Metang Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Earthquake provides coverage against certain Pokemon that don't mind Meteor Mash like Qwilfish and Lanturn while also 2HKOing certain foes like Skuntank and Aggron. Toxic can cripple bulky foes like Jellicent, Torterra, and Mudsdale and prevent Metang from being complete setup fodder for Pokemon such as Scyther and Musharna. Bullet Punch is an alternate option that can help Metang make up for its low Speed stat and allows it to pick off weakened foes. Set Details 176 EVs in Attack with an Adamant nature give Metang some offensive presence, allowing it to OHKO Lycanroc with Meteor Mash, 2HKO Qwilfish with Earthquake, and OHKO Jynx with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock. The defensive investment enables Metang to avoid the 2HKO from non-Black Glasses Jolly Skuntank's Crunch and the 3HKO from Regirock's Earthquake. Clear Body prevents foes from lowering Metang's stats, most notably blocking the Attack drop from Qwilfish's Intimidate, stops Parting Shot users like Silvally-Fairy and Silvally-Dragon from pivoting out, and completely prevents Victreebel and Bellossom from recovering with Strength Sap, which can limit the opponent's willingness to use said moves throughout the match. Usage Tips Metang's main goal is to set up Stealth Rock, and its main opportunity to do so is when it switches into and forces out foes like Victreebel, Stoutland, and Aurorus. However, it has to watch out for coverage moves like Aurorus's Earth Power. Furthermore, stay wary of how easily Metang can be worn down, especially if you want to save it to take a boosted hit from a Pokemon such as Lycanroc or Dodrio. Clefairy and Dodrio can lure Metang in and catch it off guard with their potential Knock Off. If Stealth Rock is already up, Metang can use Toxic to cripple incoming walls like Jellicent and Mudsdale. Metang can utilize Bullet Punch to revenge kill foes, although even Pokemon that are very frail or weak to Steel such as Haunter and Lycanroc have to be weakened a decent amount beforehand. Team Options Offensive Pokemon appreciate Metang's Stealth Rock helping to wear down their targets, which means wallbreakers such as Stoutland and Drampa and setup sweepers such as Lycanroc and Jynx are good partners. Water- and Grass-types such as Jellicent, Ludicolo, Lurantis, and Bellossom can serve as checks for opposing Water- and Ground-types, and Metang can deal with some of their threats like Abomasnow and wear other threats down with Stealth Rock. Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate such as Altaria and Eelektross can serve as switch-ins for Ground-types, with Metang serving as a check for threats like Aurorus and Stoutland in return. Knock Off absorbers like Silvally-Fairy and Alolan Persian can help ensure that Metang doesn't have its Eviolite removed. Both can also give it chances to come in with Parting Shot, which ideally allows it to set up Stealth Rock, and Alolan Persian can also provide a source of recovery in Z-Parting Shot. Audino can supply a form of recovery for Metang in Wish while forming a decent defensive core with it. Primeape can utilize Defiant to take advantage of Defog users, while Ghost-types like Oricorio-G and Haunter serve as spinblockers, covering both forms of entry hazard removal. Other hazard setters such as Qwilfish and Roselia can stack their Spikes and Toxic Spikes alongside Metang's Stealth Rock to further wear the opposing team down. That being said, Metang doesn't enjoy hazards itself, so hazard removers make for good teammates Rapid Spin users like Kabutops and Hitmonchan are preferable, as they can remove hazards without the cost of Metang's own Stealth Rock with Defog.

Moves Stealth Rock is the staple for Metang's team and is important for residual damage and breaking through Sturdy and Focus Sash users. Meteor Mash is Metang's strongest Steel-type move and has a chance to boost its Attack by 1 stage, although it is somewhat unreliable. Earthquake hits common Steel-types that wall Metang, such as Probopass and Pawniard. Bullet Punch can be used for priority to pick off weakened Pokemon, such as a weakened Kadabra. Pursuit lets Metang weaken Pokemon it forces out such as Psychic-types like Grumpig and other offensive Pokemon that Metang forces out. Toxic could be used in the last slot to put a timer on physically defensive walls that Metang can't touch, such as Tangela. Set Details An EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def and an Adamant nature allow Metang to inflict as much damage as possible and have a sizable amount of bulk, especially when combined with an Eviolite. Clear Body is Metang's only relevant ability, preventing Intimidate users such as Luxray and Arbok from lowering Metang's Attack stat. Usage Tips Switch Metang in on attacks it resists or is immune to and proceed to set up Stealth Rock or cripple the foe with Toxic. Toxic should primarily be used on physically defensive walls such as Tangela, Quilladin, and Misdreavus. Metang needs to be as healthy as possible in order to check an opposing threat. Metang is a good switch-in to Roselia and can force it out to stop it from setting up Spikes. Metang should switch into a Pokemon that has low offensive presence and is unable to touch it, such as Audino or Tangela, although it has to be wary of Audino's Knock Off. As Metang is a bulky pivot, it should set up Stealth Rock and damage the Pokemon it switches into as much as possible. Look out for Pokemon with coverage moves that can harm Metang, such as Dodrio and Leafeon, which carry Knock Off, as Metang isn't a fully safe switch-in to them. Team Options Spinblockers, such as Misdreavus and Gourgeist-XL, can help to keep Stealth Rock on the battlefield, as Rapid Spin users such as Armaldo and Avalugg may remove Metang's Stealth Rocks with ease. Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate such as Rotom-F, Misdreavus, and Pelipper can switch into Ground-type attacks that target Metang. Pokemon with Defiant, such as Pawniard and Purugly, can switch into a predicted Defog and use it to their advantage. Setup sweepers, such as Huntail and Ninetales, appreciate entry hazard support and can break through Sturdy in order to successfully sweep. Audino can keep Metang healthy with Wish. Spikers, such as Roselia and Quilladin, can be used in conjunction with Metang's Stealth Rock for entry hazard stacking. Water-types, such as Simipour and Floatzel, have nice synergy with Metang, as they resist Fire-type attacks for Metang.

One glance at Metang's stats might suggest that it is suited to act as a defensive wall, but underestimate offensive Metang at your own risk, as it hits many of the offensive threats in the tier hard. Courtesy of its great bulk, Metang can also check physical and special attackers alike, such as Primeape, Serperior, Braviary, and Musharna. Unfortunately, Metang still cannot beat common leads such as Piloswine and Golem one-on-one, but it can survive an Earthquake from them, allowing it to make a move before it dies. Stealth Rock is a handy move on Metang, chipping off health from Pokemon such as Charizard and Rotom-S to which Metang can do little otherwise. Meteor Mash is a strong STAB move, 2HKOing Serperior, Primeape, and Skuntank after Stealth Rock damage. Toxic is essential for Metang to cripple Tangela and Alomomola, and it also allows Metang to beat Musharna without gambling on Meteor Mash Attack boosts. Bullet Punch might seem odd as it limits Metang's coverage, but it is incredibly useful as it allows it to pick off frail threats such as Primeape, Haunter, and Swellow. 176 Attack EVs allow Metang to break +1 Defense Braviary's Substitute; adding more doesn't help it net any notable KOs. 80 Special Defense EVs make it easier for Metang to sponge special hits from special attackers such as Kadabra and Haunter. Even though both of Metang's abilities give little benefit, Clear Body is the better option, as it prevents unexpected stat drops from Shadow Ball and Psychic. As for other moves, Psych Up allows Metang to copy stat boosts from Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary effectively. Pursuit can be used over Bullet Punch to catch Haunter and Kadabra as they attempt to switch, but it doesn't serve much use otherwise because it's pathetically weak against other Pokemon. Earthquake enables Metang to hit the likes of Samurott and Skuntank harder, but it shouldn't stay in on Samurott anyway and Skuntank does not survive constant Meteor Mashes either. As far as partners go, Ludicolo is a great teammate as it can beat the Fire- and Ground-types that Metang despises; it also handles certain Water-types such as Alomomola, Seismitoad, and special Samurott well. Misdreavus is also a good teammate, as it is immune to Ground-type attacks and can threaten Golem, Armaldo, Piloswine, and other common leads with Will-O-Wisp and Taunt. Anything that can take on strong Fire-types helps, thus making Carracosta and Seismitoad effective partners for Metang, but they should be wary of Hidden Power Grass that the Fire-types might carry. Pokemon that find Normal- and Flying-types troublesome generally appreciate Metang's presence; Serperior and Primeape are the most noteworthy of these. Alomomola can pass big Wishes to Metang and resists Fire-type attacks aimed at it.

With Eviolite boosting its stellar Defense, Metang becomes a usable physical wall. Metang differentiates itself from other Steel-types in NU with its amazing typing, which is greatly appreciated on stall teams as it lets Metang not only wall popular Normal-, Psychic-, and Flying-types such as Zangoose, Kangaskhan, Musharna, Braviary, and Swellow, but also keep its important resistances and take neutral hits from Fighting-type moves. Metang takes advantage of its resistances by using them to find opportunities to support its team with entry hazards in the form of Stealth Rock. Meteor Mash is Metang's strongest STAB move to directly damage its foes while potentially boosting its Attack. Toxic gives Metang a way to wear down bulky Pokemon trying to set up on it that would otherwise take very little damage from its other attacks. Psych Up is used in the fourth moveslot to copy the boost from Pokemon that think they can set up on Metang, such as Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary, Calm Mind Musharna with Heal Bell, Substitute + Calm Mind Serperior, and Bulk Up Scraggy. If your team needs Metang to take special attacks, an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD with a Careful nature can be used, as it lets Metang take hits from Pokemon such as Gardevoir and Haunter more effectively. As far as partners go, stall partners such as Alomomola, which in particular can easily take any Ground-type move headed toward Metang and provide it with recovery in the form of Wish, and others are your best choices. Zweilous is also a great partner, as it can easily take hits from special attackers such as Charizard, Samurott, and Ludicolo, and along with Metang, wall every relevant special attacker when used together. Furthermore, Metang can still cover most physical attackers. Audino and Lickilicky also pair well with Metang, as they can tank a special attack, provide recovery with Wish, and heal status conditions with Heal Bell.

Set Description Meteor Mash is Metang's best way to apply consistent damage to Pokemon like Chimecho, Roselia, and Dewgong, while Earthquake hits Steel-resistant foes like Mawile, Flareon, and Torkoal. Toxic lets Metang cripple bulky Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash, which switch into its primary attacks with ease. Protect is great for racking up poison damage and scouting Choice item Pokemon such as Relicanth and Murkrow. Explosion is an alternative to Protect that lets Metang remove problematic foes for its teammates, although due to Metang's lack of Attack investment, it may require decent chip damage to do so. 252 HP EVs and 228 Special Defense EVs let Metang avoid the 2HKO from defensive Chimecho's +1 Hidden Power Fire, while the Defense EVs help it pivot into attacks from Normal- and Flying-types like Raticate and Pidgeot. Leftovers lets Metang repeatedly switch into attacks from Pokemon like Haunter, Chimecho, and Golbat. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho. Metang's goal is to switch into Pokemon it checks such as Haunter and begin spreading poison with Toxic and weakening the opposition with its attacks. As Metang draws in defensive Water-types very frequently, it's usually wise to double switch to a teammate that can handle a predicted switch into such a foe. Although Metang can check Choice Band attackers like Pidgeot and Raticate, it must be cautious of super effective coverage from them; use Protect to scout them so you can decide whether or not to keep Metang in. Team Options Metang benefits greatly from Water-types like Wailord and Pelipper, since they can switch into Fire-type attacks and threaten Ground-types. In return, Metang handles Roselia and Cacturne. On the flip side, Metang can't really make any headway against opposing Water-types, since they commonly carry Rest to remove poison and take little damage from Metang's attacks; therefore, Pokemon like Roselia, Pikachu, and Plusle are beneficial teammates. Although Metang can switch into certain attacks from Pokemon like Pidgeot, Murkrow, and Raticate, it's ideal to pair it with a sturdy physical wall like Chimecho, Sableye, or Torkoal that can more consistently handle such Pokemon.

Set Description Meteor Mash is a strong STAB attack that deals great damage to common physically defensive Pokemon such as Chimecho and Sableye, with a useful chance to boost Attack to help Metang wallbreak further. Earthquake synergizes well with Meteor Mash, targeting foes like Mawile, Torkoal, and Wailord. Explosion lets Metang outright remove defensive Water-types like Wailord, Pelipper, and Whiscash. Agility lets Metang serve as a late-game sweeper and outspeed Pokemon such as Raticate, Haunter, and Pikachu. Protect and Toxic are alternatives to Agility that aid Metang in wallbreaking; Protect provides it with insurance against Choice Band Pokemon like Relicanth and Pidgeot that only have one attack to threaten Metang with, while Toxic cripples Pokemon like Sableye and Pelipper. 124 Speed EVs allow Metang to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon like Roselia and defensive Flareon; the remaining EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Metang's Attack and improve its bulk somewhat. Leftovers helps sustain Metang's health against attacks from Pokemon it soft checks like Haunter and Pidgeot. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho. Early-game, Metang should be focusing on using its great coverage to weaken its checks so it can sweep late-game with Agility. Against more offensive builds, however, using Agility can help let Metang wallbreak more safely, with it no longer having to worry about being revenge killed by a faster foe. Gauging when to use Explosion is necessary; it is usually ideal to use it to remove a bulky Water-type like Whiscash or Pelipper when they're expected to switch in, assuming Metang's defensive utility is no longer needed. Team Options Spikes support from Pokemon like Roselia and Glalie is incredibly useful in wearing down checks like Wailord, Whiscash, and Sableye so Metang can sweep late-game more consistently. Additionally, having Pokemon like offensive Wailord and Flareon that can directly pressure bulky Water-types is helpful. If using Metang as more of a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper, Pokemon such as Huntail and Pupitar that appreciate it pressuring Pokemon such as Wailord and Whiscash with Explosion are ideal. On the other hand, other Self-Destruct and Explosion users like Wailord and Haunter are good to remove checks to Metang like opposing Wailord and Chimecho.

Set Description Meteor Mash and Earthquake have amazing offensive synergy, with Meteor Mash smacking anything that doesn't resist it for great damage and Earthquake hitting resistant targets such as Wailord, Torkoal, and opposing Metang for a good amount. Choice Band-boosted Explosion essentially lets Metang remove any foe that isn't resistant or immune to it, with bulky Water-types being a common target. Sleep Talk is beneficial for leading with Metang, letting it absorb Venomoth's Sleep Powder, although Toxic is a fine alternative so Metang can cripple bulky Water-types. Maximum Speed investment is necessary so Metang can outspeed Sunny Day Bellossom outside of sun. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature and Choice Band allows Metang to 2HKO defensive Chimecho and Sableye. Clear Body prevents Attack drops from Mawile's Intimidate as well as Special Defense drops from Psychic users like Haunter and Chimecho. With this set, Metang will only be looking to use a move other than Meteor Mash on expected switches into resistant foes; otherwise, Meteor Mash is optimal due to its great power and damage output against neutral targets like Chimecho and defensive Sableye. Although Earthquake can generate decent damage against Wailord and Whiscash, particularly with Spikes support, Explosion is a guaranteed way to remove them, so long as it connects. However, be careful with your timing of it; if Metang's defensive properties are helpful to check a Pokemon like Haunter or Pidgeot, it may be more beneficial to keep chipping away with Earthquake or cripple them with Toxic if you opt to run it. Team Options Spikes from Glalie or Roselia is extremely beneficial, as it makes breaking through Wailord and Whiscash with Earthquake less of a daunting task. Roselia is also great because it can threaten heavy damage to Water-types and paralyze faster Pokemon like Murkrow and Pidgeot with Stun Spore. Late-game sweepers such as Huntail, Calm Mind Chimecho, and Salac or Petaya Berry Haunter benefit from Metang's wallbreaking; in particular, Huntail enjoys having Wailord removed by Metang's Explosion, while Chimecho and Haunter appreciate Sableye and opposing Chimecho being heavily pressured.