(Copyediting) Mewtwo(Revamp - QC 3/3) [GP 0/2]

[shrang]

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


NOTE TO SELF: Add Taunt to AC of Psycho Killer

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



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


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

[SET COMMENTS]

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

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

[Additional Comments]

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

<p>The EV spread used help maximize Mewtwo's Speed and Special Attack. Life Orb is preferred to make Mewtwo as powerful as possible. If you are turned off by the recoil, Leftovers can always be used to improve Mewtwo's lifespan, but the power drop is very significant, losing out on 2HKOes against Giratina, max HP Arceus, and Lugia (with a Calm Mind boost). Lum Berry is similar power-wise, but can allow Mewtwo to set up on status inflicting Pokemon such as Thunder Wave Ferrothorn. On the flip side, though, is that Lum Berry and Leftovers gives Mewtwo more Calm Mind opportunities to compensate for their lack of power. Expert Belt is another interesting option to conserve Mewtwo's health. Even though it does not boost Psystrike most of the time, Mewtwo's coverage is good enough. Mind Plate is a similar case, except it boosts Psystrike only instead of coverage moves. With Mind Plate, Psystrike is still powerful enough to 2HKO specially defensive Giratina and Latias, as well as OHKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage.</p>

<p>The only things that keep a lid on Mewtwo are Choice Scarf users, priority attacks, residual damage, and the fact that it can only use four moves at a time. If Mewtwo lacks Fire Blast, Scizor can checkmate it with Pursuit or U-turn, while Jirachi can take pretty much anything it dishes out paralyze it with Body Slam. Metagross can also do lots of damage in return, while not taking too much from Aura Sphere. If Mewtwo lacks Aura Sphere, Tyranitar destroys if with no trouble at all, while Dialga, Dark Arceus, and Darkrai can be more troublesome if it is not sunny. If Ice Beam is not included in the moveset, then Lugia counters Mewtwo if it is not sunny, while Giratina becomes much more of a problem. If Calm Mind is omitted, then Mewtwo has a much harder time against defensive teams in general, especially those with Latias, Lugia, or Giratina in them.</p>

<p>The major route that most Ubers teams take to take down Mewtwo is to take it out via a Choice Scarfer, due to the tiny puddle of Pokemon that can actually wall it. It should be noted that not many Choice Scarf users can actually OHKO a healthy Mewtwo, but with Life Orb recoil and heavy entry hazard use in the metagame, it becomes much easier. Most Choice Scarf users require at least one round of Life Orb recoil in addition to Stealth Rock damage to be able to OHKO Mewtwo. The exceptions to this are Choice Scarf Kyogre (using fully powered Water Spout), Modest Choice Scarf Reshiram in the sun, Adamant Choice Scarf Kyurem-B and Zekrom, Choice Scarf Heracross, Choice Scarf Victini, and finally Choice Scarf Genesect (either through +1 U-turn or Bug Buzz). Genesect in particular is problematic for Mewtwo, since it can KO Mewtwo a lot of the time with U-turn, and avoid being locked into an attack that may be advantageous for another sweeper to set up on; it is also extremely difficult to trap. Wobbuffet can remove most Choice Scarfers, with the exception of those just mentioned. Luring out Choice Scarf users with Thunder Wave Kyogre or other Thunder Wave users is a good strategy. Kyogre tends to lure in Choice Scarf Palkia and Zekrom, as well as Latias. If you are have sun support, though, removing Choice Scarf Kyogre is not too difficult with Wobbuffet, as you can sacrifice Groudon (provided it is safe to do so) to Kyogre to bring in the sun, then use Wobbuffet to trap and remove Kyogre while it is sunny. Sacrificing Hippowdon or Tyranitar when using a sand team has a similar effect. Reshiram is difficult to deal with if you are using a sun team, but is easy for rain and sand teams to take on. Victini can be trapped and KOed by Tyranitar or other Pursuit users that are not weak to its attacks. Heracross is walled by many Pokemon, such as the Giratina formes and Groudon. Genesect is a nightmare to try and pin down, but some ways to make life difficult for it is to heavily abuse entry hazards, while possibly hitting it hard on the switch (Psystrike does a lot of damage, while Fire attacks OHKO it).</p>

<p>Residual damage has been mentioned, but it is should be stressed that one of the reasons Mewtwo is manageable in the metagame is due to Life Orb and entry hazard damage, which allows priority attacks and weaker Choice Scarf users to pick it off. Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce will help mitigate entry hazard damage as much possible. For offensive teams that tend to carry Mewtwo, Custap Berry Forretress, Kabutops, and Excadrill are all good offensive Rapid Spin users. Xatu and Espeon can be used for Magic Bounce. Wish support from Blissey or Jirachi can help Mewtwo, but is not always necessary.</p>

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


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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set maximizes Mewtwo's bulk, allowing it to set up Calm Mind with greater ease and sacrificing Mewtwo's raw destructive power for greater longevity. With Calm Mind and Recover, Mewtwo can slowly boost in front of special attackers. This set is particularly useful on sand teams and teams that are more susceptible to Fighting-types such as Fighting Arceus. Normally, entry hazard damage and sandstorm recoil can easily whittle down Mewtwo but this set allows Mewtwo to stick around for longer to check Fighting Arceus. Be aware, though, that this Mewtwo set has significant coverage issues, and what defeats it depends heavily on the coverage move it is using. Psystrike is Mewtwo's STAB attack, and sets it apart from many special attackers and allows it to win many Calm Mind wars because it bypasses Special Defense. The final move gives Mewtwo important coverage. Flamethrower allows Mewtwo to OHKO Genesect, which is especially important because with a bulky spread, Mewtwo can survive both U-turn and Bug Buzz from Choice Scarf Genesect. Flamethrower also allows Mewtwo to hit most Steel-types for super effective damage. Aura Sphere hits Tyranitar, Dialga and Darkrai for super effective damage. Ice Beam may appear to not add significant coverage, but it does hit Lugia and Giratina for super effective damage, while having an attack to quickly OHKO Rayquaza is always nice as well.</p>

[Additional Comments]

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

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

<p>Mewtwo's four moveslot syndrome has been mentioned already, but it has many counters according to whatever move it runs. Even with Flamethrower, Genesect is still going to be a major thorn in Mewtwo's side, and without it, Mewtwo stands no chance. Scizor will also make life hell for Mewtwo lacking Flamethrower, by checkmating it with Pursuit and U-turn, while Skarmory can take Aura Spheres and Ice Beams and force Mewtwo out with Whirlwind. If Mewtwo lacks Aura Sphere, Tyranitar makes it completely useless through Pursuit, while Dialga can take attacks from it and either Roar it out or poison it with Toxic. In general, Lugia and Giratina wall Mewtwo, although they will not enjoy taking boosted Ice Beams for too long. Genesect is very difficult to pin down and take out, but having entry hazards up will make it difficult for Genesect to continue to U-turn in and out. If you can get it to be stuck into an attack that is not U-turn or Bug Buzz, Wobbuffet can trap and KO it. Pursuit is difficult to escape as well, but Pokemon such as Fighting Arceus, Groudon, Landorus, and Gliscor can all set up on Tyranitar pretty easily. Fighting Arceus is also good for taking down Dialga. Lugia and Giratina are generally bait for entry hazard users, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress.</p>


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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Using a defensive Mewtwo seems rather weird, but it is surprisingly extremely effective. It is especially useful against opposing stall teams thanks to Mewtwo's great Speed and support movepool, which let it stall out a wide variety of threats. Pressure can easily sap up all the opponent's PP, which is handy in a tier filled with low PP moves such as Spacial Rend and Draco Meteor. Taunt allows Mewtwo to prevent other Pokemon from hitting it with status, healing themselves, or setting up. Recover in conjunction with Mewtwo's Speed allows it to heal before most things can even touch it, making it extremely hard to break. Once again, four moveslot syndrome kicks in for slots 3 and 4. Will-O-Wisp allows Mewtwo to stall out physical attacks quite effectively, letting it repeatedly heal while they slowly die to burn damage, and easily cripples many initial switch-ins to Mewtwo, such as Genesect and Tyranitar. Toxic does more damage in the long run, with the downside of leaving Mewtwo helpless against Steel-types and without a way to cushion the blows of physical powerhouses such as Zekrom and Groudon. As such, Will-O-Wisp is usually the better option because Mewtwo's defenses, while not especially frail, are not amazing either.</p>

<p>Psystrike allows Mewtwo to hit Ho-Oh and Reshiram if you are running Will-O-Wisp, as otherwise Mewtwo would have no way of touching them. It also lets Mewtwo deter powerful attacker such as Kyogre and Kyurem-W from switching in as easily. Light Screen lets Mewtwo sponge the hits of powerful special attackers with ease, and makes Mewtwo fairly hard to crack when used with Will-O-Wisp. Substitute is useful for scouting a switch in and preventing status. It also helps Mewtwo stall out the numerous moves with low PP, thanks to Pressure. As a bonus, Mewtwo's Substitute is strong enough to survive most Dragon Tails, while Roar and Whirlwind are blocked by Taunt. Without Substitute, stall teams can still Dragon Tail Mewtwo out, which can get annoying when combined with entry hazards. There is very little reason to run any item other than Leftovers. While Mewtwo really specializes in neutering things with Taunt + Status + Recover spam, it will often rely on prediction between status and Taunt (Gyro Ball vs Leech Seed on Ferrothorn, for example). One wrong move can be really detrimental.</p>

[Additional Comments]

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

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

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

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

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

[SET COMMENTS]

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

[Additional Comments]

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

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

[Other Options]

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

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


[Checks and Counters]

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

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

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

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

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

[Mr.lol]

- For maximum potency, however, Calm Mind Mewtwo is most deadly in the sun with Calm Mind / Psystrike / Fire Blast / Aura Sphere. This is not the best general set because rain is much more popular than sun, but if you can keep the sun up, this set is pretty much impossible to wall.

Giratina-a?_?, yes specially defensive variants are 2HKOed by Psystrike by physically defensive variants wall you to no end. That and Lati@s but they take huge damage from +1 Psystrike anyway so...

Specially Defensive Giratina should probably get a mention at least in Checks and Counters, it can switch into CM, live the +1 Ice Beam (not too comfortably though), and Dragon Tail. Stall Two gets Dragon Tailed too.

Speaking of Dragon Tail could it please be mentioned about stall 2? Last gen the only phazing move was Roar, which was blockable by Taunt, not this gen!

Psystrike / Grass Knot / Fire Blast was also pretty good coverage when I used it. Unlike Ice Beam, Grass Knot lets you take down Tyranitar at +1 with a little bit of residual damage. The only problem is Heatran, Dialga in rain, Lugia in rain (maybe neutral weather, +1 Fire Blast hurts extremely hard in sun), Specially Defensive Giratina and Jirachi in rain but against the first two, its not like you could defeat them with Ice Beam anyway, and Aura Sphere > Fire Blast solves issues against Heatran and Dialga. Specially Defensive Giratina-a will phaze you out regardless of what you run. I can't say anything about Lugia though. Latios and Latias take massive damage from +1 Psystrike, it 2HKOes, but its not like Ice Beam OHKOed so...

Note for Bulky Attacker: I changed the EV spread, since it was supposed to allow Mewtwo to 2HKO 52 HP Latias at +1, but that's probably not that applicable these days since Latias is using bulkier spreads (mostly). We probably don't want to be creeping the SpA around since like Speed creep, Latias can creep her SpD in response as well. This is not mention that if Latias isn't that Specially Defensive set, you'll end up Calm Minding in her face and then use Psystrike when you're at like, +4 or something.

Actually Sp Def. Latias carries Roar to stop CMs. It should actually be added to checks and counters as it stops all of its sets (barring Stall Two and Scarf).

[sammao]

Originally Posted by Fat Mr.lol

Psystrike / Grass Knot / Fire Blast was also pretty good coverage when I used it. Unlike Ice Beam, Grass Knot lets you take down Tyranitar at +1 with a little bit of residual damage. The only problem is Heatran, Dialga in rain, Lugia in rain (maybe neutral weather, +1 Fire Blast hurts extremely hard in sun), Specially Defensive Giratina and Jirachi in rain but against the first two, its not like you could defeat them with Ice Beam anyway, and Aura Sphere > Fire Blast solves issues against Heatran and Dialga. Specially Defensive Giratina-a will phaze you out regardless of what you run. I can't say anything about Lugia though. Latios and Latias take massive damage from +1 Psystrike, it 2HKOes, but its not like Ice Beam OHKOed so...

The problem for this is, what is Grass knot going to hit? Kyogre is already get destroyed by Psystrike, and ice beam kills Groudon just like GK. I suppose you can hit Water Arceus and Rock Arceus (and hit Ground Arceus stronger) with it, but ice beam allow you to OHKO Garchomp and Rayquazza, hit Giratina-a AND O, Lugia, Dragon Arceus, and Flying Arceus stronger. I think ice beam>GK

[Mr.lol]

The problem for this is, what is Grass knot going to hit? Kyogre is already get destroyed by Psystrike, and ice beam kills Groudon just like GK. I suppose you can hit Water Arceus and Rock Arceus (and hit Ground Arceus stronger) with it, but ice beam allow you to OHKO Garchomp and Rayquazza, hit Giratina-a AND O, Lugia, Dragon Arceus, and Flying Arceus stronger. I think ice beam>GK

It lets you hit Tyranitar without Aura Sphere, meaning you can now use Fire Blast without worrying about Tyranitar walling you.

but ice beam allow you to OHKO Garchomp and Rayquazza, hit Giratina-a AND O, Lugia, Dragon Arceus, and Flying Arceus stronger. I think ice beam>GK

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 376-445 (105.02 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rayquaza: 395-465 (112.53 - 132.47%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Giratina: 308-363 (61.23 - 72.16%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Giratina: 291-343 (57.85 - 68.19%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (against Giratina-a, Ice Beam will only do more damage against the physically Defensive sets, it will not KO though).

Ice Beam has the merit of hitting Dialga (in rain) and Giratina-O (and tina-a if not specially Defensive) harder, I just feel GK has enough merit to go into AC of bulky attacker.

- Substitute is useful for scouting a switch in, and preventing status. It also helps Mewtwo stall out the numerous moves with 8 PP, thanks to Pressure.

Substitute also prevents Dragon Tail from phazing you out.

I hope I'm not the only one that thinks this but its extremely hard to switch Mewtwo in to things, in fact, when I use it only manages to successfully get in whenever something dies (I know its a little bulky but...). Dual Screens allow you to get a Calm Mind with a LOT more ease, also delays the when a Revenge Killer (unless Genesect) can come in to kill you, seeing as you live the hit and toss back a powerful +1 Psystrike back. A mention of these facts IMO ought to be in the analysis (especially for the bulky set, don't forget that set can actually just use Recover when Genesect U-turns out to act as if nothing threatening happened).

It doesn't need the screen support but it heavily appreciates it (like all CM Arceus). Wobbufett is kind of similar except it can try to kill revenge killers, but the fact you type-stack is kind of sad really. You can't lure in a Close Combat or something that Mewtwo can use to setup on :(.

[sammao]

Originally Posted by Fat Mr.lol

It lets you hit Tyranitar without Aura Sphere, meaning you can now use Fire Blast without worrying about Tyranitar walling you.

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 376-445 (105.02 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rayquaza: 395-465 (112.53 - 132.47%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Giratina: 308-363 (61.23 - 72.16%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Giratina: 291-343 (57.85 - 68.19%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (against Giratina-a, Ice Beam will only do more damage against the physically Defensive sets, it will not KO though).

I mentioned Garchomp and Rayquazza because there will be times where Mewtwo KO something without a Calm mind under its belt, and a full health Scarf Garchomp or a Ray packing Extreme speed comes in, Mewtwo can survive a hit, and that is when you want to OHKO them with ice beam, and Psystrike fail to achieve this.

Anyway, I do agree GK has its merit, but ice beam is also useful, so I don't know.

[trickroom]

QC APPROVED 1/3

Grass Knot OHKOes Groudon at +0, Ice Beam fails, good enough to mention in AC. A stronger hit on Ground Arceus, Tyranitar, and hits most Kyogre harder than Psytrike.

I think a mention of Lugia and Giratina being more annoying for the bulky attacker than then main Calm Mind set is needed. Both can now easily survive even +2 Ice Beam and phaze you or status. The lack of Life Orb and investment in Special Attack is pretty huge in the damage output against those walls.

In counters section, Bisharp should be added as a check. Sucker Punch OHKOes all the time, and we already uploaded Bisharp on site for quite some time now. Night Slash can crush Mewtwo as well so there will be some mind games. Aura Spere or Fire Blast destroys Bisharp sadly. If the stalltwo set drops Will-O-Wisp for Toxic, Bisharp walks all over you and pretty much any Steel-type with decent offenses such as Scizor.

Sucks, but Heracross deserves mention as one of the few things who can OHKO any Mewtwo set with Megahorn. It also doesn't mind a burn as much as Genesect would. Approving Scarf set too, it has insane Speed to revenge kill weather abusers and Rock Polish Groudon. You can also survive one Stone Edge from Rock Polish Terrakion and OHKO it back.

Nothing else to change, this is a good but huge analysis.

[jackm]

I dunno if Toxic on StallTwo merits a slash as opposed to an AC mention. Without the defense buff from Will-O-Wisp, Mewtwo can't take physical hits nearly as well. On the flipside, all Toxic offers is more damage, when in reality Mewtwo will be able to take down most relevant threats just fine with the combination of Taunt+Recover, especially if you choose to run Psystrike. Because you are depriving them of the ability to recover HP (beyond Leftovers) you end up beating them either way. Just saying, though, because without Psystrike Leftovers can make stalling out Will-O-Wisp notoriously tedious.

[shrang]

Changes made, thanks for the check trickroom.

As for the others:

Giratina-a?_?, yes specially defensive variants are 2HKOed by Psystrike by physically defensive variants wall you to no end. That and Lati@s but they take huge damage from +1 Psystrike anyway so...

Physically defensive variants are still 2HKOed Psystrike after Stealth Rock damage (45.44% - 53.57%), and the only thing you can do is phaze it, which isn't a very good long term solution.

I dunno if Toxic on StallTwo merits a slash as opposed to an AC mention. Without the defense buff from Will-O-Wisp, Mewtwo can't take physical hits nearly as well. On the flipside, all Toxic offers is more damage, when in reality Mewtwo will be able to take down most relevant threats just fine with the combination of Taunt+Recover, especially if you choose to run Psystrike. Because you are depriving them of the ability to recover HP (beyond Leftovers) you end up beating them either way. Just saying, though, because without Psystrike Leftovers can make stalling out Will-O-Wisp notoriously tedious.

It has its uses, I guess, since it lets you take down annoyng mons faster. It is a second slash, so it doesn't matter all that much.

[Kasyeo]

I have never ran into a problem with Ferrothorn using Psystrike.

I usually have the upperhand with Mewtwo there.

[calze6]

I feel this set needs a mention (maybe not an analysis)

Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 200 HP / 132 Spd / 176 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Psystrike
- Flamethrower
- Taunt
- Recover

With a powerful psystrike and flamethrower, I can easily decimate most tanks as well as annoying steel types (u know, ferro, forry and skarm) who think they can switch their asses into me. I say, NOPE. Speed allows me to outrun maxed base 100s (although non choice palkia is quite rare). Leftovers + hp evs make me surprisingly tanky. Most attacks struggle to 2HKO me (with help of lefties often) and taunt is wonderful for preventing set ups as well as entry hazards. Opponent thinks ha! I got this mewtwo low. I go NOPE and recover back. I think this set really sustains well while maintaining powerful psystrikes and flamethrowers, allowing me to break stall and clean up the game. Psystrike pretty sure 2HKOs most if not all kyogres.

(copied from my rmt)

[shrang]

So um... what's the set? You've got a description, but not an actual set.

[Hemp Man]

Choice Scarf set should mention "Watch out for Tyranitar." If you get locked into Psystrike....get ready for that Pursuit.

[jackm]

If you get locked into Psystrike

Or anything else that's not Aura Sphere.

[drakon136]

Originally Posted by Fat shrang

So um... what's the set? You've got a description, but not an actual set.

He says he copied the description from his RMT, so I assume this would be his set:

Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 200 HP / 132 Spd / 176 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Psystrike
- Flamethrower
- Taunt
- Recover

[jackm]

^This is almost completely outclassed by the bulky attacker. Taunt is pointless when you can just fry the hazard setters with Flamethrower (except Tar, but you're dead if that comes in) and CM gives you more offensive presence. Also, Mewtwo NEEDS max+ speed.

[calze6]

taunt is for breaking walls and preventing status, ie toxic from chansey as well as for deo-s etc. The tankiness is really useful in taking thunders and icebeams etc and not get 2hkoed.

[jackm]

Ok, maybe it merits an AC mention. But you nonetheless need the extra speed and you're not exactly going to be able to Taunt a Deoxys-S.

[Tobes]

On Psycho Killer make it move 4: Calm Mind / Fire Blast. Offensive Calm Mind is easily Mewtwo's most common set. Recover should go in AC; 3 attacks + Recover isn't common and a Calm Mind + Recover set is usually going to opt for the bulkier spread. Flamethrower also needs an AC mention here.

Slash Flamethrower on the Scarf set before Fire Blast. A guaranteed outspeed and OHKO on Genesect is quite handy, and Fire Blast is only more beneficial overall when you have sun support.


QC Approved 2/3

[shrang]

Thanks for the second check Tobes, stuff have been editted.

Furai, you can take your time, I'm really busy these days and it's probably likely that I won't have finished before you come back =(

[Hugendugen]

QC Approved 3/3

I'm not completely convinced by scarf Mewtwo, it never really worked for me, but I trust that you've found it good enough to warrant a set.

[trickroom]

I wrote up the last two sets. The rest will be done by shrang. I never used the Bulky Attacker Mewtwo anyway.

[Unowninator]

http://serebii.net/index2.shtml

Unnerve Mewtwo is coming! And it even gets Hurricane too. Pair it w/ Kyogre and it can really take the game by storm. (pun intended).

[jackm]

Um hurricane isn't going to help Mewtwo at all; it's weather dependent and inferior to its other coverage.

[Unowninator]

Well, it hits Grass & Bug Arceus harder than Ice Beam & Fire Blast (in the rain)...


Okay, maybe I just got a bit overexcited about Unnerve. Since we know for a fact when it's coming, is Unnerve going to be added to the analysis as well? Or not until it's actually released?

[shrang]

Okay, I've finished writing this up. I know Theorymon wanted to nitpick it, so I'll let him do that first.