[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Double Iron Bash
move 2: Earthquake / Superpower
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 184 HP / 64 Atk / 248 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Running Assault Vest on this set increases Melmetal's special bulk, making it better at switching into and checking special attackers like Tapu Lele, Life Orb Clefable, and Dragapult. Double Iron Bash is Melmetal's main breaking move, and thanks to the boost from Iron Fist, is able to 2HKO neutral targets bar Buzzwole. Earthquake is a potent coverage move that hits the likes of opposing Melmetal, Heatran, Toxapex, and Victini that resist Melmetal's Double Iron Bash. Superpower can be used instead to hit Ferrothorn and Kartana much more powerfully, with Ferrothorn otherwise checking Melmetal and Kartana threatening it off the field with Sacred Sword. Thunder Punch hits bulky Water-and Flying-types like Toxapex, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Ice Punch decimates Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus-T and the Flying-types who aren't hit super effectively by Thunder Punch, namely Zapdos and Dragonite. 64 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature lets Earthquake secure an OHKO against Blaziken, 12 Speed EVs outspeeds Toxapex, and the rest is invested in HP and Special Defense to maximize special bulk, and 184 HP specifically lives Earthquake from bulky Dragonite after 3 Dragon Dances. It's worth running more Special Defense than HP since its HP is already naturally high.
Team Options
========
Melmetal fits best on bulky offense teams who appreciate the offensive and defensive utility it can compress into one slot. Landorus-T is a great teammate for it on these types of structures since it's able to soft-check Fire-types like Heatran and Blaziken and Fighting-types like Hawlucha and Buzzwole, as well as providing hazard removal with Defog and pivoting with U-turn to bring Melmetal in safely. Tapu Koko provides offensive support by setting Electric Terrain, powering up Thunder Punch and giving Melmetal a chance to 2HKO bulky walls like Slowbro, Corviknight, and Toxapex. Misty Terrain support from Tapu Fini is able to deny Will-O-Wisp from Dragapult and Victini, and eases prediction against Flame Body Pokemon like Volcarona and Heatran, who often want to switch in on a predicted Double Iron Bash and burn Melmetal to make it less offensively threatening. Rillaboom is a great partner for Melmetal if it's running Superpower over Earthquake, as it can make progress against Ferrothorn for Rillaboom while Rillaboom can beat the bulky Water-types who give Melmetal trouble, namely Slowbro and Rotom-Wash. Rillaboom also sets Grassy Terrain on switch in, weakening Earthquake damage from Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill, and giving Melmetal a form of passive recovery. Dragapult serves as vital speed control for bulky offense structures and can switch into anticipated Fighting-type attacks from Pokemon like Blaziken and Urshifu-R who would otherwise be able to overwhelm Melmetal, and also appreciates Melmetal being able to annihilate its checks like Blissey, Clefable, and Tyranitar so it can clean up late-game. Flying-types like Zapdos and Tornadus-T are able to come in on the Ground- and Fighting-types Melmetal doesn't like facing off against, and Melmetal is able to bash through the Fairy- and Ice-types the Flying-types struggle with such as Clefable, Weavile, and Arctozolt. Magnezone is a teammate who can trap Steel-types who give Melmetal a difficult time like Corviknight and Ferrothorn and remove them to make Melmetal's job a lot easier. However, the downside to this is your team stacks weaknesses, so you'll need teammates who are able to take on Fire-, Ground-, and Fighting-types.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Double Iron Bash
move 2: Earthquake / Superpower
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 184 HP / 64 Atk / 248 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Running Assault Vest on this set increases Melmetal's special bulk, making it better at switching into and checking special attackers like Tapu Lele, Life Orb Clefable, and Dragapult. Double Iron Bash is Melmetal's main breaking move, and thanks to the boost from Iron Fist, is able to 2HKO neutral targets bar Buzzwole. Earthquake is a potent coverage move that hits the likes of opposing Melmetal, Heatran, Toxapex, and Victini that resist Melmetal's Double Iron Bash. Superpower can be used instead to hit Ferrothorn and Kartana much more powerfully, with Ferrothorn otherwise checking Melmetal and Kartana threatening it off the field with Sacred Sword. Thunder Punch hits bulky Water-and Flying-types like Toxapex, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Ice Punch decimates Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus-T and the Flying-types who aren't hit super effectively by Thunder Punch, namely Zapdos and Dragonite. 64 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature lets Earthquake secure an OHKO against Blaziken, 12 Speed EVs outspeeds Toxapex, and the rest is invested in HP and Special Defense to maximize special bulk, and 184 HP specifically lives Earthquake from bulky Dragonite after 3 Dragon Dances. It's worth running more Special Defense than HP since its HP is already naturally high.
Team Options
========
Melmetal fits best on bulky offense teams who appreciate the offensive and defensive utility it can compress into one slot. Landorus-T is a great teammate for it on these types of structures since it's able to soft-check Fire-types like Heatran and Blaziken and Fighting-types like Hawlucha and Buzzwole, as well as providing hazard removal with Defog and pivoting with U-turn to bring Melmetal in safely. Tapu Koko provides offensive support by setting Electric Terrain, powering up Thunder Punch and giving Melmetal a chance to 2HKO bulky walls like Slowbro, Corviknight, and Toxapex. Misty Terrain support from Tapu Fini is able to deny Will-O-Wisp from Dragapult and Victini, and eases prediction against Flame Body Pokemon like Volcarona and Heatran, who often want to switch in on a predicted Double Iron Bash and burn Melmetal to make it less offensively threatening. Rillaboom is a great partner for Melmetal if it's running Superpower over Earthquake, as it can make progress against Ferrothorn for Rillaboom while Rillaboom can beat the bulky Water-types who give Melmetal trouble, namely Slowbro and Rotom-Wash. Rillaboom also sets Grassy Terrain on switch in, weakening Earthquake damage from Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill, and giving Melmetal a form of passive recovery. Dragapult serves as vital speed control for bulky offense structures and can switch into anticipated Fighting-type attacks from Pokemon like Blaziken and Urshifu-R who would otherwise be able to overwhelm Melmetal, and also appreciates Melmetal being able to annihilate its checks like Blissey, Clefable, and Tyranitar so it can clean up late-game. Flying-types like Zapdos and Tornadus-T are able to come in on the Ground- and Fighting-types Melmetal doesn't like facing off against, and Melmetal is able to bash through the Fairy- and Ice-types the Flying-types struggle with such as Clefable, Weavile, and Arctozolt. Magnezone is a teammate who can trap Steel-types who give Melmetal a difficult time like Corviknight and Ferrothorn and remove them to make Melmetal's job a lot easier. However, the downside to this is your team stacks weaknesses, so you'll need teammates who are able to take on Fire-, Ground-, and Fighting-types.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Last edited:
