[Overview]
<p>Balanced attacking stats, great STAB coverage, access to Shell Smash, and two amazing abilities in Sturdy and Solid Rock turn Carracosta into a very potent sweeper. With these abilities, a stellar base 133 Defense, and great physical coverage, Carracosta easily sets itself apart from Omastar as a Shell Smasher and Kabutops as a Choice Band user. It's not all good news for Carracosta though; its vulnerability to the common Fighting-, Ground-, Electric-, and Grass-type moves hampers its ability to sweep completely, even with Solid Rock. The fossil turtle is also painfully slow; even though Shell Smash helps remedy this to an extent, he is still easily outsped. Despite these drawbacks, Carracosta is still a great Pokemon and is a good choice for any team that needs a powerful and reliable sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aqua Jet / Earthquake
item: White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is self-explanatory; come in on a resisted attack or non-damaging move, Shell Smash, and tear your opponent's team apart with Carracosta's great coverage. Waterfall is the obligatory STAB move of choice, as it not only deals massive damage, but also has a pretty useful chance to flinch. Stone Edge complements Waterfall beautifully, because it provides a way to hit Pokemon that resist Waterfall such as Roserade for neutral damage. In the last slot, Carracosta can either use Aqua Jet for priority to check faster threats, such as Choice Scarf Flygon and Krookodile, as it is still relatively slow even after a Shell Smash boost, or use Earthquake to hit Empoleon and Ferroseed, both of which resist its STAB combination. White Herb negates the defense drops that Shell Smash causes and pairs very well with Solid Rock, allowing Carracosta to maintain its bulk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Carracosta can run Surf or Hydro Pump instead of Waterfall, since base 83 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, especially after a Shell Smash boost. However, a special Water-type move does not offer much coverage outside of what Waterfall already hits, and splitting the EVs for a mixed set removes some of Carracosta's potency. Crunch can be used in the last slot if one is desperate to get super-effective damage on Ghost- and Psychic-types, such as Deoxys-D, but it only has 10 more Base Power than STAB Stone Edge against targets hit super effectively, so it isn't really worth it.</p>
<p>The EV spread gives Carracosta the ability to outspeed positive base 100s after a Shell Smash. However, Carracosta is still out run by faster Pokemon, such as Zoroark and Scyther. Therefore, Carracosta needs support to work properly. Uxie and Cresselia pair well with Carracosta, sporting an immunity to Ground-type attacks, as well as the ability to provide dual screen support. Entry hazards also help make the armored turtle's job much easier; pairing Carracosta with a hazard setter, such as Froslass or Ferroseed, will greatly facilitate a Carracosta sweep. Hippopotas also makes a decent partner, as the sandstorm it summons boosts Carracosta's special bulk and provides residual damage on the foe.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake / Crunch
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Using a Choice Band turns Carracosta into a powerful physical sweeper without setting up. Again, Waterfall deals massive damage. However, since this set doesn't use Shell Smash to boost Carracosta's Attack, Aqua Tail can be used, as it hits harder than Waterfall, at the cost of a little accuracy. Stone Edge gives Carracosta a great STAB option, and when combined with Waterfall, gives a combination thatonly Empoleon and Ferroseed resist. In the third slot, Earthquake hits Steel-types such as Empoleon while Crunch nails Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Uxie and Deoxys-D, hard. Aqua Jet is a great move for this set, providing Carracosta with a priority attack to nail faster Pokemon, such as Arcanine and Krookodile. Solid Rock is the ability of choice here as it gives Carracosta more chances to switch in. Wish, Aromatherapy, and Rapid Spin support all help keep Carracosta alive, and your own entry hazards make it easier for Carracosta to KO its opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>For this set, Sturdy could be used over Solid Rock to guarantee at least one hit if Carracosta is at full health. However, Solid Rock lets Carracosta switch in more easily and benefits Carracosta more than Sturdy in the long run. Solid Rock, along with Carracosta's better coverage and higher defense stat, is what set this set apart from Kabutops. Also, as Carracosta is so slow, Pokemon that can spread paralysis are greatly appreciated. Ferroseed is a perfect example of a good teammate, as it can use Thunder Wave to spread paralysis and set up Spikes, which helps out Carracosta. Status absorbers such as Clefable also work well, as they can switch into a Will-O-Wisp; many can also lay hazards as well as use Thunder Wave to spread status.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A special set consisting of Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Hidden Power, and your Special Water-Type move of choice is plausible, but Omastar outclasses Carracosta at this set due to its higher Special Attack stat and Carracosta is more threatening as a physical attacker. Rock Slide could be used over Stone Edge if one wants a more accurate attack, but Rock Slide is considerably weaker than Stone Edge. Bulldoze and Smack Down are both interesting options that each have unique benefits; however, both are situational, and therefore should be avoided, unless it offers important team support. Carracosta also has a decent support movepool at its disposal, including Knock Off, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Body Slam, and Toxic. However, Carracosta's common weaknesses, abysmal Speed, and lack of recovery prevent a defensive or supportive set from being truly viable.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There are several simple ways to easily prevent a Carracosta onslaught. Bulky Grass-types, such as Ferroseed and Tangrowth, can come in and hit Carracosta with their quadruple effective STAB moves. Bulky Water-types, particularly Suicune, Slowbro, and Unaware Quagsire, can easily handle most Carracosta. Slowbro does need to watch out for the rare Crunch, however. Speedy Special attackers can easily beat Carracosta, especially if previous attacks or entry hazards have broken Sturdy. Zapdos and Sceptile are great examples of quick, powerful sweepers who easily OHKO Carracosta. Phazers with Roar or Dragon Tail check the Shell Smash set and break Sturdy if hazards are up. Finally, defensive Pokemon, such as Weezing, Dusclops, and Cofagrigus can cripple Carracosta with Will-O-Wisp. Sableye gets special mention due to its priority Will-o-Wisp and its ability to Taunt Carracosta, preventing it from using Shell Smash; however, Sableye must be wary of Aqua Jet.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Carracosta gets Swift Swim from the Dream World. Swift Swim is a great ability, but Sturdy and Solid Rock set Carracosta apart from the likes of Kabutops, as they allow it to survive hits that Kabutops would not.</p>
