[OVERVIEW]
Necrozma-DM is the single most potent sweeper in Anything Goes, and excels on every style of team. Terrific typing backed by Prism Armor and colossal bulk make Necrozma-DM incredibly difficult to KO, allowing it to effortlessly leverage its immense natural power set up and to win games on a dime. Necrozma-DM's unique defensive profile makes it the most consistent switch-in to Eternatus and the only pivot for Choice Band Ho-Oh's Brave Bird, additionally checking Arceus, Arceus-Fairy, Deoxys-A, and Zacian-C while deterring Dragon-type moves from Koraidon and Miraidon. Unparalleled versatility in choice of moves, EV spreads, and Tera types enables Necrozma-DM to pick and choose its answers like little else in the metagame. Despite this myriad of excellent traits, Necrozma-DM can be taken advantage of by powerful threats like Calyrex-S, Koraidon, Kyogre, and Arceus-Ground, while some common walls like Ting-Lu, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Water are able to take Necrozma-DM's attacks and respond by crippling it or phazing it.
[SET]
Bulky Dragon Dance (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Prism Armor
Tera Type: Fire / Water
EVs: 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 Spe OR 248 HP / 132 Atk / 128 Spe
Impish / Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Sunsteel Strike
- Earthquake / Stone Edge / Photon Geyser
- Moonlight
[SET COMMENTS]
Necrozma-DM is an incredibly potent sweeper, leveraging its stellar defensive profile to set up on a plethora of common options like Arceus, Zacian-C, and Eternatus. Sunsteel Strike is the preferred STAB move over alternative options like Photon Geyser or Iron Head for its combination of power and coverage, especially notably against Ting-Lu, Calyrex-S, and defensive Arceus formes. Earthquake is the go-to coverage move for its ability to hit Miraidon, Zacian-C, and opposing Necrozma-DM for major damage. Stone Edge or Photon Geyser can instead be used on more offensive teams; Stone Edge OHKOes Ho-Oh that are lured in, while Photon Geyser hits Arceus-Water and Kyogre and OHKOes Koraidon, though both options will flounder against opposing Necrozma-DM. Heavy-Duty Boots provides unrivaled longevity in the face of Ting-Lu's ever-present Spikes, allowing Necrozma-DM to switch in repeatedly without compromising its defensive presence or ability to set up. Tera Fire grants a crucial resistance Fire-type attacks, stymying Choice Scarf Koraidon's revenge killing attempts and turning offensive Ho-oh into setup fodder; it additionally blocks Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water. Tera Water also resists Fire-type attacks in addition to Kyogre's powerful STAB moves, while ridding Necrozma-DM of its Ground-type weakness and maintaining its Steel-type resistance, letting it always beat opposing Necrozma-DM and 1v1 Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground once boosted. Tera Steel is a niche option on offensive sets without Earthquake, boosting power to the stratosphere and potentially 2HKOing opposing Necrozma-DM at +2, though this fails against defensive Necrozma-DM and doesn't provide any defensive utility beyond removing its Ghost-type weakness. A spread of 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 Spe lets Necrozma-DM outspeed uninvested base 90 Speed Pokemon, non-Choice Scarf Calyrex-S after two Dragon Dances, and Adamant nature Choice Scarf Koraidon after using Dragon Dance three times; the remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to maximize defensive prowess, allowing for ridiculous feats like surviving +1 Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground's Earthquake and stalling out Choice Scarf Koraidon's Flare Blitz with Moonlight's increased healing in sun. Offensive teams can forgo the additional defensive investment for an offensive spread with an Adamant nature to markedly improve damage against Ting-Lu and defensive Arceus formes, though it must be said that this results in considerably reduced bulk, which is especially noticeable against Koraidon.
Few teams bar hyper offense don't appreciate Necrozma-DM's immense versatility as a powerful win condition. On more offensive teams it will work in tandem with other physical wallbreakers like Koraidon, Ho-Oh, Zacian-C, and Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground to overwhelm physical walls. Balance teams benefit greatly from Necrozma-DM's defensive utility—especially against Zacian-C—and provide it with a defensive backbone that enables Necrozma-DM to bide its time until it can set up and end the game. Ting-Lu is Necrozma-DM's single best partner on any team, providing refuge from Calyrex-S and Miraidon seeking to take advantage of Necrozma-DM, and the Spikes it easily stacks hinder attempts to revenge kill Necrozma-DM from Choice Scarf Koraidon and Calyrex-S while wearing down common checks to Necrozma-DM in Ting-Lu, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Ho-Oh is another wonderful partner for Necrozma-DM, checking Koraidon and Calyrex-S for it; in exchange Necrozma-DM can switch into Eternatus and deter Choice Scarf Koraidon from using Outrage. Necrozma-DM loves to be paired with powerful wallbreakers like Calyrex-S, Koraidon, and Choice Band Ho-Oh as these Pokemon excel at beating teams down into position for Necrozma-DM to checkmate them. Calyrex-S supports Necrozma-DM by doing major damage to Ho-Oh with its Choice Specs- or Nasty Plot-boosted attacks and weakening Ting-Lu, which can comfortably take hits from Necrozma-DM and phaze it out with Whirlwind. Koraidon can weaken defensive Arceus formes and force Ho-Oh to Terastallize into the Fairy-type from the threat of being 2HKOed by its Dragon-type moves, and thus become weak to Sunsteel Strike. Ho-Oh is the nemesis of any Necrozma-DM lacking Stone Edge, as it can comfortably take most of its attacks and respond with the threat of a Sacred Fire burn or phazing with Whirlwind. As such, having strong counterplay to Ho-Oh, such as Arceus-Water, Eternatus, or Miraidon is necessary due to Ho-Oh's propensity for staying healthy. Defensive Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water are other troublesome defensive checks to Necrozma-DM, so switchins to them, such as Ting-Lu or Ho-Oh for the former and Eternatus or Miraidon for the latter, are crucial. Kyogre, though wary of Photon Geyser or Tera Water, can often take advantage of Necrozma-DM to launch its powerful Water-type attacks necessitating a pivot for it like Eternatus, Miraidon, or Koraidon.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bulky Necrozma-DM has many different less consistent options. A specially defensive spread can be used to take less damage from Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage and to set up on Miraidon and defensive Arceus formes lacking Will-O-Wisp. However the lack of physical defense or offensive power leaves Necrozma-DM unable to set up or do meaningful damage against most teams. Swords Dance can be used over Dragon Dance for more immediate power, but this struggles to make an impact in endgame scenarios. Knock Off can be used as a coverage move to OHKO Calyrex-S and cripple Ho-Oh, but this struggles to do large damage to Arceus formes, Miraidon, and opposing Necrozma-DM. Sunsteel Strike could be dropped for Photon Geyser to do more damage to Ho-oh and Arceus-Water, but this will leave Necrozma-DM walled by Ting-Lu unable to do much damage to Calyrex-S.
A defensive set consisting of Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Sunsteel Strike, and Moonlight might seem enticing, but such a set is extremely passive and fails to make progress against defensive Arceus formes.
Necrozma-DM can effectively use nearly any Tera type to fill whatever role its team needs, but most options fail to help against its primary forms of counterplay and thus fail to have much effectiveness outside of niche circumstances.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh can comfortably stomach any of Necrozma-DM's attacks besides Stone Edge and respond with a powerful Sacred Fire or by phazing it out with Whirlwind.
**Calyrex-S**: Calyrex-S can deal massive damage to Necrozma-DM with Astral Barrage and will outspeed even after a Dragon Dance boost, though it is unable to switch in safely and fails to OHKO a healthy Necrozma-DM.
**Koraidon**: Koraidon massively threatens Necrozma-DM with sun-boosted Flare Blitz, and Choice Scarf variants will outspeed even after it uses Dragon Dance multiple times.
**Arceus Formes**: Defensive Arceus Formes, particularly Arceus-Water and Arceus-Ground, are able to take Necrozma-Dusk-Mane's attacks and respond by burning it with Will-O-Wisp or hitting it with a powerful Judgment. However they are worn down quickly when switching in with multiple layers of Spikes, especially if they are also tasked with checking Necrozma-DM's teammates.
**Kyogre**: Kyogre resists Sunsteel Strike and threatens to do major damage to Necrozma-DM, though it must be wary of Photon Geyser or Tera Water.
**Ting-Lu**: While unable to seriously threaten Necrozma-DM, Ting-Lu can take boosted hits from Necrozma-DM and use Whirlwind or weaken it with Ruination.
**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is one of its own biggest obstacles. Variants without Earthquake are completely walled, and even those with Earthquake can lose to Tera Water.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Necrozma-DM is the single most potent sweeper in Anything Goes, and excels on every style of team. Terrific typing backed by Prism Armor and colossal bulk make Necrozma-DM incredibly difficult to KO, allowing it to effortlessly leverage its immense natural power set up and to win games on a dime. Necrozma-DM's unique defensive profile makes it the most consistent switch-in to Eternatus and the only pivot for Choice Band Ho-Oh's Brave Bird, additionally checking Arceus, Arceus-Fairy, Deoxys-A, and Zacian-C while deterring Dragon-type moves from Koraidon and Miraidon. Unparalleled versatility in choice of moves, EV spreads, and Tera types enables Necrozma-DM to pick and choose its answers like little else in the metagame. Despite this myriad of excellent traits, Necrozma-DM can be taken advantage of by powerful threats like Calyrex-S, Koraidon, Kyogre, and Arceus-Ground, while some common walls like Ting-Lu, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Water are able to take Necrozma-DM's attacks and respond by crippling it or phazing it.
[SET]
Bulky Dragon Dance (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Prism Armor
Tera Type: Fire / Water
EVs: 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 Spe OR 248 HP / 132 Atk / 128 Spe
Impish / Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Sunsteel Strike
- Earthquake / Stone Edge / Photon Geyser
- Moonlight
[SET COMMENTS]
Necrozma-DM is an incredibly potent sweeper, leveraging its stellar defensive profile to set up on a plethora of common options like Arceus, Zacian-C, and Eternatus. Sunsteel Strike is the preferred STAB move over alternative options like Photon Geyser or Iron Head for its combination of power and coverage, especially notably against Ting-Lu, Calyrex-S, and defensive Arceus formes. Earthquake is the go-to coverage move for its ability to hit Miraidon, Zacian-C, and opposing Necrozma-DM for major damage. Stone Edge or Photon Geyser can instead be used on more offensive teams; Stone Edge OHKOes Ho-Oh that are lured in, while Photon Geyser hits Arceus-Water and Kyogre and OHKOes Koraidon, though both options will flounder against opposing Necrozma-DM. Heavy-Duty Boots provides unrivaled longevity in the face of Ting-Lu's ever-present Spikes, allowing Necrozma-DM to switch in repeatedly without compromising its defensive presence or ability to set up. Tera Fire grants a crucial resistance Fire-type attacks, stymying Choice Scarf Koraidon's revenge killing attempts and turning offensive Ho-oh into setup fodder; it additionally blocks Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water. Tera Water also resists Fire-type attacks in addition to Kyogre's powerful STAB moves, while ridding Necrozma-DM of its Ground-type weakness and maintaining its Steel-type resistance, letting it always beat opposing Necrozma-DM and 1v1 Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground once boosted. Tera Steel is a niche option on offensive sets without Earthquake, boosting power to the stratosphere and potentially 2HKOing opposing Necrozma-DM at +2, though this fails against defensive Necrozma-DM and doesn't provide any defensive utility beyond removing its Ghost-type weakness. A spread of 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 Spe lets Necrozma-DM outspeed uninvested base 90 Speed Pokemon, non-Choice Scarf Calyrex-S after two Dragon Dances, and Adamant nature Choice Scarf Koraidon after using Dragon Dance three times; the remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to maximize defensive prowess, allowing for ridiculous feats like surviving +1 Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground's Earthquake and stalling out Choice Scarf Koraidon's Flare Blitz with Moonlight's increased healing in sun. Offensive teams can forgo the additional defensive investment for an offensive spread with an Adamant nature to markedly improve damage against Ting-Lu and defensive Arceus formes, though it must be said that this results in considerably reduced bulk, which is especially noticeable against Koraidon.
Few teams bar hyper offense don't appreciate Necrozma-DM's immense versatility as a powerful win condition. On more offensive teams it will work in tandem with other physical wallbreakers like Koraidon, Ho-Oh, Zacian-C, and Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground to overwhelm physical walls. Balance teams benefit greatly from Necrozma-DM's defensive utility—especially against Zacian-C—and provide it with a defensive backbone that enables Necrozma-DM to bide its time until it can set up and end the game. Ting-Lu is Necrozma-DM's single best partner on any team, providing refuge from Calyrex-S and Miraidon seeking to take advantage of Necrozma-DM, and the Spikes it easily stacks hinder attempts to revenge kill Necrozma-DM from Choice Scarf Koraidon and Calyrex-S while wearing down common checks to Necrozma-DM in Ting-Lu, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Ho-Oh is another wonderful partner for Necrozma-DM, checking Koraidon and Calyrex-S for it; in exchange Necrozma-DM can switch into Eternatus and deter Choice Scarf Koraidon from using Outrage. Necrozma-DM loves to be paired with powerful wallbreakers like Calyrex-S, Koraidon, and Choice Band Ho-Oh as these Pokemon excel at beating teams down into position for Necrozma-DM to checkmate them. Calyrex-S supports Necrozma-DM by doing major damage to Ho-Oh with its Choice Specs- or Nasty Plot-boosted attacks and weakening Ting-Lu, which can comfortably take hits from Necrozma-DM and phaze it out with Whirlwind. Koraidon can weaken defensive Arceus formes and force Ho-Oh to Terastallize into the Fairy-type from the threat of being 2HKOed by its Dragon-type moves, and thus become weak to Sunsteel Strike. Ho-Oh is the nemesis of any Necrozma-DM lacking Stone Edge, as it can comfortably take most of its attacks and respond with the threat of a Sacred Fire burn or phazing with Whirlwind. As such, having strong counterplay to Ho-Oh, such as Arceus-Water, Eternatus, or Miraidon is necessary due to Ho-Oh's propensity for staying healthy. Defensive Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water are other troublesome defensive checks to Necrozma-DM, so switchins to them, such as Ting-Lu or Ho-Oh for the former and Eternatus or Miraidon for the latter, are crucial. Kyogre, though wary of Photon Geyser or Tera Water, can often take advantage of Necrozma-DM to launch its powerful Water-type attacks necessitating a pivot for it like Eternatus, Miraidon, or Koraidon.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bulky Necrozma-DM has many different less consistent options. A specially defensive spread can be used to take less damage from Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage and to set up on Miraidon and defensive Arceus formes lacking Will-O-Wisp. However the lack of physical defense or offensive power leaves Necrozma-DM unable to set up or do meaningful damage against most teams. Swords Dance can be used over Dragon Dance for more immediate power, but this struggles to make an impact in endgame scenarios. Knock Off can be used as a coverage move to OHKO Calyrex-S and cripple Ho-Oh, but this struggles to do large damage to Arceus formes, Miraidon, and opposing Necrozma-DM. Sunsteel Strike could be dropped for Photon Geyser to do more damage to Ho-oh and Arceus-Water, but this will leave Necrozma-DM walled by Ting-Lu unable to do much damage to Calyrex-S.
A defensive set consisting of Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Sunsteel Strike, and Moonlight might seem enticing, but such a set is extremely passive and fails to make progress against defensive Arceus formes.
Necrozma-DM can effectively use nearly any Tera type to fill whatever role its team needs, but most options fail to help against its primary forms of counterplay and thus fail to have much effectiveness outside of niche circumstances.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh can comfortably stomach any of Necrozma-DM's attacks besides Stone Edge and respond with a powerful Sacred Fire or by phazing it out with Whirlwind.
**Calyrex-S**: Calyrex-S can deal massive damage to Necrozma-DM with Astral Barrage and will outspeed even after a Dragon Dance boost, though it is unable to switch in safely and fails to OHKO a healthy Necrozma-DM.
**Koraidon**: Koraidon massively threatens Necrozma-DM with sun-boosted Flare Blitz, and Choice Scarf variants will outspeed even after it uses Dragon Dance multiple times.
**Arceus Formes**: Defensive Arceus Formes, particularly Arceus-Water and Arceus-Ground, are able to take Necrozma-Dusk-Mane's attacks and respond by burning it with Will-O-Wisp or hitting it with a powerful Judgment. However they are worn down quickly when switching in with multiple layers of Spikes, especially if they are also tasked with checking Necrozma-DM's teammates.
**Kyogre**: Kyogre resists Sunsteel Strike and threatens to do major damage to Necrozma-DM, though it must be wary of Photon Geyser or Tera Water.
**Ting-Lu**: While unable to seriously threaten Necrozma-DM, Ting-Lu can take boosted hits from Necrozma-DM and use Whirlwind or weaken it with Ruination.
**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is one of its own biggest obstacles. Variants without Earthquake are completely walled, and even those with Earthquake can lose to Tera Water.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
