Metagross was a fan-favorite Pokemon when it was introduced back in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, but was unfortunately absent from Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield when they launched last year. However, with the launch of the Crown Tundra DLC, Metagross is back and is one of the strongest Pokemon added with the DLC. Featuring both Strong Attack and Defense stats, Metagross could very well be one of the defining Pokemon of the Crown Tundra metagame if players use it right.
In this ongoing competitive Pokemon series, we’re highlighting Pokemon that are doing well in the competitive scene, how they can be used effectively, and how to counter them if matched up against them. In the last installment, we covered the insanely fast Regieleki, and now it’s time to take a dive into one of Hoenn’s most popular Pokemon: Metagross.
While Metagross isn’t in the top 5 most-used Pokemon in the current competitive series at the moment, Metagross is still high in the charts overall for a number of reasons. One such reason is Metagross’ unique typing: Steel/Psychic. With this typing, it has no 4x weaknesses and is 2x weak to Fire, Ground, Ghost, and Dark. Metagross takes 0.5x damage from Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Rock, Dragon, and Steel and 0.25x damage from Psychic. Metagross is completely immune to Poison attacks. While there are several Fire and Ground attacks flying around in competitive Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield battles, being resistant to Grass, Dragon, Rock, and Steel especially is quite nice.
In terms of stat breakdowns, Metagross is rocking a respectable 80 base HP, a whopping 135 base Attack, 130 base Defense, 95 base Special Attack, 90 base Special Defense, and 70 base Speed. For such a bulky attacker, Metagross has a Speed stat that can be quite useful in the game. Being a Physical Attacker, Metagross’ Attack stat is arguably most important. Thankfully, Metagross has the Clear Body ability which means that its stats cannot be lowered, like through Intimidate for example. The 70-range is where Speed EV investment is particularly important in competitive VGC battling. Players can either invest EVs into Speed to help it outspeed other Pokemon in its speed tier especially if Tailwind is a factor, or they could make sure that Metagross has 0 Speed IVs with no EV investment so it can run in Trick Room well.
The biggest threats in the competitive meta right now for Metagross are Incineroar, Cinderace, and Landorus. Fire types do not go well with Metagross, and while Metagross is physically bulky, Special Attacks can do some serious damage if unprepared for it. To help make the most of this, Metagross is often seen as one of the best Weakness Policy users. When hit with a super-effective attack, the Weakness Policy activates and boosts the holder’s Attack and Special Attack by two stages – a MASSIVE boost for a Sweeper like Metagross.
Metagross has a pretty solid move pool to choose from depending on team needs. Most competitive Metagross run with Meteor Mash, a physical Steel type attack that has a 20% change to raise the user’s Attack stat by one stage. Zen Headbutt is also a popular physical Psychic move to run on Metagross as it has a 20% chance to flinch the target, which can really turn the tide of battle. If not running Zen Headbutt, then the Steel type attack Iron Head may also be a good fit as it has better accuracy and a 30% chance to flinch.
Protect is never a bad option as it can really throw off an opponent’s strategy or timing. Other notable moves to consider are Stomping Tantrum or Earthquake for Ground coverage, Ice Punch for Ice Coverage, or Thunder Punch for Electric coverage. Metagross has pretty solid coverage against most types, which make him a solid pick for the team, and can even square off against many of the Legendary Pokemon added in the Crown Tundra.
There are several Pokemon that do well alongside Metagross, depending on what type of strategy players are setting up for. Due to its typing, Metagross excels at dispatching Fairy types, so it is often a safe bet to run a Dragon alongside Metagross. The ever-popular Dragapult comes to mind, as it is one of the fastest Pokemon in the game and can be either a Physical or Special Attacker, though if running Special Attacks it would pair well with Metagross to give them better offensive coverage.
The #1 most used Pokemon Tapu Fini is also a solid pick, as it can dispatch several of Metagross’ weaknesses – like Fire or Ground types. Regieleki is also not a bad choice due to it being able to attack first and weaken targets for Metagross to finish off. Metagross is overall a good Pokemon to slot into a team to give it more bulk and offense, so long as the complimentary Pokemon can cover Metagross’ weaknesses.
The best use for Metagross is as a Bulky Physical Sweeper that can absolutely cut through the opponent’s team, especially if the Weakness Policy is activated. Metagross is especially good at dispatching Fairy types, which allows other Pokemon on the team to run wild if they were previously held back by that Fairy weakness. If players can bring a Pokemon that can proc Metagross’ weakness policy without dealing a ton of damage to it, Metagross could have the Policy set up as early as turn one. To counter Metagross, players will need to really capitalize on Speed Control and Special Attackers.
Thankfully, Dragapult is one such Pokemon. While not as fast as Regieleki, this former Speed champion is still blindingly fast and can use fire type moves to really bring the hurt to Metagross. Another solid pick would be Volcarona. This Bug/Fire type can outspeed Metagross at base speed, and can easily one-shot Metagross with an attack like Fiery Dance or Fire Blast. As a bonus, Volcarona can have the Flame Body ability which will apply burn to Metagross – effectively cutting its Attack in half which essentially makes it irrelevant anymore. Honestly, any Pokemon that can burn Metagross is a great pick. Several of the Legendary Pokemon found in the Dynamax Adventure can learn some powerful fire moves, so it’s best to keep Metagross on the bench until the fire users are out of commission.
Overall, Metagross is a great pick for players looking for a Physical Sweeper with some Defense to fall back on, or for a Pokemon to clear out any Fairy types that get in the way of their Dragons or other Fairy-weak Pokemon. Metagross has always been a popular Pokemon since its introduction, and it continues to be popular with both casual and competitive players in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now for Nintendo Switch.
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