Mamooooooooo
[Overview]
<p>This generation has been extremely kind to Mamoswine, and it is now endowed with a reliable Ice-type STAB attack: Icicle Crash. Icicle Crash and Earthquake score 2HKOes on nearly everything in the Uber tier, with the assistance of Stealth Rock. Mamoswine also has access to priority in the form of Ice Shard, which can be extremely useful in Ubers with the plethora of Dragon-types that run rampant. Mamoswine also has an ever-useful immunity to Electric-type attacks, which provides it with many opportunities to switch in. However, Mamoswine is not without its flaws. Its below-average Speed is its biggest downfall, and makes it a bit reliant on prediction. Mamoswine's typing makes it vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, which will wear it down quickly. It also is a bit frail by Ubers standards, and can't take many hits, if any, on the special side. Do not let these downfalls deter you from using Mamoswine; it can be a terror on the battlefield when used correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Physical Attacker
move 1: Icicle Crash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Substitute / Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mamoswine is quite powerful, and has the ability to 2HKO basically everything in the tier, save for its two hard counters. A reliable physical Ice STAB is what really gives Mamoswine its niche, however, as it allows it to 2HKO common physical walls such as Giratina, Groudon, and Lugia with Stealth Rock support. Its other STAB is not forgotten though. Ground is an amazing STAB that lets Mamoswine send Steel-types that aren't immune to it running. Even Ferrothorn is 2HKOed by it, despite its great defensive prowess.</p>
<p>Icicle Crash is really what gives Mamoswine its niche - not many Pokemon have a powerful physical Ice-type move. Earthquake is raw power, and can tear through most neutral targets that resist Icicle Crash. Ice Shard is a powerful, and extremely useful, priority move. In a tier where Dragon-type Pokemon run rampant, Ice Shard finds itself many uses. Ice Shard OHKOes Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Shaymin-S, and does a truckload to most Dragon-type Pokemon. The last slot is a bit of a filler, but it can be useful. Mamoswine will often cause an obvious switch, and you will need to predict what switches in to safely 2HKO it. Substitute can ease this kind of prediction and make Mamoswine's life easier, but it will make Mamoswine die even faster to hazards and Life Orb recoil. Stealth Rock can go in the final slot if your team is desperate for a Stealth Rock user, but there are far better users of the move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Here are some calculations to show just how powerful Mamoswine is, and show how much it appreciates Stealth Rock:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Icicle Crash vs. 252/252+ Groudon 55.4% - 65.8%</li>
<li>Icicle Crash vs. 252/252+ Lugia 56.7% - 67.8%</li>
<li>Ice Shard vs. 252/252+ Lugia 27.4% - 32.2%</li>
<li>Icicle Crash vs. 248/248+ Giratina 50.5% - 59.6%</li>
<li>Icicle Crash vs. 0/0 Giratina-O 90.2% - 106.6%</li>
<li>Icicle Crash vs. 248/0 Ho-Oh 52% - 61.7%</li>
<li>Earthquake vs. 252/0 Dialga 98.5% - 116.3%</li>
<li>Earthquake vs. 252/0 +1 Dialga 65.8% - 77.7%</li>
<li>Earthquake vs. 4/0 Kyogre 74.6% - 88%</li>
<li>Ice Shard vs. 4/0 Kyogre 14.9% - 17.5%</li>
<li>Earthquake vs. 252/0 Steel Arceus 89.6% - 105.9%</li>
<li>Earthquake vs. 252/0 Ferrothorn 52.8% - 62.2%</li>
<li>Ice Shard vs. 4/0 Rayquaza 115.9% - 137.5%</li>
<li>Ice Shard vs. 4/0 Garchomp 110.6% - 130.7%</li>
<li>Ice Shard vs. 4/0 Shaymin-S 138% - 164.9%</li>
</ul>
<p>As you can see, Stealth Rock is necessary to secure a few important KOs. Mamoswine is not that reliable of a Stealth Rock user, so it is wise to carry one, such as Dialga or Groudon. It may seem odd to use Adamant and max Speed, but both are necessary. The max Speed allows it to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon that do not invest heavily. If they do invest heavily, they will likely use a Speed-boosting nature, in which case Jolly would not help anyways. Adamant's power is also necessary to score key 2HKOes against defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. It may be tempting to use Expert Belt to lessen the passive damage Mamoswine takes, but it really needs that extra power, especially against Pokemon like the aforementioned Ferrothorn, where it has to rely on raw power to muscle through. Stone Edge may be a bit tempting to use, but notice the Icicle Crash calculation vs. Ho-Oh&emdash;it is most likely dying, making Stone Edge highly unnecessary. Paralysis support is also something to consider when using Mamoswine, as it is on the slow side, so luring in and paralyzing the Pokemon that can cause it trouble can really give it the edge to push through the opposing team. Kyogre, Jirachi, and Ferrothorn all excel in spreading paralysis.</p>
<p>Zekrom makes a great partner to Mamoswine, as it can decimate Pokemon like Skarmory, Kyogre, and Bronzong that would otherwise give Mamoswine a hard time. Mamoswine can also take down Groudon for Zekrom while it resists a good portion of Mamoswine's weaknesses, giving it something to switch in on. When using Mamoswine, it is good to have Pokemon that can switch into the likes of Kyogre. Palkia fits the bill, and can also, depending on the weather, incinerate and electrify Skarmory and Bronzong. Mamoswine can also use teammates that lure Electric-types attack for it to switch in on. Kyogre is one of such Pokemon, and it can also drown Skarmory and Bronzong with Surf or Water Spout. If you really hate the oft-repeated Steel-type duo that give Mamoswine trouble, you can use Magnezone to send them packing. Finally, a teammate with Rapid Spin can help Mamoswine, as it is vulnerable to all forms of hazards. Forretress and Tentacruel are examples of Pokemon that can work well in Ubers and provide Rapid Spin support, in addition to other useful support options.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mamoswine doesn't really have many useful options that aren't already detailed above. You could use an Endeavor Lead set with Stealth Rock, Ice Shard, and a Focus Sash, but that's iffy at best. A Choice Band set can capitalize on Mamoswine's raw power, but it will rely even more heavily on prediction. Icicle Spear does more damage if it hits four times, and, in addition, it can break Substitutes; however, it is otherwise an unreliable method of causing damage. A set with Curse could be used, but Mamoswine would be demolished by basically every special attacker. Body Slam can let Mamoswine spread its own paralysis, but its wasting its potential. Finally, Superpower would have its uses if not the for the fact that it is illegal with Icicle Crash.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Mamoswine is hard countered by Skarmory and Bronzong. It can't really run anything to break through them, so it will have to rely on teammates. Defensive Arceus that aren't weak to its STAB moves aren't 2HKOed with some investment, and can burn Mamoswine with Will-O-Wisp, taking away any chance it has of causing havoc. Manaphy can outspeed Mamoswine and OHKO it easily with Surf. It also isn't taken down by Earthquake + Ice Shard unless it invests next to nothing in its defenses and a significant amount of entry hazards are down. Entry hazards in general will wear down Mamoswine quite quickly in conjunction with Life Orb. Reshiram is another Pokemon that sends Mamoswine running, as it isn't weak to Ice Shard and can outspeed Mamoswine and OHKO it, however, it can't switch in directly for fear of Earthquake. A fast Kyogre is in a similar boat; it can easily OHKO Mamoswine with its STAB moves and resists Ice Shard, but it too will have trouble switching in directly. As long as it doesn't switch into Icicle Crash, Lugia can come in and set up Reflect on Mamoswine. It will still take a decent chunk of damage, but it can Roost away the wounds Mamoswine has inflicted upon it. If Giratina manages to switch in safely, it can burn Mamoswine, making it useless. Scizor can Bullet Punch Mamowine into oblivion, and Mamoswine can't touch a Heatran with an Air Balloon. In general, Mamoswine is easily checked by faster Pokemon who aren't weak to Ice Shard.</p>
[overview]
- Can 2HKO almost everything in the tier with SR
- 2 great STABs to work with (Ice is a beast physical STAB!)
- Icicle Crash being an amazing upgrade blah blah - can 2HKO physical walls
- strong priority
- A bit on the slow and frail side for ubers standards
- needs to predict or hazards + LO will wear it out quickly
- Electric immunity
- tears through teams - Icicle Crash was godsend for Mamo
- Ice STAB is super effective against all the common physical walls (Groudon, Lugia, Giratina), and therefore Mamoswine can 2HKO them all with Adamant and Life Orb [talk about other bulky pokemon like ferrothorn too, etc]
- Earthquake mops up annoying Steel-types
- Ice Shard is powerful priority that lets it revenge stuff like non-ExtremeSpeed Rayquaza, Shaymin-S, and Garchomp with impunity
- Adamant is 100% necessary to score the 2HKO on Groudon
- may seem odd to not run Jolly and max Speed, but max Speed and Adamant allow you to outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokemon that do not invest heavily in Speed -- which Jolly wouldn't help with anyways as its usually a little or none. Bulk isn't really helping mamo that much either
- Mamoswine can force a ton of switches and relies a bit on prediction, so Substitute can be used to help
- it forces a lot out so you can use a turn to set up SR if your team desperately needs a SRer
- calcs vs Groudon Ferrothorn Lugia Giratina etc
- Expert Belt may seem a better option but then its destroyed by Ferrothorn and it loses the 2HKO on most Groudon
- SR support to secure 2HKO on Lugia & Giratina
- Stone Edge is nearly-useless because Ho-Oh is OHKOed by Icicle Crash after SR, even with 252 HP unless it holds leftovers, which brings it to ~50% OHKO chance
- fits well on rain teams
- relys a lot on prediction
- need a pokemon to switch into Kyogre and Tina-O if you mispredict their switch in
- Zekrom is a great partner as Zekrom can destroy Kyogre, Skarmory, and Bronzong for Mamoswine, while Mamo can take out other physical walls like Groudon that Zekrom hates
- paralysis support
- Zekrom resists a good number of mamo's weaknesses
- Palkia can take down and switch into Kyogre, in addition to Skarm and Bronzong
- Kyogre can take Fire attacks aimed at mamo while mamo can switch into Thunder
- electric attack lures
- mamoswine can trap bronzong and Skarmory
- Mamoswine could use a Rapid Spinner teammate as it hates all hazards and switches around a lot
- not really that much...
- Endeavor Lead set with SR and Sash
- Choice Band
- Thick Fat is released but its illegal with Ice Shard and Icicle Crash
- Curse
- Skarmory
- Bronzong
- Defensive Arceus that aren't weak to its STABs can WoW
- Manaphy can outspeed and Surf it into oblivion, and it isn't OHKOed by anything Mamoswine has to offer. It can rest off any damage taken later with Hydration too, and it resists Ice Shard
- Hazards in general will wear down Mamoswine fast as it will be switching around a lot. Toxic Spikes in particular can chip up to 22.5% per turn off Mamo
- Reshiram doesn't take too much from Ice Shard and outspeeds and OHKOes Mamoswine, but it can't switch into Earthquake.
- Lugia with reflect as long as it doesn't switch into icicle crash
- Mamoswine gets a lot of 2HKOes, so prediction is key to beating it
- Mamoswine is revenged by basically everything that can outspeed it and isn't weak to Ice, but Ice Shard still hurts regardless
- If Giratina switches in safely it can WoW
- Faster Kyogre can drown it and has resistance to Ice Shard
- Scizor can destroy it with Bullet Punch
- If Heatran can keep its balloon intact Mamoswine can't touch it
