What Items Support Mega Salamence On Rain Teams?

I've been spinning Mega Salamence on my OU teams since Gen 6 and it never stops feeling absolutely savage when it hits the field. My go-to set is a classic Dragon Dance sweeper built to muscle through walls and clean late-game scraps: Salamencite, Aerilate, Dragon Dance, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Roost. Nature and EVs depend on how desperate I am to outspeed certain threats — I usually run Adamant with 252 Attack / 4 HP / 252 Speed when I want that raw, crunchy damage after a single Dragon Dance. If I'm up against teams with faster threats that I can't afford to let live, I’ll switch to Jolly to grab a few extra outspeeds; the playstyle stays the same, just the timing changes. What I love about this set is how Aerilate turns Double-Edge into an absolute monster: it becomes a powerful STAB flying hit that chews through common physical checks. Earthquake gives you coverage on Steel- and Rock-types that would otherwise laugh at Flier-only coverage, and Roost keeps Salamence healthy to press its advantage after a DD boost — it’s the difference between surviving a Crunch and sweeping the rest of the match. In-game I treat Salamence as my late-game cleaner: scout for hazards and priority beforehand, use teammates to handle ice and fairy checks, then bring Mence in on a predicted switch or after removing bulky hazards. Team support matters more than people realize. I pair Mence with hazard setters like Ferrothorn so opposing switches get chipped, and with hazard removers or clerics — Rotom-Wash or Clefable — to handle status and keep it healthy. Ferrothorn and heat control (a well-placed Tapu Fini or a specially defensive Clefable) help cover its glaring 4x weakness to Ice and vulnerability to priority. Smoke and mirrors aside, the biggest counters you need to plan for are Ice-types and fast priority users like priority-armed Scizor or opposing Weavile; chip or remove those threats before committing a Dragon Dance. I also occasionally swap Roost for Protect in formats where prediction boosts matters more, or replace Earthquake with Fire Blast to surprise Ferrothorn-heavy teams, though that feels clunky because Salamence prefers physical momentum. If you like high-risk, high-reward plays, Adamant Double-Edge + DD will give you moments where you one-shot core pieces and feel unstoppable. If you prefer consistency, Jolly plus smarter predictions and Roost feels steadier. Either way, treat Mega Salamence like a late-game demon: set the board, scout for hazards/priority, and then let it dance — there’s nothing quite like wiping half an opposing team after one Dragon Dance.

I’ve seen Mega Salamence wreck teams more times than I can count, and if I had to pick one single counter that consistently makes it miserable, it’s Mamoswine. The combination of a priority 'Ice Shard' and massive STAB Ice attacks like Icicle Crash or Avalanche nails Mega Salamence’s gigantic 4× weakness to Ice. A well-played Mamoswine (think bulky offensive set with 'Ice Shard', 'Icicle Crash', 'Earthquake' and a coverage move or 'Stealth Rock') can either revenge-kill a late-game Salamence or put it in range for a hazard / chip finish. What I love about Mamoswine on my teams is that it doesn’t just rely on raw speed — the priority covers faster sweepers and makes life easier vs bulky Dragons that think they can set up. If you want a different approach: bring Intimidate or a reliable physical wall. Landorus-Therian (the Intimidate pivot) is a classic example: it forces Salamence down a peg on the switch, can throw back super-effective Rock hits like 'Rock Slide' or 'Stone Edge' when needed, and pivots with U-turn to keep momentum. Corviknight and Ferrothorn also do a great job of handling Salamence without panic — Ferrothorn resists Dragon and locks Salamence into less optimal moves while setting hazards, Corviknight can wall its physical sets and threaten big Brave Birds or Roost to stall out boosts. Both pair beautifully with hazard support: 'Stealth Rock' + a chip/priority cleaner makes finishing a boosted Salamence so much easier. Finally, don’t sleep on fast Rock or Fairy answers: Tyranitar and Mega Mawile (or bulky Fairies like Tapu Fini) can punish Salamence’s weaknesses—Tyranitar with Stone Edge/Crunch or a Sand team letting Tyranitar absorb hits, and Mega Mawile shrugging off Dragons thanks to Steel/Fairy typing while hitting back extraordinarily hard. Team composition matters: hazard support, a reliable priority Ice move, and at least one Intimidate pivot or a solid physical wall will turn Mega Salamence from terror into a predictable threat. I usually plan my switch-ins and keep one of those checks healthy, and that tiny bit of forethought saves so many games.

Okay, here's how I think about building Mega Salamence as a mixed threat — I get excited about the creativity here because Aerilate opens up so many fun combos. First, the basics: Mega Salamence’s Aerilate turns Normal moves into Flying-type and boosts their power. That’s the cornerstone for mixed sets because you can run both physical and special Normal moves and get STAB on both sides. The classic pair is a physical Normal like Double-Edge (or Return if you prefer safer recoil-free play) and a special Normal like Hyper Voice. With Aerilate, both become powerful Flying STABs and cover different kinds of defensive checks. Around those two I usually slot a Dragon move and a coverage slot. Dragon Claw (physical) or Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor (special) are the typical Dragon options depending on whether you want consistency or raw power. For coverage, Earthquake is a fantastic physical option to hit Steel types and opposing Fire/Flying switch-ins, while Fire Blast/Flamethrower as a special move helps handle Ferrothorn and Scizor. If you want survivability, Roost or Protect rounds out the set — Roost is especially nice to keep momentum and lets you re-enter safely. A sample moveset I run in my more theorycrafted matches: Double-Edge / Hyper Voice / Dragon Claw (or Dragon Pulse) / Fire Blast (or Earthquake) with Salamencite held. Play it by reading switches: use Double-Edge to break physical walls, Hyper Voice for bulky teams, and mix in Fire Blast for Steel answers. Teammates that check Rock- and Ice-types (like a bulky Water or a Steel resist) really help the mixed approach work well for me.