Shadow Metagross
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Shadow Metagross is a monster of a Pokemon. This thing sports high stats, the Shadow boost, and a powerful Charged Move to turn it into a Steel Type juggernaut. It's also an okay Psychic Type attacker for added value, though it's probably not worth unlocking a second Charged Move for that role unless you lack alternatives. The one down-side to Shadow Metagross is the fact that Steel isn't an overly common weakness for Raid bosses, though you can bet that Shadow Metagross will top the charts when relevant.
Offense
- Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash are the go-to moves for Shadow Metagross, allowing it to take its place as the apex Steel Type.
- Zen Headbutt and Psychic are useful if you need Psychic damage.
- Fury Cutter is an outstanding Fast Move that can potentially perform on a par with Bullet Punch, and can be an optimal move in the rare occurrences where it's Super Effective alongside other moves.
- Shadow Claw is good, but not for Shadow Metagross.
- Flash Cannon and Earthquake are sub-par choices on offense.
Defense
- Zen Headbutt is the fast move of choice. It hits common Fighting types for Super Effective damage and is a stronger option on defense.
- Bullet Punch isn't bad, but having the same typing as the top Charged Move option makes it a bit less desirable.
- Fury Cutter is weak on defense.
- Shadow Claw is also underwhelming.
- Meteor Mash hits hard and has decent neutral coverage, though Psychic is the move of choice if you're placing it between Fighting-weak defenders.
- Earthquake is a powerful option with some counter-coverage, but it's also riskier on defense due to its higher energy cost.
- Flash Cannon should plainly be avoided.
When it comes right down to it, Shadow Metagross has two worthwhile Fast Moves to consider: first up is Bullet Punch, with its high average performance with above-average DPE and DPT. The other is Shadow Claw, with lower raw damage thanks to lower base power and a lack of STAB, but higher energy generation. However, then it comes right down to it, Shadow Claw tends to pull ahead due to Shadow Metagross' most common job of countering specific Pokemon that fear its Charged Moves more than its Fast Move pressure. Avoid Zen Headbutt at all costs.
Meteor Mash is an incredibly powerful, if somewhat expensive move, and is core on any Shadow Metagross set. Sadly, if you’re missing Meteor Mash, maybe leave this metal menace out of your matches. Because Flash Cannon isn't very good and offers nothing offensively, we round out this set with Earthquake, which gives Shadow Metagross the tools to deal with fellow Steel-types and many Pokemon that would love to come in and wall out Shadow Metagross' Steel Type moves, making it an unorthodox but very effective counter to several top Pokemon in the Master League in particular. Shadow Metagross at last has a second set worth consideration. While it may not provide the valuable coverage of Earthquake, Psychic is cheaper and provides a second powerful STAB move for neutral damage against some Pokemon that resist Meteor Mash... but the lack of Earthquake's counter-performance makes it a sub-optimal pick unless you're specifically trying to counter something.
Shadow Metagross, like many other PvE top tiers, fails to perform well in Great League due to its monstrous attack stat. That said, it still has a collection of powerful moves, so it can absolutely put in work if you evolved one all the way down here.
