guessing for about its set and item (the preposition w/ "for" is wrong, but you could take this entire bit off and have a comma after "guessing" too) which is advantageous even though it takes despite taking (feels a bit negative even with this correction, maybe "making it well worth the restricted slot" could work?) up a Restricted slot. It has a good offensive typing, commonly utilizing Dragon Ascent to threaten a majority of the format for neutral or super effective damage, (AC, flow) such as Primal Groudon, Amoonguss, and Incineroar, which are generally slow and cannot threaten reduced defenses -1 Mega (correct notation, gets the same point across) Rayquaza back for much damage barring a Dragon Claw on from Groudon. Mega Rayquaza can also utilize coverage moves like Earth Power, Crunch, Waterfall, and Draco Meteor, (AC) which that allows it to threaten super effective damage onto a multitude of Pokemon. (such as?) Mega Rayquaza's diverse toolkit also allows it to play a supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to remove weather via Air Lock (It technically doesn't remove it, just neutralises the effects, while Delta Stream is its own weather condition...not sure how to better-word this though. Maybe "counterplay weather"? Let me know what you think.) and Delta Stream. Despite its overwhelming BST and diverse movepool, Mega Rayquaza can struggle against Pokemon like Incineroar and Salamence if it doesn't not have the proper coverage moves or Swords Dance to counteract repeated Attack drops from Intimidate drop-stacking. It is also threatened by the format's offensive Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele, as well as surprise tech options like Dragon Claw on Primal Groudon (this was mentioned earlier, any other examples?) or Ice Beam on Lunala. Mega Rayquaza is still relatively frail in comparison to other Restricted Pokemon as well, and in combination with the stat drops from Dragon Ascent, (AC) can be knocked out quickly if not supported adequately.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earth Power / Overheat
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe

​

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Mega Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move, hitting a majority of the format for neutral damage and threatening physically frail Pokemon like Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power lets Mega Rayquaza oppose threats like Stakataka, Tapu Koko, and Mega Metagross more effectively than Dragon Ascent can. (this seems unrelated and is worded as if it's an alternative, seems fine with it just removed) Alternatively, Overheat allows Rayquaza to threaten Mega Metagross and Ferrothorn, (AC) which are critical targets to weaken for Primal Kyogre. Extreme Speed allows Rayquaza to pick off chipped weakened (from what I remember it's a little bit more than chip, this looks more encompassing and "GP-applicable" anyway) targets or get a last-ditch attack in before fainting. Focus Sash allows Mega Rayquaza to survive any one attack from full HP, potentially allowing it to get two attacks off thanks to its high Speed. Life Orb is an alternative item that raises Rayquaza's already great damage output to insane terrifying (subjective) levels, allowing it to OHKO 4 HP variants of Primal Groudon and Tapu Koko with Earth Power and Primal Kyogre with Dragon Ascent. The Speed EVs allow Rayquaza to outspeed maximum Speed Jolly Mega Lucario after Mega Evolving and the rest of the EVs are poured into its offensive stats to hit as hard as possible. (I remember something about this being considered fluff)

Rayquaza pairs well with Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, (AC) as it helps remove one of their better checks in Amoonguss, (AC, flow) and cancels out Primal Groudon's Desolate Land for Kyogre to freely use its Water-type moves via Air Lock. (You may want to emphasise this play a bit, it's pretty notorious "cheese") With Earth Power, Mega Rayquaza complements Xerneas even better, (AC) as it can pressure OHKOes (plural, not verb, IIRC) on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon, allowing Xerneas to use its Fairy-type moves unmatched. It also helps chip down Incineroar into KO range of a KO from a +2 Moonblast. Xerneas, (AC) in turn, (AC) deals with opposing Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma, (AC) which can be tough for Rayquaza your own to deal with.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Aguav Berry
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move which hits a majority of the format for neutral damage. Physically frail Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Amoonguss are prime targets. (These are the same sentences from before, but with a different coat of paint. My recommendation would be to place this after Swords Dance, with calcs for what a +2 Dragon Ascent can actually do. This would also help emphasise the SD set's draws more effectively) Swords Dance lets Mega Rayquaza punish passive switches to Incineroar or Salamence by counteracting Intimidate, turning it into a massive threat. Extreme Speed is a strong priority move and, combined with Swords Dance, is capable of picking off Pokemon weakened by Dragon Ascent, (AC) such as like Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Ultra Necrozma, (AC) that which would otherwise threaten Mega Rayquaza thereafter. (I imagine?) The Speed EVs allow Rayquaza to outspeed Mega Metagross, Mega Kangaskhan, and Nihilego, (AC) and the bulk allows it to still survive attacks such as like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast.

Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza pairs well with Primal Kyogre, (AC) as it nullifies Primal Groudon's Desolate Land and pressures threatens (or "pressures Amoonguss with an OHKO") an OHKO on Amoonguss. Kyogre helps break down Primal Groudon in return, which this Rayquaza (I want to say "variant" but I can't think of a way to frame it without inflating word count unnecessarily...) cannot deal with well without a Swords Dance. Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza appreciates partners such as Incineroar and Light Screen Tapu Fini which provide opportunities for it to set up Swords Dance. Nihilego is another helpful partner which checks Xerneas well. (This is worded like there was a Xerneas check before, consider re-framing) Fairium Z variants of Tapu Koko also make for good partners as they can outrun and OHKO Mega Salamence and Ultra Necrozma, (AC) which would otherwise outspeed (and? you need to show why this matters to a reader! they threaten massive damage with their nuclear moves, yeah?) Mega Rayquaza.

​

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sole Survivor, 518634]]
- Quality checked by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835], [zee, 501951]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

 

[Astra]

add remove (comments)

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Rayquaza is a powerful Pokemon in the metagame thanks to its monstrous offensive stats, high Speed letting that lets it outrun the crowded base 90 Speed tier, and excellent movepool, (AC) which make it strong against a majority of the format. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza has a lot of flexibility with its movesets, (AC) leaving opponents guessing about its set and item which is advantageous, (RC) and making it well worth the Restricted slot. It has a good offensive typing, commonly utilizing Dragon Ascent to threaten a majority of the format for neutral or super effective damage, such as Primal Groudon, Amoonguss, and Incineroar, which are generally slow and cannot threaten -1 Mega Rayquaza back for much damage barring a Dragon Claw from Groudon. Mega Rayquaza can also utilize coverage moves like Earth Power, Crunch, Waterfall, and Draco Meteor, which allows it to threaten super effective damage onto a multitude of Pokemon that it would otherwise hit neutrally such as Primal Groudon, Lunala, and Mega Salamence. Mega Rayquaza's diverse toolkit also allows it to play a supportive role thanks to the likes of Icy Wind and Tailwind in addition to its ability to nullify the effects of weather via Air Lock before Mega Evolving. Despite its overwhelming BST and diverse movepool, Mega Rayquaza can struggle against Pokemon like Incineroar and Salamence if it doesn't have the proper coverage moves or Swords Dance to counteract repeated Attack drops from Intimidate. It is also threatened by the format's offensive Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele, as well as surprise tech options like Dragon Claw or Hidden Power Ice on Primal Groudon, depending on its moveset, or Ice Beam on Lunala. Mega Rayquaza is still relatively frail in comparison to other Restricted Pokemon as well, (RC) and, (AC) in combination with the stat drops from Dragon Ascent, can be knocked out quickly if not supported adequately.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earth Power / Overheat
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Dragon Ascent is Mega Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move, hitting a majority of the format for neutral damage and threatening physically frail Pokemon like Amoonguss and Primal Kyogre. Earth Power lets Mega Rayquaza oppose threats like Stakataka, Tapu Koko, and Mega Metagross more effectively. Alternatively, Overheat allows Mega Rayquaza to threaten Mega Metagross and Ferrothorn, which are critical targets to weaken for Primal Kyogre. Extreme Speed allows Mega Rayquaza to pick off weakened targets or get a last-ditch attack in before fainting. Focus Sash allows Mega Rayquaza to survive any one single attack from full HP, potentially allowing it to get two attacks off thanks to its high Speed. Life Orb is an alternative item that raises Mega Rayquaza's already great damage output to terrifying levels, allowing it to OHKO 4 HP variants of Primal Groudon and Tapu Koko with Earth Power and Primal Kyogre with Dragon Ascent. The Speed EVs allow Rayquaza to let Mega Rayquaza outspeed maximum Speed Jolly Mega Lucario after Mega Evolving.

Rayquaza pairs well with Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, as it helps remove one of their better checks in Amoonguss, and cancels out Primal Groudon's Desolate Land for Kyogre to freely use its Water-type moves via Air Lock. With Earth Power, Mega Rayquaza complements Xerneas even better, as it can pressure OHKOs on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon, allowing Xerneas to use its Fairy-type moves unmatched. Mega Rayquaza pairs well with Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, helping remove one of their better checks in Amoonguss. It also cancels out Primal Groudon's Desolate Land for Primal Kyogre before Mega Evolving with Air Lock and pressures OHKOs on Stakataka, Nihilego, and potentially Primal Groudon for Xerneas, letting it use its Fairy-type moves unmatched. It also helps chip down Incineroar into KO range from a +2 Moonblast for Xerneas. Xerneas, in turn, deals with opposing Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma, which can be tough for your own Mega Rayquaza to deal with.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Protect
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Aguav Berry
ability: Delta Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Swords Dance lets Mega Rayquaza punish passive switches into Incineroar or and Salamence by counteracting Intimidate, turning it into a massive threat. Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's strongest Flying-type STAB move which hits a majority of the format for neutral damage and combined with Swords Dance, (RC) it matches the power of some of the strongest attacks in the game, (AC) like Ultra Necrozma's Light That Burns The Sky. Physically frail Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Amoonguss are prime targets. Extreme Speed is a strong priority move and, (RC) combined with Swords Dance, (RC) is capable of picking off Pokemon weakened by Dragon Ascent, such as Xerneas, Tapu Koko, and Ultra Necrozma, which would otherwise threaten Mega Rayquaza thereafter. The Speed EVs allow Mega Rayquaza to outspeed Mega Metagross, Mega Kangaskhan, and Nihilego, and the bulk allows it to survive attacks like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast.

Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza pairs well with Primal Kyogre, as it nullifies Primal Groudon's Desolate Land and threatens an OHKO on Amoonguss. Kyogre helps break down Primal Groudon in return, which this Mega Rayquaza variant cannot deal with well without a Swords Dance boost. Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza appreciates partners such as Incineroar and Light Screen Tapu Fini which that provide opportunities for it to set up with Swords Dance. Nihilego is another helpful partner as because it checks Xerneas well. Fairium Z variants of Tapu Koko also make for good partners, (AC) as they can outrun and OHKO Mega Salamence and Ultra Necrozma, which would otherwise outspeed and threaten massive damage onto Mega Rayquaza.

​

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sole Survivor, 518634]]
- Quality checked by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835], [[zee, 501951]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

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