Meloetta, the Melody Pokémon. The melodies sung by Meloetta have the power to make Pokémon that hear them happy or sad. Its melodies are sung with a special vocalization method that can control the feelings of those who hear it.
Overview
Singing melodies of a time long ago, the passing generations have left Meloetta a relic of the past. Not to say Meloetta’s tune isn’t sweet; 128 Special Attack is rather potent, allowing even the most defensive Meloetta-Aria to hit appreciably hard. Add in not only passive setup with Throat Spray + Hyper Voice, but Calm Mind and Meloetta-Aria can escalate out of control quickly and with the wide coverage backing its STABs and access to the Blissey wrecking Psyshock mean little is safe from Meloetta-Aria’s assault. Offense is not everything Meloetta-Aria possesses, boasting above average HP and impressive Special Defense, allowing Meloetta-Aria to reliably tank several special attacks, which along with its Ghost immunity grants Meloetta-Aria several chances to switch in.
What isn’t impressive is Meloetta-Aria’s Defense, being slightly below average and far more exploitable especially with weaknesses to common utility moves like Knock Off and U-Turn. Meloetta’s typing does it few favors in general, with few resistances to speak of, greatly reducing its hit taking capabilities, while its STABs boast very little Super Effective coverage. This is exasperated by Meloetta-Aria’s speed, which while not bad, is lacking after several generations of Speed creep. While this can be addressed by Meloetta’s Pirouette form, that comes with a Plethora of issues. While Meloetta possesses one of the most controllable transformation methods in all of Pokémon, the cost of a moveslot is far too high, especially when the high Attack Pirouette form cannot even make good use of Relic Song. With Relic Song as the transformation method, Pirouette form is locked out of any Choice Items and struggles to fit in Swords Dance for boosting without giving up vital coverage. Furthermore, unimpressive Defense in both forms is a consistent weak point. The biggest pain point for Meloetta-Aria is the many other Psychic types that it must contend with who possess similar stat spreads, such as Gardevoir, Latios, Galarian Articuno and Armarouge who all bring better sub-typings and abilities to the table.
Positives
128 offense in either form ensures Meloetta can bring the hurt, regardless of investment.
128 Special Defense in base form is impressive, allowing Meloetta some leeway against special attackers.
Massive movepool gives Meloetta coverage for just about every situation, and boosting to have it escalate out of control.
Pirouette Form’s base 128 Speed is quite impressive and difficult to outspeed even after generations of speed creep.
Negatives
Typing is lacking in both forms, with little defensive merit, greatly reducing the number of attacks Meloetta can switch in to.
Lacking Defense in both forms is a consistent weak point.
Unimpressive speed in base form forces Meloetta to take a lot of unnecessary hits.
Pirouette form suffers from Four Moveslot Syndrome due to being forced to run Relic Song..
Movesets
Calming Aria
-Calm Mind
-Hyper Voice
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
Ability: Serene Grace
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
112 HP / 252 SAtk / 144 Spe
Modest Nature
Calm Mind Meloetta-Aria makes everything good about it better, making it resilient to Special Attacks while pushing its offense to the stratosphere. Hyper Voice is the primary STAB, with its good base power and wide neutral coverage makes it preferred in most situations. Psyshock compliments Hyper Voice well, slamming Special Defense sponges like Florges, Goodra and Chansey on top of eviscerating Dragalge. Shadow Ball rounds out the set, blasting the Ghost types immune to Hyper Voice while hitting most Rock and Steel types for neutral. Serene Grace makes Shadow Ball even more attractive, granting it a hefty 40% chance to drop Special Defense, even more likely than Scald's famous Burn chance.
Tera Types:
Given how lacking defensively Psychic Normal is, Meloetta-Aria enjoys Terastalizing, especially when it can simultaneously bolster its offense. Tera Fairy is incredibly popular, resisting both of Meloetta-Aria's Dark and Bug weaknesses while being an all around great defensive type, while bolstering Alluring Voice to better handle opposing Dark types. Tera Ghost is a bit more of a mixed bag defensively, keeping the Dark weakness while removing the Bug and providing invaluable immunities to Normal and Fighting and bolstering Shadow Ball making it an incredible pseudo-STAB thanks to its great 40% Special Defense drop chance. Tera Fighting also removes both of Meloetta-Aria's weaknesses though otherwise is far less impressive than Fairy, but the power boost to Focus Blast can be necessary to efficiently remove opposing Steel types that resist both STABs.
EVs and Items:
Max Special Attack is recommended for as much power as possible, having Meloetta-Aria require as few Calm Minds as possible before it starts blasting. 144 Speed helps Meloetta-Aria outrun foes like Magnezone, neutral Toxtricity, and neutral Armarouge, allowing Meloetta-Aria to pre-emptive;u Calm Mind and better weather their assaults. The remainder in HP gives Meloetta-Aria some special bulk, especially after a Calm Mind, allowing it to better tank blows from special revenge killers and walls like Florges, special Goodra, Jolteon, Mismagius, Raikou, etc. One could drop all speed for max HP and Defense and let Calm Mind handle Special Attack and Special Defense, but minimum Speed leaves Meloetta-Aria exposed to Dark types like Incineroar, Crawdaunt, and Bisharp, who can quickly eviscerate it as well as being slower than Min Speed Jirachi. Leftovers lets Meloetta-Aria recover damage incurred while setting up and making it far more enduring than otherwise. Colbur Berry is a worthwhile alternative, blunting the initial and future uses of Knock Off, the most common Dark attack.
Partners:
:
Meloetta's poor Defense is a consistent sticking point, so allies that can absorb or blunt the physical damage Meloetta draws in are consistent choices. Incineroar and Overqwil are both excellent options, their Intimidates handily stifling physical attackers, though the support they offer is very different. Incineroar can make for an excellent pivot with U-Turn or Parting Shot, while Overqwil sets up Spikes and Toxic Spikes to facilitate sweeping after the fact. Vaporeon also follows on this point, its Burn spreading Scalds great for keeping Meloetta around, while Wishes enables Meloetta to attempt setting up multiple times and can be more aggressive with the pivoting.
Allies that can draw in Ghost types also make for great pivot opportunities. Staraptor and Mienshao make for fine pivots, their fierce Normal and Fighting offense drawing in said Ghost types while being able to pivot out with U-Turn. Cinccino is a bit on the frail side but offers hazard control with Tidy Up, switching opportunities with Encore and loves Meloetta for blasting Rocky Helmet users that like to ruin its day.
Other Options:
Alluring Voice provides coverage against Dark types like Bombirdier, Umbreon, Scrafty and Krookodile, while having a situational, but useful rider against any target that tries boosting in front of Meloetta.
Focus Blast is Meloetta's sole Fighting coverage, but is vital in annihilating Steel targets like Hisuian Goodra, Empoleon and Registeel.
Psychic is always a consideration to Psyshock, having higher base power, and is important for Meloetta as a reliable STAB option against the generally high Defense Rock types that can stomach Hyper Voice.
Substitute is worth consideration, allowing Meloetta to safely boost against special attackers with Leftovers enabling multiple Substitutes.
Energy Ball is great for guaranteeing a 1-2HKO on Unaware walls like Quagsire while covering most Rock types if running Psyshock.
Tera Blast makes for a slightly weaker Normal STAB, but is great as a reliable alternative to Focus Blast if running Tera Fighting.
One Last Dance
-Relic Song
-U-Turn
-Close Combat
-Knock Off
Ability: Serene Grace
Item: Assault Vest
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk /4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Meloetta’s Pirouette form is difficult to use due to having to waste a turn and moveslot with Relic Song but can pay dividends. This is an aggressive pivot set, using Meloetta Aira form’s great Special Defense to pivot in. While some momentum will be lost when transforming with Relic Song, Meloetta-Pirouette can then use its fantastic speed to claw back momentum. U-Turn is vital for this set, allowing Meloetta to tag out against walls it can’t overcome as a speedy pivot, allowing Meloetta to act as bait for its teammates. Close Combat is Meloetta-Pierouette’s primary STAB and between its great base power and Meloetta-Pierouette’s high Attack can deal serious damage to many targets. Knock Off compliments Close Combat well, hitting Fighting immune Ghost and resistant Psychic types like Bronzong, Baculegion, Minukidori, Brambleghast, Chandelure and Hisuian-Typhlosion hard, while being a very difficult move to pivot into as most ideal Knock Off switch-ins loathe Close Combat.
Tera Types:
While Meloetta-Pirouette has a lackluster defensive typing, the hit and run nature of this set often means switching or U-Turning is preferable to Terastalization. When Terastalization is called for, damage boosting Teras are the song of the day to help Meloetta break through defensive targets. Tera Dark is highly recommended, giving base Meloetta a Dark resist so it doesn’t get taken out by faster Dark types before transforming. Tera Fighting possesses similar merit, giving base Meloetta Dark and Bug resistances, while boosting Close Combat to the point that even physically bulky Pokémon like Swampert, Sandslash, and Paldean Tauros are reliably 2HKO’d by it. Tera Poison and Steel are niche, but are Meloetta-Pirouette’s only recourse against Fairy types that reliably resist Close Combat and Knock Off.
EVs and Items:
Standard attacker EV distribution of max Attack and Speed is recommended. Meloetta-Pirouette’s biggest selling point is its insane Speed, where the only threats that naturally outspeed could be counted on two hands, making it difficult to justify anything less, especially when Meloetta-Aria’s speed is far less impressive. Dropping down to Adamant leaves Meloetta-Pirouette outsped by Pokémon like Kilowattrel, Inteleon, Cinccino, and Raikou, targets it can’t really afford to outsped by due to damage Meloetta incurs while transforming. Assault Vest is what enables this set’s functioning, pushing Meloetta-Aria’s Special Defense to the extreme affording it more pivot opportunities as well as shore up the generally frailer Meloetta-Pirouette’s weaker Special Defense. Heavy-Duty Boots is a great alternative for any prospective pivot set that wants to avoid being ravaged by Stealth Rocks.
Partners:
:
Allies that can draw in Ghost types also make for great pivot opportunities. Staraptor and Mienshao make for fine pivots, their fierce Normal and Fighting offense drawing in said Ghost types while being able to pivot out with U-Turn. Cinccino is a bit on the frail side but offers hazard control with Tidy Up.
Pokémon that can handle Fairy types are vital for Meloetta-Pirouette who lacks the moves to deal with them directly outside of Terastalizing and make good pivot targets when Meloetta-Pirouette draws them in. Munkidori is ideal for pivot sets, its Poison STAB eviscerating opposing Fairy types, and chipping the targets it U-Turns with Toxic Chain, making them easier to take down later. Munkidori appreciates the Fighting coverage Meloetta-Pirouette brings to the table against opposing Dark and Steel types that trouble it greatly, as well as the Ghost immunity Meloetta boasts. Bronzong and Copperajah are both Steel types that can handle opposing Fairies while being hazard setters that can help wrack up damage with all the switches they force.
Other Options:
Drain Punch is far weaker than Close Combat, but gives Meloetta longevity, allowing it to pivot in and transform multiple times.
Swords Dance is incompatible with Assault, antithetical to pivot sets, and you must sacrifice valuable coverage on a set already starved for moveslots, but is Meloetta-Pirouette’s best way to muscle through bulky targets.
Ice Punch destroys Flying types that scoff at Close Combat like Altaria, Gligar, Scyther and Salamence along with other Fighting resistant targets like Amoonguss, Palossand, and Vileplume.
Doubles and VGC Options
Meloetta suffers the same fate as many other mythical stars, being unavailable for most official formats, aside from the rare anything goes where it is generally outclassed, especially by the numerous other Psychic legends also running rampant. Yet it is Meloetta’s Normal typing that garners some interest. Meloetta-Aria is the second strongest STAB user of Hyper Voice and is much faster than its contemporary in Ursaluna-Bloodmoon while having comparable Special bulk to Bloodmoon’s physical. This does little to change the fact Ursaluna-Blood is usually preferred with its higher Special Attack, ability to natively hit Ghost, Rock and Steel types with STABs alone on top of potent recovery and access to priority, to say nothing of Arceus that blows Meloetta-Aria away in both bulk and Speed.
Nostalgic Duet
-Hyper Voice
-Dazzling Gleam
-Shadow Ball
-Protect
Ability: Serene Grace
Item: Throat Spray
Tera Type: Normal/Ghost
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 120 Def / 28 SAtk / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
Meloetta-Aria acts as an aggressive spread attacker, using its high Special Attack and the instant setup of Throat Spray to quickly pile on damage without losing momentum. Hyper Voice is the star of the show, triggering Throat Spray and Meloetta-Aria’s primary STAB in general. Dazzling Gleam compliments this well, hitting Dark types like Chien-Pao, Urshifu-Single, Galarian Moltres, and Grimmsnarl that could look to take advantage of Meloetta-Aria’s Dark weakness. Shadow Ball is recommended for coverage, its ability to hit Hyper Voice immune Ghosts like Lunala, Flutter Mane, Sinistcha, Annihilape, Gholdengo, while thanks to Serene Grace, possessing a significant 40% Special Defense drop that can be instrumental in Meloetta-Aria breaking through bulkier targets.
This EV spread is meant so that Meloetta-Aria can survive Chien-Pao's, Urshifu-Single's and Kingambit's Sucker Punch regardless of Terastalization, while possessing just enough speed to always outrun Incineroar. Tera Normal removes Meloetta-Aria’s Dark weakness and super charges Hyper Voice. Tera Ghost provides invaluable immunity to Fake Out and is highly recommended if running Shadow Ball given the wide neutral coverage and amazing Special Defense drop chance.
Other Options:
Tera Blast makes for a decent single target Normal STAB that can be weaponized for a reliable Tera Fighting for Tera Steel Pokémon, Cornerstone Ogerpon, Kingambit and Zamazenta on top of quickly dispatching Incineroar.
Psychic is a secondary STAB option that brutalizes prominent threats like Iron Hands, Glimmora, Amoongus, and Kommo-o though the prominence of many Dark, Steel and Psychic Pokémon can make it unreliable.
Preferred Partners:
Meloetta-Aria’s lower Defense is quite exploitable, so allies that can bolster it are greatly appreciated. Intimidate users like Incineroar, Diancie's Diamond Storm, and Grimmsnarl's Reflect are all ways of achieving this.
Tailwind support is recommended, allowing Meloetta-Aria to get the jump on most targets and start laying in damage before they can react. Whimsicott is a great choice, between its Fairy resistance for Dark types, and access to Fake Tears for surprise KOs with Hyper Voice.
Countering Meloetta
While Meloetta may seem a tricky opponent with its ability to transform, the telegraphed nature of its transformation makes it far easier to play around once known. Meloetta-Aria’s wide coverage and Defense hitting Psyshock do defy most answers, though it cannot hit everything. Specially Defensive Alolan Muk takes pittance from all but Specs Boosted Hyper Voices and Focus Blasts, which even then only 3HKO and if given a free switch can ruin Meloetta with Knock Off. If not running Specs or unable to get a Calm Mind boost, the list expands with Klefki, Bombirdier and Altaria capable of tanking Meloetta-Aria’s unboosted offense. Steel and Dark types are a consistent problem in general since Meloetta-Aria is forced to run Focus Blast or Terastalize, the former being unreliable and the latter being a massive opportunity cost. If not running either option, such Pokémon like Registeel, Assault Vest Copperajah, Hisuian Goodra, and Wo-Chien become anathema to Meloetta-Aria. Rock types can be added to such sets if Meloetta-Aria runs Psyshock over Psychic, especially Diancie and Tyranitar who have the special bulk to tank Shadow Ball and Alluring Voice coverage. Offensively checking Meloetta-Aria is mainly a matter of packing a faster physical attacker. Banded Flygon’s First Impression, Bisharp and Brute Bonnet’s Sucker Punch silence Meloetta-Aria regardless of Choice Scarf. Otherwise, naturally faster attackers like Staraptor, Mienshao, and Tauros can, if not outright OHKO Meloetta, reach said threshold after some chip damage. If facing Meloetta-Pirouette, its inability to handle Fairy types on its own is a glaring weakpoint. Fezandipiti, Scream Tail, and Florges all comfortably tank whatever Meloetta-Pirouette throws at them while threatening super effective Fairy STAB in return. Heracross also handily resists both STABs and threatens an easy OHKO with Close Combat in return. Other bulky walls like Amoonguss, Dragalge, Gligar, and Palossand can tank Meloetta-Pirouette’s blistering offense with ease. Meloetta-Pirouette, despite its great speed, is more exposed to opposing Choice Scarf users due to the inability to effectively run Choice Scarf. Mach Punch users like Breloom and Infernape are also cause for concern given their ability to ignore Meloetta-Pirouette’s speed for massive damage.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Event
Black 2/White 2:
Event
X/Y:
Event
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Event
Sun/Moon:
Event
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Event
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Coastal Biome
Anime Appearences
