What Is The Best Mega Salamence Moveset For OU Battles?

I tend to run a lean, aggressive Mega Salamence set for OU: Salamencite, Aerilate, Dragon Dance, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Roost. My preferred spread is usually Adamant with 252 Attack / 4 HP / 252 Speed for maximum punch, but if I need to outrun specific threats I'll go Jolly instead. The core idea is simple — boost with Dragon Dance, use Double-Edge as a powered STAB via Aerilate, Earthquake for coverage (especially vs. Steel-types), and Roost to keep momentum.

In actual matches I focus on stall out or remove common hazards and priority users first; Salamence hates being chipped or hit by Fake Out/priority at +1. Typical teammates that make it shine are hazard setters like Ferrothorn or entry-hazard skippers like Defog/Spinning partners, plus a Clefable or Tapu Fini to deal with Ice and Fairy threats. If you want a safer alternative, swap Double-Edge for Return to avoid recoil, or trade Roost for Protect in formats where prediction and stall turns matter. I find that reading switches and timing Dragon Dance is half the fun — land the boost at the right time and it becomes game over.

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.