Metagross

Using Metagross in a Playthrough

The Beldum line is Hoenn's Steel/Psychic pseudo-legendary family, with Beldum evolving into Metang at level 20 and Metang into Metagross at level 45. Metagross combines base 135 Attack and 130 Defense with 80 HP, 95 Special Attack, and 90 Special Defense, giving it exceptional physical power and bulk while Clear Body prevents opponents from lowering its stats. Generation III fits its mixed offense well because Steel attacks such as Meteor Mash are physical while Psychic is special, letting Metagross use both base 135 Attack and base 95 Special Attack; Earthquake, Shadow Ball in older mechanics, Explosion, and broad coverage further increase its flexibility. Its defensive typing was even stronger before Generation VI, when Steel still resisted Dark and Ghost and Metagross had only Fire and Ground weaknesses; from Generation VI onward Dark and Ghost also become super effective, although the newly introduced Fairy resistance adds another important defensive role. Mega Metagross raises Attack to 145, Defense to 150, Special Defense to 110, and Speed to 110 while Tough Claws strengthens contact moves, but in the original Hoenn games the family has little effect on the main story because Steven's Beldum is normally obtained only after becoming Champion.

Metagross in Competitive Pokémon

Metagross was immediately one of ADV OU's defining Pokemon, combining tremendous physical bulk, base 135 Attack, an excellent defensive typing, Clear Body, Meteor Mash, Earthquake, Explosion, and enough special coverage to fit offensive, defensive, mixed, Choice Band, and Agility roles. It remained one of DPP OU's best glue Pokemon, where Stealth Rock, Bullet Punch, improved physical coverage, Explosion, and Agility let it support teams or threaten sweeps without giving up its natural defensive value. Standard Metagross declined in later generations as Steel lost its Dark and Ghost resistances and power creep exposed its base 70 Speed, but Mega Metagross restored it to the top level in ORAS with base 145 Attack, 150 Defense, 110 Special Defense, 110 Speed, Tough Claws, and an enormous coverage movepool. Mega Metagross remained a major threat into Sun and Moon and was ultimately treated as an Uber rather than a standard OU Pokemon in that generation, illustrating how its combination of speed, bulk, and coverage could become overwhelming. Its recurring limitations are weaknesses to Fire and Ground plus later Dark and Ghost, imperfect accuracy on moves such as Meteor Mash or Zen Headbutt, and severe four-moveslot pressure because no single set can carry every coverage option it wants.

Metagross in Nuzlockes

The Beldum line can become one of the safest and strongest Nuzlocke families available, but availability often determines whether that matters: in the original Hoenn games Beldum is primarily a post-Champion gift and therefore cannot help with the normal main-story run. In games where it can be obtained earlier, Beldum's extremely low catch rate when wild and historically tiny early movepool can make acquisition and training awkward, but it reaches the much more capable Metang at only level 20 and Metagross at level 45. Metagross's huge Defense, strong Special Defense, Poison immunity, long resistance list, and Clear Body make many physical matchups extremely forgiving, while base 135 Attack can end battles quickly enough to reduce exposure to critical hits and secondary effects. Fire and Ground are the major original weaknesses, with Dark and Ghost joining them from Generation VI onward; despite its excellent bulk, strong super-effective special attacks can still cause serious damage and should be checked rather than tanked blindly. Mega Metagross increases both defenses and Speed dramatically, making it even safer where available, though Tough Claws encourages contact attacks that may still trigger effects such as Rough Skin, Static, or damaging held items.

Metagross is created when two Metang fuse, producing a body with four linked brains connected through a complex neural network and capable of parallel calculations said to exceed a supercomputer. It uses that intelligence tactically, analyzing opponents with extraordinary speed and calmly calculating how to drive them into losing positions rather than relying on brute strength alone. When hunting, however, its method is brutally physical: Metagross pins prey beneath its massive body with four clawed legs and then consumes the trapped animal using a large mouth on its underside. It can tuck in its legs and float through the air, and populations living on snowy mountains become especially energetic because cold temperatures strengthen their magnetic power. Mega Metagross is formed through an even larger linkage—one Metagross, one Metang, and two Beldum—and the resulting increase in brainpower makes it ruthlessly pragmatic; it will use almost any method to win, and if calculation shows victory is impossible it may seize the opponent with its claws and prepare to explode rather than accept defeat.