Masquerain
Status: Skeleton is done. Comments and QC checks are appreciated.
Update Log:
Dec 9, 2010 - Put up main Butterfly Dance set.
Dec 11, 2010 - Finished putting up Skeleton.
[Overview]
- Gen 5 hasn't given Masquerain a whole lot, but he has gained a magnificent boon in the attack, Butterfly Dance.
- Masquerain's access to both Butterfly Dance and Baton Pass allows him to fill a unique niche as a Butterfly Dance Baton Passer that only he and Venomoth can fill.
- Masquerain has a decent Special Defence stat that can be boosted by Butterfly Dance, as well as Intimidate, both of which give him plenty of opportunities to set up.
- His decent Special Attack stat is also boosted, and he has almost perfect coverage in two moves; Hydro Pump and Air Slash.
- However, Masquerain's horrible typing and simply mediocre stats hold him back tremendously, as Stealth Rock will render Masquerain essentially useless if it's on the field, and the Bug- Flying-type has a huge amount of weaknesses.
- Masquerain's mediocre stats make Butterfly Dance not as great as it could be on him.
- Despite these two horribly crippling drawbacks, Masquerain can be an effective member of a team, though he may require some support.
name: Butterfly Dance
move 1: Butterfly Dance
move 2: Air Slash / Bug Buzz
move 3: Hydro Pump / Boiling Water
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Only Venomoth and Masquerain know both Butterfly Dance and Baton Pass. This gives Masquerain a fairly unique niche in the metagame.
- Thanks to Intimidate, Masquerain will have ample opportunities to switch in, and Butterfly Dance helps Masquerain cushion hits from the special side.
- Butterfly Dance is a superb boosting move that can give Masquerain the opportunity to sweep.
- If Masquerain can't sweep at a given time, Baton Pass provides an excellent escape option that also allows you to give your SpA, SpD and Spe boosts to another teammate.
- Air Slash provides a reliable STAB move that has great neutral coverage.
- Hydro Pump compliments Air Slash well, and the two attacks in tandem hit almost everything in the game neutrally.
- Boiling Water can be used over Hydro Pump if you really dread Hydro Pump's chance to miss; however, the power loss is massive.
- Bug Buzz is a stronger STAB move than Air Slash, but more Pokemon resist Bug than they do to Flying. This often makes Air Slash the superior choice.
- Max Speed is used to outpace Pokemon that have less speed than Max Speed Base 115's. This allows Masquerain to Baton Pass out of the widest range of Pokemon if they pose a threat to him.
- Max Special Attack is needed to hit things as hard as possible.
- The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers depends on whether or not you want Masquerain to come in again later in the match to potentially Baton Pass Butterfly Dances again, or you want him to hit things hard (in a nutshell, longevity vs short term power).
- Alternatively, a more defensive spread of 252 HP / 84 SpD / 172 Spe can be used. This would allow Masquerain to nab more Butterfly Dances before Baton Passing away, and helps deal with faster and strong Pokemon that can easily outspeed and KO Masquerain with an offensive spread. The speed is needed to outspeed some things after two Butterfly Dances.
- Since this Masquerain can Baton Pass Butterfly Dances, partners that can utilizes these boosts effectively are important.
- Pokemon such as a specially oriented Lucario, Kyuremu, etc are all great choices, as they resist some of Masquerain's weaknesses, and can easily tear apart the opposition after a single Butterfly Dance.
- Masquerain needs teammates that can keep entry hazards off the field. Magic Mirror Espeon is a great partner, as it can bounce back Stealth Rock and can also make great use out of a Baton Passed Butterfly Dance.
- Rapid Spinners such as Starmie and Doryuuzu are also good teammates, as they can keep offensive pressure while also retaining the ability to utilize Rapid Spin.
- Masquerain also appreciates entry hazards of his own. Spikers such as Deoxys-S, Nattorei, and Forretress can lay down Spikes with ease, and the aforementioned Pokemon can all set up Stealth Rock as well. Be wary of using Stealth Rock haphazardly however, as Magic Coat and Pokemon with the ability Magic Mirror could easily reflect it back onto your side of the field and rendered Masquerain as deadweight.
- Pokemon that can deal with strong special sponges are desired, as Masquerain and his Baton Pass recipient may not be able to deal with exceedingly bulky special sponges. Wobbufett can trap these Pokemon and Encore them into a move, while Dugtrio can trap and KO weakened special sponges.
- Alternatively, you could use a Pokemon that would normally lure in these special sponges, and cripple them with an attack. Choice Specs Latios, for example, can lure in Blissey and cripple it with Trick.
- Masquerain can utilize a Rain Dance support set, with Hydro Pump benefitting from the rain. Masquerain can also deal with troublesome Grass-types. However, Masquerain doesn't have enough bulk to pull this off effectively, and generally will force the team to have support solely for him.
- Masquerain has access to Stun Spore, which is a decent option for spreading paralysis.
- Masquerain has many more special moves that he can use. These include: Ice Beam, Blizzard, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Giga Drain, and Hidden Power.
- Haze can neutralize stat-boosting Pokemon, but Masquerain isn't bulky enough to use it effectively.
- Scary Face can force switches, and make the opposing Pokemon slower than Masquerain. However, it's generally not that useful.
- Choice Specs and Choice Scarf are options, but Choice items are generally not that great on Pokemon that are 4x weak to Stealth Rock, and Masquerain isn't really strong enough to utilize them to their full extent.
- Stealth Rock will easily cripple Masquerain, and will generally cause him to become deadweight if it's on the field.
- Pokemon that are specially defensive can wall Masquerain, though his Baton Pass recipient may be able to break them.
- Blissey walls Masquerain and his Baton Pass recipient infinitely, and can paralyze Baton Pass recipients. However, if she paralyzes Masquerain beforehand, he may be able to go second, and prevent the Baton Pass recipient from becoming paralyzed.
- PHazers such as Roar Suicune can easily take Masquerain's fairly weak attacks, and PHaze him away.
- Faster Pokemon can easily take out Masquerain, as even after a Butterfly Dance, Masquerain doesn't have amazing bulk.
- Shaymin-S and Choice Scarfed Heatran and Shandera are Pokemon that can easily outspeed and KO Masquerain, even after a Butterfly Dance.
- Masquerain gets the ability Tension from the Dream World, and it has been released.
- Tension is largely inferior to Intimidate, as Intimidate will often grant Masquerain the opportunity to switch in, whereas Tension only stops the opponent from consuming a berry, and since berries are uncommon, Intimidate is the preferred ability.