Musharna (Analysis) (Update) [QC 3/3] [GP 1/2]

Jukain · Mar 1, 2012

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no regard for Musharna. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one misused Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens. Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight. Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

DTC · Mar 1, 2012

Sleep Talk isn't that good, I suggest removing Sleep Talk and Rest's slash from the first set and instead slashing Thunder Wave in with HP Fighting. RestTalk is pretty unreliable, and it's not that hard to 3HKO Musharna. Moonlight is good enough recovery, even with only 8 PP. Plus, Thunder Wave is really useful.

Also, Psychic should be over Stored Power. It's quicker power, and Musharna usually can't get enough boosts before it has to attack.

After these changes, the set would look like this:

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Stored Power
move 4: Thunder Wave / Hidden Power Fighting (?)
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Not really sure about the last slot, but not many things get hurt by HP Fighting that aren't crippled by Thunder Wave.

Jukain · Mar 1, 2012

DTC said:
Sleep Talk isn't that good, I suggest removing Sleep Talk and Rest's slash from the first set and instead slashing Thunder Wave in with HP Fighting. RestTalk is pretty unreliable, and it's not that hard to 3HKO Musharna. Moonlight is good enough recovery, even with only 8 PP. Plus, Thunder Wave is really useful.

Also, Psychic should be over Stored Power. It's quicker power, and sometimes Musharna usually can't get enough boosts before it has to attack.

After these changes, the set would look like this:

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Stored Power
move 4: Thunder Wave / Hidden Power Fighting (?)
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Not really sure about the last slot, but not many things get hurt by HP Fighting that aren't crippled by Thunder Wave.

Done.

Pearl · Mar 1, 2012

Not sure about the last set, since it's easily to Whirlwind or Roar out. I like the second set though, since it has a slow Baton Pass to bring in the next Pokemon safely. The first set is alright too, but Psychic needs to be slashed with Stored Power. What about something like this?

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

I think that EV spread is better here, since it gives Musharna the ability to outrun Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus and Steelix and a Leftovers number + 1 without losing too much bulk. You can just opt for 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe or 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe if you don't think the Leftovers number +1 is worth it. Besides that, it looks more organized slash wise. I'm not sure about Psyshock though, but I know it needs a mention somewhere. Mention that Stored Power should only be used with Rest + Sleep Talk, in order to make Musharna a slow booster. Moonlight is used to make sweeping a little bit faster and has only 8 PP, making it counterprodutive (kind of) with Stored Power. Also, you need an Offensive Tank set. Something like this:

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronise
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

Base 107 Special Attack is very good, and Musharna can make use of it. Thunder Wave allows it to work like Tinkerbell in OU and Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types. Synchronize seems counterprodutive with Thunder Wave and Telepathy is useless, so Forewarn should be the ability for this set unless Thunder Wave isn't being used. The EVs are the same as the first set. It's annoying how this thing has so many options despite its average movepool. A full defensive set is set up bait, so don't include it. However, I feel that OTR and Trick Room should be included. Not sure about the later though. Maybe this:

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Hypnosis is unreliable, but it can be effective under Trick Room if it hits. Everything else has already been explained. Trick Room support might be outclassed by Uxie, Mesprit and other Psychic-types, but I'm not sure. Something such as Trick Room / Psychic / Baton Pass / filler with a Bold Nature and full HP / Defense EVs with Leftovers and (maybe) White Herb might work. I think this is fine by now though. The sets' order should be:

Calm Mind > Dual Screens > Trick Room > Offensive Tank.

As for teammates: Mention Pokemon that can get rid of Honchkrow and Drapion and benefit from the paralysis it spreads (on the Offensive Tank) such as Rhydon.

Last, but not least: Baton Pass should be the only slash on Dual Screens set, since it's one of its few perks.

Once all these changes are done:

QC APPROVED 1/3

Jukain · Mar 1, 2012

Pearl. said:
Not sure about the last set, since it's easily to Whirlwind or Roar out. I like the second set though, since it has a slow Baton Pass to bring in the next Pokemon safely. The first set is alright too, but Psychic needs to be slashed with Stored Power. What about something like this?

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

I think that EV spread is better here, since it gives Musharna the ability to outrun Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus and Steelix and a Leftovers number + 1 without losing too much bulk. You can just opt for 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe or 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe if you don't think the Leftovers number +1 is worth it. Besides that, it looks more organized slash wise. I'm not sure about Psyshock though, but I know it needs a mention somewhere. Mention that Stored Power should only be used with Rest + Sleep Talk, in order to make Musharna a slow booster. Moonlight is used to make sweeping a little bit faster and has only 8 PP, making it counterprodutive (kind of) with Stored Power. Also, you need an Offensive Tank set. Something like this:

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronise
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

Base 107 Special Attack is very good, and Musharna can make use of it. Thunder Wave allows it to work like Tinkerbell in OU and Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types. Synchronize seems counterprodutive with Thunder Wave and Telepathy is useless, so Forewarn should be the ability for this set unless Thunder Wave isn't being used. The EVs are the same as the first set. It's annoying how this thing has so many options despite its average movepool. A full defensive set is set up bait, so don't include it. However, I feel that OTR and Trick Room should be included. Not sure about the later though. Maybe this:

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Hypnosis is unreliable, but it can be effective under Trick Room if it hits. Everything else has already been explained. Trick Room support might be outclassed by Uxie, Mesprit and other Psychic-types, but I'm not sure. Something such as Trick Room / Psychic / Baton Pass / filler with a Bold Nature and full HP / Defense EVs with Leftovers and (maybe) White Herb might work. I think this is fine by now though. The sets' order should be:

Calm Mind > Dual Screens > Trick Room > Offensive Tank.

As for teammates: Mention Pokemon that can get rid of Honchkrow and Drapion and benefit from the paralysis it spreads (on the Offensive Tank) such as Rhydon.

Last, but not least: Baton Pass should be the only slash on Dual Screens set, since it's one of its few perks.

Once all these changes are done:

QC APPROVED 1/3

Done, thanks.

-Tsunami- · Mar 1, 2012

QC APPROVED 2/3

Jukain · Mar 1, 2012

ShakeItUp said:
QC APPROVED 2/3

Thanks, just one more!

Upstart · Mar 2, 2012

QC APPROVED 3/3

Jukain · Mar 2, 2012

Upstart said:
QC APPROVED 3/3

In the process of writing.

Jukain · Mar 3, 2012

Double posting to say the analysis is written.

TrollFreak · Mar 4, 2012

An absolute boss in VGC (though this has NOTHING to do with this analysis :3)

Checking

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when selecting an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no look at Musharna. However, Musharna actually has high bulk, with 116 HP and 85{Add Space}/{Add Space}95 defenses. Also, Musharna has a good 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has an absolutely huge movepool, but it lacks strong special moves attacks outside of Psychic-type moves attacks and Shadow Ball. It also has very low Speed, but which is perfect for Trick Room. Also, Musharna can also set up Calm Mind, and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with Rest + Sleep Talk to ward off status. (Rain is a viable RU playstyle, and it only heals 25% in rain) The main problem Musharna has is its reliance on Hidden Power Fighting for Steel- and Dark-types, the latter which is a problem, especially with Honchkrow.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate many boosts with Calm Mind. It Musharna uses Moonlight to recovery its health whenever needed, and with the lack of auto-weather in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using Rest + Sleep Talk to get rid of harmful status like such as Toxic poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one missed Sleep Talk could mean that Musharna is 2HKO'd. Also, this leaves Musharna open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former immune to Psychic-type moves attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type moves attacks, there is 3 are three viable choices. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher base power than Psyshock and not requiring boosts like Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls like Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with 2 Calm Minds up, but at first it isn't not strong at all.

-outruns Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix and gives Leftovers +1
-252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe if Leftovers +1 isn't big deal

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon such as Rotom or Galvantula in the last slot, but this causes Musharna to lose out on Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EVs spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as hasving high defensive bulk, as well as giving an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs to hit 16 Speed is are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is open to status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of Toxic poison, burn and, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types like such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be dealt with by a partner like Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hariyama, Medicham, Gallade, or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for a dual screener. Light Screen is normally the first course of action because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Special Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, they are meant to support the team. Baton Pass is the key here that differentiates Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing Musharna to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Screens are good for frail boosters like Emboar and Porygon-Z, as well as making it easier for Gallade to set up on physical attackers. Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type moves attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens, the latter the most, because their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. One of the draws is the option to use Hypnosis. While Hypnosis is not reliable, with only 60% accuracy, anything put to sleep is crippled quite possibly for the rest of the match. Psyshock is the primary option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against said a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and 0 Speed EVs, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a type of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but causes Musharna to miss out on Psychic-types and Spiritomb or cripple opponents with sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but causes Musharna to miss out on the aforementioned coverage or sleep move. Teammates like such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room with their low Speed stats, the latter able to set up Calm Mind as well. More gimmicky Pokemon like Marowak are also viable in Trick Room. (Don't mention gimmicks in a competitive analysis) As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, a Choice Scarfer like such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room, making it capable of working outside it. and able to operate outside of Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate to run a tank set. The STAB move is once again of choice of hitting special walls or power, special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is used primarily to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as to cause annoyance with hax as well as making the opponent unable to move once in a while. Shadow Ball is used for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Life Orb or Leftovers is power versus recovery, power usually winning out in conjunction with Moonlight. Besides the Speed points EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. The aforementioned Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis with their Speed issues, the latter able to set up Calm Minds and the former able to set up Stealth Rock or attack with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis and can use Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Trick Room Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull of a sweep, but is much less commonly seen than the others, but nevertheless a threat. Dark-types are a major thorn in Musharna's side, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such move, but Uxie is much better at this with higher Speed, and rain hinders Moonlight. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna hard with, including Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used as a pseudo-phaze move, also as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in for damage. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed points EVs mentioned is useless, with no use at all. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status. Attract may be used on female variants as a gimmicky strategy, but fails if the opponent is smart enough to make their team female. (Don't mention gimmicks in a competitive analysis) Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and out-damaged by Psychic Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger may be used for the purposes of confusion, particularly in conjunction with Thunder Wave for a parafusion set. Toxic may be used as a stalling move.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types like Drapion, Sharpedo, and Honchkrow, can outspeed and KO. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be dealt with by Substitute. Choice Banded and Eviolite variants of Zweilous are another great check, even though it is weak to Hidden Power Fighting. Absol and Drapion is another example of a Dark-types that have powerful Dark-type moves attacks that OHKO Musharna. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, all are able to hit Musharna hard with their own respective Bug Buzzes and U-turn Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, Toxic and Burn poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with +5/+5 in both defenses with Stored Power. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid the Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable and Sigilyph both possess Magic Guard, making them it a very good status inducers to cripple Musharna. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall Musharna completely, even Shadow Ball, and set up Calm Mind or wear it down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it in exchange for itself being Toxic'd, which can be repaired by a cleric, and shut it down shut it down with Taunt. Speaking of Taunt, also used by Whimsicott, it completely shuts down Musharna, preventing it from using Calm Mind, Trick Room, and Moonlight.

-Slowking walls completely, and can wear it down

Mafeking · Mar 4, 2012

working over TF's check

implementing his changes beforehand, then doing my own.

Removals
(Additions/Replacements)
(Quick Comments)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when selecting (building) an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no look at (regard for) Musharna. However, Musharna (it) actually has high bulk, with 116 HP and (forward slash) 85 / 95 defenses. Also, Musharna (also) has a good (base) 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. It also has very low Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. (While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team.) Musharna can also set up Calm Mind, and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with Rest + Sleep Talk to ward off status (the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status). The main problem Musharna has is its reliance on Hidden Power for Steel- and Dark-types, the latter which is a problem, especially with Honchkrow (Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna).

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate many boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recovery its health whenever needed, and with the lack of auto- (automatic) weather (inducers) in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using Rest + Sleep Talk (RestTalk) to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one missed (misused) Sleep Talk could mean that Musharna is 2HKO'd (spell defeat for Musharna). Also, this leaves Musharna (This also leaves it) open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former (being) immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable choices (options). Psychic is the most reliable, with higher base power (Base Power) than Psyshock and not requiring boosts like Stored Power (no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power). Psyshock may be used to hit special walls like (such as) Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with 2 Calm Minds up, but at first it isn't strong at all (two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage).

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon (comma) such as Rotom or Galvantula (comma) in the last slot, but this causes Musharna to lose out on Hidden Power Fighting (forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting). With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire (Careful Quaggy is the Curse set, so it'll lose its Speed advantage anyway), Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk, as well as giving (and gaining) an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is open to (crippled by) status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be dealt with by a partner like Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hariyama, Medicham, Gallade, or Rotom-C. (defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C.) Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for a dual screener (setting up dual screens). Light Screen is normally the first course of action (screen to be set up) because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Special Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, they are meant to support the team (as the goal of this set is to support its team). Baton Pass is the key here that differentiates (vital for distancing) Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing Musharna (it) to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Screens are good for frail boosters like Emboar and Porygon-Z, as well as making it easier for Gallade to set up on physical attackers. (Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens.) Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens, the latter the most, because (as) their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. One of the draws is the option to use Hypnosis. While Hypnosis is not reliable, with only 60% accuracy, anything put to sleep is crippled quite possibly for the rest of the match. (moved down to reflect positioning in set) Psyshock is the primary (attacking) option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. (Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.)

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and 0 Speed EVs (no investment in Speed), Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, (which is) perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a type (form) of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but causes Musharna to miss out on Psychic-types and Spiritomb or cripple opponents with sleep (leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep). Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but causes Musharna to miss out on the aforementioned coverage or sleep move (suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight). T(Slow t)eammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room with their low Speed stats, the latter able to set up Calm Mind as well. (comma) (with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind.) As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, (preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C,) a Choice Scarfer such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room, making it capable of working outside it.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate to run (for) a tank(ing) set. The STAB move is (comma) once again (comma) of choice of (a choice between) hitting special walls or power, (with) special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is (primarily) used primarily to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as making the opponent unable to move once in a while (for abusing the chance of full paralysis). Shadow Ball is used (an option) for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two (huge) threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Life Orb or Leftovers is power versus recovery, power usually winning out in conjunction with Moonlight. (The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight.) Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. The aforementioned Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis (support due to) with their Speed issues, the latter able to set up Calm Minds and the former able to set up Stealth Rock or attack with Earthquake and Stone Edge (with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge). Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis (support) and can use (set up) Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull of(f) a sweep, but is much less commonly seen than the others, but nevertheless a threat. Dark-types (comma) (particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo) are a major thorn in Musharna's side, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such (a) move, but Uxie is much better at this with higher Speed, and rain hinders Moonlight (setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive). Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, including (such as) Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used as a pseudo-phaze move (to force a switch) as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in for damage. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but (it) is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless, with no use at all. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status (moves). Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and out-damaged by (often weaker than) Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger may be used for the purposes of confusion, particularly in conjunction with Thunder Wave for a parafusion set. Toxic may be used as a stalling move (Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents).

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types like Drapion, Sharpedo, and Honchkrow, can outspeed and KO (Musharna). Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be dealt with by (avoided via) Substitute. Choice Banded and Eviolite variants of Zweilous are another great check, even though it is weak to Hidden Power Fighting. (Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants.) Absol (excess space) is another example of a Dark-type that have powerful Dark-type attacks that (can) OHKO Musharna (with its incredibly powerful STAB moves). Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, (as) all are able to hit Musharna hard with their own respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with +5/+5 in both defenses with Stored Power (Stored Power after several boosts). Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid the Synchronize (being statused by Synchronize) and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possess(es) Magic Guard, making it a good status inducer to cripple Musharna (both a good status absorber and inducer). Rotom always avoids the OHKO from (a) +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall Musharna completely, even Shadow Ball, and set up Calm Mind or wear it (Musharna) down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it in exchange for itself being Toxic'd, which can be repaired by a cleric, and (or) shut it down shut it down with Taunt. Speaking of Taunt, also used by Whimsicott, it completely shuts down Musharna, preventing it from using Calm Mind, Trick Room, and Moonlight. (Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no regard for Musharna. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one misused Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens. Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight. Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

GP (1/2)

This write-up doesn't suffer from many of the conventional punctuation errors that many GP checks get rid of. Instead, a lot of this has been traded for just, frankly, poor or blocky wording. I heavily suggest reading your analysis out loud before saving the changes and asking for checks, as this can go a long way to avoid your future analyses from looking like this one.

Jukain · Mar 5, 2012

Mafeking said:
working over TF's check

implementing his changes beforehand, then doing my own.

Removals
(Additions/Replacements)
(Quick Comments)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when selecting (building) an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no look at (regard for) Musharna. However, Musharna (it) actually has high bulk, with 116 HP and (forward slash) 85 / 95 defenses. Also, Musharna (also) has a good (base) 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. It also has very low Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. (While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team.) Musharna can also set up Calm Mind, and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with Rest + Sleep Talk to ward off status (the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status). The main problem Musharna has is its reliance on Hidden Power for Steel- and Dark-types, the latter which is a problem, especially with Honchkrow (Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna).

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate many boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recovery its health whenever needed, and with the lack of auto- (automatic) weather (inducers) in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using Rest + Sleep Talk (RestTalk) to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one missed (misused) Sleep Talk could mean that Musharna is 2HKO'd (spell defeat for Musharna). Also, this leaves Musharna (This also leaves it) open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former (being) immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable choices (options). Psychic is the most reliable, with higher base power (Base Power) than Psyshock and not requiring boosts like Stored Power (no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power). Psyshock may be used to hit special walls like (such as) Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with 2 Calm Minds up, but at first it isn't strong at all (two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage).

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon (comma) such as Rotom or Galvantula (comma) in the last slot, but this causes Musharna to lose out on Hidden Power Fighting (forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting). With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire (Careful Quaggy is the Curse set, so it'll lose its Speed advantage anyway), Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk, as well as giving (and gaining) an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is open to (crippled by) status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be dealt with by a partner like Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hariyama, Medicham, Gallade, or Rotom-C. (defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C.) Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for a dual screener (setting up dual screens). Light Screen is normally the first course of action (screen to be set up) because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Special Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, they are meant to support the team (as the goal of this set is to support its team). Baton Pass is the key here that differentiates (vital for distancing) Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing Musharna (it) to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Screens are good for frail boosters like Emboar and Porygon-Z, as well as making it easier for Gallade to set up on physical attackers. (Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens.) Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens, the latter the most, because (as) their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. One of the draws is the option to use Hypnosis. While Hypnosis is not reliable, with only 60% accuracy, anything put to sleep is crippled quite possibly for the rest of the match. (moved down to reflect positioning in set) Psyshock is the primary (attacking) option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. (Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.)

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and 0 Speed EVs (no investment in Speed), Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, (which is) perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a type (form) of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but causes Musharna to miss out on Psychic-types and Spiritomb or cripple opponents with sleep (leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep). Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but causes Musharna to miss out on the aforementioned coverage or sleep move (suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight). T(Slow t)eammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room with their low Speed stats, the latter able to set up Calm Mind as well. (comma) (with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind.) As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, (preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C,) a Choice Scarfer such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room, making it capable of working outside it.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate to run (for) a tank(ing) set. The STAB move is (comma) once again (comma) of choice of (a choice between) hitting special walls or power, (with) special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is (primarily) used primarily to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as making the opponent unable to move once in a while (for abusing the chance of full paralysis). Shadow Ball is used (an option) for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two (huge) threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Life Orb or Leftovers is power versus recovery, power usually winning out in conjunction with Moonlight. (The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight.) Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. The aforementioned Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis (support due to) with their Speed issues, the latter able to set up Calm Minds and the former able to set up Stealth Rock or attack with Earthquake and Stone Edge (with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge). Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis (support) and can use (set up) Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull of(f) a sweep, but is much less commonly seen than the others, but nevertheless a threat. Dark-types (comma) (particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo) are a major thorn in Musharna's side, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such (a) move, but Uxie is much better at this with higher Speed, and rain hinders Moonlight (setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive). Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, including (such as) Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used as a pseudo-phaze move (to force a switch) as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in for damage. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but (it) is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless, with no use at all. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status (moves). Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and out-damaged by (often weaker than) Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger may be used for the purposes of confusion, particularly in conjunction with Thunder Wave for a parafusion set. Toxic may be used as a stalling move (Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents).

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types like Drapion, Sharpedo, and Honchkrow, can outspeed and KO (Musharna). Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be dealt with by (avoided via) Substitute. Choice Banded and Eviolite variants of Zweilous are another great check, even though it is weak to Hidden Power Fighting. (Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants.) Absol (excess space) is another example of a Dark-type that have powerful Dark-type attacks that (can) OHKO Musharna (with its incredibly powerful STAB moves). Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, (as) all are able to hit Musharna hard with their own respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with +5/+5 in both defenses with Stored Power (Stored Power after several boosts). Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid the Synchronize (being statused by Synchronize) and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possess(es) Magic Guard, making it a good status inducer to cripple Musharna (both a good status absorber and inducer). Rotom always avoids the OHKO from (a) +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall Musharna completely, even Shadow Ball, and set up Calm Mind or wear it (Musharna) down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it in exchange for itself being Toxic'd, which can be repaired by a cleric, and (or) shut it down shut it down with Taunt. Speaking of Taunt, also used by Whimsicott, it completely shuts down Musharna, preventing it from using Calm Mind, Trick Room, and Moonlight. (Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no regard for Musharna. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one misused Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens. Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight. Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

GP (1/2)

This write-up doesn't suffer from many of the conventional punctuation errors that many GP checks get rid of. Instead, a lot of this has been traded for just, frankly, poor or blocky wording. I heavily suggest reading your analysis out loud before saving the changes and asking for checks, as this can go a long way to avoid your future analyses from looking like this one.

Thanks a lot for the advice, I'll make sure to read it aloud to myself in the future. Only one more now!

danilo · Mar 6, 2012

PLACE HOLDING HOLDING HOLDING
Status:. Done

pokemon0078 said:
[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade,(add comma) all jump to mind first, with no regard for Musharna. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery,(add comma) in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, h.(add period)Having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one miss (add space)used Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks,(Add comma) and the latter resistant to Psychic-type attacks. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just afiller. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these they should be defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot,(Add comma) to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's is uninvested in Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, Baton Pass is useful for allowing it Musharna to avoid Pursuit and,(remove comma) in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, and Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens. (Pory is banned) Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing,(add comma) and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball,(add comma) to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers can be used to provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight. Slow teammates,(add comma) such as Rhydon and Slowking,(add comma) benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start,(add comma) and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo,(add comma) are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to its higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot,(add comma) except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational.(add period) and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular,(add comma) is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna,(add comma) thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable,(add comma) can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, and then able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets,(add comma) as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

xenu · Mar 8, 2012

unofficial gp check incoming

removal
addition

pokemon0078 said:
[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked ignored Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump come to mind first instead, with no regard for Musharna. However, it is actually highly bulky has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than even the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge vastmovepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks movesand Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability it actually makes Musharna highly viable on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also even set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status allowing it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status effects such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one misused Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options.: Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment drawbackwhen Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having a high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal required, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used instead, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open vulnerableto Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be defeated countered by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physically defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk protection supplied by dual screens. Emboar can also switch in on onto the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing are below averageand it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option move here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting sports much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight be pitted against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves in order for better coverage. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no EV investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting hits a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments shortcomings as Moonlight. Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter being able to boost stats with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant not too dependent on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or raw power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important a greater priority due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field, or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also too benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to its higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with disrupt opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is quite situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless but is otherwise not viable. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. Even though the former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome problematic include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STABs. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat defeat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it Sigilyph especially can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, being able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or even OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind, or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down entirely with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

Jukain · Mar 9, 2012

Mafeking said:
working over TF's check

implementing his changes beforehand, then doing my own.

Removals
(Additions/Replacements)
(Quick Comments)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when selecting (building) an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no look at (regard for) Musharna. However, Musharna (it) actually has high bulk, with 116 HP and (forward slash) 85 / 95 defenses. Also, Musharna (also) has a good (base) 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. It also has very low Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. (While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team.) Musharna can also set up Calm Mind, and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with Rest + Sleep Talk to ward off status (the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status). The main problem Musharna has is its reliance on Hidden Power for Steel- and Dark-types, the latter which is a problem, especially with Honchkrow (Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna).

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate many boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recovery its health whenever needed, and with the lack of auto- (automatic) weather (inducers) in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using Rest + Sleep Talk (RestTalk) to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one missed (misused) Sleep Talk could mean that Musharna is 2HKO'd (spell defeat for Musharna). Also, this leaves Musharna (This also leaves it) open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former (being) immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable choices (options). Psychic is the most reliable, with higher base power (Base Power) than Psyshock and not requiring boosts like Stored Power (no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power). Psyshock may be used to hit special walls like (such as) Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with 2 Calm Minds up, but at first it isn't strong at all (two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage).

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon (comma) such as Rotom or Galvantula (comma) in the last slot, but this causes Musharna to lose out on Hidden Power Fighting (forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting). With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire (Careful Quaggy is the Curse set, so it'll lose its Speed advantage anyway), Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk, as well as giving (and gaining) an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is open to (crippled by) status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be dealt with by a partner like Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hariyama, Medicham, Gallade, or Rotom-C. (defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C.) Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for a dual screener (setting up dual screens). Light Screen is normally the first course of action (screen to be set up) because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Special Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, they are meant to support the team (as the goal of this set is to support its team). Baton Pass is the key here that differentiates (vital for distancing) Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing Musharna (it) to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Relaxed Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Screens are good for frail boosters like Emboar and Porygon-Z, as well as making it easier for Gallade to set up on physical attackers. (Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens.) Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens, the latter the most, because (as) their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. One of the draws is the option to use Hypnosis. While Hypnosis is not reliable, with only 60% accuracy, anything put to sleep is crippled quite possibly for the rest of the match. (moved down to reflect positioning in set) Psyshock is the primary (attacking) option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. (Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.)

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and 0 Speed EVs (no investment in Speed), Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, (which is) perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a type (form) of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but causes Musharna to miss out on Psychic-types and Spiritomb or cripple opponents with sleep (leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep). Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but causes Musharna to miss out on the aforementioned coverage or sleep move (suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight). T(Slow t)eammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room with their low Speed stats, the latter able to set up Calm Mind as well. (comma) (with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind.) As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, (preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C,) a Choice Scarfer such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room, making it capable of working outside it.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate to run (for) a tank(ing) set. The STAB move is (comma) once again (comma) of choice of (a choice between) hitting special walls or power, (with) special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is (primarily) used primarily to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as making the opponent unable to move once in a while (for abusing the chance of full paralysis). Shadow Ball is used (an option) for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two (huge) threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Life Orb or Leftovers is power versus recovery, power usually winning out in conjunction with Moonlight. (The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight.) Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. The aforementioned Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis (support due to) with their Speed issues, the latter able to set up Calm Minds and the former able to set up Stealth Rock or attack with Earthquake and Stone Edge (with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge). Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis (support) and can use (set up) Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull of(f) a sweep, but is much less commonly seen than the others, but nevertheless a threat. Dark-types (comma) (particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo) are a major thorn in Musharna's side, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such (a) move, but Uxie is much better at this with higher Speed, and rain hinders Moonlight (setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive). Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, including (such as) Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used as a pseudo-phaze move (to force a switch) as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in for damage. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but (it) is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless, with no use at all. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status (moves). Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and out-damaged by (often weaker than) Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger may be used for the purposes of confusion, particularly in conjunction with Thunder Wave for a parafusion set. Toxic may be used as a stalling move (Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents).

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types like Drapion, Sharpedo, and Honchkrow, can outspeed and KO (Musharna). Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be dealt with by (avoided via) Substitute. Choice Banded and Eviolite variants of Zweilous are another great check, even though it is weak to Hidden Power Fighting. (Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants.) Absol (excess space) is another example of a Dark-type that have powerful Dark-type attacks that (can) OHKO Musharna (with its incredibly powerful STAB moves). Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, (as) all are able to hit Musharna hard with their own respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with +5/+5 in both defenses with Stored Power (Stored Power after several boosts). Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid the Synchronize (being statused by Synchronize) and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possess(es) Magic Guard, making it a good status inducer to cripple Musharna (both a good status absorber and inducer). Rotom always avoids the OHKO from (a) +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall Musharna completely, even Shadow Ball, and set up Calm Mind or wear it (Musharna) down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it in exchange for itself being Toxic'd, which can be repaired by a cleric, and (or) shut it down shut it down with Taunt. Speaking of Taunt, also used by Whimsicott, it completely shuts down Musharna, preventing it from using Calm Mind, Trick Room, and Moonlight. (Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.)

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, with no regard for Musharna. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses. Musharna also has a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While its low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Musharna can also set up Calm Mind and boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along with the RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of proper type coverage, having to rely on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Musharna uses Moonlight to recover its health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and one misused Sleep Talk could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for its choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, with higher Base Power than Psyshock and no reliance on setting up to deal damage, as is the case with Stored Power. Psyshock may be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama. Stored Power is an option because it hits harder than even Psychic with two Calm Mind boosts, but the lack of immediate power is a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave may be used to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom or Galvantula, in the last slot, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting. With the given EV spread, Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, as well as having high defensive bulk and gaining an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics, such as Clefable, and Poison-types, such as Drapion, may be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna is open to Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should be defeated by Fighting- and Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay

ability: Synchronize

nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because of Musharna's uninvested Special Defense. This is then followed by Reflect, which bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for distancing Musharna from other dual screeners, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed, get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides enough Speed to outspeed the aforementioned Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix. It also bolsters Musharna's weaker physical defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item to make Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens. Emboar can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing and it allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls, as Musharna is sporting much better coverage here, and would rather not be stuck in a fight against a special wall. Psychic is always an option for a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, which wall Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball is an option to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, particularly Spiritomb and Uxie, both of whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to Shadow Ball to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna is hitting a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb is used to maximize power, while Leftovers provides a form of recovery. Moonlight may be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to put opponents to sleep. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight. Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, preferably one with a Choice Scarf, such as Entei or Rotom-C, should be used to make the team not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tanking set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with special walls being more important to beat in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting is used for Dark- and Steel-types. Thunder Wave is primarily used to deal with Musharna's Speed issues, as well as for abusing the chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight is primarily there to eliminate Life Orb recoil and recover health lost from tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and the former used to get Stealth Rock on the field or deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from Thunder Wave to help it fight through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is much less common than the others. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Rain Dance may be used on teams that benefit from such a move, but Uxie is much better at setting it up due to higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment may be used to mess with opponents that only have one move to hit Musharna with, such as Rotom and Gallade. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in. Hypnosis may be used on any set for immediate sleep, but it is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of moveslot except where recommended. Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taunt and status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are counters to Musharna. The former can be taken out by Hidden Power Fighting, but most Dark-types can outspeed and KO Musharna. Honchkrow in particular is neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, resistant to Shadow Ball, and immune to Psychic. However, Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, but this may be avoided via Substitute. Zweilous, despite a weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power of its Eviolite and Choice Band variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Bug-types that are troublesome include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, as all are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also use its Megahorn to beat Musharna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna fast. Speaking of Sigilyph, it can take even Shadow Ball and set up Cosmic Power on Musharna, able to easily OHKO with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any attack and eventually being able to OHKO with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom always avoids the OHKO from a +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall even Shadow Ball and set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it, or shut it down with Taunt. Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna's sets as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

GP (1/2)

This write-up doesn't suffer from many of the conventional punctuation errors that many GP checks get rid of. Instead, a lot of this has been traded for just, frankly, poor or blocky wording. I heavily suggest reading your analysis out loud before saving the changes and asking for checks, as this can go a long way to avoid your future analyses from looking like this one.

Sir said:
PLACE HOLDING HOLDING HOLDING
Status:. Done

xenu said:
unofficial gp check incoming

removal
addition

Thanks Mafeking for the stamp, your check is implemented. For all of you GPing this, I commend you for doing it on this long analysis. Cheers!

sirndpt · Mar 10, 2012

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, ~~with no regard for Musharna~~leaving Musharna in the dust. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses~~. Musharna also h~~, as well as a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than that of the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While itMusharna's low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Additionally, Musharna can ~~also~~ set up Calm Mind and ~~boasts somewhat reliable recovery in Moonlight, along wi~~is able to keep itself healthy th~~e RestTalk combination, which allows it to ward off status~~anks to Moonlight and RestTalk. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of ~~proper~~ type coverage, hleaving ~~to rely~~it reliant on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types~~, the latter of which, especially Honchkrow, are~~; Honchkrow in particular is capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. M~~usharna uses Moonlight to~~oonlight lets Musharna recover ~~its~~ health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and ~~one misused Sleep Tal~~an unlucky pick could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, ~~the former being immune to Psychic-type attacks and the latter resistant. As for it~~who are immune and resistant to Psychic-type moves, respectively. As for Musharna's choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, ~~with~~as it has higher Base Power than Psyshock, and nounlike Stored Power, isn't reliancet on setting up to deal damage~~, as is the case with Stored Power.~~. Nonetheless, Psyshock ~~may~~can be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama., whereas Stored Power ~~is an option because it~~ hits harder than ~~even~~ Psychic ~~with~~after two Calm Mind boosts~~, but the~~. However, the latter's lack of immediate power iscan be a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave ~~may be used~~can go in the last slot to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom orand Galvantula, ~~in the last slot,~~ but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting~~. With t~~, leaving it helpless against Dark-types. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make Musharna even harder to OHKO while it accumulates Stored Power boosts. The given EV spread, lets Musharna outspeeds Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, a~~s well as having~~nd grants it high defensive bulk, a~~nd gaining~~s well as an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. <tbh i think this spread is so similar it doesn't merit a separate mention! also, what on earth does "the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler" mean? filler EVs don't go in speed, they go in HP or a defense.>

Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics~~, such as Clefable,~~ and Poison-types, such as ~~Drapion, may~~Clefable and Drapion respectively, can be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna ~~is open to~~fares poorly against Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should first be defeated by Fighting- ~~and~~or Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C. ~~Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make it even harder to OHKO Musharna, as well as accumulating Stored Power boosts.~~

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because ofthis Musharna~~'s un~~ doesn't invested in Special Defense~~. This is then followed by Reflect, which~~; Reflect should be used next to bolsters Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for di~~stanc~~fferentiating Musharna from other dual screen~~ers, allowing it to avoid Pursuit and, in conjunction with its low Speed,~~ users. In addition to enabling Musharna to avoid Pursuit, it also works well in conjunction with Musharna's low Speed to let it get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides Musharna with enough Speed to outspeed ~~the aforementioned~~ Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix~~. It also bolster~~, and fortifies Musharna's weaker ~~physical~~ defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item toas it makes Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible. 

Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens~~. Emboa~~; the former can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing, and itscreens allows them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls,; as this Musharna is sport~~ing~~s much better coverage ~~here, and~~, it would rather not be stuck in a ~~fight~~battle of attrition against a special wall. Nevertheless, Psychic is always an option for ~~a stronger STAB, but is outclassed by Psyshock in lieu of better coverage moves~~its higher Base Power. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, wh~~ich wall~~o easily sponge Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball ~~is an option to~~ hits opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types~~, particularly~~ such as Spiritomb and Uxie, ~~both of~~ whom resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to ~~Shadow Ball to~~ cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna ~~is hitting~~hits a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb ~~is used to~~ maximizes its power, while Leftovers provides it with a form of recovery. Moonlight ~~may~~can be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, ~~but leaves Musharna walled by Psychic-types and Spiritomb, as well as lacking the ability to~~and Thunder Wave to let it cripple fast Pokemon, but the ability to either hit Psychic-types and Spiritomb or put an opponents to sleep~~. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple fast Pokemon, but suffers from the same disappointments as Moonlight.~~ is typically preferred.

Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind <nasty plot..?>. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, ~~preferably one wit~~such as Choice Scarf~~, such as~~ Entei or Rotom-C, should be used ~~to make~~such that the team is not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tank~~ing~~ set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with ~~special walls~~the former being more important ~~to beat~~ in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting igrants Mus~~ed for~~harna coverage on Dark- and Steel-types., while Thunder Wave ~~is primarily used to~~ deals with Musharna's Speed issues, a~~s well as for abusing the~~nd comes with a handy chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight ~~is primarily there to~~ eliminates Life Orb recoil and lets Musharna recover health lost ~~from~~to tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on ~~your need for power or recovery, with power often being more important due to Musharna's access to Moonlight. Besides the Speed EVs, all EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. Rhydon~~whether Musharna needs power or recovery; the former is recommended due to Musharna's access to Moonlight <are there any specific xhkos that might be relevant here?>. The Speed EVs enable Musharna to outpace <who?>, its Special Attack is maximized to increase its power output, and the rest is invested in HP for optimum bulk.

Rhydon, Aggron, and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues~~, with the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind and~~; the former ~~used~~ two ~~get~~can lay Stealth Rock on the field or, and Rhydon can deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge~~. Aggron is another Pokemon, similar to Rhydon, that benefits from paralysis support and can set up Stealth Rock. Regigigas also benefits from~~, while Slowking can set up with Calm Mind. Thunder Wave talso help ~~it figh~~s Regigigas get through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is <"much less common ~~than the others~~" is not exactly a relevant factor here; perhaps point out /why/ it's an inferior pick>. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Access to Rain Dance ~~may be used on teams that benefit from such a move~~allows Musharna to support weather-based teams, but Uxie is much better at setting ~~it up~~up rain due to its higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counter-intuitive. Torment ~~may be used to~~can mess with opponents that only have one move with which to hit Musharna ~~with~~, such as Rotom and Gallade~~. Yawn may be used to force a switch as well as a sleep move if the opponent stays in~~ <evaluate it. why is it not a main move? too gimmicky? thwarted by who?>. Yawn can force a switch or cause sleep <same - evaluate it>. Hypnosis ~~may~~can be used on any set for immediate sleep, but i~~t is hindered by low accuracy. Investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless. Thunder Wave may also be used to cripple the opponent on~~s not recommended due to its low accuracy. Thunder Wave can cripple fast sweepers and can be used any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of a moveslot <why?> except where recommended. ~~Magic Coat may be used to reflect the detrimental Taun~~Swagger can be combined with Thunder Wave for a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents <why is it not listed, then?>. Magic Coat cand status moves. Energy Ball is another coverage move that may be used for bulky Water-types, but is situational and often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. Swagger, when combined with Thunder Wave, can act as a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents be used to reflect status moves and Taunt, the latter of which particularly cripples Musharna. Energy Ball grants Musharna coverage on bulky Water-types, but it has poor overall coverage and as such is often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. In terms of other EV spreads, investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless, because Musharna will outspeed nothing of note.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are great counters to Musharna~~. The former can be taken out by~~, as even if Musharna runs Hidden Power Fighting, ~~but~~ most ~~Dark-types~~ can outspeed and KO ~~Musharna~~it. Honchkrow in particular is hit neutral toly by Hidden Power Fighting, resist~~ant to~~s Shadow Ball, and is immune to Psychic. ~~However,~~While Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, ~~but this may be avoided~~it can even avoid this via Substitute. ~~Zweilous, d~~Despite aits weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, Zweilous is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power ~~of its~~afforded it by Eviolite and Choice Band ~~variants. Absol is another example of a Dark-type that~~, respectively. Absol too can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. ~~Bug-types that are t~~Troublesome Bug-types include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, a~~s all~~ll of whom are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also ~~use its Megahorn to beat Musha~~beat Musharna with Megahorna, though it is weak to Psychic.

Without <and therefore cannot switch in safely?>.

If it lacks Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna ~~fast. Speaking of~~rapidly. Sigilyph~~, it~~ can take even Shadow Ball ~~and~~, set up with Cosmic Power ~~on Musharna, able to~~, and easily OHKO Musharna with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to ~~avoid being statused by Synchronize and attack~~remove status from Synchronize and pick off Musharna with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any of its attacks and eventually ~~being able to~~ OHKOing with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom ~~always avoids the OHKO from a~~is never OHKOed by +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock.

Shadow Sneak or Night Slash on Gallade can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna, depending on the amount of boosts accumulated. Slowking can wall <not significantly..?>.

Gallade has Shadow Sneak or Night Slash, and depending on the amount of boosts it has <this doesn't really make sense though, because these pokemon will be switching in on musharna, not vice versa>, can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna. Slowking takes little damage from even Shadow Ball, and can either set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz ~~can abuse its bulk to take hits from Musharna and wear it~~too has good bulk and can wear Musharna down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it <synchronize !>, or shut it down with Taunt. Finally, Taunt users, such as Whimsicott, completely shut down Musharna~~'s sets~~, as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

[Overview]

Musharna is an often-overlooked Pokemon when building an RU team. Uxie, Slowking, and Gallade all jump to mind first, leaving Musharna in the dust. However, it actually has high bulk, with 116 / 85 / 95 defenses, as well as a good base 107 Special Attack, which is higher than that of the Rotom formes. Musharna also has a huge movepool, but it lacks strong special attacks outside of Psychic-type attacks and Shadow Ball. While Musharna's low Speed may seem like a letdown, it actually gives Musharna a lot of viability on a Trick Room team. Additionally, Musharna can set up Calm Mind and is able to keep itself healthy thanks to Moonlight and RestTalk. Musharna's biggest issue is its lack of type coverage, leaving it reliant on Hidden Power to deal with Steel- and Dark-types; Honchkrow in particular is capable of destroying Musharna.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock / Stored Power
move 3: Moonlight / Rest
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set is designed to accumulate boosts with Calm Mind. Moonlight lets Musharna recover health whenever needed, and with the lack of automatic weather inducers in RU, it is very reliable. Musharna also has the option of using RestTalk to get rid of harmful status such as poison and burn, but Sleep Talk is unreliable, and an unlucky pick could spell defeat for Musharna. This also leaves it open to Dark- and Steel-types, who are immune and resistant to Psychic-type moves, respectively. As for Musharna's choice of Psychic-type attacks, there are three viable options. Psychic is the most reliable, as it has higher Base Power than Psyshock, and unlike Stored Power, isn't reliant on setting up to deal damage. Nonetheless, Psyshock can be used to hit special walls such as Clefable and Hariyama, whereas Stored Power hits harder than Psychic after two Calm Mind boosts. However, the latter's lack of immediate power can be a huge disappointment when Musharna needs to deal quick damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thunder Wave can go in the last slot to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Rotom and Galvantula, but this forces Musharna to give up Hidden Power Fighting, leaving it helpless against Dark-types. Barrier is also an option in the last slot to make Musharna even harder to OHKO while it accumulates Stored Power boosts. The given EV spread lets Musharna outspeed Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, and grants it high defensive bulk, as well as an extra point of Leftovers recovery. However, if the extra point of Leftovers recovery is not a big deal, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe or 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe may be used, as the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler. <tbh i think this spread is so similar it doesn't merit a separate mention! also, what on earth does "the extra 4 Speed EVs are just filler" mean? filler EVs don't go in speed, they go in HP or a defense.>

Without Rest, Musharna is crippled by status, so clerics and Poison-types, such as Clefable and Drapion respectively, can be used to get rid of poison, burn, and Toxic Spikes. Even with Hidden Power Fighting, Musharna fares poorly against Dark-types such as Honchkrow and Sharpedo, so these should first be defeated by Fighting- or Electric-types, such as Medicham or Rotom-C.

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With high bulk and a reliable recovery move, Musharna is an optimal choice for setting up dual screens. Light Screen is normally the first screen to be set up because this Musharna doesn't invest in Special Defense; Reflect should be used next to bolster Musharna's Defense. However, neither of these moves are meant solely for Musharna, as the goal of this set is to support its team. Baton Pass is vital for differentiating Musharna from other dual screen users. In addition to enabling Musharna to avoid Pursuit, it also works well in conjunction with Musharna's low Speed to let it get a teammate onto the field unscathed.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The given EV spread provides Musharna with enough Speed to outspeed Slowking, Quagsire, Cofagrigus, and Steelix, and fortifies Musharna's weaker defensive side. Light Clay is the preferred item as it makes Reflect and Light Screen last as long as possible.

Frail sweepers, such as Emboar, Gallade, and Porygon-Z, appreciate the bulk supplied by dual screens; the former can also switch in on the Bug- and Dark-type attacks that Musharna draws. Entei and Honchkrow also benefit from screens as their defenses aren't amazing, and screens allow them to take more hits.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball / Hypnosis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With low Speed and decent Special Attack, Musharna is a great Trick Room supporter. Psyshock is the primary attacking option here to hit special walls; as this Musharna sports much better coverage, it would rather not be stuck in a battle of attrition against a special wall. Nevertheless, Psychic is always an option for its higher Base Power. Hidden Power Fighting is a must to hit Steel- and Dark-types, who easily sponge Musharna's other moves. Shadow Ball hits opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Spiritomb and Uxie, who resist Musharna's other moves. Hypnosis, however, is a great alternative to cripple one of the opponent's Pokemon for a good portion of the match.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With 0 Speed IVs, a Quiet nature, and no investment in Speed, Musharna hits a meager 56 Speed, which is perfect for Trick Room. Life Orb maximizes its power, while Leftovers provides it with a form of recovery. Moonlight can be used in the last slot to provide Musharna with reliable recovery, and Thunder Wave to let it cripple fast Pokemon, but the ability to either hit Psychic-types and Spiritomb or put an opponent to sleep is typically preferred.

Slow teammates such as Rhydon and Slowking benefit from Trick Room, with the latter able to boost with Calm Mind <nasty plot..?>. As with any Trick Room team, however, at least one fast teammate, such as Choice Scarf Entei or Rotom-C, should be used such that the team is not entirely reliant on Trick Room.

[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball
move 4: Moonlight
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Forewarn / Synchronize
nature: Modest
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With decent Special Attack and high bulk, Musharna is a prime candidate for a tank set. The STAB move is, once again, a choice between hitting special walls or power, with the former being more important in most cases. Hidden Power Fighting grants Musharna coverage on Dark- and Steel-types, while Thunder Wave deals with Musharna's Speed issues and comes with a handy chance of full paralysis. Shadow Ball is an option for coverage on Uxie and Spiritomb, two huge threats to Musharna. Moonlight eliminates Life Orb recoil and lets Musharna recover health lost to tanking hits.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on whether Musharna needs power or recovery; the former is recommended due to Musharna's access to Moonlight <are there any specific xhkos that might be relevant here?>. The Speed EVs enable Musharna to outpace <who?>, its Special Attack is maximized to increase its power output, and the rest is invested in HP for optimum bulk.

Rhydon, Aggron, and Slowking benefit from paralysis support due to their Speed issues; the former two can lay Stealth Rock on the field, and Rhydon can deal major damage with Earthquake and Stone Edge, while Slowking can set up with Calm Mind. Thunder Wave also helps Regigigas get through Slow Start and possibly pull off a sweep, but is <"much less common" is not exactly a relevant factor here; perhaps point out /why/ it's an inferior pick>. Dark-types, particularly Honchkrow and Sharpedo, are a major thorn in Musharna's side, so Rotom-C and Gallade are great partners.

[Other Options]

Access to Rain Dance allows Musharna to support weather-based teams, but Uxie is much better at setting up rain due to its higher Speed. Rain also hinders Moonlight, so it can be quite counterintuitive. Torment can mess with opponents that only have one move with which to hit Musharna, such as Rotom and Gallade <evaluate it. why is it not a main move? too gimmicky? thwarted by who?>. Yawn can force a switch or cause sleep <same - evaluate it>. Hypnosis can be used on any set for immediate sleep, but is not recommended due to its low accuracy. Thunder Wave can cripple fast sweepers and can be used any of the mentioned sets, but is often a waste of a moveslot <why?> except where recommended. Swagger can be combined with Thunder Wave for a pseudo-parafusion set, but it is mostly worthless. Toxic is a great option for stalling out opponents <why is it not listed, then?>. Magic Coat can be used to reflect status moves and Taunt, the latter of which particularly cripples Musharna. Energy Ball grants Musharna coverage on bulky Water-types, but it has poor overall coverage and as such is often weaker than Musharna's STAB move of choice. In terms of other EV spreads, investment outside of the 12 Speed EVs mentioned is useless, because Musharna will outspeed nothing of note.

[Checks and Counters]

Dark- and Bug-types in general are great counters to Musharna, as even if Musharna runs Hidden Power Fighting, most can outspeed and KO it. Honchkrow in particular is hit neutrally by Hidden Power Fighting, resists Shadow Ball, and is immune to Psychic. While Honchkrow is hindered by sleep, it can even avoid this via Substitute. Despite its weakness to Hidden Power Fighting, Zweilous is a great check to Musharna thanks to the bulk and power afforded it by Eviolite and Choice Band, respectively. Absol too can OHKO Musharna with its incredibly powerful STAB moves. Troublesome Bug-types include Accelgor, Galvantula, and Scyther, all of whom are able to hit Musharna hard with their respective Bug-type STAB. Scolipede can also beat Musharna with Megahorn, though it is weak to Psychic <and therefore cannot switch in safely?>.

If it lacks Rest, poison and burn from the likes of Sigilyph, Spiritomb, and Clefable can wear down Musharna rapidly. Sigilyph can take even Shadow Ball, set up with Cosmic Power, and easily OHKO Musharna with Stored Power after several boosts. Spiritomb can use Rest to remove status from Synchronize and pick off Musharna with Dark Pulse or Pursuit. Calm Mind variants can also set up on Musharna, taking fairly negligible damage from any of its attacks and eventually OHKOing with Dark Pulse. Clefable possesses Magic Guard, making it both a good status absorber and inducer. Rotom is never OHKOed by +1 Shadow Ball and can 2HKO back with its own Shadow Ball, but cannot switch in and is susceptible to Stealth Rock <not significantly..?>.

Gallade has Shadow Sneak or Night Slash, and depending on the amount of boosts it has <this doesn't really make sense though, because these pokemon will be switching in on musharna, not vice versa>, can 2HKO or OHKO Musharna. Slowking takes little damage from even Shadow Ball, and can either set up Calm Mind or wear Musharna down with Scald. Mandibuzz too has good bulk and can wear Musharna down with Brave Bird, phaze it out with Whirlwind, Toxic it <synchronize !>, or shut it down with Taunt. Finally, Taunt users such as Whimsicott completely shut down Musharna, as it often relies on boosting moves or status to support the team.

while I understand we don't want overly fluff-ridden analyses, imo the Dual Screens set is extremely short compared to most others I've seen (the Trick Room set too to a lesser extent), so I'd appreciate if someone a little more familiar with RU could confirm all important information has been included. also, I requested for quite a few additions in the Other Options section, so whoever uploads this, please look that bit over too. thank you!

complete legitimacy · Mar 13, 2012

As of now, this is not on-site quality. I'm a bit disappointed with the Dual Screens set partners. Porygon-Z is banned, Emboar is very uncommon, and Gallade isn't frail. Also, while the Checks and Counters section is rather long, there are a couple things missing. Drapion deserves a huge mention, and I'm amazed that you completely omitted it. Specially defensive sets can use Whirlwind to phaze, or can use Taunt to shut it down. Musharna is set up fodder for the bulky SD set as well. It's arguably the best counter to Musharna, so not putting it in is just plain wrong. Also, a mention of Munchlax due to its insane bulk and Whirlwind.

Oglemi · Mar 23, 2012

I've decided to lock this.

While an update on Musharna is good, it really wasn't needed, the writing here is poor, there was a huge cut of information from all of the sets, you obviously lack metagame knowledge if you listed PZ as a teammate, and I've had two other people coming to me asking to reassign this.

So, yeah reassigning. If anyone wants to rewrite this go ahead, but it'll just need a huge overhaul with the tier shifts anyway so I really don't see the point atm.

Musharna (Analysis) (Update) [QC 3/3] [GP 1/2]

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