Which Moves Make Mega Salamence A Mixed Attacker?

Late-night laddering on 'Pokémon Showdown' taught me one thing: Mega Salamence is that kind of Pokémon that makes you either grin maniacally or gulp and sweat when you see it across the field. As a Dragon attacker, it's insanely versatile. Mega gives it a big boost to raw physical power and noticeably better bulk, and its ability, 'Aerilate', is the secret sauce — it turns strong Normal moves like Double-Edge or Return into Flying-type STABs and makes them hit even harder. That gives Mega Salamence a twofold edge: huge, reliable damage that also nails Fighting-types and convenient coverage for types that would otherwise wall dragons. I usually run it as a setup sweeper: Dragon Dance plus a powerful 'Aerilate' hit is classic. After a boost, it can muscle through teams with a combination of Double-Edge/Return, Outrage or Dragon Claw for pure Dragon coverage, and a coverage slot like Earthquake or Stone Edge to handle Steel and Rock types. Roost is great if you want longevity and to abuse its bulk; without Roost it’s more of a glassy battering ram. In doubles it's even more threatening because its Fly/Double-Edge hits different partners' coverage, and teammates can handle its checks while it sets up. The flexibility is what really sells it — you can play it hyper-offensive with extreme damage or lean into a bulkier Dragon Dance set that can take hits and punish switches. That said, it isn't invincible. Mega Salamence’s Flying/Dragon typing leaves it vulnerable to common answers: bulky Steels like Ferrothorn and Scizor, priority users that can pick it off before it sets up, and fast, powerful Ice-types or Ice moves that threaten heavy damage. Team support matters: a hazard control answer, a spin/remover, or a partner that pressures priority and Steels will make it sing. Personally, I love using it with a pivot or a special wall that can soften up the Steel answers — pulling off a three-turn sweep after a good Double-Edge crit is ridiculously satisfying. If you enjoy a big-arming physical Dragon that can either plaster faces with Flying STAB or set up and sweep, Mega Salamence is one of the most fun and reliable choices around.

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.

Whenever I watch a Mega Salamence barrel through a team, what really stands out is that its Mega form doesn't keep the usual ability— it swaps into 'Aerilate'. In plain terms, 'Aerilate' turns your Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves and gives them a power boost (about a 20% increase). The immediate payoff is that moves like Return, Double-Edge, or even the special move Hyper Voice suddenly get STAB as Flying attacks and pack noticeably more punch. It’s a subtle shift mechanically, but in practice it means a lot of your reliable Normal options become deadly aerial strikes. From a practical standpoint, that ability changes how I build sets. Before Mega evolving, Salamence often uses Intimidate or another ability that helps its team survive; after Mega, it’s all offense. I love pairing 'Aerilate' with high Attack and a move like Double-Edge or Return because the boosted, Flying-typed hits cut through things they otherwise wouldn’t. Dragon Dance models are sweet too—boost Attack and Speed, then hit with a converted Flying physical move that gets STAB and the Aerilate bonus. Keep in mind you lose Intimidate’s utility when you Mega, so it’s a tradeoff: raw striking power and type conversion for team support. I’ve had too many moments of giddy triumph watching a converted Return one-shot a bulky ground-weak opponent that thought it could wall me. If you mess with Mega formats (or older gens where Mega Evolution is allowed), Mega Salamence with 'Aerilate' is one of those satisfying, simple concepts that hits hard and feels cinematic: a dragon that suddenly makes every everyday move feel like a sky-smash. If you’re trying it out, test Return vs Double-Edge (recoil vs base power) and consider Dragon Dance or Life Orb depending on how reckless you want to be — personally I lean into sweep setups and the carnage that follows.

Man, Mega Salamence feels like someone took the regular Salamence, handed it a set of armor-plated wings, and said ‘now go sweep arenas’ — and the stat changes really tell that story. In raw numbers: regular Salamence is 95 HP / 135 Atk / 80 Def / 110 SpA / 80 SpD / 100 Spe (BST 600). After Mega Evolving it becomes 95 HP / 145 Atk / 130 Def / 120 SpA / 90 SpD / 120 Spe (BST 700). So you’re looking at +0 HP, +10 Atk, +50 Def, +10 SpA, +10 SpD, and +20 Spe — a net +100 to the total. That big jump in Defense (+50) and the bump to Speed (+20) are what really reshape how you use Salamence. It stops being a fragile glassy drake and turns into a fast, unexpectedly bulky presence that can both take hits and hit back. The Attack increase plus Aerilate (which turns Normal moves into boosted Flying moves) makes physical sets with Return or Double-Edge devastating; meanwhile the SpA bump opens room for mixed sets if you want to surprise people with Draco Meteor or Fire Blast. Typical playstyles lean into Dragon Dance + Aerilate-boosted physical moves, using 252 Atk / 252 Spe EVs and either Adamant or Jolly nature to capitalize on that 145 Attack and 120 Speed. If you love the flavor of a beast that can switch roles, Mega Salamence is deliciously flexible: you can run it as a fast physical sweeper, a bulky pivot that uses Roost and Dragon-type coverage, or even a mixed threat that takes advantage of increased defenses. The stat changes make Mega Salamence both more forgiving to play and more threatening on the field — it punishes mistakes and rewards prediction, which is why I always get excited when I see one on either side of a match.

Building a rain team around Mega Salamence always feels a little funny to me because Mega Salamence itself doesn't directly benefit from rain—it's not a Swift Swim user—so most of the item choices that 'support' it are actually carried by its teammates. The one hard rule I always start with is: your Salamence must hold Salamencite. That means it can't carry life or berries or boots, so your planning shifts to what the rest of the team will carry to make Mega Salamence's life easier. On the rain setter I usually slap a Damp Rock to extend the rain window. Politoed with Damp Rock gives you longer rain to let your Swift Swim sweepers run free, which in turn forces opponents to respect those threats and opens switch opportunities for Mega Salamence to set up a Dragon Dance. Another staple is a defensive hazard setter with Focus Sash (or a sturdy Leftovers user): getting spikes or stealth rock up is huge because Mega Salamence appreciates weakened switch-ins. If someone else is placing hazards, give them Heavy-Duty Boots so they can come in repeatedly without getting chipped down by entry hazards themselves. For pivot/support items: I like Choice Scarf or Eject Button on a fast pivot to remove checks that threaten Mence, or a Red Card on a bulky contact Pokemon to force switches into your setup. Rocky Helmet or a Rocky Helmet + an Intimidate user (on a teammate) can punish physical attackers that try to body-check Salamence. Defensive core pieces often carry Leftovers or Sitrus Berry — they soak hits and create safer switch-ins for Mega Salamence to set up. Finally, offensive partners that capitalize on rain (like Kingdra or Lanturn) often run Life Orb or Choice Specs to pressure switches and let Salamence clean later. In practice, my favorite combo is Politoed (Damp Rock) + a hazard setter with Focus Sash + a fast pivot with Choice Scarf, all of which let Mega Salamence secure at least one free Dragon Dance and then sweep. The exact items change with your playstyle, but remember: Salamencite is mandatory on Mence, so the team items are the real gear that supports it.