Metagross (Shadow)

After a Season of poor showing by the Team GO Rocket Leaders, the villainous trio is back in action in the Galarian Expedition: Taken Over event. This time though, they have pretty good Pokémon up for grabs, with Arlo having Shadow Beldum, Sierra having Shadow Ralts, and Cliff having Shadow Galarian Zigzagoon!

Out of these three, it goes without saying that Shadow Beldum has piqued the interest of most trainers as its final evolution is the fearsome Pseudo Legendary, Shadow Metagross.

Shadow Metagross was once regarded as a top-notch Steel attacker. While it’s definitely good (and always will be), its dominance has taken a hit due to two major reasons:

1) Introduction of Dusk Mane Necrozma

Dusk Mane Necrozma is an insanely powerful Legendary that blows Shadow Metagross, regular, and even the Mega Evolution out of the water when it comes to performance as a Steel type attacker! Yes, its stats

Even on specific grounds such as DPS and TDO, DM Necrozma reigns supreme and surpasses all avatars of Metagross. Even in the GO Battle League, the Psychic/Steel type (same as Metagross) is outright better, leaving the poor Pseudo Legendary high and dry.

2) The New Raid System

The new Raid system sets the duration of all Fast and Charge attacks to the nearest 0.5s multiplier. 

I analyzed these changes with thorough detail in this article. Essentially, Bullet Punch is 11.11% slower, and even though Meteor Mash is 3.84% faster, ultimately today’s Metagross performs 5.33% worse than its previous, non-nerfed avatar. Apply a 0.20x to its ATK, and you have Shadow Metagross in tow.

This number may seem small but in long battles like 5-Star Raids, it adds up and is noticeable. Taking into account Shadow Metagross’ 0.83x nerf to its Defense, it is more worrisome as your Shadow Metagross will just not ‘feel’ as ruthless as before.

Shadow Metagross in PvE

Using GO Hub’s Pokémon DPS and TDO Comparer for some of the meta’s top Steel type attackers, let’s find out where Shadow Metagross stands in PvE.

Pokémon

DPS

TDO

Dusk Mane Necrozma (Metal Claw & Sunsteel Strike)

32.38

1238.5

Shadow Excadrill (Metal Claw & Iron Head)

23.49

568.4

Shadow Metagross (Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash)

21.76

708.8

Dialga (Metal Claw & Iron Head)

20.86

813.6

Origin Forme Dialga (Metal Claw & Iron Head)

20.50

849.1

Dusk Mane Necrozma is the undisputed leader of the Steel department in PvE. While Shadow Excadrill edges out in DPS, both Dialga forms have better TDO. Regular Metagross has 18.26 DPS and 713.8 DPS, so both Dialga forms still beat it out in DPS and TDO.

Powering up Shadow Pseudo Legendaries is costly, though easier than Legendaries since the former earns Buddy Candy in 5km while the latter demands 20km.

Ultimately, if you have the resources, Dawn Wings Necrozma is the way to go, and you’re better off waiting to Mega Evolve your Hundo/Shundo Metagross down the line.

That said if you already have a high IV (maybe Hundo) Shadow Metagross, don’t purify it. Its DPS is still pretty high and worth an addition to your team.

If you catch a great one from Arlo, it’s up to you to purify it. You can keep it for the rarity and novelty factor. But, keep in mind that Mega Metagross has way higher bulk, but marginally lower DPS. 

Shadow Metagross in PvP

Shadow Metagross is worth considering only in the Master League. Considering a tale of the tape for the unique wins of the regular and Shadow in different shield scenarios:

Regular vs Shadow (1-1 shield)

Regular

Shadow

• Zarude

• Mewtwo

• Palkia

• Mamoswine

Common wins include Dragonite, Togekiss, Dialga (regular and Origin), Primarina (Charm and Waterfall), Florges, Xerneas, and Melmetal.

Both show a similar performance.

Regular vs Shadow (2-2 shield)

Regular

Shadow

• Melmetal

• Zarude

No unique wins

Common wins include Mamoswine, Togekiss, Dialga (regular and Origin), Primarina (Charm and Waterfall), Florges, Xerneas, and Melmetal.

Regular Metagross is slightly better.

Regular vs Shadow (0-0 shield)

Regular

Shadow

• Mewtwo

• Shadow Rhyperior

• Dragonite

• Solgaleo

Common wins include Togekiss, Dialga (regular and Origin), Primarina (Charm and Waterfall), Florges, Xerneas, and Melmetal.

More or less the same.

Conclusion

Metagross, as a whole, has fallen from grace. Unlike other Shadow Pseudo Legendaries like Dragonite, Tyranitar, and Salamence, Shadow Metagross isn’t too different from its regular form.

Is it worth pursuing one? Sure, a Shundo or even a lower IV shiny Shadow Metagross is quite a grab, but don’t mindlessly invest your precious Stardust in it with the pressure of having a strong Steel type attacker.

Overall, Dusk Mane Necrozma and Dialga are better both in PvE and PvP, and the eventual Mega Metagross is more worthwhile. 

Have fun, trainers!

The post Shadow Metagross in the Pokémon GO Meta appeared first on Pokémon GO Hub.