“As I spread my web, no one shall help you. No one will hear you scream.”
-Delta Spidergorss
Hi guys, girls and everything in-between! As Ruingross was the 2nd Pokémon I covered in this serie, its no surprise I cover spidergross on the 20th. As the first analysed Pokémon of 2021, let’s see how this Pokémon perform competitively. Now I have a new tool to analyse the theoretical metagame! It is @Gies’s updated simulator, although I disagree some Pokémon listed as Ins.OU (namely Mega Flygon), so I won’t consider it as absolute truth. More as some sort of baseline.
Be warned, since there is no competitive usage stats avaliable, I do not have any reliable ways to accurately predict the metagame. This analysis is theoretical and does not entirely reflect a Pokémon’s viability.
Typing, Stats, Ability & Movepool
Ground/Bug
Ability: Mold Breaker (Poison Touch/Immunity/Poison Heal(DW))
Hp: 80
Atk: 145 (135)
Def: 150 (130)
SpA: 105 (95)
SpD: 110 (90)
Spe: 110 (70)
Boasting an interesting typing, huge stats and great ability in Mold Breaker makes it a force to be recon with, if it ever gets to mega evolve that is. Mega Metagross’s stats are near perfect for a wallbreaker, we all know this. 110 speed is a great speed tier, allowing to tie with Gengar, Mega Delta Gallade and the Lati twins. Plus, with its typing and ability, it can OHKO them with ease. It also allows to outspeed Mega Bisharp and the crowded base 100 like Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard, Jirarchi and Mew.
Mega Metagross’s typing is kinda interesting. It is nice offensively, as it only require Rock to get a perfect coverage. So, a combo of Earthquake, X-Scissor and Rock Slide is everything it needs. It leave it with a very flexible last moveslot. It could be support, as Spidergross possess Pursuit, Sticky Web, Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Taunt, Protect (to ease Mega) and Toxic. As for an offensive last slot, it can have Hone Claws, Agility, Gunk Shot, Superpower and Knock Off. I would personally prefer Protect, because its defensive typing possesses serious flaws. Sure, it resist Ground, Poison, Fighting and is Electric immune, but it have Flying, Fire, Water and Ice as major weaknesses. Since these types are everywhere, it have trouble Mega Evolving. Ground typing give it an immunity to Livewire/Thunder Wave and a neutrality to Stealth Rock, so that’s great.
Mold Breaker is very important for its success. It allows it to OHKO Rotom-W, Delta Vespiqueen, Delta Volcarona and Gengar using STAB Earthquake.
Sets Suggestions
Standard
Metagross-Delta-S-Mega @ Delta Metagrossite Spider
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-X-Scissor
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Protect / U-Turn
252 Atk and Speed allows to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Jolly Nature allows to at worst speed tie with opposing base 110 speed and outspeed Timid Keldeo (which mean all Keldeo).
This is the standard and recommended set. X-Scissor is a STAB move that touch Psychic type like Slowbro and Mew for supper effective damage. Earthaque alongside Mold Breaker allows Spidergross to bypass Levitate and as such ignore Levitate. Rock Slide rounds up the coverage to hit Flying types and complete a perfect coverage. Protect allows Mega Spidergross to Mega Evolve in safety and scout Choice Scarf users. U-Turn can deal massive damage and pivot at the same time!
Other Options
As mentionned previously, Mega Spidergross last slot can be much more diversified. Knock Off removes item from common switch-in, while Pursuit can trap opposing Dark weak Pokémon. Agility/Rock polish makes it a solid Sweeper, Hone Claws patch Rock Slide’s accuracy and Gunk Shot smash Fairy types like the omnipresent Clefable and Mega Milotic. Hazards can also helps, namely Sticky Web.
Having a suicide lead set for its base form might seems appealing, but in fact, it is totally outclassed by Shuckle because of its superior bulk, access to Final Gambit and most of all, Sturdy allows it to hold Mental Herb, thus giving it a one time immunity to Taunt and a built-in focus sash. This makes Shuckle a much more effective suicide lead.
Good teammates
Spidergross need support to fonction properly, especially if forgoing Protect.
- Volcanion makes a good teammates as it is a solid check to most Fire, Water and Ice type Pokémon. While Volcanion is a nuisance for bulkyer builds, Mega Spidergross can cover more offensive ones and both don’t have much switch-in. In return, Spidergross cover Rotom-W and other electric that prevent Volcanion from spamming Steam Eruption.
- Electric types like Raikou or Flying resistant Pokémon like Heatran or Tyranitar helps a lot. Tyranitar in particular allows to check Talonflame better than the previous ones.
- Some Jirachi variants can use Healing Wish and allows to play more aggressively. Defensive variants also setup Stealth Rock and help chip damage the opposing check like Weavile.
- Water Absorb/Stom Drain Pokémon are notoriously good against Rain team, a very troublesome matchup for Mega Spidergross. Gastrodon and Ferrothorn are especially good in this regard.
- Choice Scarf Delta Chandelure can beat most Steel types that Spidergross can’t and revenge kill Gengar with Psychic, the Latis twins and Kyurem-B with Moonblast and Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Fire Blast.
- Psychic types enjoy Spidergross covering Dark types with its Bug Move. Notable ones includes Slowbro for a pivot, Starmie for a Rapid Spinner or fearsome wallbreaker core, UFI for a trapper and the Latis twins for defogger and Keldeo Check.
Check and counter
- Weavile is by no mean a switch-in, but it outspeed and deal massive damage with Icicle Crash and deal with some of its common partner.
- Faster Flying types like Tornadus-T and Gale Wing Users can OHKO or at least deal massive damage with a Hurricane or a Flying Gem boosted priority Accrobatic.
- Faster Water Types like Starmie and Choice Scarf Keldeo can OHKO and outspeed Spidergross.
- Choice Scarf Delta Chandelure can switch into a X-Scissor and then proceed to OHKO with Fire Blast.
- Rain archetype is a huge deal for Delta Spidergross. Swift Swimm Pokémon like Kingdra, Mega Swapert, Kabutops and Delta Dragonite are especially scary. Plus, they also frequently have a Hurricane user like the previously mentionned Tornadus-T.
Overall
Mega Spidergross can proven to be hard to use, but is defenetly worth it with the proper support. Its the only offensive Pokémon in the tier with access to Sticky Web, but rarely will use it. It can double down as a string pivot with a monstrous U-Turn.
- Mega Delta Venusaur
- Tornadus-T
- Ferrothorn
- Delta Vespiqueen
- UFI
- Other (comments)