Charizard

Mega Evolutions define Battle Spot Singles's metagame, but Charizard kicks that concept up a notch, being the only Pokemon with two Mega Evolutions! Mega Charizard X is the physical attacker, having an incredible boosting ability in Tough Claws. Its secondary Dragon typing makes it very unique among Fire-types, allowing it to set up on defensive Water-types with Dragon Dance and Swords Dance. With access to awesome support moves such as Flame Charge, Roost, and Will-O-Wisp and the bulk to use them, Mega Charizard X stands out as the most versatile physical Fire-type out there and as a physical Dragon-type that isn't checked by normal means such as Will-O-Wisp or Suicune.

Mega Charizard Y is the opposite side of the coin. With Drought and an impressive Special Attack stat, Mega Charizard Y is a ferocious wallbreaker that 2HKOes the majority of the metagame with no setup whatsoever. Drought even provides Mega Charizard Y with defensive benefits, allowing it to take on most Water-type Pokemon in conjunction with its good Special Defense stat and access to Solar Beam. Mega Charizard Y might not be as versatile as Mega Charizard X, but it doesn't need to be when the switch-ins most teams can provide will get 2HKOed at worst!

While each Charizard Mega Evolution is a dangerous Pokemon, both are reasonable enough to check on their own. However, since both of these Pokemon come under the disguise of Charizard at first, their threat level is magnified. Each Charizard has a dramatically different set of checks from each other, with one Pokemon checking one Charizard Mega Evolution, only to get obliterated by the other. With the limited number of Pokemon you can send out and the fast-paced nature of Battle Spot Singles in mind, this means that predicting the wrong Mega Evolution often results in losing a Pokemon or getting set up on, which is usually a devastating blow that often costs you the game!

The key to solving the nightmarish guessing game is to keep their similarities in mind, which opens up a few reliable tactics against both Mega Evolutions. Both also have a huge problem with Stealth Rock, which is likely to appear on any team that has big problems with the Mega Charizard duo, chopping off enough health to make it reasonable to revenge kill. Charizard's Speed, while certainly not bad, is hotly contested in Battle Spot Singles, meaning it Speed ties with Salamence and Mega Kangaskhan and gets outsped by the ever-so-common Garchomp. Finally, with Choice Scarf users, Garchomp, and common Focus Sash users such as Breloom often running Rock-type attacks, landing a super effective hit on either Mega Evolution is actually a feasible task. In general, applying constant offensive pressure on the Mega Charizard family can save teams from getting tricked by this two-in-one Pokemon.