Metagross Nerfed in PvE & PvP

Metagross

The Pokémon GO Max Out Season hasn’t been kind to the Steel/Psychic Pseudo Legendary of Gen 3 – Metagross.

The monumental changes to the Raid system and the host of moveset updates in the GO Battle League have both taken a toll on Metagross. So, we will delve into this Pokémon’s current standing in PvE and PvP, and how much of a fall from grace it has taken.

Problems in PvE

Post Raid system update, the duration of all moves (Fast or Charged) is rounded off to the nearest 0.5 multiplier (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and so on).

So, any move lasting 0.8 to 1.2s is now 1.0s, while a 0.7s move will be 0.5s.

In Metagross’ case:

• Its handy Fast Move Bullet Punch, which was previously 0.9s, is now 1.0s. This makes it 11.11% slower.
• On the other hand, the formidable Charged Move Meteor Mash went from 2.6s to 2.5s. This makes it 3.84% faster.

Here’s how these timing changes affect the stats of these two moves:

DPS is Damage Per Second and EPS is Energy Per Second

For Meteor Mash:

Now, let’s find out how much these two changes have impacted Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash Metagross, and then check out how it fares in the current meta.

For starters, let’s check out the damage output on paper, purely in terms of numbers.

Old Bullet Punch & Meteor Mash Metagross

Meteor Mash costs 50 energy and Bullet Punch has an EPS of 11.11.

Time taken to generate energy with Bullet Punch for Meteor Mash= 50/11.11 = 4.50s

Time taken to perform Meteor Mash = 2.60s

Total time for Bullet Punch(es) + 1x Meteor Mash = 4.50 + 2.60 = 7.1s

Since Meteor Mash is a 2-bar move, multiply by 2. So, 7.1*2 = 14.2s

In these 14.2 seconds, there will be two Meteor Mash (2.6s) used, and they will take up 2.6*2 = 5.2s

In other words, in 14.2s:

5.2s (Meteor Mash) + remaining 9s (Bullet Punch)

Bullet Punch’s damage in those 9 seconds = 9*(10 DPS) = 90 damage

Total damage in 14.2s = 200 (Meteor Mash) + 90 (Bullet Punch) = 290 damage

New Bullet Punch & Meteor Mash Metagross

Meteor Mash costs 50 energy and Bullet Punch has an EPS of 10.

Time taken to generate energy with Bullet Punch for Meteor Mash= 50/10 = 5s

Time taken to perform Meteor Mash = 2.50s

Total time for Bullet Punch(es) + 1x Meteor Mash = 5 + 2.50 = 7.50s

Since Meteor Mash is a 2-bar move, multiply by 2. So, 7.5*2 = 15s

In these 15seconds, there will be two Meteor Mash (2.5s) used, and they will take up 2.5*2 = 5s

In other words, in 15s:

5s (Meteor Mash) + remaining 10s (Bullet Punch)

Bullet Punch’s damage in those 10 seconds = 10*(10 DPS) = 100 damage

Total damage in 15s = 200 (Meteor Mash) + 100 (Bullet Punch) = 300 damage

However, consider the fact that Metagross takes 15 seconds to do 300 damage, but earlier it did 290 damage in just 14.2 seconds.

So, take into account the remaining 0.8s by gauging Metagross’ current damage output in 14.2s. 

As such:

[Adjusted damage]/300 = 14.2/15

The adjusted damage output for the new Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash set of Metagross in 14.2s is 284

In a nutshell, for the same time period of 14.2s:

• Old Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash did 290 damage
• New Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash does 284 damage

Cycle DPS of Bullet Punch & Meteor Mash

As mentioned, the damage figures obtained earlier are literally on paper and indicative of the moveset combo’s performance without taking into account factors like energy drain and more accurate attack duration during the Raid.

When you consider these variables and the assumption that the Charged attack fires off immediately after the Pokémon gathers enough energy (something that’s happening in the new system), you can use Cycle DPS. 

Cycle DPS gives you a more realistic look into how much damage a moveset combo does. It is calculated as:

D is damage, P is power, E is energy, T is time, and FD is the duration of Fast Move. The c and f stand for charged and fast. The cycle DPS gives a better result as it includes how Charged Moves are affected by Fast Moves with regard to energy.

Cycle DPS (Old Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash)

Cycle DPS (Old) = [100 + (9*(50/10))] / [2.6 + (0.9*(50/10))] = 20.42

Cycle DPS (New Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash)

Cycle DPS (New) = [100 + (9*(50/10))] / [2.5 + (1*(50/10))] = 19.33

So, old Metagross (20.42) has a better Cycle DPS than new Metagross.

Metagross does 5.33% less damage than before. While this may seem less, it gets more significant in the long run, especially in 5-Star Raid battles. 

The impact of the nerf to Metagross in PvE

Metagross, particularly its Shadow version, as well as its eventual Mega Evolution, are still super viable and top-tier Steel type attackers. But, it’s not as great as it once was, and the problem is Metal Claw.

Metal Claw lasted 0.7 seconds previously, and now, it needs just 0.5 seconds. This makes it a whopping 28.57% faster. Not to mention, Sunsteel Strike takes just 3 seconds instead of the previous 3.1 seconds.

What does this indicate?

Dusk Mane Necrozma and Shadow Excadrill are the leading Steel– type attackers now, surpassing both Shadow and Mega Metagross. The future Zacian Crowned will also leave Mega Metagross behind.

Metagross is still great, but it has given up its Steel throne in PvE.

Problems in PvP

Metagross’ issues in the GO Battle League aren’t a direct consequence of changes to it’s own moveset. In fact, it’s kind of ‘shadow nerfed’ thanks to the rise and rise of another Pokémon that coincidentally shares the same Steel and Psychic typing – Dusk Mane Necrozma

While neither Bullet Punch nor Meteor Mash got changed in any manner in PvP, Dusk Mane’s go-to Steel Fast Move Metal Claw did!

• Metal Claw got its energy gain buffed from 6 to 7. As such, this 2-turn move’s EPT (Energy Per Turn) went from 3 to 3.5, while retaining its 2.5 DPT (Damage Per Turn)
• The [DPT/EPT] profile for Bullet Punch is [3.0/3.5] and for Metal Claw is [2.5/3.5], with both sharing the same duration of 1s

While Bullet Punch is technically better than Metal Claw, it boils down to which Steel/ Psychic type behemoth wields these Fast Moves.

In the Open Master League:

• Metagross has a max CP of 4286, 257 Attack, 228 Defense, and 190 HP
• Dusk Mane Necrozma has a max CP of 4623, 277 Attack, 220 Defense, and 199 HP

While their overall bulk is more or less the same, DM Necrozma hits substantially harder, leading Metagross by a convincing 20 points in Attack.

In the current Master League rankings on PvPoke.com, Dusk Mane Necrozma is ranked #5 while Metagross is ranked #54. While these rankings are subject to change, it is worth noting how much of a difference these two have between them!

Coming to things that Dusk Mane Necrozma can beat but Metagross cannot (assuming the same battle conditions), the list includes:

• Solgaleo
• Giratina (Altered and Origin)
• Palkia (regular and Origin)
• Metagross, convincingly

To sum up, Dusk Mane Necrozma beats everything that Metagross does and more!

PS: Keep in mind that Shadow Claw is the better Fast Move for Dusk Mane Necrozma in PvP. However, this write-up intends to show just how much Metagross trails behind DM Necrozma as a Steel type attacker even when the Legendary uses its weaker Fast Move.

Conclusion

Metagross has taken a bit of a beating with the nerf to Bullet Punch in PvE and the buff to Metal Claw in PvP. 

While it’s quite a worthy candidate in PvE, it’s completely outclassed in the GO Battle League. However, to Metagross’ benefit, it isn’t a Legendary with limited availability like Dusk Mane Necrozma. So, powering it up, having a good squad of Metagross, and being able to obtain it in general, is much cheaper and more available than DM Necrozma. It may not have the top spot it once had as a raid attacker, but it is still an amazing option.

While Metagross bit the dust, its fellow Pseudo Legendaries Dragonite and Salamence now actually do better with Draco Meteor than Outrage! You can check out that mathematical analysis here

Have fun and all the best, trainers!