Mega Rayquaza Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves The high priority of Fake Out and Extreme Speed, coupled with Extreme Speed's decent power, allows Mega Rayquaza to almost always hit hard before the opponent moves. Fake Out, which is boosted by Aerilate and STAB, gets free damage due to the 100% flinch chance and can be followed up by Extreme Speed to deal good damage to anything that does not resist it. However, King's Shield can replace Fake Out to scout the opponent's moves and punish Pokemon using contact moves. Mega Rayquaza's third move slot is Boomburst, which 2HKOes practically anything that does not resist it and hits through Substitute, although it is blocked by Soundproof. If Soundproof is a worry, Techno Blast can be used instead, but Techno Blast has fewer PP and less power and doesn't bypass Substitutes. For Mega Rayquaza's final moveslot, King's Shield may be used to prevent revenge killers from KOing it and to scout the opponent's moveset; however, be wary when using King's Shield, as it does not protect from status moves. Alternatively, Magma Storm can be used to hit Steel-types super effectively while also KOing Sturdy Shedinja on the switch. Spore can also be used to put a foe to sleep. However, this makes Mega Rayquaza susceptible to Magic Bounce users; Safety Goggles may be used to overcome this drawback. Set Details Mega Rayquaza has maximum EVs in Attack and Speed to outspeed or Speed tie with other Mega Rayquaza and maximum Speed Mega Diancie while also dealing maximum damage with Fake Out and Extreme Speed. The final 4 EVs are invested into Special Attack to deal slightly more damage with Boomburst. A Hasty Nature allows Mega Rayquaza the most offensive capability with maximum Speed. Mega Rayquaza may also alter its EVs to favor Special Attack, changing its role from a priority-using revenge killer into a wallbreaker. Aerilate, which turns Mega Rayquaza's Normal-type moves into boosted Flying-type STAB moves, is the chosen ability to provide powerful Flying-type priority attacks. Sky Plate can be used to boost all of Mega Rayquaza's STAB attacks without any drawbacks. Safety Goggles is another option to avoid being hit by Spore, which is commonly found on a Prankster Steel-types. Safety Goggles also complements Mega Rayquaza's own Spore, as it prevents Mega Rayquaza from being put to sleep if it uses Spore on a Pokemon with Magic Bounce. Usage Tips Mega Rayquaza should use Fake Out and Extreme Speed if the foe can outspeed or outprioritize it otherwise, while Boomburst is the preferred option for wallbreaking against slower teams. However, due to the abundance of King's Shield in the metagame, Boomburst can be used over Fake Out or Extreme Speed if the foe is suspected to have King's Shield. Moves such as U-turn, Volt Switch, Baton Pass, and Parting Shot are useful for bringing in Mega Rayquaza safely, as it is relatively frail and does not appreciate taking unnecessary damage. Team Options As Mega Rayquaza is weak to other common Fake Out and Extreme Speed users such as Kyurem-B and Mega Diancie, a Steel-type such as Registeel or Aegislash that resists both of these Pokemon's STAB moves is a vital teammate. These two Steel-types can also counter to Pokemon with Imposter that have transformed into Mega Rayquaza. A way to beat Shedinja is necessary, as Mega Rayquaza cannot break Shedinja unless it has Magma Storm, which is unreliable. Effective ways to deal with it are entry hazard support and Pokemon with a combination of Mold Breaker and Pursuit. Mega Rayquaza also appreciates hazard removal and cleric support through Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Registeel, as Mega Rayquaza is weak to Stealth Rock and is crippled by burns, which makes its priority attacks nearly useless. Mega Rayquaza also appreciates hazard setters such as Giratina and Deoxys-S, as Mega Rayquaza usually forces a lot of switches. Pokemon that can remove Steel-types, such as Mega Mewtwo X and Red Orb Groudon, are also necessary to eliminate some of Mega Rayquaza's most common checks.

Moves Oblivion Wing is a strong Flying-type move that recovers Mega Rayquaza's HP, allowing Mega Rayquaza to run a Life Orb to compensate for the loss of power compared to Boomburst. It also allows Mega Rayquaza to effectively use Substitute to block incoming status and attempted use of Imposter, as the HP lost from using Substitute can be regained through Oblivion Wing. Tail Glow boosts Mega Rayquaza's Special Attack to drastic levels, allowing it to take down even some Pokemon that resist its attacks; with a Substitute and a single Tail Glow, Mega Rayquaza can OHKO Mega Diancie without fear of being knocked out by Extreme Speed or Fake Out. Magma Storm can be used to hit Steel-types that resist Oblivion Wing. Magma Storm can also KO Shedinja. Alternatively, Earth Power can be used to hit Steel- and Rock-types, both of which resist Oblivion Wing. However, Mega Rayquaza is unable to hit Shedinja with Earth Power and therefore requires the team to have another way of beating it. Set Details Gale Wings gives all of Mega Rayquaza's Flying-type moves +1 priority, allowing it to outprioritize most threats other than Fake Out and Extreme Speed users. Life Orb is used to increase the power of Oblivion Wing. Oblivion Wing restores HP, and counteracts the recoil from Life Orb. Alternatively, Leftovers can be used to allow Mega Rayquaza to set up more Substitutes. Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Mega Rayquaza to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Modest is preferred to maximize Special Attack, but Timid can be used to outspeed other Gale Wings Mega Rayquaza. Usage Tips Try to bring in Mega Rayquaza on something it can force out in order to set up Substitute or Tail Glow. Be wary setting up when the opponent still has a Pokemon with higher-priority moves or a tank that resists Oblivion Wing, as these can often force Mega Rayquaza out. Due to Substitute blocking Transform and Imposter, Substitute is generally the best choice if the opponent still has an Imposter in the back. Only attempt to sweep when anything that can check Mega Rayquaza at +3 Special Attack has been removed. Team Options Imposter Chansey is a common switch-in to Mega Rayquaza. Therefore, a powerful special tank or an Unaware user such as Cresselia is vital to prevent it from sweeping. If Earth Power is used over Magma Storm, Shedinja is another option to take on Chansey as well as to beat Mega Diancie. This set appreciates entry hazard removal from Pokemon like Registeel and Giratina to avoid taking unnecessary amounts of damage from switching in. Mega Rayquaza also appreciates having hazards on the opponent's side of the field through Pokemon such as Giratina and Deoxys-S, as entry hazards prevent Shedinja from switching in. Steel-type tanks such as Registeel and Aegislash are useful to take attacks from Pokemon with the abilities Pixilate and Refrigerate using Fake Out and Extreme Speed. Shedinja should still be accounted for, even if Magma Storm is run, and can be checked by a Mold Breaker Pursuit user or the aforementioned hazards. This Mega Rayquaza set is not threatened as much by status, as Substitute blocks most of it, but because it tends to stay in for extended periods of time, status removal through Pokemon like Mega Audino is useful to keep Mega Rayquaza healthy.

Moves Boomburst is Mega Rayquaza's strongest move; with the boosts from Aerilate, STAB, and Choice Specs, it is able to 2HKO almost every Pokemon in the game, including Chansey and specially defensive Aegislash, with no drawbacks and the added bonus of hitting through Substitute, making it really hard to switch into and even impossible without a Pokemon that resists Flying or has Soundproof. The next moves aim to patch up these weaknesses, with Techno Blast being able to OHKO physically defensive Soundproof users such as Mega Slowbro and Groudon while still hitting everything else extremely hard and having no drawbacks. Ground coverage is necessary to get past some bulky Rock-types, the main target being RegenVest or Sand Stream Mega Tyranitar, but it is also really useful for Prankster Registeel as well as RegenVest Zekrom and Mega Ampharos that can otherwise switch on Choice Specs Rayquaza and OHKO it back. Secret Sword can be used over Precipice Blades to guarantee an OHKO on Mega Tyranitar, which might be able to recover its health throughout the battle otherwise, especially if it's running Regenerator. In that case, Draco Meteor should be used over Techno Blast, as it still reliably OHKOes common Soundproof users but also hits RegenVest Zekrom and Mega Ampharos. Draco Meteor can also OHKO specially defensive Giratina before it can cripple Rayquaza with status or retaliate with Metal Burst, but the move forces Rayquaza out once used, potentially allowing a Pokemon to set up, and therefore it isn't as easy to use as Techno Blast. Extreme Speed is used so that Rayquaza keeps some of the revenge killing capabilities of standard Aerilate sets, as even without a boost, it hits extremely hard against frailer or weakened Pokemon. It can be replaced with additional coverage, mainly Volt Switch, which allows you to scout the opponent's move as well as weaken potential counters or, in the case of Shedinja, remove them with the support of a Mold Breaker Pursuit trapper. However, Volt Switch does have the negative effect of giving Imposter Chansey momentum. Trick is another option to permanently cripple a wall that Rayquaza might not be able to break or to just ease up prediction in a battle where the boost from Choice Specs isn't needed; it should be used carefully and only as a last resort, as Rayquaza's item is what makes it so threatening, and it becomes significantly easier to handle without it. Finally, Magma Storm can be used as a way to provide Rayquaza with additional coverage and a way to deal with Shedinja. It also prevents foes from switching out, which can help guarantee a 2HKO on Steel-types, but comes at the cost of low accuracy. Set Details Maximum Special Attack investment as well as a Special Attack-increasing nature is necessary to allow Rayquaza to properly break common switch-ins. Maximum Attack investment gives Extreme Speed as much power as possible. Aerilate turns Boomburst into a Flying-type move, giving it a staggering 273 Base Power coupled with Choice Specs, which boosts its power just enough to invalidate some of Rayquaza's most common switch-ins. Minimal Special Defense IVs can be used to punish Imposter Chansey harder if it switches into Rayquaza directly but will make Rayquaza a bit easier to revenge kill with special attacks. 56 Attack EVs can be moved to Speed to allow it to outpace 148+ Spe and 252 Spe Kyogre. If no physical move is chosen, Rayquaza can opt for a Modest nature with the Attack EVs moved into either Speed or bulk depending on the needs of the team. Another spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base 110 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Mega Diancie, but Rayquaza then has significantly less power and relies much more on entry hazard support and chip damage to get the 2HKOs it needs. Usage Tips Boomburst is not only Rayquaza's strongest move but also its safest, as it has no drawbacks, it has high PP, and even if the opponent has a switch-in, they will be forced to recover. For these reasons, it's the move you should be clicking most of the time and start with if you're unsure of the opponent's play. Cases where you wouldn't want to click Boomburst mindlessly are if there's an obvious switch-in like Mega Slowbro on an -ate weak team or Zekrom, in which case aggressive predictions can really put the opponent under pressure from early-game. Additionally, a lot of teams don't have a switch-in to Choice Specs Rayquaza and might want to rely on Shedinja after Choice Specs has been revealed, in which case double switching into a Mold Breaker Pursuit trapper will really put them under pressure. A more defensive team with many pivots doesn't necessarily have to play aggressively, as they can bring Rayquaza in many times throughout the battle. Very rarely switch Rayquaza directly in unless you predict the opponent to switch or recover, as Rayquaza should avoid all kinds of status and most defensive Pokemon in Balanced Hackmons run a pivoting move, making switching in directly often useless. If Rayquaza runs Volt Switch, it's an extremely good way to scout and weaken your opponent's answers early-game as well as easily removing Shedinja with support from Mold Breaker Pursuit. When switch-ins have been removed, Rayquaza can just spam Boomburst. Team Options Imposterproofing is necessary as to avoid a countersweep from Imposter Chansey. The Imposter-countering method will depend completely on the chosen coverage, but either way, Chansey doesn't run Choice Specs, which makes it much more manageable. Fur Coat Chansey can counter Mega Rayquaza's Imposter no matter what coverage is used. Aegislash can counter any variant that runs Fighting coverage with relative ease, and Levitate Registeel can do the same with Ground. A way to beat Shedinja is necessary, so a Mold Breaker Pursuit trapper like Mega Mewtwo X, Giratina, or Mega Gengar is a good teammate. Mold Breaker Pokemon can also set Stealth Rock up without worrying about Magic Bounce, which raises Rayquaza's chance of 2HKOing specially defensive Registeel with Boomburst from 60% to 98%, easing prediction and making revenge killers such as opposing Rayquaza and Imposter Chansey take chip damage. A way to remove Stealth Rock from the field is also incredibly important, as Rayquaza is weak to Rock. A Pokemon that finds opportunities to switch in against most teams can usually use Defog reliably; Giratina, for example, checks most physical attackers and is able to use Defog. Steel-types and -ate checks, such as Registeel, Aegislash, and more specific Pokemon such as Magic Guard Ho-Oh and specially defensive Tyranitar, are also reliable Defoggers because of the prevalence of Rayquaza and Diancie in the metagame. RegenVest users such as Metagross and Zekrom can also use Rapid Spin but are less reliable due to Ghost-type Pokemon like Giratina being immune to Rapid Spin. A Magic Bounce Pokemon can also help at preventing hazards altogether, though a Defogger should still be run alongside it in case of a mispredict or Mold Breaker user. Ways to bait and beat Chansey are not at all necessary, but appreciated; these include bulky Pokemon with a trapping move that can make Chansey struggle to death, some Magnet Pull combination like the common Dialga + Xerneas core, or a Steel-type with Volt Switch and a Magnet Pull Ground-type.