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Musharna
[Overview]
<p>Musharna is often overlooked in the RU tier despite having many unique features with which to distinguish itself from other Psychic-types. Thanks to its great mixed bulk and pure Psychic typing, Musharna makes for an excellent all-purpose Fighting-type counter, taking on many of the deadly Fighting-types in RU such as Medicham, Hitmonlee, and Hariyama. Musharna also has a decent movepool, but not a lot of it is usable because of its poor Speed and inability to use physical attacks effectively. However, this does not stop Musharna from doing its job effectively. As an added advantage, it makes good use of Synchronize, which means the opponent will have to think twice before using Toxic to wear Musharna down. Despite these qualities, Musharna is stopped cold by Dark-types, so you should be especially cautious when they are spotted in Team Preview.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Stored Power / Psychic
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Exceptional natural bulk and reliable recovery make Musharna an excellent user of Calm Mind provided Dark-types can be removed from the opponent's team first. Calm Mind is the ideal setup move for a slow and bulky Pokemon with decent offenses like Musharna. Stored Power is generally the superior STAB move of choice on this set, as it will be more powerful than Psychic after just two Calm Minds . However, setting up two Calm Minds is not always possible in a fast-paced match, so Psychic can be used to reliably wear down a particular threat that can stop Musharna from sweeping. Then, once the threat is weakened, it can begin to set up with Calm Mind. Moonlight is absolutely essential on Musharna, allowing it to act as both a wall and bulky sweeper at the same time. Reliable recovery is invaluable, as it can let Musharna set up multiple times throughout a match. Dark-types wall this set indefinitely, and there are no shortage of those in RU. Spiritomb, Drapion, and Crawdaunt all get decent usage and can switch into this set without fear. For this reason alone, Baton Pass is the best option for the last moveslot. It allows Musharna to work around its regular checks by using Baton Pass as they switch in, and then switching to an appropriate check or counter. This allows Musharna to indirectly wear down or remove its counters, and sweep later on. Secondly, Baton Pass can be used to pass Calm Mind boosts to a teammate, which can potentially lead to a sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is used to attain maximum physical bulk, which lets Musharna set up on the majority of Fighting-types in RU, as well as many other physical attackers that don't carry a move that hits it for super effective damage. Calm Mind boosts Musharna's Special Attack and Special Defense, so investing EVs in those two stats is not necessary. Musharna can also use a Sleep Talk set, granting it pseudo-immunity to status, one of its worst enemies. With Rest, Sleep Talk, Calm Mind, and a STAB move, not much will be able to reliably stop Musharna; even the sturdiest special walls in RU, such as Slowking, will eventually fall to it. However, it leaves Musharna completely unable to touch Dark-types or even work around them due to the lack of Baton Pass, not to mention it becomes setup bait for a number of sweepers while it is asleep, including the dangerous Nasty Plot Cofagrigus. Taking this approach will require much more team support, and in particular a powerful Fighting-type to deal with Dark-types. Psyshock is another option for a STAB move, as it means Cryogonal cannot wall Musharna and use Haze repeatedly to get rid of Calm Mind boosts. Hidden Power is an effective move that gives Musharna more coverage, enabling it to hit some of its major threats for decent amounts of damage. Hidden Power Fighting can be used to hit Absol and Crawdaunt, two excellent offensive checks to Musharna. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Drapion and Skuntank, or even Hidden Power Bug to hit Psychic-types such as Uxie and Slowking. As you can see there are a number of options for Hidden Power, not all of which are listed here. Whichever type is chosen will still leave a large gap in coverage, so Baton Pass is generally the superior option.</p>
<p>Fighting- and Steel-types make for good partners because of their ability to take on Dark-types with ease. Steelix and Ferroseed can wall the majority of Dark-types that plague Musharna, and Magneton can make good use of any Calm Mind boosts that get passed to it. Hariyama is another good option as it also has excellent bulk, meaning it can switch into Dark-types (as well as opposing Steel-types) multiple times in a match and beat them with its powerful offenses in the process. Toxic Spikes seriously limits Musharna's usefulness, so a Rapid Spin user or a Poison-type that can absorb Toxic Spikes are excellent teammates. Hitmonchan has good synergy with Musharna as it can beat Dark-types and get rid of Toxic Spikes, while Musharna can take the Psychic-type attacks aimed at Hitmonchan. As for Poison-types, Qwilfish, Drapion, and Roselia are all good options. Qwilfish and Roselia can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes to wear down switch-ins to Musharna, while Drapion can set up Toxic Spikes and act as a decent check to opposing Dark-types. Moltres deserves a special mention as a teammate to receive Calm Mind boosts, as it can easily switch in on the Bug-types that can beat Musharna.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Boasting a diverse movepool, Musharna has a number of usable options. Barrier can be used alongside Calm Mind, and can make Musharna virtually untouchable, boosting Stored Power's strength even more. It also has a number of useful support options such as Toxic and Thunder Wave, making an all-purpose walling set viable. However, Slowking will generally do this better, thanks to the added bonus of Regenerator. Musharna can also run Trick Room, but again Slowking does this better. Light Screen and Reflect are interesting options that can provide useful team support, especially when Musharna is holding Light Clay. Musharna gets a number of other support moves, such as Rain Dance, Yawn, and Magic Coat, which can all come in handy depending on what your team requires.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Spiritomb is a full stop to every Musharna set that doesn't run Shadow Ball, and even then Spiritomb will almost always come out on top. Drapion and Skuntank can switch in on any move apart from Hidden Power Ground, Taunt Musharna to stop it from using Calm Mind or Moonlight, and follow up with a STAB Pursuit or Crunch. Crawdaunt can switch in using its immunity to Psychic-type attacks and KO with Crunch, but it must be wary of Hidden Power Fighting. Aggron can do a similar job, just with a resistance to Psychic-type attacks instead of an immunity. Toxic Spikes are an excellent way to wear down Musharna, and Drapion does this excellently thanks of its Dark typing. If Musharna doesn't run Hidden Power Fighting then Ferroseed, Steelix, and Klinklang can all switch in and either set up or Roar Musharna away.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Musharna is often overlooked in the RU tier despite having many unique features with which to distinguish itself from other Psychic-types. Thanks to its great mixed bulk and pure Psychic typing, Musharna makes for an excellent all-purpose Fighting-type counter, taking on many of the deadly Fighting-types in RU such as Medicham, Hitmonlee, and Hariyama. Musharna also has a decent movepool, but not a lot of it is usable because of its poor Speed and inability to use physical attacks effectively. However, this does not stop Musharna from doing its job effectively. As an added advantage, it makes good use of Synchronize, which means the opponent will have to think twice before using Toxic to wear Musharna down. Despite these qualities, Musharna is stopped cold by Dark-types, so you should be especially cautious when they are spotted in Team Preview.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Stored Power / Psychic
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Exceptional natural bulk and reliable recovery make Musharna an excellent user of Calm Mind provided Dark-types can be removed from the opponent's team first. Calm Mind is the ideal setup move for a slow and bulky Pokemon with decent offenses like Musharna. Stored Power is generally the superior STAB move of choice on this set, as it will be more powerful than Psychic after just two Calm Minds . However, setting up two Calm Minds is not always possible in a fast-paced match, so Psychic can be used to reliably wear down a particular threat that can stop Musharna from sweeping. Then, once the threat is weakened, it can begin to set up with Calm Mind. Moonlight is absolutely essential on Musharna, allowing it to act as both a wall and bulky sweeper at the same time. Reliable recovery is invaluable, as it can let Musharna set up multiple times throughout a match. Dark-types wall this set indefinitely, and there are no shortage of those in RU. Spiritomb, Drapion, and Crawdaunt all get decent usage and can switch into this set without fear. For this reason alone, Baton Pass is the best option for the last moveslot. It allows Musharna to work around its regular checks by using Baton Pass as they switch in, and then switching to an appropriate check or counter. This allows Musharna to indirectly wear down or remove its counters, and sweep later on. Secondly, Baton Pass can be used to pass Calm Mind boosts to a teammate, which can potentially lead to a sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is used to attain maximum physical bulk, which lets Musharna set up on the majority of Fighting-types in RU, as well as many other physical attackers that don't carry a move that hits it for super effective damage. Calm Mind boosts Musharna's Special Attack and Special Defense, so investing EVs in those two stats is not necessary. Musharna can also use a Sleep Talk set, granting it pseudo-immunity to status, one of its worst enemies. With Rest, Sleep Talk, Calm Mind, and a STAB move, not much will be able to reliably stop Musharna; even the sturdiest special walls in RU, such as Slowking, will eventually fall to it. However, it leaves Musharna completely unable to touch Dark-types or even work around them due to the lack of Baton Pass, not to mention it becomes setup bait for a number of sweepers while it is asleep, including the dangerous Nasty Plot Cofagrigus. Taking this approach will require much more team support, and in particular a powerful Fighting-type to deal with Dark-types. Psyshock is another option for a STAB move, as it means Cryogonal cannot wall Musharna and use Haze repeatedly to get rid of Calm Mind boosts. Hidden Power is an effective move that gives Musharna more coverage, enabling it to hit some of its major threats for decent amounts of damage. Hidden Power Fighting can be used to hit Absol and Crawdaunt, two excellent offensive checks to Musharna. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Drapion and Skuntank, or even Hidden Power Bug to hit Psychic-types such as Uxie and Slowking. As you can see there are a number of options for Hidden Power, not all of which are listed here. Whichever type is chosen will still leave a large gap in coverage, so Baton Pass is generally the superior option.</p>
<p>Fighting- and Steel-types make for good partners because of their ability to take on Dark-types with ease. Steelix and Ferroseed can wall the majority of Dark-types that plague Musharna, and Magneton can make good use of any Calm Mind boosts that get passed to it. Hariyama is another good option as it also has excellent bulk, meaning it can switch into Dark-types (as well as opposing Steel-types) multiple times in a match and beat them with its powerful offenses in the process. Toxic Spikes seriously limits Musharna's usefulness, so a Rapid Spin user or a Poison-type that can absorb Toxic Spikes are excellent teammates. Hitmonchan has good synergy with Musharna as it can beat Dark-types and get rid of Toxic Spikes, while Musharna can take the Psychic-type attacks aimed at Hitmonchan. As for Poison-types, Qwilfish, Drapion, and Roselia are all good options. Qwilfish and Roselia can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes to wear down switch-ins to Musharna, while Drapion can set up Toxic Spikes and act as a decent check to opposing Dark-types. Moltres deserves a special mention as a teammate to receive Calm Mind boosts, as it can easily switch in on the Bug-types that can beat Musharna.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Boasting a diverse movepool, Musharna has a number of usable options. Barrier can be used alongside Calm Mind, and can make Musharna virtually untouchable, boosting Stored Power's strength even more. It also has a number of useful support options such as Toxic and Thunder Wave, making an all-purpose walling set viable. However, Slowking will generally do this better, thanks to the added bonus of Regenerator. Musharna can also run Trick Room, but again Slowking does this better. Light Screen and Reflect are interesting options that can provide useful team support, especially when Musharna is holding Light Clay. Musharna gets a number of other support moves, such as Rain Dance, Yawn, and Magic Coat, which can all come in handy depending on what your team requires.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Spiritomb is a full stop to every Musharna set that doesn't run Shadow Ball, and even then Spiritomb will almost always come out on top. Drapion and Skuntank can switch in on any move apart from Hidden Power Ground, Taunt Musharna to stop it from using Calm Mind or Moonlight, and follow up with a STAB Pursuit or Crunch. Crawdaunt can switch in using its immunity to Psychic-type attacks and KO with Crunch, but it must be wary of Hidden Power Fighting. Aggron can do a similar job, just with a resistance to Psychic-type attacks instead of an immunity. Toxic Spikes are an excellent way to wear down Musharna, and Drapion does this excellently thanks of its Dark typing. If Musharna doesn't run Hidden Power Fighting then Ferroseed, Steelix, and Klinklang can all switch in and either set up or Roar Musharna away.</p>