Smogon Community - View Single Post - Copyediting Mewtwo(Revamp

shrang · Jan 19th, 2013, 7:54:18 PM

http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/mewtwo

Major notes:
- Okay, since firecape hasn't touched the Mewtwo thread for ages, I got asked by Nexus to take over this (and get destroyed in the process, lol)
- Most of this analysis remains the same, but I'm going to be revamping the Psycho Killer set somewhat (see the set for everything) and I've also decided to add in a Scarf set, so we're going to take this through QC again, unfortunately.
- Credit to firecape for writing up most of this, I changed some stuff, but it's mostly the same
- Other minor things I changed about the bulky attacker and Stalltwo, which I addressed in notes before the sets.

The classic God of Pokemon has always been one of the most fearsome combatants of Ubers, but generation 5 has given Mewtwo a gift so great that even Arceus is jealous: Psystrike. This move strikes fear into old nemeses like Blissey, Ho-Oh, and Kyogre, as it makes Mewtwo a fearsome mixed attacker with almost none of the previous downsides! Like many other Uber Pokemon, Mewtwo has the stats and movepool to do virtually anything it wants, ranging from a fearsome sweeper to a frustrating staller, its versatility ensures that there is absolutely nothing that can call itself a counter. However, while it is by no means frail, Mewtwo is not the bulkiest Pokemon around, and with its susceptibility to entry hazards and priority attacks, its longevity is an issue in the hard hitting Uber metagame. Like other Pokemon with huge movepools, it is a pity that Mewtwo can only use four of them at the same time. These problems highlight its greatest flaw of all: Mewtwo is unable to run everything at once. You have to choose between bulk and power, and Mewtwo's typing is rather poor defensively. BW2 also introduced Genesect, which made Mewtwo a lot easier to check for offensive teams. It is otherwise perfect, as its flaws end here. Dr. Fuji's dream was to create the world's most powerful Pokemon, and he most definitely succeeded.

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

[SET COMMENTS]

If there is one set in the game that embodies the word "uncounterable", this is probably it. Mewtwo's blazing base 130 Speed and sky-high base 154 Special Attack make it a terrifying sweeper and end-game cleaner. Psystrike may very well be the second best move ever available to it, second only to RBY Amnesia. It allows Mewtwo to take out all sorts of special walls, namely Blissey, Chansey, Ho-Oh, and Kyogre, without needing to waste EVs in Attack, by striking (pun unintended) their weaker Defense. Between Aura Sphere, Ice Beam, and Fire Blast, Mewtwo hits everything that resists Psystrike. Aura Sphere destroys the likes of Tyranitar and Darkrai, while doing a lot of damage to Dialga. Ice Beam brings down Lugia and Giratina, especially physically defensive variants. Fire Blast fries Genesect, Scizor, and Ferrothorn, and is Mewtwo's most powerful option in the sun, OHKOing bulky threats such as Jirachi and Steel Arceus. It also has a good chance to OHKO Lugia in the sun after it has switched into Stealth Rock, if Mewtwo has a Calm Mind boost. Calm Mind pushes Mewtwo's Special Attack to even higher levels, and also makes it surprisingly resilient on the special side, letting it take attacks such as Draco Meteor from Choice Scarf Palkia. Calm Mind also lets Mewtwo take down walls effectively, since without it, Pokemon such as Lugia, Giratina, and max HP Arceus could otherwise spam Recover to Life Orb stall Mewtwo.

As for move selection, Psystrike along with three coverage moves is a fine choice. Mewtwo with four attacks is preferable, since its setup opportunties are usually quite limited. Calm Mind, however, makes Mewtwo much more dangerous and harder to wall. The best general moveset with Calm Mind is Calm Mind / Psystrike / Aura Sphere / Ice Beam, which retains excellent excellent coverage while hitting Lugia and Giratina, the two bulkiest walls in the tier, for super effective damage. If you can give Mewtwo sun support, Fire Blast should replace Ice Beam due to its power and coverage, especially against Genesect. The only Pokemon which stands a chance of walling Calm Mind Mewtwo in the sun is physically defensive Giratina, and even it risks getting 2HKOed by Psystrike. Note, however, that Mewtwo is not defeating physically defensive Giratina one-on-one without Ice Beam, since Giratina can still phaze Mewtwo out with Dragon Tail and deal decent damage to it in the process. While Mewtwo with Fire Blast and the most potent variant, rain's popularity makes Fire Blast less attractive for teams that don't have sun support.

[Additional Comments]

The moves listed above gives Mewtwo best all-round coverage, but they can be replaced if other moves better fit your team. Recover allows Mewtwo to mitigate some of the heavy residual damage that it tends to take. Grass Knot hits Groudon and Kyogre for super effective damage; in particular OHKOing all Groudon, which Ice Beam can fail to do. Thunder can be used to hit Lugia and Kyogre while hitting most Steel-types hard. Shadow Ball is Mewtwo's strongest attack attack against Wobbuffet, Lugia, and Ghost Arceus in the rain, while Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast if you value accuracy. Charge Beam be allow Mewtwo to quickly finish off a weakened Pokemon and potentially get a Special Attack boost. Taunt can prevent walls from recovering their health and can be used in place of Calm Mind.

The given EV spread maximizes Mewtwo's Speed and Special Attack. 4 Defense EVs are used so Genesect gets a Special Attack boost instead of an Attack boost to minimize U-turn damage. Life Orb is preferred to make Mewtwo as powerful as possible, but other items let Mewtwo set up more Calm Minds. If you are turned off by the recoil, Leftovers can lengthen Mewtwo's lifespan, but the power drop is very significant, losing out on 2HKOes against Giratina, max HP Arceus, and Lugia at +1. Like Leftovers, Lum Berry lessens Mewtwo's power, but can allow Mewtwo to set up on status inflicting Pokemon such as Thunder Wave Ferrothorn. Expert Belt gives Mewtwo conditional power while conserving its Mewtwo's health. Even though it does not boost Psystrike most of the time, Mewtwo's coverage is enough to hit most targets for super effective damage. On the other hand, Mind Plate boosts only Psystrike and not Mewtwo's coverage moves. With Mind Plate, Psystrike is still powerful enough to 2HKO specially defensive Giratina and Latias, and OHKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage.

The only things that keep a lid on Mewtwo are Choice Scarf users, priority attacks, residual damage, and its inability to cover all threats with four moves. If Mewtwo lacks Fire Blast, Scizor can checkmate it with Pursuit and U-turn, while Jirachi can take anything it dishes out and paralyze it with Body Slam. Metagross can also do lots of damage in return, while not taking much from Aura Sphere. If Mewtwo lacks Aura Sphere, Tyranitar destroys if with no trouble at all, while Dialga, Dark Arceus, and Darkrai can be troublesome outside of sunny weather. If Ice Beam is not included in the moveset, then Lugia counters Mewtwo without sun, while Giratina becomes a big problem. If Calm Mind is omitted, Mewtwo has a hard time against defensive teams in general, especially those with Latias, Lugia, or Giratina in them.

Most Ubers teams plan to take down Mewtwo via a Choice Scarfer, s few Pokemon can can actually wall it. It should be noted that not many Choice Scarf users can actually OHKO a healthy Mewtwo, but Life Orb recoil and entry hazards can put it in range. Most Choice Scarf users require at least one round of Life Orb recoil in addition to Stealth Rock damage to OHKO Mewtwo. The exceptions to this are Kyogre (using Water Spout with full HP), Modest Reshiram in the sun, Adamant Kyurem-B and Zekrom, Heracross, Victini, and finally Genesect. Genesect in particular is problematic for Mewtwo, since it can deal massive damage Mewtwo with U-turn, and avoid being locked into an attack that may be advantageous for another sweeper to set up on. Genesect is a nightmare to try and pin down, but some ways to make life difficult for it is to heavily abuse entry hazards, and try to hit it hard on a switch (Psystrike does a lot of damage, while Fire attacks OHKO it). Wobbuffet can remove most Choice Scarfers, with the exception of those just mentioned. Luring out Choice Scarf users with Thunder Wave Kyogre or other Thunder Wave users is a good strategy. Kyogre tends to lure in Choice Scarf Palkia and Zekrom, as well as Latias. If you are have sun support, though, removing Choice Scarf Kyogre is not too difficult with Wobbuffet, as you can sacrifice Groudon to Kyogre to bring in the sun, then use Wobbuffet to trap and remove Kyogre, keeping the rest of the match sunny. Sacrificing Hippowdon or Tyranitar when using a sand team has a similar effect. Reshiram is difficult to deal with if you are using a sun team, but is easy for rain and sand teams to take on. Victini can be trapped and KOed by Tyranitar or other Pursuit users that are not weak to its attacks. Heracross is walled by many Pokemon, such as the Giratina formes and Groudon. Luring out Choice Scarf users with Thunder Wave Kyogre is also a good strategy. Kyogre tends to lure in Choice Scarf Palkia and Zekrom, as well as Latias, a wall that gives Mewtwo trouble.

Residual damage has been mentioned, but it should be stressed that Life Orb and entry hazard damage allow priority attacks and Choice Scarf users to pick Mewtwo off. This makes it much more manageable in the metagame. Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce users will mitigate entry hazard damage. For offensive teams that tend to carry Mewtwo, Custap Berry Forretress, Kabutops, and Excadrill are all good offensive Rapid Spin users, while Xatu and Espeon provide Magic Bounce fo the team. Wish support from Blissey or Jirachi can help Mewtwo, but is not always necessary.

In terms of offensive pressure and synergy, sometimes it is best to just stack sweepers with good offensive synergy with Mewtwo. Rock Polish Groudon and Landorus-T can set up on Choice Scarf Zekrom; Scizor, Steel Arceus, and Bisharp can set up on Choice-locked Dragon-type attacks. Latias can set up on Choice Scarf Kyogre, as can water-resistant Arceus formes. Extreme Killer Arceus can set up on most Choice Scarf users besides Choice Scarf Terrakion, which cannot defeat Mewtwo. Dual Screen support also benefits Mewtwo, since they prevent most revenge killers from easily KOing Mewtwo. While Wobbuffet does not have particularly good synergy with Mewtwo, it can still Encore setup moves such as Calm Mind, giving Mewtwo a free set-up opportunity.

[SET]
name: Bulky Booster
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psystrike
move 3: Recover
move 4: Flamethrower / Aura Sphere / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set maximizes Mewtwo's bulk, allowing it to set up Calm Mind with greater ease and sacrificing Mewtwo's immediate destructive power for greater longevity. With Calm Mind and Recover, Mewtwo can slowly boost in front of special attackers. This set is particularly useful on sand teams and teams that are more susceptible to Fighting-types such as Fighting Arceus. Normally, entry hazard damage and sandstorm recoil can easily whittle Mewtwo down, but this set allows Mewtwo to stick around for longer to counter threats such as Fighting Arceus. Be aware, though, that this Mewtwo set has significant coverage issues. Psystrike is Mewtwo's STAB attack, and helps it win Calm Mind wars. Flamethrower allows Mewtwo to hit most Steel-types for super-effective damage, in particular OHKOing Genesect. This is especially important because with a bulky spread, Mewtwo can survive both U-turn and Bug Buzz from Choice Scarf Genesect. Flamethrower also allows Mewtwo to hit most Steel-types for super effective damage. Aura Sphere hits Tyranitar, Dialga and Darkrai for super effective damage. Ice Beam may not appear to add significant coverage, but it does hit Lugia and Giratina for super effective damage, and being able to quickly OHKO Rayquaza is always nice as well.

[Additional Comments]

The EV spread used maximizes Mewtwo's bulk and Speed. While the 4 Defense EVs might not look like much, they prevent Genesect from getting an Attack boost, which would allow it to OHKO Mewtwo with U-turn. If Mewtwo has a Calm Mind boost, it will also survive a +1 Bug Buzz from Choice Scarf Genesect. Given the nature of the set and potential use on sand teams, Leftovers is far and away the best item to use.

This set exacerbates Mewtwo's already severe four moveslot syndrome. Fire Blast can replace Flamethrower to hit Excadrill harder in the rain, as well as for more power in general. Taunt and Substitute can prevent status and phazing attempts. However, keep in mind that if Recover is dropped for one of these moves, Mewtwo will have a lot less staying power, which goes against the point of this set. Similarly, you can shift EVs from HP into Special Attack, but that would allow Mewtwo to be more easily revenge killed. As for move options, Thunder can be used to hit Kyogre harder while still hitting Lugia super effectively. Grass Knot can be used to take down Groudon easily, while Shadow Ball is Mewtwo's most powerful attack against Wobbuffet.

Mewtwo's four moveslot syndrome has been mentioned already, but with this set in particular it has many counters no matter what move it runs. Without Flamethrower, it will be walled by Steel-types. Even with Flamethrower, Genesect is a major thorn in Mewtwo's side. Scizor will also make life hell for Mewtwo lacking Flamethrower, by checkmating it with Pursuit and U-turn, while Skarmory can take Aura Spheres and Ice Beams and force Mewtwo out with Whirlwind. If Mewtwo lacks Aura Sphere, Tyranitar walls Mewtwo and checkmates it with Pursuit, while Dialga can take attacks from it and either Roar it out or poison it with Toxic. In general, Lugia and Giratina wall Mewtwo, although they will not enjoy taking boosted Ice Beams for too long. Genesect is very difficult to pin down and take out, but entry hazards up will limit Genesect's ability to continue to U-turn in and out. If you can get it to be stuck into an attack that is not U-turn or Bug Buzz, Wobbuffet can trap and KO it. While Pursuit is inescapable, Pokemon such as Fighting Arceus, Groudon, Landorus, and Gliscor can all set up on Tyranitar easily. Fighting Arceus is also good for taking down Dialga. Finally, Lugia and Giratina are set-up bait for entry hazard users, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress.

[SET]
name: Support (StallTwo)
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Recover
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Toxic
move 4: Psystrike / Light Screen / Substitute
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 72 SpD / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Defensive Mewtwo seems rather weird, but it is surprisingly extremely effective. It is especially useful against opposing stall teams thanks to Mewtwo's great Speed and support movepool which let it stall out a wide variety of threats. Taunt forces defensive Pokemon to hit it with weak attacks instead of healing or using support moves, allowing Mewtwo to easily stall them out. Recover in conjunction with Mewtwo's Speed allows it to heal before most things can even touch it, making it extremely hard to break. Furthermore, when combined with Pressure, Recover can easily sap up all of the opponent's PP. This is handy in a tier filled with 8 PP moves such as Spacial Rend and Draco Meteor. Once again, four moveslot syndrome kicks in for Mewtwo. Will-O-Wisp allows Mewtwo to stall out physical attackers quite effectively, letting it repeatedly heal while they slowly die to burn damage, and easily cripples many initial switch-ins to Mewtwo, such as Genesect and Tyranitar. Toxic does more damage in the long run, and hits Fire-types outside of Heatran, with the downside of leaving Mewtwo helpless against Steel-types and without a way to cushion the blows of physical powerhouses such as Zekrom and Groudon. As such, Will-O-Wisp is usually the better option because Mewtwo's defenses, while not especially low, are not amazing either.

Psystrike is Mewtwo's only option to hit Ho-Oh and Reshiram if you are running Will-O-Wisp. It also lets Mewtwo deter powerful attacker such as Kyogre and Kyurem-W from switching in as easily. Light Screen lets Mewtwo sponge the hits of powerful special attackers with ease, and makes Mewtwo fairly hard to crack when used with Will-O-Wisp. Substitute is useful for scouting a switch in and preventing status. It also helps Mewtwo stall out the numerous moves with low PP, thanks to Pressure. As a bonus, Mewtwo's Substitute is strong enough to survive most Dragon Tails, while Roar and Whirlwind are blocked by Taunt. Without Substitute, stall teams can still Dragon Tail Mewtwo out, which can get annoying when combined with entry hazards. There is very little reason to run any item other than Leftovers. While Mewtwo really specializes in neutering things with Taunt + Status + Recover spam, it will often rely on prediction between status and Taunt (Gyro Ball vs Leech Seed on Ferrothorn, for example). One wrong move can be really detrimental.

[Additional Comments]

The given EVs maximize bulk while allowing it to still outspeed Tornadus-T. However, the EVs are definitely not set in stone, as Mewtwo has a variety of viable EV spreads. You can run enough speed to outspeed Darkrai (216 EVs with a Timid nature), or, if outspeeding Arceus isn't a concern, drop it down to enough to outspeed base 110 Speed Pokemon such as Latias, Latios, and Lugia (96 EVs with Timid nature or 220 EVs with neutral nature). These three are handy benchmarks, but you can drop Mewtwo's speed further to enough to outspeed base 95s such as Rayquaza and Kyurem-W, if those are all you really care about (88 EVs with neutral nature). Mewtwo can even go physically defensive, by shifting the SpD EVs to Def.

With Will-O-Wisp you have to stall for more turns (risking critical hits, 10% chance moves etc) than Toxic, but with Toxic physical attackers give you trouble. Without Light Screen, powerful special attackers can demolish Mewtwo, although not many like taking even an uninvested Psystrike (252 HP Kyogre has a good chance to be 2HKOed after Stealth Rock). Chansey or Blissey can easily sponge special attacks if you forgo Light Screen for Psystrike, making them excellent partners. Mewtwo in return can easily swtch in on Fighting-type moves, such as Close Combat and OHKO most of them with Psytrike. It also KOes Tentacruel which can Rapid Spin on Mewtwo as well. One of the great things about this Mewtwo set is that it completely rewrites the list of Pokemon that can check or counter it; defensive or bulky Pokemon hoping to tank a hit from Mewtwo and cripple it through non-attacking methods are now easily neutered.

Darkrai, Ho-Oh, and Reshiram are the biggest enemies to this set if Mewtwo is running Will-O-Wisp. Darkrai doesn't really care about anything Mewtwo can run besides Toxic and can smash it with Dark Pulse or sleep it with Dark Void. Be aware though, that with the right prediction, Mewtwo can use Light Screen to cushion Dark Pulse and prevent Dark Void with Taunt, so taking out Mewtwo with Darkrai may be harder than you would expect. Ho-Oh and Reshiram don't really appreciate Psystrike, but can wall Mewtwo to no end if it lacks both Psystrike and Toxic. These are two Pokemon you do not want to give a free switch in to, so Stealth Rock support and something to deal with them is helpful if you forgo both of these moves. Kyogre can take Fire-type attacks from both but has to watch out for their other STAB move. Kyogre can also take care of Darkrai provided that Sleep Clause is activated or Kyogre is running a Sleep Talk set. Using your own Ho-Oh can also help deal with Reshiram and Darkrai.

Toxic Spikes completely neuter this Mewtwo set, so a spinner or absorber (such as Forretress, Tentacruel, Excadrill, Poison Arceus) is almost mandatory. Toxic Spikes support may contradict the use of Will-O-Wisp, but they are notable for allowing Mewtwo to simply Taunt and begin spamming Recover without having to waste a turn using Toxic or Will-O-Wisp. Just like most defensive Pokemon, this set appreciates entry hazards support for the switching it will cause, especially against stall teams. Xatu easily shuts this set down with Magic Bounce unless you are willing to use Ice Beam over Psystrike, which is not recommended. The occasional Heatran will also annoy this set due to its immunity to both burn and poison and resistance Psystrike as well. Pairing up this set with Kyogre or Zekrom can help deal with both Heatran and Xatu easily. Prankster users such as Sableye can Taunt Mewtwo before it does anything. Thundurus and Tornadus can also Taunt Mewtwo with impunity if it lacks an attacking move. Kyogre can also take down most of them without much effort, although it will need a Choice Scarf to be able to outspeed Thundurus.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psystrike
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Aura Sphere / Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Fire Blast / Trick / Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Mewtwo's power and excellent Speed let it outpace many dangerous threats and be a decent revenge killer. With a Choice Scarf, it reaches 591 Speed. Not only can Mewtwo be a decent revenge killer, but it can also clean late game when his counters such as Lugia are weakened. Psystrike is for STAB and is generally Mewtwo's most powerful move, but beware of trappers such as Tyranitar coming in for free. Thanks to Psytrike, Mewtwo has a good chance of breaking past Blissey and Chansey with entry hazard support. Ice Beam hits Pokemon such Rayquaza and Salamence for an easy OHKO and Mewtwo easily outruns even +1 Salamence with this set. Fire Blast, Flamethrower and Aura Sphere lets you revenge kill Excadrill and most Steel-types. It's good to have Aura Sphere in there somewhere for neutral Speed natured SmashPass recipients such as Dialga, as well as Choice Scarf Darkrai. Aura Sphere is also Mewtwo's only option to 2HKO defensive Tyranitar, and nails Heatran for solid damage too. Trick can let you cripple a wall, such as Lugia and Giratina, which would both be more willing to switch in if they see no Life Orb recoil. It can also surprise Latias and Latios by removing their prized Soul Dew.

[Additional Comments]

The EV spread listed gives Mewtwo enough to outspeed Kingdra in the rain, Adamant Excadrill in the sand, Choice Scarf Shaymin-S, Darkrai, Venusaur and Shiftry in the sun, and Rock Polish Adamant Groudon. It also lets Mewtwo keep its excellent unboosted Speed if has Tricked its Choice Scarf away. However, since Mewtwo is so fast, it can afford to invest in bulk or a Modest nature if outspeeding the aforementioned threats are not crucial for your team. A spread of 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe and a Modest nature outspeeds Choice Scarf Terrakion. 176 HP / 252 SpA / 80 Spe with a Timid nature also outspeeds Terrakion, but focuses more on bulk. 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe outspeeds +1 base 100s.

Mewtwo has some other coverage moves it can use thanks to its wide movepool. Thunder can be used to hit Kyogre harder but will still fail to OHKO or even 2HKO Specially Defensive Kyogre, making Psystrike generally the much safer option to hit the whale. Shadow Ball is another option to hit opposing Mewtwo, Lugia, Ghost Arceus, Wobbuffet and Giratina, but is a really weak move otherwise. Mewtwo still can't revenge kill Extreme Killer Arceus, so you'd need something else for it— Aura Sphere will only 2HKO Arceus while a boosted ExtremeSpeed will KO Mewtwo back. If you're running Fire Blast, sun support is good for maximum power; in the sun, Fire Blast is even stronger than Psystrike. Wobbuffet can easily trap this Mewtwo, so you will have to predict carefully when you see one. Watch out for entry hazard layers like Ferrothorn and Forretress, as they can switch into pretty much any move not named Fire Blast. Mewtwo can no longer break walls as effectively with this set, as the power reduction is rather significant, even standard Great Wall Giratina will never be 2HKOed by Ice Beam. However, Giratina will need to watch out for Trick.

[Other Options]

Physical sets with Bulk Up can be used to surprise certain checks such as Tyranitar. It also helps to reduce damage from potential revenge killers such as Arceus with ExtremeSpeed and Giratina-O with Shadow Sneak. However, physical Mewtwo is easily walled by Giratina, Lugia, Groudon, and even Ho-Oh depending on what coverage move Mewtwo has. It is also very weak unboosted.

Mewtwo does have a massive movepool, but is generally more effective sticking to the sets listed. Dual Screens + Selfdestruct + Taunt can be used on offensive or Baton Pass teams, but sacrifing Mewtwo for it this usually not worth it. Choice Specs is rather mediocre because Mewtwo prefers the ability to switch moves, but the extra power gained from Choice Specs can surprise opponents. Defense boosting moves such as Barrier can be used on the StallTwo set, but pure defensive roles are better left to bulkier walls such as Lugia or Giratina.

[Checks and Counters]

Mewtwo does not have any failsafe counters. Ever. It has such amazing power and coverage that there is no such thing as a safe switch in and, its checks depend purely on what move and set it is using. Genesect is probably the best check, as it can easily OHKO Mewtwo with a +1 U-turn or Bug Buzz. The physical Scarf Genesect is preferred because it will OHKO the standard Psycho Killer with U-turn regardless of its boosts. However, one wrong switch into Fire Blast will end it, and even Psystrike or Aura Sphere will punch a huge hole into Genesect, which means it can only come in on a revenge. Since Mewtwo lacks any true counters, revenge killers are often used. Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, Zekrom, Ho-Oh, Kyogre and Reshiram are the more prominent ones. Be wary of going straight to revenge killers though, as few things outright KO full HP Mewtwo, so hazards and abuse of Life Orb recoil via prediction are often useful before the revenge killer comes in. Specially based Choice Scarf users must be careful of Calm Mind, as it will prevent slightly weaker attacks such as Choice Scarf Palkia's Spacial Rend from revenge killing Mewtwo. One also must be careful because checks to offensive Mewtwo often fall flat against a support variant or even a more defensively-oriented offensive set.

Defensive Dark Arceus with Payback is a bit gimmicky, but is probably one of the closest things to a "counter" offensive Mewtwo has; however, it will lose to StallTwo. It will not do enough damage to StallTwo, and is outstalled by Taunt and repeated burn or poison damage. In a similar vein, Psychic Arceus walls Psycho Killer if Mewtwo lacks Fire Blast, or the sun isn't shining, and can 2HKO Mewtwo with Payback and ExtremeSpeed. Jirachi can check offensive variants in the rain or even in neutral weather if they lack Fire Blast, as +1 Aura Sphere fails to 2HKO. Jirachi can cripple Mewtwo with poison or paralysis, effectively neutering it. In a similar vein, Metagross or Bronzong can be used for a more offensive check in the rain as long as Mewtwo lacks Fire Blast. Meteor Mash and Gyro Ball will both 2HKO Mewtwo easily while an unboosted Aura Sphere will not 2HKO back.

If Mewtwo lacks Aura Sphere, Dialga, Heatran, and Tyranitar can all act as effective checks. Keep in mind that standard Ubers Heatran can never OHKO Mewtwo, while Dialga needs Choice Specs to do so. Tyranitar can safely KO Mewtwo with a super effective Crunch while taking little damage even from Thunder. Without Life Orb and Calm Mind, Chansey has a respectable chance to live 2 Psystrikes, but don't count on it because any Mewtwo without Life Orb will most likely have either Calm Mind or Substitute. Wobbuffet can very effectively check non-Taunt variants, as even +1 Shadow Ball will never OHKO 28/252+ Wobbuffet after Stealth Rock. +1 Fire Blast in the sun, however, has a decent chance (a little over 50%) to OHKO Wobbuffet after Stealth Rock.

Toxic Spikes, Sandstorm damage, and the fact that Mewtwo commonly carries Life Orb can help wear it down quickly. Giratina-O can make a dent in Mewtwo with Shadow Sneak, but Ice Beam does major damage back. Draco Meteor will also do severe damage but first you have to survive a hit. Keep in mind, Giratina-O fails against StallTwo unless you are using the Calm Mind Shadow Ball set. Ghost Arceus can take a hit and OHKO back with Judgment provided it hasn't used Calm Mind. If it has +1 SpD, Arceus needs a good deal of prior damage to ensure the KO with Judgment. Physical Ghost Arceus can bypass any boosts Mewtwo obtained with Shadow Claw but will fail against StallTwo. Victini resists all of Mewtwo's commonly used moves and can OHKO with V-create in the sun. Despite it resisting, Mewtwo can still 2HKO it after Stealth Rock so it has to be careful switching into too many Psytrikes or the rare Shadow Ball. Thunder Wave Thundurus can sacrifice itself to cripple Mewtwo with paralysis.

If you can keep Stealth Rock off the field, Multiscale Lugia can attempt to check Mewtwo with Thunder Wave or Toxic in combination with Roost. It can also just spam Roost to kill Mewtwo with Life Orb recoil, but this won't work if Mewtwo has Calm Mind or Taunt, and only against offensive variants and if luck favors you by not cursing Lugia with a critical hit. StallTwo will just shut down Lugia with Taunt as Dragon Tail does negligible damage. For StallTwo, powerful special attackers (such as Kyogre and Reshiram) are good choices. Ho-Oh and Reshiram are immune to Will-o-Wisp from StallTwo, but both take a beating from Psystrike. They can effectively force it out (or KO it) in most cases though. However, Mewtwo can potentially wall Choice Scarf Reshiram if it switches in on Light Screen. While normally rare in Ubers, Bisharp can revenge kill Mewtwo with Sucker Punch, but requires good prediction as Mewtwo can easily play mind games with Calm Mind and Substitute. Lastly, Choice Scarf Heracross can OHKO any Mewtwo set with Megahorn and has Guts to ignore Will-O-Wisp from StallTwo.