Altaria

Altaria, The Humming Pokémon. It flies gracefully through the sky. Its melodic humming makes you feel like you're in a dream. On sunny days, it flies freely through the sky and blends into the clouds. It sings in a beautiful soprano. Altaria dances and wheels through the sky among billowing, cotton-like clouds. By singing melodies in its crystal-clear voice, this Pokémon makes its listeners experience dreamy wonderment. This Pokémon catches updrafts with its buoyant wings and soars way up into the wild blue yonder.

Overview

If there was an award for the fluffiest Pokemon, Altaria would probably be right up there as one of the top contenders. Despite the fact that it’s got fluffy cloud wings, a beak, and feathers on its head all pointing to it being a bird, Altaria is in fact a member of the mighty dragon type! ...Unfortunately though, Altaria has widely been considered the worst fully evolved dragon for generations. It’s not hard to see why; whereas most dragons are offensive powerhouses, Altaria sports some rather unimpressive attacking stats, with its emphasis being on defenses. Even then, however, its bulk is still outclassed by Dragonite, making it so there was no real reason to use Altaria, as its offensive sets were badly outclassed, and its support sets were novel at best. It seemed as though Altaria would forever be doomed to be overlooked in favor of other, more powerful dragons… until OR/AS came along, and gave Altaria a mega evolution! Its Mega Evolution is pretty amazing, too… so much so that it completely outclasses the base form, meaning there’s still no reason to use standard Altaria. If for some reason you’re unable to use Altaria’s Mega Evolution, you probably want to look for a different dragon, because there are many choices that do its jobs better. Positives
+Altaria’s movepool is solid. It’s got plenty of offensive options such as Fire Blast, Earthquake, Return, Hyper Voice, Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, and so on, it has access to the ever-potent Dragon Dance, and it also has a decent support movepool with Heal Bell and Roost.
+Natural Cure is a fantastic ability that can prevent status from screwing Altaria over.
+Altaria’s bulk is decent, as 75/90/105 defenses are not particularly frail.

Negatives
-Altaria’s offensive stats are horrid, especially for a dragon type. 70 Attack and Special Attack make it pretty lackluster in an offensive role, so it’s not particularly threatening.
-Altaria’s speed is also lacking. Base 80 speed holds it back in offensive roles a bit.
-A Stealth Rock weakness is athorn in Altaria’s side, stripping it of a quarter of its HP every time it switches in. This is especially problematic when Natural Cure requires Altaria to switch out to rid itself of status.
-That 4x Ice weakness that plagues many dragons is a problem for Altaria as well, as its bulk can’t protect it from a strong Ice type attack.
-When compared to other dragon types there’s almost no reason to use Altaria. It really can’t compete in offensive roles, and its modest bulk is not enough to differentiate itself. Altaria is considered so bad that it often has to compete with not-fully-evolved dragons such as Fraxure and Zweilous.
-Mega Altaria completely outclasses Altaria to the point where there is no reason to use standard Altaria if you can use its Mega Evolution.

Abilities

Natural Cure: The Pokémon’s status (BURN, PARALYZE, SLEEP, POISON, FREEZE) is healed when withdrawn from battle. - Natural Cure is a great ability, and pretty much every Pokemon that gets access to it loves having it. Altaria is no exception, as Natural Cure prevents Altaria from being stifled for the rest of the match by status. You’ll pretty much always want to use this ability.
Hidden Ability (Available):
Cloud Nine: All weather effects are negated while the Pokémon is on the field. - Cloud Nine is a situational ability, and one that is let down by terrible distribution. With the nerf to weather in Gen 6, pure weather teams are a thing of the past so many times Cloud Nine does nothing. Even if you’re looking at formats that allow things like Primal Goudon and Primal Kyogre, all of the Pokemon who get Cloud Nine are pretty bad, including Altaria, so they’ll usually end up dead weight. Cloud Nine may have some niche value every now and again, but honestly, Cloud Nine’s usefulness is sporadic at best; Natural Cure is far more reliable.

Movesets

Tough as a Cloud

-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Roost
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

Much like the name of the set implies, Altaria isn’t exactly the toughest Pokemon in the world… far from it actually. But, even though Altaria’s offensive stats aren’t the greatest, its movepool still lends itself well to an offensive set. Just note that if you’re playing in a format that lets you use other fully evolved dragons, then they’re usually always better options than Altaria.

Nevertheless, Dragon Dance is the crux of this set, as it allows Altaria to boost is underwhelming attack and speed to be moderately threatening. From there, Dragon Claw is its most reliable choice for a STAB attack, having modest base power with no drawbacks. Of course, steel types may trouble you, but that’s where Earthquake’s coverage comes in. Finally, in order to give Altaria a bit more longevity, Roost is an option, which in conjunction with Altaria’s decent bulk, affords it some staying power.

Adamant Nature and 252 Attack EVs try to stretch Altaria’s attack as far as it can go, while 252 Speed EVs help to maximize its speed. Jolly Nature could be used to give Altaria a little more speed, but with its meager base 70 attack, it really needs all the power it can get, so Adamant is preferred. Life Orb helps to give Altaria a bit more punch, and the recoil can be mitigated by Roost. Finally, Natural Cure is the ability of choice for its ability to prevent Altaria from being crippled by status.

Other Options

-Leftovers is an item option that can give Altaria a little more staying power, but at the cost of reducing its already low damage output.
-Outrage can be considered to give much more power than Dragon Claw, but being locked into it invites Steel or Fairy types to switch in.
-Altaria can utilize Special sets with options like Draco Meteor and Fire Blast, but with base 70 special attack and no way to boost it beyond items, it’s still not terribly threatening.
-Heal Bell affords Altaria a more supportive role, but it tends to be more passive as well since Altaria doesn’t exactly force switches.
-Roar is an option to phase things that might try to set up on Altaria, and can be decent on supportive sets to prevent Altaria from being setup bait.

Double & Triple Options

Altaria is one of those handful of Pokemon who simply wouldn't be on a team unless its Mega Evolving. When is the last time you've seen Beedrill or Pidgeot on Team Preview before ORAS? The point being, the base form brings so little to the table in terms of Base Stats, Abilities and being able to perform its job well in the current metagame. Altaria embodies this and reluctantly accepts that a Mega Stone will always be attached to it. Cloud Nine is an interesting ability this season however. Groudon and Kyogre are everywhere and while Altaria can open up holes in their gameplay, it is by no means a threat to either one on its own.

It's so Fluffy!!!

Tailwind
Power Swap
Cotton Guard
Roost
Item Attached: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP, 4 Def, 252 sDef
Relaxed Nature

Altaria won't be doing much damage as it is. So fully supportive and disruptive Altaria it is. Mostly grasping at straws because any decent Pokemon will be able to 2KO this poor Bird Dragon

Countering Altaria

Countering Altaria is not difficult in the sense that it’s not particularly threatening to play against. Eviolite Clefairy is typically only 5HKO’ed by Earthquake, while even at +1 it’s only a 3HKO. Meanwhile, Moonblast has a chance to 2HKO (which is guaranteed with Stealth Rock), or it can set up Calm Mind while it forces Altaria out. Regice is only 3HKO’ed by Dragon Claw, while at +1 Dragon Claw only 2HKOs (watch out for Stealth Rock, though), while Ice Beam soundly 1HKOs Altaria. Relicanth checks Altaria quite well by surviving Earthquake even at +1, although it can be 2HKO’ed by an unboosted Earthquake. Even so, Head Smash will obliterate Altaria in a heartbeat. Glaceon functions similarly in that it’s 2HKO’ed at +1, but can survive the +1 attack and 1HKO with Ice Beam. Avalugg stops Altaria cold (no pun intended) by only being 6HKO’ed by an unboosted Dragon Claw or 4HKO at +1, but Fire Blast or Draco Meteor from the rarer special sets can put a damper on it by 2HKOing. Gourgeist Super is only 5HKO’ed by Dragon Claw, and at +1 it’s still only a 4HKO, while it can utilize Leech Seed and Foul Play to wear down Altaria, with the latter punishing attempts to set up as well. Articuno is only 3HKO’ed by Dragon Claw, and at +1 it’s a 2HKO, but its Ice STAB 1HKOs Altaria. Armaldo’s in a similar situation of being 3HKO’ed by unboosted Dragon Claw and 2HKO’ed by +1, but Rock Blast can 1HKO Altaria with just 3 hits. Stoutland’s Choice Band set has enough power to 1HKO Altaria with Return about half the time, while it has enough bulk to survive +1 Dragon Claw. Common Scarf users such as Rotom-F and Raichu can revenge kill Altaria even if it’s at +1 speed, and 1HKO it with either Blizzard or HP Ice, respectively. In all honesty, there’s far more that can deal with Altaria, but we’d be here all day if I listed them all. Its bulk may be decent, but it’s prone to being threatened by offense given its own offensive presence prevents it from threatening things that try to deal with it. Putting Stealth Rock up also helps to wear it down as well, since it’ll lose a quarter of its HP just from switching in.

And don’t even think about trying to use Altaria in more inclusive formats. Its abysmal power fails to leave a dent in powerful physical threats such as Registeel, Rhyperior, Skarmory, Hippowdon, etc. The higher speed and power creep leaves it unable to withstand the assaults of things like Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, Starmie, and more. Honestly, so many things mutilate standard Altaria that it’s not even worth listing everything that does, or we’d be here all day. Standard Altaria has no business being used in anything but the most restrictive formats. It’s just not a good enough Pokemon to carry its weight.

Mega Corner

Overview

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire introduced a lot of Mega Evolutions, and several of them were intended to breathe life into some previously useless and forgotten Pokemon. Among those Pokemon to get a new lease on life were things like Beedrill, Pidgeot, Lopunny, and of course, Altaria. However, no one could have predicted just how good Mega Altaria would end up being. On paper, its stat spread still doesn’t seem all that impressive, as its offenses were boosted to base 110, which, while an improvement upon its normally lackluster offenses, might seem rather underwhelming by Mega Evolution standards. Yet, Mega Altaria received two blessings that made it an absolutely dominant force. The first is a brand new typing, and a unique one at that; Mega Altaria is the first and only Pokemon to sport the Dragon/Fairy typing, which is arguably the best defensive typing in the game. The second goes hand in hand with its new typing, because it also got a fantastic ability in the form of Pixilate. Pixilate not only gives Mega Altaria some fantastic STAB attacks, but it also affords it the power it so desperately desired; to put it in perspective, Mega Altaria’s Pixilate Return is actually stronger than Azumarill’s Huge Power Play Rough. Between its fantastic typing and deceptive power, Mega Altaria has become a top-tier, anti-metagame threat who can be a pain to play against. So underestimate Mega Altaria at your own peril, lest this fluffy dragon be the cause of your ruin.
Positives
+Dragon/Fairy typing is perhaps the greatest defensive typing in the game. With resistances to Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Dark, Fighting, Bug, and an immunity to Dragon, this thing can wall entire sets, and be one of the few things that can claim to wall both variants of Mega Charizard. In addition, its few weaknesses (Fairy, Poison, and Steel) are all easy to work around, as moves of these types are relatively rare on non-STAB users.
+Although base 110 Attack and Special Attack may seem underwhelming by Mega standards, they’re backed up by a fantastic ability in Pixilate, which gives normal type attacks a 30% damage boost, in addition to turning them into Fairy type attacks (which of course means STAB). This means Mega Altaria’s offensive presence is deceptively powerful, and it can hit from both sides of the spectrum as well, making it harder to outright wall.
+Altaria’s movepool is very much up to the task for its Mega Evolution. It’s got Return and Hyper Voice to take advantage of Pixilate on both the physical and special side, in addition to solid coverage moves such as Earthquake, Fire Blast, and Ice Beam. Throw in Dragon Dance for boosting, and things like Roost and Heal Bell to keep itself healthy, and you’ve got one difficult dragon on your hands.
+Mega Altaria’s bulk got slightly better as well, so it packs a decent 75/110/105 defensive spread. With its numerous resistances and no 4x weaknesses to prey on, Mega Altaria’s bulk allows it to take a few hits.
+By virtue of being a Mega Evolution and being resistant to Dark, Mega Altaria is one of the few Pokemon who can claim to reliably switch into the normally spammable Knock Off.
+Mega Altaria loses a Stealth Rock weakness upon Mega Evolving, which makes it a little easier to switch in.

Negatives
-Although Mega Altaria’s offenses got a boost, its speed did not. Base 80 speed still isn’t particularly impressive, as even after a Dragon Dance many common revenge killers, such as Scarf Excadrill, can outspeed and revenge kill it.
-Perhaps the only downside to the change in typing is that Mega Altaria loses its immunity to Ground and grounded hazards such as Spikes.
-Four moveslot syndrome is an issue for Mega Altaria. It almost always wants Roost, plus Return/Hyper Voice, which leaves just two moveslots, meaning if it utilizes Dragon Dance or Heal Bell it’ll always have a gap in its coverage. V -Mega Altaria sadly still has to start out as standard Altaria, which can make switching in a little more difficult.

Abilities

Pixilate: Increases the power of Normal-type moves by 30%. It then changes those moves to Fairy-type. - Pixilate is an amazing ability. This ability gained notoriety in X/Y when Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir used it to great effect, and in OR/AS, Mega Altaria utilizes it just as well. It is this ability that makes Altaria as deceptively powerful as it is; although base 110 offenses may not be overwhelmingly high, a 30% boost on normal type attacks that also turns them into STAB attacks is a godsend. This turns Return into a base 132 power physical STAB, and Hyper Voice becomes a base 104 power special STAB. With high-powered STAB moves with no drawbacks, Mega Altaria has everything it needs to be threatening.

Movesets

Thundercloud Formation

-Dragon Dance
-Return
-Earthquake
-Roost / Fire Blast
Item Attached: Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate (Natural Cure on Altaria)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

Unlike its base form, Mega Altaria runs a frightening Dragon Dance set that can be difficult to stop once it gets going. The premise is very simple; set up Dragon Dance when you have an opportunity, and proceed to wreak havoc. This is made easier by Mega Altaria’s great defensive typing, as its numerous resistances force plenty of switches. Dragon Dance helps remedy Mega Altaria’s lackluster speed while also giving it even more power. From there, you’ll find that Mega Altaria will be using Return most of the time, because with 102 base power, Pixilate turns it into 132 power STAB attack with no drawbacks. However, Fairy types has a few small gaps in its coverage, which are handled nicely by Earthquake, which can nail things like Mega Metagross hard. From there, Roost gives Mega Altaria some serious staying power, which can help it deal with the damage it may take from all those resisted hits it tried to sponge. However, it should be noted that you can also pack Fire Blast instead of Roost; this may sacrifice longevity, but it’ll allow you to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory who would otherwise trouble this set immensely.

Adamant Nature and 252 Attack EVs are intended to maximize Mega Altaria’s power, while 252 Speed EVs allow it to get as much speed as possible too. The remaining 4 EVs are put into special defense. When it comes to ability, it’s largely irrelevant which you choose since Altaria wants to Mega Evolve ASAP. Natural Cure can have use pre-Mega due to the fact that in very rare circumstances, it can prevent Mega Altaria from being screwed if you accidentally catch a status effect on the switch. However, Cloud Nine has some very rare use in that it can be used to put a stop to Swift Swim Kingdra or Swampert, and makes switching into Mega Charizard Y a bit easier as well. However, this only works on the first turn, so it’s not a huge deal regardless.

It’s also worth noting that you can opt for a bulkier spread, such as 248 HP / 136 Def / 96 SpD / 28 Spe with an Impish Nature. This allows Mega Altaria to sponge more hits, but it’s not quite as immediately threatening, and may have to boost a second time to sweep.

You’ve Got a Big Storm Comin’

-Hyper Voice
-Fire Blast
-Roost
-Heal Bell / Earthquake
Item Attached: Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate (Natural Cure on Altaria)
EVs and Nature:
EVs:248 HP / 168 SpA / 92 Spe
Modest Nature

On the other side of the spectrum, Mega Altaria can run a special set to catch many of the physically defensive Pokemon off guard if they try to stop it. To that end, Hyper Voice becomes Mega Altaria’s primary STAB through Pixilate; although not quite as powerful as Return, its post-Pixilate power of 104 is still respectable, and is more than enough to get the job done. As an added bonus, as a sound-based move, Pixilate Hyper Voice penetrates Substitutes, allowing it to revenge things that may be behind a Sub. Fire Blast is important for this set, as Mega Altaria often brings in steel types to dispatch it, such as Scizor, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Mega Metagross. Fire Blast deals spectacularly with all of them, being able to 1HKO all but Mega Metagross, who is 2HKO’ed. From there, Roost remains fantastic for its staying power, and without the speed of Dragon Dance, that survivability that Roost affords is all the more important. For the final slot, Heal Bell is an option to support the team (in addition to Mega Altaria itself) from having status be a nuisance. However, Mega Altaria can also opt to pack Earthquake, almost specifically for Heatran who otherwise hard-counters this set.

In order to differentiate itself from Mega Gardevoir who packs more speed and power, Mega Altaria’s special set opts for an increased emphasis on bulk, especially given its great defensive typing. To that end, 248 HP can maximize bulk for Mega Altaria while also minimizing Stealth Rock Damage. From there, Mega Altaria’s speed is invested just enough to meet certain benchmarks. The default benchmark, 92 Speed EVs, allows Mega Altaria to outspeed max speed Jolly Azumarill. However, you can take some EVs out of bulk and put them into speed to outspeed other threats; for instance, 100 EVs can allow Mega Altaria to outspeed defensive Landorus-T, while 176 EVs can outspeed Adamant Bisharp. You can go all out with max speed if you’re so inclined, but Mega Altaria’s bulk will suffer accordingly. The remaining 168 Special Attack EVs and a Modest Nature help maximize Mega Altaria’s damage output. Once again, the pre-Mega ability largely doesn’t matter due to Mega Altaria always wanting to Mega Evolve ASAP, but both abilities do have minor niche value so you can choose to your preference.

Other Options

-Substitute can be an option to help ward off Status, and it protects Mega Altaria from revenge killing as well. Roost helps to offset the HP loss from Substitute as well, making it more sustainable. Do note that you have to sacrifice coverage to pack Substitute, though.
-Frustration can be used in place of Return as Ditto repellent, as most Ditto run max happiness, leaving Frustration weak if they try to use it. Otherwise, it’s identical to Return.
-A primarily defensive set utilizing Roost and Heal Bell can work as well, although Mega Altaria is often more valued for its offensive presence due to its deceptively powerful offenses.
-A Dragon STAB attack such as Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, or Draco Meteor has the benefit of hitting certain fire types such as Talonflame and the Mega Charizards harder than any other coverage option, but this is a relatively small niche as Dragon has fairly redundant coverage compared to Fairy, and Mega Altaria can rarely fit it into its movepool.
-Cotton Guard can allow Mega Altaria to soft check some its would-be checks and counters on the physical side, such as Scizor and Mega Metagross. However, it still struggles against special attackers, and it’s prone to being Toxic stalled. Even if utilizing Cotton Guard in conjunction with Heal Bell, your offensive coverage suffers accordingly.
-Facade is an alternative to Return which can catch some checks off guard if they try to utilize status to deal with Mega Altaria. However, its damage suffers noticeably compared to Return if status is not used, and Mega Altaria still hates the passive damage from Toxic or Burns, and the speed drop from Paralysis.
-Double Edge gives a bit more power than Return, but at the cost of recoil, which can unfortunately cause Mega Altaria to be worn down more easily. Return’s power is normally sufficient enough as it is.
-Body Slam has some added utility in that it has a 30% chance to paralyze, which can screw over some switch-ins who resist the attack, such as Mega Metagross. However, there is a noticeable drop in power from Return, and if that paralysis doesn’t occur (which statistically it won’t the majority of the time), you’re just using a weaker attack for nothing.
-Ice Beam can catch Gliscor and Landorus-T off guard, both of whom can manage to check Mega Altaria. Its usefulness beyond that is somewhat limited compared to Fire Blast, however.

Double & Triple Battle Options

Mega Altaria was introduced at the same time Sylveon and Gardevoir gained access to Hyper Voice. Slyveon already hits as hard as Mega Altaria without using a Mega Slot. But Mega Altaria has a niche, in which if pulled off correctly will make Altaria a serious threat. It just needs a Xerneas and...

Psych Up

Psych Up
Protect
Hyper Voice
Dragon Pulse
Item Attached: Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate (Natural Cure on Altaria)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Speed / 4SDef
Modest Nature

the idea is simply to have the partnered Xerneas use Power Herb Geomancy and have altaria Psych Up the boosts and then deal serious damage with its STABs It takes quite a bit of set up to get going but only one Mega Mawile to stop it dead in its tracks. Same for Aegislash too. It's not entirely Altaria's fault that it isn't viable this season, the blame can be placed heavily on Mewtwo, Xerneas and the like alongside Mega Kangaskhan running the show. Weaker Pokemon simply don't have the ability to shine, and in fact are reduced to switching fodder in the face of Rain Boosted Origin Pulses. Maybe next year!

Countering Mega Altaria

Unlike its base form, Mega Altaria can be tricky to counter given it has the power to threaten foes from both the physical and special side. As a result, many of its counters are set dependent. However, it does have one universal counter, and that would be Mega Venusaur. Thanks to its bulk, typing, and Thick Fat, Mega Altaria absolutely cannot break it. Pixilate Return only 4HKO’s offensive variants of Mega Venusaur, while defensive sets are only 5HKO’ed. Even at +1, Pixilate Return can only 3HKO offensive sets, and Fire Blasts from the special sets only 4HKO as well. Meanwhile, offensive sets can 1HKO with Sludge Bomb, while even against bulkier variants, Sludge Bomb still 2HKOs. Access to reliable recovery also prevents Mega Altaria from wearing down Mega Venusaur, as well. From there, your options become more dependent on the set. Skarmory can wall physicals sets due to an immunity to Earthquake and a resistance to Pixilate Return, which will only 7HKO Skarmory. Attempts to boost with Dragon Dance can easily be phased away with Whirlwind. However, Fire Blast scares away Skarmory, so keep it out of that line of fire. Likewise, Ferrothorn has no problem walling physical variants of Mega Altaria and 1HKOing with Gyro Ball (or pestering it with Leech Seed and/or Thunder Wave), but Fire Blast will fry it in a heartbeat. Mega Scizor deals well with physical variants, only being 4HKO’ed by unboosted attacks and 3HKO’ed at +1 without any bulk investment, while Bullet Punch 2HKOs. Bulkier sets take the hits even better while still 2HKOing, and standard Scizor’s Choice Band set can 1HKO, although both have to watch out for Fire Blast. Gengar can 1HKO Mega Altaria with Sludge Bomb or Sludge Wave, and outspeeds it as well, but it does have to watch out for +1 Pixilate Return given its lack of bulk. Even a resisted, unboosted Pixilate Return can 2HKO Gengar due to its frailty, but it has a little more ease switching into Hyper Voice. Heatran shuts down the special sets due to its 4x resistance to Fairy and Flash Fire absorbing Fire Blast, but sets packing Earthquake will make Heatran’s life miserable. Talonflame is immune to Earthquake and resists Fairy, and it can 2HKO with Brave Bird or burn Mega Altaria with Will-o-Wisp. However, its lack of bulk can cause it to be 2HKO’ed by Pixilate Return. Mega Charizard Y is in a similar boat, although the chance to be 2HKO’ed by Pixilate Return is lower. However, the sheer power of Drought-boosted Fire Blasts can 2HKO Mega Altaria, despite its resistance. Just be warned that bulkier sets can avoid the 2HKO and attempt to stall out the sun with Roost. Defensive Amoonguss can deal with physical sets pretty handily due to only being 5HKO’ed, although if Mega Altaria packs Substitute, it can give Amoonguss problems by neutering Spore, and Fire Blast from the special sets can 2HKO Amoonguss. Clefable can 2HKO Mega Altaria with Moonblast, and ignores Dragon Dance boosts if it packs Unaware, although there is a low chance for it to be 2HKO’ed by Return and Hyper Voice even if unboosted. Defensive Landorus is only 4HKO’ed by physical sets thanks to Intimidate, although special sets can 2HKO, but Landorus-T can 2HKO with Earthquake as well. Gliscor, depending on the defensive spread it’s running, is only 3HKO’ed by the respective sets, and it can attempt to wear Mega Altaria down with Toxic and Roost. Sets with Substitute or Heal Bell tend to be problematic, though. Mega Metagross can 1HKO with Meteor Mash, but it does have to be wary of being 2HKO’ed by both Earthquake and Fire Blast, especially considering its unimpressive speed tier prior to Mega Evolving. Mega Gardevoir can check the special sets, being 2HKO’ed by Pixilate Hyper Voice, but in turn outspeeding and 1HKOing Mega Altaria with its own Pixilate Hyper Voice. Sylveon is in the same boat, although defensive Sylveon can survive a Pixilate Return, while Hyper Voice can 1HKO Mega Altaria if it hasn’t invested in bulk about a third of the time, and 2HKO bulkier sets. Sylveon is only 3HKO’ed by Pixilate Hyper Voice as well, so it handles special sets a bit better. Preying on Mega Altaria’s low speed is usually a decent way to go, as well. Even at +1, most common choice scarf users can still outspeed Mega Altaria, such as Excadrill and Landorus-T. However, most Scarf users need a little prior damage due to Mega Altaria’s bulk, so don’t expect them to 1HKO otherwise. Mamoswine and Weavile are capable of picking off a weakened Mega Altaria with Ice Shard as well, although both tend to be obliterated by Pixilate Return, especially Weavile. Stealth Rock helps a bit too; although Mega Altaria loses its Stealth Rock weakness, it does retain it prior to Mega Evolving, which can make it a bit easier to take down.


Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Sky Pillar

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Colosseum/XD

Colosseum/XD:
Evolve Swablu (Colosseum)
Snagged from Cipher Admin Lovrina in Citadark Isle (XD)

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Swablu

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Swablu

Black/White:
Route 14

Black 2/White 2:
Route 14, Abundant Shrine, Victory Road, Nature Preserve

X/Y:
Route 21

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Swablu

Animé Appearences

Altaria has made a few appearances in the anime. Most notably Winona and Elite Four Member Drake used them in their battles against Ash.

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
M6 Jirachi - Wish Maker The Wishing Star of Seven Nights - Jirachi Pics
340 True Blue Swablu! Sky of Swablu! Spirit Of May! Pics
361 Sky High Gym Battle! Fortree Gym! Battle In The Sky Pics
378 Vanity Affair Seaman! Enter The Elite 4 Drake! Pics
M8 Lucario & The Mystery of Mew Mew & The Wave-Guiding Hero - Lucario Pics
448 Pokémon Ranger! Deoxys Crisis! Pokémon Ranger! Deoxys Crisis! Pics
450 New Plot - Odd Lot! Harley & Team Rocket! The Formation of the Villanious Alliance! Pics
M9 Pokémon Ranger & The Temple of the Sea Pokémon Ranger & The Prince of the Sea - Manaphy Pics
478 Not On My Watch Ya Don't! Pokétch is Unavailable?!! Pics
M11 Giratina & The Sky Warrior Giratina & The Bouquet of the Sky - Shaymin Pics
624 A Meteoric Experience! Gible & Draco Meteor! Pics
642 Last Call, First Round! Grand Festival! The Art of Flame & Ice! Pics
643 Opposites Interact! Mamoswine & Pachirisu! The Ice Chandelier - Decisive Blow! Pics
762 Drayden Versus Iris: Past, Present, and Future! Opelucid Gym! Iris VS Drayden!! Pics
791 Butterfree and Me! Ash and Butterfree! Until the Day We Meet Again!! Pics
S38 Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Mega Special Animation Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Mega Special Animation Pics
880 A Relay in the Sky! The Pokémon Sky Rally Challenge! Fly, Noibat!! Pics
928 A League of His Own! The Kalos League Begins! Mega Charizard Showdown: X VS Y!! Pics
934 Down to the Fiery Finish Kalos League Victory! Ash's Ultimate Match!! Pics
1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics
1012 Rise and Shine, Starship! Shine On, Starship Celesteela! Pics
1021 Twirling with a Bang! Ultra Beast Clash! Operation: Boom Boom Crackle!! Pics
1028 The Long Vault Home! Leap 'n' Climb: Stakataka! Pics
1029 I Choose Paradise! I Choose Here! The Pokémon Steam Paradise!! Pics
1030 Filling the Light with Darkness! Crisis in Alola! The Darkness that Eats Radiance!! Pics
1031 Full Moon and Many Arms! Lunala VS UB: BLACK! A Battle at Full Moon!! Pics
1032 The Prism Between Light and Darkness! A Prism of Light and Darkness: Its name is Necrozma! Pics
1033 Securing the Future! Connect to the Future! The Legend of the Blinding One!! Pics
1038 Sparking Confusion! Wela Volcano: The Golem, the Graveler and the Hikers! Pics
1046 Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone! A Passionate Heart That Smashes Even Rocks! Olivia and Brock!! Pics
1057 Beauty is Only Crystal Deep! Beauty and the Meowth Pics
1067 Living on the Cutting Edge! Perfect Sharpness! Kartana has Arrived! Pics
1083 Z-Move Showdown! Guzzlord Attacks! Decisive Z-Move Battle!! Pics
1087 From Z to Shining Z! The Greatest Z in Alola! Tapu Koko VS Pikachu! Pics
1089 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues! Thank You, Alola! Respective Departures!! Pics
1096 Serving Up the Flute Cup! The Hoenn Region, Site of Fierce Fights! The Battle Frontier Challenge!! Pics
1192 The Future is Now, Thanks to Strategy! Ash & Clemont! Special Friendship Training!! Pics
1193 Taking Two For The Team! Ultra Class! VS Elite Four Drasna! Pics
1194 Reuniting for the First Time! Eevee and Sylveon! Encounters and Reunions!! Pics
1196 Big Brother to the Rescue! Help Us, Big Bro Yamper! Pics
1198 Aim for the Eight! VS Raihan! A Fight with Masters Eight on the Line!! Pics
1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics
1 The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One The Pendant It All Started With! (Part 1) Pics
25 Rivals in the Dark of Night! Rivals in the Moonless Night Pics