Mesprit (QC 2/3)

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Well, something that just always seem to suffer from each gen's power creep.

Overview
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Mesprit stands out in RU as the best offensive Healing Wish user in the tier. It also has access to Stealth Rock, which combined with Healing makes it unique among the many Psychic-types in RU. Mesprit also packs a decent offensive movepool and usable bulk, so it can prove to pack a decent overall punch, while providing good amounts of support to its team. Thanks to its typing and decent bulk, Mesprit can also take hits decently well and provide Healing Wish support quite effectively. These qualities all combine to make Mesprit an overall useful offensive utility Pokemon.

However, Mesprit lacks any outstanding stats, so outside of its access to Healing Wish, it struggles to stand out from the other Psychic-types in RU. Delphox, Reuniclus, Meloetta, and Cresselia all give Mesprit very stiff competition for a teamslot, and Mesprit often will find itself an inferior choice. Furthermore, Mesprit also has three common weaknesses, leaving it prone to being taken down by common Pokemon such as Escavalier as well as the ever popular Knock Off. Overall, Mesprit is not the first consideration for a team, but it is very proficient for teams in need of its unique qualities.

Offensive Support
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name: Offensive Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
move 4: Healing Wish
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Moves
========

Stealth Rock is an obligatory support move that Mesprit has access to, and Mesprit is capable of providing it a few times in a match. Psychic is a reliable and strong STAB move that does decent damage to some Pokemon in the tier. Ice Beam provides decent coverage with Psychic and allows Mesprit to defeat many common hazard removers such as Gligar and Shiftry. Thunderbolt also has good overall neutral coverage with Psychic, hitting many of the Pokemon that resist Psychic for at least neutral damage and being reliable and powerful. Finally, Healing Wish is meant to be used in situations where it would be needed, allowing Mesprit to sacrifice itself when it is no longer needed in order to fully heal a weakened teammate.

Set Details
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The EV spread and nature maximize power and speed to use Mesprit to the best of its abilities. A Life Orb is the best item choice here, giving a bit more power to Psychic and Thunderbolt. Colbur Berry, however, is a viable alternative in order to allow Mesprit to better endure Knock Off and Pursuit from Pokemon such as Drapion.

Usage Tips
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Mesprit aims to be used as an offensive utility Pokemon, being able to pack a solid offensive presence while being able to support its team with Stealth Rock and Healing Wish. It has utility in the early game as a hazard setter, while late-game it can give a sweeper such as Drapion a second chance to sweep if such Pokemon is weakened. Make use of Healing Wish when the need arises: that is, when you have a weakened setup sweeper such as Delphox, Virizion, or Shiftry in the wing that could benefit.

Team Options
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Moltres, Heliolisk, and Meloetta are viable teammates, as it can handle a lot of the Pokemon that trouble Mesprit, such as Doublade. Emboar is also a decent alternative, as it can also check Dark-types. Sweepers like Virizion, Doublade, and Drapion all appreciate Healing Wish support, and thus are good teammates for Mesprit. The latter, along with Shiftry and Spiritomb, can also handle Psychic-types, while Virizion can check Dark-types. In addition, Doublade or Defiant Braviary could be useful to take advantage of hazard removal if Mesprit is unable to outlast the opponent's hazard setters.

Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Healing Wish
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic serves as a reliable STAB move that packs good power. Thunderbolt provides good neutral coverage with Psychic, while allowing Mesprit to deal with Moltres and Fletchinder. Hidden Power Fire is the best option in the third moveslot, allowing Mesprit to deal with Escavalier and Doublade. However, Mesprit can also run Energy Ball or Shadow Ball over either in order to hit Rhyperior or Delphox harder. Healing Wish is Mesprit's greatest niche in RU, and is used to quickly sacrifice Mesprit when it cannot revenge kill anything useful in return for fully healing a teammate. Alternatively, Trick could be used to cripple a wall such as Alomomola or Aromatisse, but this leaves Mesprit as an inferior Delphox or Meloetta.

Set Details
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A Timid nature and max Speed allow Mesprit to revenge kill more easily and have a more quick Healing Wish to use. A Choice Scarf comprises the main purpose of this set, being able to provide a fast Healing Wish and enabling Mesprit to revenge kill.

Usage Tips
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Mesprit primarily serves to revenge kill certain threats such as Hitmonlee, Virizion, and Jolteon. Mesprit should also utilize Healing Wish once it is no longer useful to heal a setup sweeper such as Virizion or Delphox. Also be wary of Pursuit from Spiritomb and Drapion.

Team Options
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To make the most out of Healing Wish, setup sweepers such as Virizion are advised to be used in tandem with Mesprit. Virizion in particular also takes on Dark-type moves. Other dangerous threats such as Clawitzer, Druddigon, and Sharpedo also make efficient Healing Wish recipents. Emboar also makes a good teammate for its ability to handle Doublade and Escavalier.

Other Options
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Mesprit has plenty of other options, but most are inferior to other Pokemon. Mesprit can run Trick Room, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day to support such team archetypes, and access to Healing Wish is useful as well. Mesprit can also run a Choice Specs set, but it is often inferior to Delphox and Meloetta in this regard. Calm Mind is also a decent option, but Mesprit is still inferior to Delphox, Meloetta, and Sigilyph. Bulkier variants of Calm Mind are outclassed by Meloetta, Cresselia, and Reuniclus. A Choice Band set is also possible, but is relatively gimmicky and relies on weak options compared to other physical attackers such as Druddigon, Hitmonlee, and Escavalier. Psyshock is a decent alternative over Psychic, but is slightly weaker and does less damage against Cobalion. Finally, Knock Off is a decent move that can dent and cripple Doublade and cripple other Pokemon, but Mesprit will rarely find a moveslot for this move.

Checks and Counters
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**Dark-types** Dark-types such as Spiritomb, Drapion, and Sharpedo are the bane of Mesprit's existence. Drapion and Spiritomb can take most of what Mesprit has to offer and retaliate with a Dark STAB of choice. Sharpedo can revenge kill Mesprit and use it as an opportunity to pull off a sweep.

**Steel-types** Bronzong and Registeel can take on anything Mesprit can muster, and can use it as setup fodder to set up Stealth Rock while wearing it down. Escavalier can also take on Mesprit and outright OHKO it with either Megahorn or Knock Off. Durant can also take on Mesprit and use it as an opportunity to sweep.

**Ghost-types** Doublade does not mind much of what Mesprit has to muster, and can revenge kill with a combination of Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak. Mega Banette and Mismagius can also strike Mesprit before it can retaliate, while they can also use a fast Destiny Bond to take Mesprit down if it OHKOes them. Cofagrigus is a lesser option, but can make use of Trick Room and Nasty Plot to deal with Mesprit.

 

[EonX]

Alomomola also has Healing Wish, so make sure to state that Mesprit is the best offensive user of it. Will edit in a full check when I get home.

 

[g]

Based on my experience (and like Spirit suggested) Mesprit's best bet in RU is some kind of offensive Stealth Rock set. It has Ice Beam and Psychic to murder most defoggers like Gligar, Golbat, Shiftry (can't really beat 1v1 but lives a Sucker Punch and Shiftry can't switch in) only really losing to Skuntank.
I also think Trick should go in moves for the scarf set but haven't tested :o

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Okay, sorry for the wait, this should be ready now that I added Offensive SR as a set.

 

[EonX]

The always neglected one...

[Offensive Support]

- Maybe mention Colbur Berry? Not as good as LO, but it can be kinda cool to live Knock Offs and Sucker Punches without breaking a sweat
- Tbh, I feel like Emboar is the best Fighting-type to pair with Mesprit. Cobalion and Virizion are wrecked by Zoroark's common coverage and can't do shit to Doublade, whereas Emboar resists every common move Zoro uses bar Low Kick and forces out Doublade

[Choice Scarf]

- HP Fire is nice, but I would think the main target is Durant, a sweeper Mesprit can't outspeed otherwise
- Maybe mention U-turn? Easy way to lure out Pursuit users and chip them down, but Mesprit really wants Healing Wish
- Revenge kills most Fighting-types. Things like Cobalion (weak to Fighting) and Jolteon (takes a ton from Mach Punch) may be worth mentioning

[Other Options]

- Remove Stealth Rock
- Remove Thunderbolt
- Remove Ice Beam

[Checks and Counters]

- Drapion is the best, hands down. Taunt stops Healing Wish and it can also use any of Knock Off, Pursuit, or Swords Dance to KO or punish Mesprit
- Spiritomb needs to be here too as it commonly uses Sucker Punch + Pursuit
- Prankster Taunters, especially Liepard as its immune to Psychic, outspeeds, and can simply KO with any of Knock Off, Sucker Punch, or Pursuit. Hates taking any coverage moves though

Generally fine. Just a few things here and there. RIP early-BW2 Mesprit ;-;

QC Approved 1/3

 

[malefic]

When comparing Mesprit to Cresselia, I would at least acknowledge that the latter learns Lunar Dance, an analog of Healing Wish.

 

[Molk]

yo ScraftyIsTheBest, how is this writeup coming along?

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Hi just saying I'm wrapping up the write-up, this should be ready by tomorrow night at least.

 

[Water Drone]

Why is access to healing wish in other options. And you should definitely mention cress gets lunar dance and revise your overview, where you say its the only viable user of the move.

 

[Pearl]

ScraftyIsTheBest

outstanding analysis overall imo, both in content and in write up, although my judgement on the later isn't really coming from an experienced person. however, it could use some changes still:

remove choice scarf from OO, since it has an actual set. and speaking of that set, it really needs u-turn mentioned somewhere, maybe on moves i guess

make ice beam the first slash on stealth rock set along with thunderbolt and make the according write up changes. it doesn't really solve any of mesprit's problems, but it gives you a better matchup against all defog users (except pelipper, but no one likes pelipper but me), getting the OHKO on both gligar and shiftry, which is excellent on a sr setter. it's already on moves, so it shouldn't be too hard to fit it in either.

you could tone done the emboar mentions too. it's not a bad pokemon per say, but it's sort of average/niche, and it's not really the first thing that comes to my mind as a mesprit partner. for doublade checks i'd mention moltres, meloetta (redundant /w mesprit in a way, but benefits from healing wish support a lot) and tbh i dunno anything else. doublade checks are sort of limited for the playstyle mesprit is usually fit on (this was started during zoro metagame too, so the emboar mentions are understandable anyways). for dark-type checks, other fighting-types such as gurdurr, cobalion, virizion etc are fine as mentions i guess

do this and you'll get my 3/3, unless someone opposes it. tagging galbia too cause he uses this one in ru and could help /w this one if he doesn't mind

 

[g]

Not much to say about this, really because you got nearly everything bar something in team options.
I support Ice Beam over Tbolt
I don't think Slurpuff is the best Healing Wish "abuser" because if it is weakened to the point it needs Healing Wish to do anything it is likely useless as it has already used unburden. Mention Doublade as a receiver because it really is the pokemon that can use Healing Wish better in my opinion.
Mention Pokemon that can easily handle Psychic types such as Drapion (which is already mentioned as a receiver but it can also do that), SD Shiftry, Escavalier (which loves Hwish too). Spiritomb works decently too because loves hwish+spinblock+pursuit.
Knock Off is pretty good with Zen Headbutt on rocks because you lure meloetta and slowking naturally but idk if its worth moves.
Leftovers is also ok on the first set :]

 

[Ares]

I feel like Energy Ball could get a mention in Moves for the Stealth Rock support solely for being able to have a chance to OHKO Rhyperior and if not OHKO then 2HKO which Ice Beam can not.