Ampharos

Mega Ampharos sits at 0.04% usage and rank 215 in singles, effectively absent from the metagame. With Ampharosite locked at 100% and Mold Breaker providing a niche tool, its 55 Speed is simply too slow for the modern singles environment saturated by Ground- and Dragon-type walls. Dragon Pulse leads at 25%, yet lacks the power to break through common defensive cores. The Cotton Guard stall route appears in only 13.4% of sets, and even after stacking Defense boosts, the offensive output remains insufficient to sweep.

Playstyle：In singles, Mega Ampharus plays around a Dragon Pulse and Thunderbolt offensive core, the former targeting Dragon-types and the latter handling neutral targets. The Cotton Guard and Substitute boosting combination appears in roughly a quarter of sets, aiming to accumulate stat boosts in slower matchups. Power Gem and Focus Blast patch up Rock and Fighting coverage but together hold only 9.4%, exposing the lack of a reliable stab nuke. With 55 Speed it almost always moves last, so EV allocation and item choice must compensate for the deficit.

Mega Ampharos fares slightly better in doubles at 0.22% usage and rank 137, though it remains a fringe option. Protect sits at 23.5%, nearly matching Dragon Pulse's 24.8%, reflecting how the doubles tempo demands extra survival tools to compensate for its poor Speed. Dragon Pulse, Thunderbolt, and Focus Blast form the offensive triangle against Dragon, neutral, and Fighting-resistant targets. Cotton Guard and Dazzling Gleam appear at just 3.1% each, indicating it is not built around setup or spread damage. Farigiraf leads teammates at 15.3%, pairing well with another slow special attacker.

Playstyle：Doubles sets blend protection and offense: Protect's high usage shows players treat Mega Ampharos as a positional attacker that needs turn-by-turn safeguarding. Dragon Pulse and Thunderbolt together approach half the moveset, handling Dragon walls and maintaining electric STAB pressure. Discharge and Parabolic Charge sum to just 9.4%, providing spread damage and recovery respectively but clearly not the focus. Its low Speed makes it heavily reliant on Protect to dictate tempo, and pairing with Farigiraf allows both slow threats to pressure the field across extended exchanges.

Ampharos holds a 0% usage rate in singles with no rank. It appeared 19 times in tournament play but never broke into the top 300 of the ladder. A single typing leaves it vulnerable to Ground, and a base Speed of 55 means it almost always moves second against offensive teams.

Ampharos sits at 0.05% usage in doubles, ranked 214th, well outside the standard metagame. With Magnet at 95.2% and the Plus ability at 80.2%, it is built as the receiver for Raichu-Mega X Volt Tackle self-KOs, then fires Thunderbolt and Rising Voltage under Electric Terrain. Base 55 Speed means it cannot dictate turn order on its own and relies entirely on terrain timing.

Playstyle：The core loop is Raichu-Mega X self-KOing with Volt Tackle to bring Ampharos in safely. Under Electric Terrain, Thunderbolt and Rising Voltage both benefit from Magnet's 1.5× boost stacked with Plus. Dazzling Gleam at 21.7% covers Dragon and Dark partners, while Protect at 23.5% replaces Cotton Guard as the delay option to extend Aromatisse's terrain turns. Modest is the default nature, but Quiet at 66.5% is used to act first under Trick Room, making this a heavily specialised relay pivot.