Mewtwo (Analysis)

drcossack

I'm everywhere, you ain't never there
Mewtwo



[Overview]

<p>Mewtwo has access to 154 base Special Attack, 130 base Speed, and other good stats. When those are combined with its insane movepool, the "classic god of Psychic types" retains its title. Psystrike, its new signature move, allow it to break down its former checks Blissey, Ghost Arceus, and Ho-oh, while doing massive damage to everything that doesn't resist it, such as Palkia, Reshiram, and several Arceus formes. With Psycho Break, Mewtwo finally has a reason to use its STAB.</p>

<p>Even with all these benefits, Mewtwo has one major "flaw" in the fast-paced offensively-oriented Ubers metagame. With average, though still respectable) defenses of 90, and a weakness to Shadow Sneak, Mewtwo can be killed fairly easily. Regardless of that weakness to priority (which is capable of dealing with several pokemon), Mewtwo is one of the very few Pokemon who lacks actual flaws, making it essentially the "perfect Pokemon."</p>


[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind / Ice Beam
move 2: Psystrike
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Aura Sphere
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While Mewtwo's access to Selfdestruct allowed it to kill Blissey in Generation 4, the weakened effective Base Power of Explosion moves would have weakened Mewtwo's ability to kill her. However, Mewtwo now has a new option to deal with her, and it can do so without sacrificing itself. With the addition of Psycho Break, Mewtwo destroys its former archnemesis Blissey after a Calm Mind. Psycho Break also gives it the power to deal with Ho-oh, Kyogre, and several Arceus formes.</p>

<p>The damage output from Psystrike is insane - even an unboosted Psystrike will 2HKO Latias and Latios, as well as Victini after Stealth Rock, the few Pokemon that resist the Psychic/Fire/Fighting attacking combination. Psystrike also helps Mewtwo break down Pokemon that already have Calm Mind boosts. Fire Blast destroys Steel-type Pokemon such as Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, who may otherwise murder Mewtwo. With a Calm Mind boost, Fire Blast has a chance to OHKO Wobbuffet after Stealth Rock damage, assuming that the weather is sunny. Flamethrower can be used for reliability, as well. While not as powerful as Fire Blast, Flamethrower in the sun still hits Grass/Bug/Ice/Steel Arceus, Forretress, and Scizor hard. Though Sturdy prevents it from losing all of its health, Forretress can do nothing in the face of Mewtwo's follow-up attack. The set's final move is taken up by Aura Sphere. With it, Mewtwo easily destroys Tyranitar, and it serves as a reliable attack to use against Dialga, Darkrai, and Dark Arceus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>If Mewtwo's offensive power after a Calm Mind is the least of your worries, Leftovers is an option over Life Orb, as it allows Mewtwo to preserve its bulk and make it even tougher to revenge kill. With Psystrike, Calm Mind can be replaced with Ice Beam, allowing Mewtwo to hit Groudon, Lugia, Garchomp, Giratina/Giratina-O, and Rayquaza with their weakness, which can OHKO or 2HKO those Pokemon.</p>

<p>This Mewtwo set, due to the power of its STAB, as well as its stats, generally does not require much support from teammates. However, entry hazard users, such as Deoxys or Forretress, can make it easier to KO an opponent's Pokemon.</p>

<p>Because of Fire Blast/Flamethrower, the Sun boost provided by Groudon allows Mewtwo to OHKO the steel types who may otherwise survive in other weather. Groudon is one of the many Pokemon that has the ability to set up Stealth Rock. Due to its typing, Groudon can also easily come in on a Choice Scarf Zekrom's Lightning Strike, forcing it to switch out. </p>

[SET]
Name: Specially Defensive
Move 1: Light Screen
Move 2: Taunt
Move 3: Recover
Move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Psystrike
Item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 144 SpD / 32 Spe
Nature: Timid

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Mewtwo may be noted for its extraordinary offensive capability due to Calm Mind, Psycho Break, and its wide variety of special attacks. Mewtwo's support movepool, however, is just as extensive, allowing it to run a defensive set. Light Screen and Will-O-Wisp allow Mewtwo to deal with both Physical and Special sweepers. With the given EVs, Mewtwo can easily neuter any threats that come in against it. Recover, with Mewtwo's high HP and Light Screen/Will-O-Wisp, allow it to easily survive a variety of attacks, and stall out the opponent's PP with Pressure.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>If you want, Mewtwo can set up Reflect and Light Screen with ease, due to its decent bulk and high Speed. However, Prankster Pokemon, such as Whimsicott, can use their Priority Taunting to stop your support before it starts. Because of Defensive Mewtwo's appreciation of Entry Hazards, Will-O-Wisp may not be necessary, and, in fact, can become useless due to Toxic Spikes. Psystrike, off of Mewtwo's high Special Attack, can serve as a useful substitute in place of Burn, and a way to deal with Pokemon otherwise unimpeded by a pure StallTwo, such as Ho-oh and Reshiram. Burn, however, has uses against Physical Sweepers such as Groudon, Rayquaza, Arceus, Zekrom, and Garchomp.</p>

<p>With the lack of Latios and Latias due to the unavailability of Soul Dew, Mewtwo does not need as much speed; 32 speed EVs put it at 334 speed, allowing it to outspeed and Burn Swords Dance Garchomp. Should a max speed Normal Arceus decide to come in and try to set up on you, the 144 Special Defense EVs can be moved into Speed to prevent that, either through Taunt or Will-o-Wisp. Taunt, when combined with Mewtwo's speed, can provide a way to prevent opposing Pokemon from setting up.</p>

<p>Defensive Mewtwo definitely appreciates entry hazards more than the offensive set. Its bulk, when combined with Pressure, as well as its ability to nullify the potency of sweepers, make killing it extremely difficult. Two layers of Toxic Spikes make up for Mewtwo's lack of ways to damage an opponent directly. Dark Arceus serves as an excellent counter to a defensive Mewtwo. Without a way to reliably harm it, Mewtwo is forced to switch out should Dark Arceus hit the field.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Thunder can strike Kyogre harder than everything else, with the possible exception of Grass Knot. Grass Knot can also be used for Groudon, allowing Mewtwo to deal with both with ease. If Mewtwo is near death, Selfdestruct is an option to deal a reasonable amount of damage to an opposing pokemon. While explosion moves only has half the power it had in the previous generation, which prevents it from easily KOing a pokemon, it can still serve as a way to bring in a counter or a check. This works best with Reflect and Light Screen support, as it prevents the opposing pokemon, who is likely to survive the kamikaze attempt, from killing your switch-in.</p>

<p>If using Selfdestruct, Mewtwo's physical attack and defense can be boosted by the use of Bulk Up. In addition to gaining the ability to sweep physically, Mewtwo can use the moin an attempt to reduce Shadow Sneak's damage output. However, both Bulk Up and Mewtwo's ability to sweep physically are often largely outclassed by the Calm Mind set. Because of the absurd power of the CM set, Mewtwo possesses the ability to annihilate Blissey, as well as several other specially defensive Pokemon, with its STAB.</p>

<p>While Mewtwo can run an all out attacker set with Aura Sphere / Ice Beam / Flamethrower / Psystrike, it generally prefers the sweeping ability Calm Mind gives; the extra Special Attack and Special Defense provided by a CM allow Mewtwo to both sweep with ease and survive against special attacks. Because it provides an immediate power boost, Choice Specs can work well, but, as Mewtwo has one of the best sweeping capabilities in the game, locking yourself in on a specific move is generally not a good idea, as it makes countering Mewtwo a much easier task. Choice Scarf makes Mewtwo a phenomenal revenge killer as it can revenge kill the likes of Rock Polish Groudon and Scarf Shaymin-S. Trick can be used with either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs to disable a threat, such as Blissey or Lugia, as well.</p>

<p>For those who dislike Fire Blast or Flamethrower's reliance on sunlight, Shadow Ball can serve as a decent replacement option, due to the number of Pokemon weak to it. Because of their typing, Giratina/Giratina-O, Wobbuffet, Mew, opposing Mewtwo, and Psychic/Ghost Arceus get hit hard by Shadow Ball. If your Fire attack is removed, however, Scizor, Jirachi, and Metagross have a much easier time dealing with Mewtwo, though the Psychic typing on Jirachi and Metagross allows Shadow Ball to hit them for neutral damage.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Though almost nothing can counter Mewtwo, it can easily be revenged by Choice Scarf Kyogre and Zekrom. Furthermore, Giratina-O can pick it off at 50% with Shadow Sneak and, with Giratina's high HP, allow it to survive an unboosted Psycho Break. Kyogre can weaken Mewtwo's Fire-type attack through Drizzle, allowing Lugia and Wobbuffet to take care of Mewtwo, if it does not have Shadow Ball, with relative ease. Choice Scarf Victini resists Mewtwo's entire moveset and can deal massive damage with Flare Blitz if the Sun is up. Scarf Zoroark, should it take the form of Victini, can switch in on a predicted Psycho Break, then kill Mewtwo with Sucker Punch or Night Burst. Choice Scarf Jirachi, though it takes heavy damage from Fire Blast or Flamethrower, can U-turn against Mewtwo and switch into Giratina-O to take the Fire-type attack. Giratina-O can then finish Mewtwo off with Shadow Sneak.</p>

<p>Mewtwo's power makes Spikes support unnecessary, as Mewtwo is strong enough to sweep without them. They can, however, weaken Scarf Kyogre further, reducing the damage from Water Spout and potentially preventing a KO. On the defensive set, however, the necessity of Entry Hazards allow either Giratina-O or Ghost Arceus to serve as a much-appreciated spinblocker.</p>

[Dream World]

Mewtwo's Dream World ability, Unnerve, prevents the opponent from consuming their berries. This is extremely helpful for Calm Mind Mewtwo. Because it prevents the activation of resist berries as well as other berries, pokemon such as Chople Tyranitar and Chople Darkrai can no longer get in the way of its sweeping rampage. Furthermore, Wobbuffet can not activate its Custap Berry, meaning that a low health Wobbuffet is hard pressed to revenge kill Mewtwo with Destiny Bond. Pressure isn't too helpful for this fast paced set. The stalling set definitely prefers Pressure, however, as it is meant to abuse it.</p>
 

drcossack

I'm everywhere, you ain't never there
You should consider the inclusion of choice and defensive sets, imo.
Firecape is going to write the defensive set, and choiced...I'm not too crazy about it. Sure, Mewtwo can still cripple something like Blissey, but Psycho Break deals with her just as quickly. Even so, Mewtwo wants Calm Mind to score KO's - Blissey isn't OHKO'd by LO Psycho Break without one boost.
 

shrang

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He agreed to give it to me a while ago, we discussed it on IRC.
Oh okay. Anyway, like I said in Jibaku's Mewtwo thread, Mewtwo is much more versatile than just two sets right?? Yeah, some of his other sets might not be as overpowered as the Psycho Killer set, but they are still very much usable. Here are sets that I think should stay:

- Dual Screen boom - Taunt/Dual Screens/Boom is still a fantastic supporter. It doesn't really matter at all that Selfdestruct got nerfed, the point is to bring in a Pokemon for free anyway (eg Mew), killing something is probably just a bonus.
- Choice Scarf - Yes, Mewtwo is weak to Pursuit and has crappy STAB, but Scarfed Mewtwo is still a pretty good revenge killer, with fantastic Speed (Not outspeeding Jolly Sand Dory is kinda disappointing, but whatever), great coverage and Trick
- Defensive CM (With Taunt/Sub, doesn't matter) - Yeah, this isn't as good as it was last gen (Actually it's about the same, but Psycho Killer makes it look crappy), but is more of a pain to Stall (And other stupid things like Baton Pass and Trick Room), so it should still be worth an analysis.


Anyway, if you're writing this analysis, you should probably clean up the formatting. Prosed analysis (non-QC skeletons) follow the following structure:

[Overview]

[SET]

[SET COMMENTS]

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

[Team Options]

[Optional Changes]

[Counters]


(The number of Set, Set Comments and Additional Comments depend on how many sets you have, obviously)
 
Oh okay. Anyway, like I said in Jibaku's Mewtwo thread, Mewtwo is much more versatile than just two sets right?? Yeah, some of his other sets might not be as overpowered as the Psycho Killer set, but they are still very much usable. Here are sets that I think should stay:

- Dual Screen boom - Taunt/Dual Screens/Boom is still a fantastic supporter. It doesn't really matter at all that Selfdestruct got nerfed, the point is to bring in a Pokemon for free anyway (eg Mew), killing something is probably just a bonus.
- Choice Scarf - Yes, Mewtwo is weak to Pursuit and has crappy STAB, but Scarfed Mewtwo is still a pretty good revenge killer, with fantastic Speed (Not outspeeding Jolly Sand Dory is kinda disappointing, but whatever), great coverage and Trick
- Defensive CM (With Taunt/Sub, doesn't matter) - Yeah, this isn't as good as it was last gen (Actually it's about the same, but Psycho Killer makes it look crappy), but is more of a pain to Stall (And other stupid things like Baton Pass and Trick Room), so it should still be worth an analysis.


Anyway, if you're writing this analysis, you should probably clean up the formatting. Prosed analysis (non-QC skeletons) follow the following structure:

[Overview]

[SET]

[SET COMMENTS]

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

[Team Options]

[Optional Changes]

[Counters]


(The number of Set, Set Comments and Additional Comments depend on how many sets you have, obviously)
To attest to the scarf set, bear in mind that Mewtwo will outspeed every other scarfer besides Deoxys-A/S, which are very rarely seen, besides lead Deoxys-S. Being able to eliminate every Rock Polish Groudon, besides jolly max speed after the boost and also being able to render Blissey useless with trick/boom is useful. It's more reliable than relying on hax with Skymin for the Blissey case. Mewtwo does a niche as a screener as well, due to it being able to boom, Latios and Deoxys-S can't do this. Although Latios does an arguably better sacrificing move in Momento, rather than boom. Mewtwo does boast more speed and is able to taunt Latios before he can do anything.
 
How come such a versatile Pokemon gets only one moveset? Seriously, what about defensive Mewtwo with WOW, Or the Dual Screens set?
 

drcossack

I'm everywhere, you ain't never there
How come such a versatile Pokemon gets only one moveset? Seriously, what about defensive Mewtwo with WOW, Or the Dual Screens set?
Because I've been too lazy to write stuff, and I'm busy with the holidays - shopping, 50 million Christmas concerts, etc. I'll be able to test more sets after Sunday though.
 
<p> While Mewtwo can run an all out attacker set with Aura Sphere / Ice Beam / Flamethrower / Psycho Break, it generally prefers the sweeping ability Calm Mind gives; the extra Special Attack and Special Defense provided by a CM allow Mewtwo to both sweep with ease and survive against specia attacks.
Just a nitpick, but it should be special.
 
I've been pondering about the set name for a while now, but does anyone actually call this set "Psycho Killer"? Something like "Psycho Broken" might be more appropriate. I mean, I know that "Psycho Broken" often refers to the move, but it seems to me that the set and the move are basically synonymous with each other in common conversation.
 
Giratina should be mentioned more in the counters section because it easily survives a boosted Psycho Break and Dragon Tail Mewtwo out or hurt it with Shadow Claw.

The odd Psychic Arceus also deals with Mewtwo outside of Sun, since it can Paralyse Mewtwo with Thunder Wave or Roar it out.
 
I just wanna stick this in here (LOL bowchickabowow)....

I personally, having tried CMBreaker Mewtwo, always had a lot of trouble getting him set up without getting KO'd. :0 I've been having a lot more success with a LO 4 Attacks Mewtwo that knew Psycho Break, Aura Sphere, Ice Beam, and Fire Blast. Obviously Thunder is also an option if you're running a rain team or something, though Psycho Break cleanly 2HKOs Kyogre, and OHKOs easily if weakened.

Given that Mewtwo with few or no defensive investments can usually survive neutral hits, I can also see a LO/Lefties set with 3 attacks + Recover working reasonably well, though I would have to test this to know its effectiveness first
 
I'm curious if a Scarf set merits a spot in the analysis. Here's what I've been running:

Mewtwo@Choice Scarf
Modest; 36 HP / 252 SpA / 220 Spe

Ice Beam
Aura Sphere
Psycho Break
Trick / Thunder

The set is capable of revenging a variety of threats and outruns Timid Latios if you opt for Trick and get rid of the Scarf. Adamant RPDon is outsped while Jolly RPDon cannot OHKO, thus Ice Beam. It is also effective against DDRay, Shaymin-S, Garchomp, and a few others. Aura Sphere hits steels, and is mainly for Dialga, Darkrai, and Tyranitar. Psycho Break allows Mewtwo to deal effectively with Reshiram, Palkia, and Ho-Oh, doing 53% to the latter and up to 60% to the former. It also deals with Kyogre somewhat if you lack Thunder.

In the last slot, I personally run Trick, as it messes with Stall, sweepers reliant on their coverage, Blissey/Chansey, and the Lati twins in particular. However, Thunder is an option as well, pairing well with Ice Beam and striking down Kyogre in rain. It is also stronger than Aura Sphere against the likes of Forretress, Scizor, and Metagross.
 
Choice Scarf Mewtwo isn't as good as the other scarfers but it can still work decently.
Also you might want to run a Timid Nature for the scarf set so that you are not flinched to death by Timid Scarf Shaymin-S or crippled by Timid Darkrai.

The few pokemon that gives it stiff competition are:

1) Palkia - Mewtwo cannot come in on Kyogre at all, and a simple Surf will KO after a little prior damage while you can't damage Kyogre much unless you have Thunder. while Psycho Break is powerful, it can't KO Kyogre even after Stealth Rock damage because you are lacking Life Orb or a setup move. Palkia has that useful Dragon STAB which slays many of the Dragons lurking in the Ubers tier and not weak to Pursuit.

2) Shaymin-S - It has a STAB Seed Flare with a whopping 68% to land a Special Defense drop forcing most opponents to switch immediately even though many Ubers resist Grass. A fast and 58% flinch Air slash will easily annoy opponents. Also Seed Flare prevents Tyranitar from coming in to Pursuit while Air Slash forces Scizor to use Bullet Punch or lose.

3) Kyogre - This whale has weather support and an insanely powereful Water Spout to bash through most teams easily. It's not like the Pursuiters: Tyranitar and Scizor are coming in on Kyogre anytime soon unless the bloated whale is stucked on Ice Beam.

4) Garchomp - Being immune to Thunder Wave, resisting Stealth Rock allows Garchomp to survive longer for the match. Garchomp can survive a +2 Extremespeed from Rayquaza even after Stealth Rock damage, something Mewtwo cannot do. Next, the land shark's odd Speed enables it to wreck Palkia, Dialga, Giratina, Rayquaza with it's STAB moves. Dragon STAB is invaluable in the Uber tier. Mewtwo fails to 2HKO Giratina and Dialga with it's scarf set.

5) Zekrom - The mighty Lightning Strike it possesses means it can OHKO any Kyogre or Darkrai easily while nearly OHKOing Mewtwo and Bold Lugia. ScarfTwo again struggles to kill Lugia or opposing Mewtwo.

6) Darkrai - It has a fast Dark Void to put something to sleep easily while being resistant to Pursuit meaning it isn't trapped by any pursuiter. Being a Dark type means Darkrai is immune to Mirror Coat allowing it to smash Wobbuffet to pieces with it's Dark Pulses.

Trick doesn't work as well this generation due to the popularity of Arceus holding a variety of plates, Giratina-O and new choiced users such as Zekrom. If Mewtwo is stuck on Psycho Break(which is it's most powerful move), Pursuiters can easily trap and eliminate it.

Choiced Scarfers such as Palkia are not uncommon in stall at all. In fact most stall teams utilizes a Scarfer to revenge kill Darkrai, Dragon Dance Rayquaza or Mewtwo. Arceus formes and Giratina-O always show up in stall teams too making Trick less effective as it is before but it can surprise someone.

The set you are using currently is walled by Jirachi, Scizor, Lugia (Ice beam doesn't 2HKO), Giratina, Chansey, some Arceus formes, Cresselia, Metagross and defensive Kyogre. Using Thunder and Fire blast can be useful to take down steels and Kyogre but you will lose against Tyranitar.

The biggest downfall of Scarf Mewtwo is probably it's vulnerability of being trapped by Pursuiters and Wobbuffet easily(without fear of even being 3HKOed).

I am not saying a Choice Scarf Mewtwo set is bad though since it outspeeds almost everything, it's just that there are better Scarfers out there.
 
I was thinking something around the same lines, yeah. If any Choice set is worth running, Specs probably is, though. And Trick would still be useful with that.
 

drcossack

I'm everywhere, you ain't never there
I was thinking something around the same lines, yeah. If any Choice set is worth running, Specs probably is, though. And Trick would still be useful with that.
Either one is pretty much Pursuit bait though. I'll test them tomorrow, but I'm not entirely sure I'm going to like them. CM with Psycho Break just seems so much better than everything else, and it also prevents you from wasting a turn crippling an opponent's pokemon, since you can just kill it instead.

I admit I had the same reservations about StallTwo at first, but I theorymonned a better way to use it while talking to trick room, and it did very well in our test battles. I'm about to edit the OP with it.
 
Mewtwo is far more versatile then 2 sets but the Psycho Killer is really the only set who is common at the moment. The Stalltwo set works great, firecape and I tested it too.

Choice Scarf Mewtwo doesn't deserve a set in my opinion and I already stated the reasons earlier. There are better Choice Scarfers in Ubers, and Mewtwo's signature move is either useless or weak when hitting the pursuiters.(Tyranitar, Warubiaru and Scizor)
Using a choice item also severly hampers Mewtwo's versatility.

Whether a Dual Screen Selfdestruct set should be added will be decided later by the QC team. I have to ask Jibaku about it first, since he is the QC leader and made the Mewtwo analysis earlier.

Other than that, the analysis looks solid



QC APPROVED 1/2
 

Great Sage

Banned deucer.
Prose and organization needs work, but that's for later. The sets look solid. It's pretty amazing that Mewtwo had nine sets last generation but is only getting two (probably three or four, actually) this generation.

QC APPROVED 2/2
 
Normal Arceus OHKOs all Mewtwo with Extremespeed after a Swords Dance. Unless Mewtwo already has a boost, it cant beat Extreme Killer.
 

drcossack

I'm everywhere, you ain't never there
After using specs mewtwo set for ages, I believe it deserves a main set if will be added.
While I won't deny that Choiced sets have their uses, I'm not going to include Specs or Scarf. With pokemon like Ferrothorn, Darkrai, Giratina, and Kyogre, Mewtwo's common attacks can easily be worked around. You may get a Darkrai kill with Specs Aura Sphere, but that means a Ghost will come in freely.
 
Tell all the people I've swept with specs :P They are far more important than a OC which does not mention either too. Specs is vital for the reliability of killing stuff like chansey and can even OHKO palkia.
 

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