Mega Melee - Team Breakdown

The rules of the Mega Melee are pretty simple. Only Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution are allowed, except for Mewtwo, Diancie and Rayquaza. They may use any normally legal hold item, including their Mega Stones, Z Crystals, Focus Sash, Life Orb, etc. Battles are conducted after a team preview where players select only one of their Pokemon to battle, creating a sort of sudden-death game which renders popular Single Battle metagame strategies useless, such as entry hazards and constant switching. 

I was certain, going in, that Pokemon like Kangaskhan, Gengar, Blaziken and Lucario would probably dominate the format, but was pleasantly surprised at the amount of diversity that such a narrow pool gave us. Naturally, things like Salamence, Garchomp and Gardevoir are very powerful choices, as are the previously mentioned picks, but with careful planning and building Pokemon to be able to handle as many self-contained threats as possible, you would be surprised at how well you can climb the rankings in this format. Even if... my video series... is a little on the rocky side.

Lucario-Mega @ Lucarionite 

Ability: Inner Focus -> Adaptability 
Level: 50 
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe 
Jolly Nature 
- Close Combat 
- Bullet Punch 
- Extreme Speed 
- Earthquake  

I feel the Lucario on this team is a fairly standard build, taking advantage of the Mega's higher base speed and ability to deal massive damage with Close Combat. Bullet Punch and Extreme Speed help against even faster opponents, or against things like Gardevoir or Altaria that would otherwise prove threatening to the move set. Earthquake is kept on back to have an anti-Gengar option, or something to attack Metagross and Mawile with that would not require me to drop my defense stats, even though Adaptability-boosted Close Combat would still be stronger than Super Effective Earthquake.

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite 
Ability: Scrappy -> Parental Bond 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def 
Adamant Nature 
- Double-Edge 
- Earthquake 
- Sucker Punch 
- Ice Beam  

A bulky build on Kanga allowed me to survive some devastating Super Effective attacks while coming back to finish off an opponent using Sucker Punch. It does need to be carefully played off, however, since Double Edge's Recoil and the slower speed against other Pokemon's priority moves could spell disaster. Ice Beam was chosen to deal with Garchomp and Salamence, if need be, not only because Ice Punch would require me to get a new Kangaskhan from Alpha Sapphire, but because Garchomp's Rough Skin would apply to both Ice Punch hits and most likely give an opponent the win while both of our Pokemon faint.

Scizor @ Life Orb 
Ability: Technician 
Level: 50 
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 SpD 
Adamant Nature 
- X-Scissor 
- Bullet Punch 
- Brick Break 
- Brutal Swing  

Another fairly standard build. Admittedly, Bug Bite and Knock Off might be better move choices overall, but with my breeding and selections contained to Sun and Moon I do what I can. X-Scissor still does the job, especially against the couple of Alakazam I encounter over the weekend. Brick Break does what it needs to in weakening the likes of Kangaskhan, and Brutal Swing still offers exceptional damage against Gengar and Metagross. Just don't ask Scizor to stare down a Blaziken or a Charizard any time soon.

Slowbro-Mega @ Slowbronite 
Ability: Oblivious -> Shell Armor 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD 
Relaxed Nature
- Scald 
- Psychic 
- Ice Beam 
- Slack Off  

This monstrosity is nearly impossible to knock out in one shot. As far as I remember, the only thing that pulled it off was a Scizor, and that was after a Swords Dance and failing to land a burn with Scald. Even Gengar would have a rough time taking out Slowbro with maxed Special Defense, according to my pre-game damage calcs. Scald lets it turn physical attackers into a battle of the long game, and Ice Beam covers the ever present Garchomp and Salamence threats. Slack Off ensures that any opponent that can't deal 50% or greater damage will be unable to knock it out, and with Shell Armor the danger of losing to a critical hit is nonexistent. Unfortunately, I could not appease my buddy who wanted it to know Gyro Ball and nickname it "Beyblade-R."

Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite 
Ability: Levitate 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD 
Calm Nature 
- Psywave 
- Toxic 
- Recover 
- Charm  

Now we're getting into some weirder territory. I knew that Latios and Latias would have a hard time dealing with Sucker Punch from Kangaskhan and Mawile, as well as Shadow Ball from Gengar and Alakazam and Moonblast from Gardevoir. The weaknesses really work against the poor dragons, so I decided what any crazy person would. Build it as bulky as possible and hope for the best! Giving Latias maxed defenses gives it an opportunity to survive many attacks that would otherwise knock it out, with enough health to survive a second hit after it lands its first Charm. Toxic allows it to get continuous damage against opponents, especially those that might try to counter-stall my own efforts. Psywave was chosen as the primary means of attack since other options like Psychic, Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse are ineffective against Mawile and Metagross. Besides, with no training in offense, it's at least some way to get reletively consistent damage without worrying about resistances.

Sceptile @ Focus Sash 
Ability: Unburden 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA 
Brave Nature  

IVs: 0Speed
- Energy Ball 
- Earthquake 
- Endeavor 
- Quick Attack  

 Here it is, the team's MVP award goes to this guy. Time to come clean, this team was selected by people who aren't in the know when it comes to competitive Pokemon. Five Pokemon were picked by people at work, and one of them chose Sceptile. I thought, "Sceptile doesn't have a lot of favorable matchups against what are probably going to be the most popular Mega Pokemon." But then another coworker asked me, "Do any Mega Pokemon learn Endeavor?" It was then, while I was planning out moves, I found that fateful egg move in Treeko's list. Then came the challenge of figuring out how to make a Lv50 Sceptile underspeed the metagame, since all Pokemon above AND below Lv50 would be adjusted for the tournament. Brave Nature and a 0-Speed IV ensured that almost anything would outrun this otherwise speedy lizard's base 110 stat. But then came the other problem: Effort Values. I couldn't train speed or bulk, or Focus Sash might not trigger when I need it to. So the next logical step is to run a mix-set with maxed out Attack AND Special Attack. Energy Ball allows heavy hits against Pokemon I might not want to make contact with, like Garchomp and its Rough Skin ability, and Earthquake gives me an answer to Gengar and Mawile. Sure, I can't exactly one-shot most Gengar with it, but after a triggered Focus Sash, Unburden activates and Sceptile gains the ability to outrun even Mega Aerodactyl at a base 150 speed. My only regret is that this was an online tournament that doesn't allow you to interact with opponents after a match. I would love to know how some of the people reacted to this after the Endeavor goes off.