Mamoswine (Analysis)

Mamoswine

[Overview]

<p>Mamoswine is, without question, one of the most awesome offensive forces of the UU metagame. Rotom-H, Rotom-F, Cryogonal, and Shedinja are the only Pokemon in UU that resist its STAB combination. With 130 base Attack, it has the 4th strongest Earthquake and the strongest physical Ice-type attack in the entire game! Ice and Ground are two of the best offensive types and, when combined together on a powerhouse like Mamoswine in the unprepared UU metagame, the heads will roll (or be stomped in). There is nothing in the entire metagame that wants to switch into a Mamoswine.</p>

<p>In addition to its raw power, Mamoswine possesses reasonable defensive stats and Speed. It also lacks a Stealth Rock weakness and is immune to Thunder Wave. It possesses all the survivability it needs to fulfill its roles as a wallbreaker or sweeper. It even covers its Speed problems with the strongest Ice Shard in the game. Furthermore, Snow Cloak can be extremely frustrating when Mamoswine is used on (or against) hail teams, which are common and very effective in UU.</p>

<p>Mamoswine's only real weakness is a lack of usable resistances, bringing nothing but an Electric immunity and a Poison resistance to its team. This, unfortunately, makes it very difficult to switch Mamoswine into attacks, and starves the team of much needed resistances in a very offensive metagame. That said, Mamoswine will wreak havoc each time it does make it to the field, and will surely be a tremendous asset in plowing out a win for its teams.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Ice Shard
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge / Return / Bulldoze
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set is Mamoswine's bread and butter, maximizing the incredible force of Mamoswine's raw offensive power. Ice- and Ground-type attacks form an incredible STAB combo that is extremely difficult to defend against in UU. With Mamoswine's awesome 130 base Attack and STAB compounded to this attacking combination, most teams will be hard-pressed to deal with Mamoswine using even the sturdiest walls. Switching into this beast is a nightmare, and even revenge killing with a faster Pokemon is a dangerous prospect thanks to Mamoswine's impressive Ice Shard.</p>

<p>Choice Band maximizes Mamoswine's power and doesn't drain its HP, but Mamoswine is so short on switch-in opportunities that it will generally not want to lock itself into a move. Being able to freely switch between STAB moves and mix in Ice Shard lets Mamoswine really threaten a sweep in addition to wallbreaking and revenge killing.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Because of the terrific coverage provided by just its STAB attacks, there is some flexibility in choosing Mamoswine's fourth move. For the most part, covering Rotom-H and Rotom-F with Stone Edge is the most favorable, as these are foes you will encounter with some frequency in the UU metagame. Even their bulkiest sets will be decimated by Mamoswine's Stone Edge, especially if they are forced to take super effective Stealth Rock damage beforehand. Generally speaking though, there are few other foes you would need Stone Edge's coverage to beat. Return is another option to get some generally useful neutral coverage, but it would probably only be used over Stone Edge by players who really hate Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Bulldoze is an interesting option to finish off weakened foes who are hit by Ground-type attacks, but should only be used on the Life Orb set. Should the opponent try to save their Pokemon by switching to a Grass- or Bug-type such as Shaymin or Heracross, Bulldoze will knock down their Speed, and possibly give Mamoswine an opportunity to finish them off with Icicle Crash.</p>

<p>Other alternative moves to use with Life Orb include Substitute, Toxic, and Stealth Rock. Substitute is generally useful on offensive Pokemon who can find room for it, and can be really effective with the number of switches Mamoswine forces. Be careful though, as Life Orb and Substitute used in tandem will quickly drain Mamoswine's health. Using Leftovers is possible, but Mamoswine really wants its item to boost its power. Toxic is a nasty surprise for bulky Water-types who switch into Mamoswine, and is definitely worthy of consideration. Stealth Rock is always good to have, and while Mamoswine will usually prefer to attack on the rare chances it has to come in, it is not a bad option for teams that can't find another teammate to set it up. Icicle Spear is another interesting STAB option that can be used to break Substitutes and hit unprepared foes. Mamoswine also has some great tutor moves from previous generations, including Superpower and Knock Off, but these are incompatible with Icicle Crash—you would be forced to rely on Icicle Spear to use them. These options are only recommended on Mamoswine teams that really hate Chansey, as Chansey can and will beat Life Orb Mamoswine without Superpower or Knock Off.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, the best teammates for Mamoswine will be other offensive Pokemon, who are capable of taking advantage of the holes Mamoswine opens in the enemy team, or return the favor by weakening the foes for a Mamoswine sweep. Mamoswine's lack of resistances means it can't offer much by the way of defensive synergy with other Pokemon, but the ability to jointly overwhelm the foe will make it a great partner for most super offensive teammates. Where possible, try to use Water- or Flying-types that can lure in Electric-type moves for Mamoswine to switch in against. Also keep in mind that Mamoswine really appreciates Stealth Rock support when dealing with enemy teams that have Rotom-H or Rotom-F. Some impressive offensive Pokemon that can also set up Stealth Rock reliably include Mew, Celebi, and Rhyperior. In terms of applying offensive pressure with Mamoswine, Rhyperior is unparalleled, but their common weaknesses can be hard for their teammates to deal with.</p>

<p>Aside from offensive teammates, there are many Pokemon that can provide Mamoswine with great support. Mamoswine is definitely a reasonable Baton Pass target thanks to its fair defenses, Speed and immunity to Thunder Wave, with Gorebyss as the ideal Baton Pass user. After it is passed a Shell Break, Life Orb Mamoswine will crush anything that stands in its way. Abomasnow is also a Pokemon to consider, or rather Mamoswine is definitely a Pokemon to consider for your hail team. Finally, Slowbro and Slowking resist Fire-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks, and are generally good Pokemon for any team thanks to their bulk and endurance with Regenerator.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Icicle Crash
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Icicle Spear
move 4: Toxic / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Scarf definitely seems like a strange option on Mamoswine—or any Pokemon with access to priority—but Mamoswine's reasonable speed and immense power definitely lets Choice Scarf warrant consideration. The ability to get ahead of foes and smash them with Earthquake is a huge boon, and even Icicle Crash is decisively more powerful than a Life Orb Ice Shard. Mamoswine's immunity to sand, hail, and Thunder Wave eases its role as a Choice Scarf user. Unfortunately, its lack of resistances does plague it on this set, giving it few opportunities to switch in.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Aside from Earthquake and Icicle Drop, Mamoswine has quite a bit of freedom in choosing its last two moves. Stone Edge is favored to complete its coverage and beat Rotom-H and Rotom-F. Icicle Spear is an option to revenge kill opponents behind substitutes for teams that bring alternative methods for beating the Rotom forms. Toxic makes a return as a nasty surprise for bulky Water-type switch-ins, while Stealth Rock is a filler move for teams that cannot find room for a different Stealth Rock user. It should be noted that Choice Scarf Mamoswine outspeeds all common Taunt users (though Jolly is needed to beat Crobat). Adamant is Mamoswine's preferred nature, easily outpacing everything up to Weavile and Swellow. Jolly is only needed to outrun 130 base Speed foes, as well as Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross and Modest Rotom-A. One should keep in mind that Ice Shard is always a possible option, even on the Choice Scarf set. Its primary function would be to finish off other Choice Scarf users, most notably Flygon.</p>

<p>One would do well to keep in mind that this Mamoswine is easily used as setup bait for a number of Pokemon once it has locked itself into an attack. One would do well to support this Pokemon with teammates that can remove the effects of enemy set-up moves. Phazers are the primary candidates, with Pokemon such as Milotic, Suicune, and Roar Arcanine being particularly noteworthy. Pokemon that can use Rapid Spin and Brick Break could also come in handy if you can find room.</p>

[SET]
name: Endeavor Lead
move 1: Ice Shard
move 2: Endeavor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Focus Sash
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As far as gimmicks go, this is a pretty good one, and has always had solid performance since its use in DPP. Hail and sand immunities make breaking Mamoswine's Focus Sash in the lead match up tricky, especially since relatively few Pokemon carry Fake Out in BW, with Technician Hitmontop being the only top UU Pokemon to commonly use it. Relying on Focus Sash, Mamoswine can use Stealth Rock in relative safety. In the ideal situation, it would get knocked down to its Focus Sash and have the opportunity to bring down a foe or two with Endeavor and Ice Shard.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Depending on the situation, Mamoswine may choose to use Endeavor and Ice Shard from the start for a very reliable kill on a faster opponent at the price of setting up Stealth Rock. Jolly is an option to set up Stealth Rock with a bit more reliability by maximizing Mamoswine's Speed. Neither the boost to its Speed nor its Attack is of particular importance for this set, so it is almost a matter of splitting hairs. Set up Stealth Rock, and mess around with the opponent using Endeavor; that's the bottom line.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>If you are using Hail, Substitute and Leftovers can be used to abuse Snow Cloak and frustrate your opponent. Mamoswine is intimidating, but a Mamoswine behind a Substitute is simply terrifying. Keep in mind though that Mamoswine will sorely miss the power boost, and will find itself doing embarrassing damage to foes such as Slowbro, Deoxys-D, and even Chansey. Curse is Mamoswine's only option for boosting its Attack outside of using Life Orb or Choice Band, but Mamoswine generally lacks the defensive prowess to effectively use it.</p>

<p>Superpower and Knock Off have been mentioned as some extremely useful moves Mamoswine received from tutors in earlier generations. Knock Off is especially useful with the popularity of Eviolite in UU, especially on Chansey. While the pink blob can often overcome Life Orb-boosted Earthquakes, it will find itself trampled under toe without its precious Eviolite.</p>

<p>Mamoswine also gets some other great support moves, including Reflect, Light Screen and Roar. While these are very useful moves, Mamoswine lacks the resistances and raw defensive stats to fulfill a support role dependably.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Mamoswine has no true counters. By virtue of its ridiculous power and coverage, almost nothing in UU really wants to switch into a Mamoswine. Slowbro and Intimidate Hitmontop with maximum bulk are probably the most dependable checks, but even they will not want to switch into repeated Earthquakes. Slowbro can play mind games with Flying-type or Levitating teammates in conjunction with Regenerator to gain the advantage. Pokemon such as Uxie and Cresselia can switch into Mamoswine with relative safely, but due to their pathetic offensive abilities and Mamoswine's immunity to Thunder Wave, there's not a whole lot they can do to Mamoswine. It should be noted that Rotom-H and Rotom-F will counter Mamoswine outright should it lack Stone Edge. If it does have Stone Edge, they must be wary, especially if Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

<p>There are many Pokemon that can check Mamoswine with a bit of prediction. UU has many Fire-types with decent bulk that also outspeed Mamoswine and can easily OHKO the ice pig. Victini, Rotom-H and Arcanine are the best examples; just don't switch Victini or Arcanine into Earthquake. Cobalion is in a similar boat. Grass-types such as Shaymin and Celebi also have the speed and power to eliminate Mamoswine, and possess the bulk to handle an Ice Shard or two. Just make sure you don't switch them directly into Icicle Drop. Tangrowth is a decent check, having massive physical bulk and Regenerator to heal itself once it has brought Mamoswine down. However, it too doesn't want to switch directly into Icicle Drop. Regenerator helps ease your prediction problems since it lets you mess up once or twice without losing Tangrowth. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Suicune can switch into Mamoswine and threaten it, but will want to avoid repeatedly switching into Earthquake.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, switching into Mamoswine is a nightmare, but revenge killing it is very easy. Its 80 base Speed is decidedly mediocre, and it lacks the defensive stats and resistances to hold up against the majority of UU's offensive threats. Just be sure you do not pick something that can be killed by Ice Shard. Finally, Mamoswine is hard to switch into, but it also has a nightmare switching onto the field itself. Play your cards right, and you might be able to avoid the situation where you have to "counter" Mamoswine altogether.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Mamoswine's Dream World ability, Thick Fat, is released. With a lack of resistances being its biggest weakness, one would expect this ability to be a great boon to Mamoswine. It certainly would be if the ability were compatible with Mamoswine's key moves. As of now, Dream World Mamoswine is awful, since it cannot use any egg moves or previous generation moves, meaning no Icicle Drop, Superpower, Knock Off, or Stealth Rock. However, if a female Mamoswine or Swinub were to be released in the Dream World, this situation would change, as it would make Thick Fat compatible with Mamoswine's egg moves. Dream World Mamoswine with access to both Icicle Drop and Stealth Rock would be very good for teams that do not use hail.</p>

Nice write up but I have one suggestion:

Just call the last set ""endeavor" because making it a dedicated lead would put you at a disadvantage due to team preview. Plus, I've seen endeavor Mamo be just as effective outside of turn 1.

Yeah, I kind of wrote the name in the context (assuming that) the reader knows the strict concept of "leads" is dated. Still, this primarily functions as a lead, and is a carbon copy of mamo's 4th gen lead set. I think there should be a reference to its use at the start of the game. I will elaborate more on that in the actual write up.

You did a bang up job with Mamoswine!

QC APPROVED (1/3)

I've tried the old Rapid Spinner Hitmontop with Max HP/Def and it combats Mamoswine pretty well. Life Orb Earthquake does 34.9% - 41.4% after the attack drop. Not something it wants to switch into, but if you can come in on Ice Shard, which only does around 15%, then you can take the Earthquake and always KO back with Close Combat. (It does 83.1% - 98.1% but thats factoring 2 Life Orb recoils) Choice Band is a little trickier. If you switch in on Ice Shard or Stone Edge Hitmontop takes it easily, and Earthquake / Icicle Crash do more, but neither of them 2HKO with Close Combat + Sucker Punch.

It's worth a mention in Checks + Counters I think

Mooo said:

I've tried the old Rapid Spinner Hitmontop with Max HP/Def and it combats Mamoswine pretty well. Life Orb Earthquake does 34.9% - 41.4% after the attack drop. Not something it wants to switch into, but if you can come in on Ice Shard, which only does around 15%, then you can take the Earthquake and always KO back with Close Combat. (It does 83.1% - 98.1% but thats factoring 2 Life Orb recoils) Choice Band is a little trickier. If you switch in on Ice Shard or Stone Edge Hitmontop takes it easily, and Earthquake / Icicle Crash do more, but neither of them 2HKO with Close Combat + Sucker Punch.

It's worth a mention in Checks + Counters I think

Click to expand...

Seconding this. Hitmontop is a very good check to Mamo.

Also, Slowbro avoids the 2HKO (with SR Mamo has a chance) from EQ and is the closest thing Mamo has to a counter (even with SR, Slowbro can switch in, take EQ and switch out to a flier if Mamo is CB) so I think it deserves a bigger mention on Checks and Counters.

Finally a nitpick: EQ should be the first option of the first two sets since it's mamo's primary attack.

EDIT to reply to Mooo: you don't need Surf if SR is on the field. Slowbro can come in and threaten mamo out with simply Scald

Surf: 85.3% - 101.4%
Scald: 72% - 85.3%

If you're mentioning Slowbro, mention that you need surf to always KO after Rocks. There is a tiny chance it'll live after Rocks, but most are Life Orb and they'll be KO'ed. You can just switch out of CB anyway because it does more damage but it'll be locked in, and since Earthquake is the only dangerous move you can switch to a flier and allow regenerator to kick in. Toungue twister lol

Fair points on Hitmontop and Slowbro as checks (not counters). I will promise to elaborate on both a bit more in the actual write up.

As stupid as this may sound, you may want to include Ice Shard on the Scarf set. It's a very nice way to get rid of Scarfraptor in a pinch.

Priority on a scarfer... it does happen, and is something worth considering. I'll give it a nod in AC.

mamo has 130 base attack only. change it in the overview please.

fixed

Have you considered Bulldoze in the useless fourth slot on the LO set? It is great for firing off against Pokemon like <insert steel-type> that are probably going to switch out but you don't have to take the risk. If they switch into, for example, Heracross you can now outpace it and Icicle Crash for the KO. Far more useful than that garbage Stone Edge......

That does sound good, and Shard, EQ and Drop are the only moves really "necessary" for the set to work well, I'd say anything that is viable deserves a mention.

Stealth Rock could also fit into that slot.

I'd like to note that the use of Stone Edge is arguably pretty useful as well. The ability to OHKO Rotom-H on the switch is always nice, even if it's just for... Rotom-H. Also ignore Rotom-F; you're never going to be seeing it. If the Ice-type (well, mostly) pushed Kyurem out of OU, think about what it does to Rotom, lol.

Breludicolo-- first off, SR already has an AC mention on the scarf set.

Second-- Me and Heysup don't really think Stone Edge is that great in UU. As for Rotom-F, I expect a huge surge of these in UU. With Kyurem gone, there's nothing that has a more intimidating offensive in Hail, and Hail also has much less competition to hold its weather with sun gone.

If people don't start using Rotom-F, imma go abuse the fuck out of it

Stone Edge is useful for Rotom-H, Rotom-F, and Abomasnow, while the other two moves seem to have very niche uses. I would definitely make SE the first slash if not the only slash unless I'm missing something painfully obvious.

That would be that Rotom-H and Rotom-F are simply not used enough so far, and Stone Edge is otherwise of little value

Heysup said "I would never use Stone Edge"

Well I would never use Bulldoze or Icicle Spear.

| 17 | Abomasnow | 11989 | 8.6512 |
| 49 | Rotom-H | 5418 | 3.9096 |

There's also Charizard, Articuno, Moltres, and Walrein, who while rare do exist and come up from time to time.

yeah I hate Stone Edge but slash it first.



QC Approved 2/3

I really don't care much... 4th move slot will get used so rarely, it doesn't really matter...

...put Stone Edge first.

TB fair Delta, Abomasnow who takes a shit load switching into Icicle Drop, or a rank 49 Pokemon are not things to really care too much about...

Yeah it's not really a huge deal, I just feel that its the best option (and what I see the most). Sorry if I came off the wrong way

QC Approved (3/3)

Edit: Ok I didn't really take a close enough look at the Choice Scarf set... I hate to bring up the Stone Edge thing again but imo it's even more important on that set since you actually outspeed stuff like Moltres, and without the power boost from LO you'll want the damage output against stuff like Venomoth, Abomasnow, Rotom-H, etc.

Edit2: Ok I personally think that the Choice Scarf set should look like this:

I'll re-work the scarf stuff Delta

The analysis is written, though let me proof read it once before any GP checkers have a go at it.

edit: k, ready for GP checks

omit
add
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Cap/decap

A bit long, but excellent nonetheless. This should cover most things, so the second check will be quick. Anyways...



[GP 1/2]