Moves
High Jump Kick is Mega Lopunny's most powerful STAB move and allows it to OHKO frailer Pokemon such as Stratagem, Weavile, Colossoil, and even Mega Diancie after Stealth Rock, as well as 2HKO neutral targets such as Mega Metagross. Unfortunately, High Jump Kick's recoil damage puts Mega Lopunny at a disadvantage against Protect users and severely punishes the user for missing, often at crucial moments in a match. Return is Mega Lopunny's most reliable Normal-type STAB move and allows it to hit Pokemon that resist Fighting such as Tornadus-T, Latios, and Mollux. Return's perfect accuracy also allows it to be used over High Jump Kick when the potential miss and accompanying recoil damage are not acceptable. Scrappy also gives Return perfect coverage in conjunction with High Jump Kick. Fake Out allows Mega Lopunny to safely Mega Evolve and notably to get the advantage on initially faster Pokemon such as Tornadus-T and Stratagem. Ice Punch is the most useful option for allowing Mega Lopunny to get past bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Gliscor, which would otherwise be able to take a hit and deal major damage to Mega Lopunny in return. If Ice Punch doesn't appeal to you, Power-Up Punch can be used to boost Mega Lopunny's Attack during the switches Mega Lopunny can create, as well as when it revenge kills weakened Pokemon. The Attack boost allows Mega Lopunny to break through defensive Pokemon, such as Hippowdon, more easily and sweep frailer Pokemon with ease. Additionally, Mega Lopunny can make use of Drain Punch, Encore, and Healing Wish effectively. Those moves also give it a safe option to use against Protect users such as Heatran. Drain Punch helps lengthen Mega Lopunny's longevity and offset chip and recoil damage. Encore puts more pressure on defensive Pokemon, allowing Mega Lopunny to lock would-be checks such as Tomohawk into support moves such as Stealth Rock. Healing Wish allows Mega Lopunny to give another Pokemon, such as Aurumoth, Mega Metagross, or Manaphy, a chance to clinch the game through fully healing them at the cost of its own life.
Set Details
Limber is the least situtational of Lopunny's abilities and allows Mega Lopunny to shrug off paralysis pre-Mega Evolution, notably switching into Chansey's Thunder Wave or safely accumulating Power-Up Punch boosts on Static Cyclohm. The EV spread and Jolly nature are used to maximize Mega Lopunny's Attack and Speed to ensure its effectiveness as a revenge killer, giving it the Speed to outpace Stratagem, Syclant, Tornadus-T, and other prominent fast threats. Adamant is an option to pick up some notable KOs, such as a chance to 2HKO Clefable, a chance to OHKO Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock, and high chances of 2HKOing both Pyroak and Sylveon after Stealth Rock damage. Mega Lopunny will be able to outpace Jolly Cawmodore and below, but it is unable to revenge kill anything faster, such as Tornadus-T, Stratagem, and Syclant.
Usage Tips
Exercise caution against Pokemon that commonly use Protect, such as Heatran, Mega Diancie, Ferrothorn, and Chansey. Mega Lopunny functions best on and against offensive teams due to its high Speed and Base Power of its STAB moves. Try to conserve Mega Lopunny's health for as long as possible; don't use High Jump Kick when Return would suffice and try not to switch it in needlessly. Use Fake Out when opportune, be careful if the opponent has a contact-punishing Pokemon such as Garchomp or Rocky Helmet Tomohawk. Fake Out also has utility for spreading chip damage and helping put threats such as Aurumoth and Mega Charizard X into revenge killing range. Keeping Mega Lopunny's last moveslot unknown for as long as possible can allow you to surprise the opponent. Encore can be used to take advantage of Mega Lopunny's sole immunity by locking Pokemon into Ghost-type moves. Healing Wish is best used when Mega Lopunny is weakened and would be unable to achieve anything more for its team.
Team Options
This set functions best with Pokemon that can handle common priority users, specifically Talonflame, such as tank Garchomp. Garchomp and other Stealth Rock setters are also vital teammates for Mega Lopunny, as it helps secure KOs against Pokemon such as Mega Diancie and Tornadus-T, as well as pressuring Talonflame through Stealth Rock and Fake Out damage. Steel-types, such as Heatran and Scizor, can help handle Psychic- and Fairy-type Pokemon that threaten Mega Lopunny. Pokemon that resist Fighting synergize well with both Mega Lopunny and Steel-types to help handle their shared Fighting-type weakness. Tomohawk in particular can handily check the majority of Fighting-types while offering hazard control or the ability to weaken Fighting-resistant Pokemon, such as Clefable, on the opposing team. Clerics such as Clefable, Pyroak, and Cyclohm can help keep Mega Lopunny healthy and remove unwanted paralysis or burns through Heal Bell support. Wallbreakers such as Manaphy, Aurumoth, and Kyurem-B can soften up defensive cores for Mega Lopunny to break through later, and in return they appreciate Mega Lopunny's ability to handle faster offensive threats. Offensive Plasmanta sets are able to power through common Lopunny checks such as Tomohawk, Cyclohm, Skarmory, Pyroak, and Clefable with ease, and they are also able to lure bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp and surprise them with Hidden Power Ice, or in Garchomp's case, Dazzling Gleam. Mega Lopunny is able to threaten faster Pokemon that trouble Plasmanta and can remove Chansey as well.