QC: Kiyo / metaphysical / boltsandbombers
GP: P Squared / Snobalt
[OVERVIEW]
With its tremendous Special Attack and expansive coverage, Magmortar sets itself apart as one of the most terrifying wallbreakers in NU. Excellent mixed attacking stats and diverse coverage options, such as Thunderbolt, Earthquake, and Focus Blast, allow Magmortar to hit most of the tier for at least neutral damage. Magmortar's ability, Vital Spirit, allows it to safely switch in on sleep-inducing moves such as Sleep Powder from the likes of Vileplume and Lilligant, as well as Lovely Kiss from Jynx. Fair special bulk, especially in tandem with an Assault Vest, allows Magmortar to check a number of special Ice-, Grass-, and Fire-type threats. Magmortar sports a Speed tier just fast enough to outspeed some relevant offensive Pokemon, such as Shiftry, Mesprit, and Kabutops. However, its Speed and lacking Defense typically leave it helpless against faster, physically oriented Pokemon, such as Scyther, Tauros, and Archeops. Magmortar's pure Fire typing also leaves it weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes with no reliable way to heal back the damage.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast is Magmortar's preferred STAB move because of its high power with minimal drawbacks. Thunderbolt targets most Water-type Pokemon that resist Fire Blast, such as Prinplup, Mantine, and Pelipper. Focus Blast nails bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take the onslaught of Magmortar's coverage and STAB moves. Hidden Power Grass is a safer alternative to Focus Blast because, while Magmortar loses stronger coverage for Regirock, it is a perfectly accurate option for Rhydon and Quagsire. Earthquake is the strongest move Magmortar has to hit Lanturn and Pokemon with Flash Fire, such as Flareon and Ninetales. Flamethrower is a safe alternative to Fire Blast, trading the extra power away for the inability to miss.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Magmortar to hit hard and with as little opposition as possible. Having as few Pokemon that outspeed Magmortar as possible will preserve as much of its HP as possible for more attacks with Life Orb. Vital Spirit gives Magmortar an immunity to sleep-inducing moves such as Sleep Powder and Lovely Kiss from the likes of Lilligant and Jynx. Life Orb is preferred to ensure Magmortar hits as hard as possible while still retaining the ability to switch moves. However, if you would like an alternative with no recoil damage, Magmortar sports enough raw power to use an Expert Belt, still boosting its relevant super effective coverage moves without inflicting recoil. A Rash nature preserves Magmortar's Defense so that it takes less damage from physical priority attacks, such as Fake Out and Sucker Punch. Mild preserves Magmortar's Special Defense in case you want Magmortar to take powerful special attacks better. A Hasty nature sacrifices some power for the ability to outspeed base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mesprit and Shiftry, along with Adamant Sawk.
Usage Tips
========
Magmortar has little to no safe switch-ins in the tier, so its main job is to break down defensive cores. If Magmortar is in against a foe that it can KO, don't be afraid to just click Fire Blast. Most Pokemon that resist fire don't appreciate taking a Fire Blast and one of Magmortar's coverage moves as a follow up. Magmortar is very susceptible to residual damage between Life Orb recoil, entry hazard damage, and tanking potential resisted hits, so try to bring it in safely with double switches, on a predicted sleep-inducing move, or with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch. However, if you are switching into a sleep-inducing move, you should be cautious about letting Magmortar take a Sludge Bomb or Psyshock from Vileplume and Jynx, respectively. You can afford to be aggressive against switch-ins that can tank a Fire Blast and a follow-up coverage move, as sometimes your opponent is just forced to switch in their Regirock, Lanturn, or Rhydon, hoping that Magmortar didn't use the correct coverage move.
Team Options
========
Defog or Rapid Spin support from the likes of Prinplup and Claydol keeps Stealth Rock and Spikes off the field for Magmortar. Slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, such as bulky Mesprit, Lanturn, and Xatu, can grab momentum for Magmortar and bring it in safely. Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types appreciate Magmortar's ability to check Grass-types and absorb Sleep Powder. Setup sweepers and cleaners, such as Lilligant, Floatzel, and Swellow, appreciate Magmortar's ability to wallbreak for a late-game sweep. Sticky Web support slows down offensive threats, such as Tauros, Zangoose, and Electivire, for Magmortar. Similarly, Stealth Rock and Spikes support make switching into Magmortar even more difficult, guaranteeing a 2HKO on specially defensive Mega Audino and punishing the likes of Hariyama and Grumpig, which have no reliable recovery.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest Tank
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Flame Charge / Earthquake
item: Assault Vest
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Modest
evs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast is Magmortar's preferred STAB move because of its high power with minimal drawbacks. Thunderbolt targets most Water-type Pokemon that resist Fire Blast, such as Prinplup, Mantine, and Pelipper. Focus Blast nails bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take the onslaught of Magmortar's coverage and STAB moves. Hidden Power Grass is a safer alternative to Focus Blast because, while Magmortar loses stronger coverage for Regirock, it is a perfectly accurate option for Rhydon and Quagsire. Flame Charge is very useful against weaker targets that can't deal much damage to Magmortar, such as Mismagius and Lilligant, or on the switches that Magmortar forces because it boosts Magmortar's Speed, making it much harder to revenge kill. Earthquake is the strongest move Magmortar has to hit Lanturn and Pokemon with Flash Fire, such as Flareon and Ninetales.
Set Details
========
Running 152 Speed EVs gives Magmortar enough Speed to outspeed neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Samurott and Ludicolo. Maximum Special Attack is preferred because you want Magmortar to hit as hard as possible. The rest of the EVs are put into HP to help increase Magmortar's bulk in tandem with its Assault Vest. Vital Spirit gives Magmortar free switches on sleep-inducing moves. A Modest nature should be used if not using Earthquake because Flame Charge's damage output is irrelevant. However, if running Earthquake, you can use a Mild nature in order to make it a bit more powerful at the cost of Magmortar's Defense. However, Earthquake with a Modest nature still manages to 3HKO Lanturn after Stealth Rock damage, so the extra boost is all about preference. A set with 248 HP EVs is much bulkier and makes for a more reliable check to some Fire-types; however, you should be prepared for Ludicolo and Samurott because they will threaten Magmortar out if they are allowed to switch in. Maximum Speed can allow Magmortar to outpace base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mesprit and Shiftry.
Usage Tips
========
Assault Vest Magmortar is one of the safest offensive answers to Lilligant and defensive Grass-types, such as Vileplume, Ferroseed, Gourgeist-S, and Gourgeist-XL in the tier, fearing, at worst, Leech Seed or getting poisoned from Sludge Bomb. Magmortar has the ability to check special Fire- and Ice-types, such as Pyroar, Aurorus, and Jynx, as well but should be wary of coverage moves, such as Hyper Voice, Earth Power, and Psyshock, respectively. Assault Vest gives Magmortar just enough bulk to take one neutral or resisted hit, such as Rotom's Shadow Ball or Swellow's Boomburst, and retaliate with its impressive coverage. Magmortar struggles to take these hits if it switches into entry hazards, so be conservative with your switches or make sure the field is cleared.
Team Options
========
Defog and Rapid Spin support from the likes of Prinplup and Claydol keeps Stealth Rock and Spikes off the field for Magmortar. Swords Dance Samurott is a great offensive partner for Magmortar because it struggles against the bulky Grass-types that Magmortar easily handles. Bulky Grass-types, such as Gourgeist-XL, Torterra, and Tangela, also pair well with Magmortar because of its ability to handle opposing Fire- and Ice-type Pokemon. These Grass-types can also switch in safely against the Ground- and Rock-types that can revenge kill Magmortar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Magmortar can use a set consisting of Belly Drum / Fire Punch / Mach Punch / Earthquake to boost its Attack to +6 and attempt to sweep despite having very few setup opportunities. Psychic is an option on the Life Orb set to 2HKO Hariyama, which avoids a 2HKO from Magmortar's other moves. A Sunny Day set consisting of Sunny Day / Fire Blast / Solar Beam / Thunderbolt can be used to boost Magmortar's Fire Blast and give it access to a powerful 120 Base Power Grass-type attack in Solar Beam for Rock- and Water-types. Substitute avoids Sucker Punch and can let Magmortar take a hit. A Choice Band set with Flare Blitz / Earthquake / Mach Punch / Cross Chop hits fairly hard with a strong STAB move, solid coverage, and a respectable Attack stat, although it's mostly outclassed by Flareon. Will-O-Wisp can cripple Thick Fat Hariyama, Regirock, and Rhydon as an alternative to a coverage move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Rock-types**: Rhydon and Regirock resist Fire Blast and can take a Focus Blast. They can't switch in safely every time, but they are able to switch into three out of four of Magmortar's common coverage moves. Regirock also has an easier time against Hidden Power Grass variants and has the bonus of Leftovers recovery over Rhydon.
**Thick Fat Users**: Due to Thick Fat, Grumpig and Assault Vest Hariyama tank all of Magmortar's common coverage moves and threaten it with Close Combat and Thunder Wave, respectively. However, Hariyama fears uncommon options such as Will-O-Wisp and Psychic.
**Lanturn**: Lanturn is different from other bulky Water-types because of its immunity to Thunderbolt. Lanturn's special bulk also lets it weather Magmortar's onslaught of coverage moves, with the exception of Earthquake, and retaliate with Scald, Thunder Wave, or Toxic.
**Entry Hazards**: Magmortar is grounded and sports an unhealthy Rock-type weakness, leaving it vulnerable to every entry hazard upon switching in.
**Revenge Killers**: Archeops, Tauros, Floatzel, and Jolly Sawk all outspeed Magmortar before it can set up with Flame Charge and can OHKO it. Users of strong priority moves, such as Shiftry, Hitmonchan, and Kangaskhan, and especially strong Pokemon with Aqua Jet, such as Samurott and Kabutops, also put a lot of pressure on Magmortar regardless of any Flame Charge boosts.
GP: P Squared / Snobalt
[OVERVIEW]
With its tremendous Special Attack and expansive coverage, Magmortar sets itself apart as one of the most terrifying wallbreakers in NU. Excellent mixed attacking stats and diverse coverage options, such as Thunderbolt, Earthquake, and Focus Blast, allow Magmortar to hit most of the tier for at least neutral damage. Magmortar's ability, Vital Spirit, allows it to safely switch in on sleep-inducing moves such as Sleep Powder from the likes of Vileplume and Lilligant, as well as Lovely Kiss from Jynx. Fair special bulk, especially in tandem with an Assault Vest, allows Magmortar to check a number of special Ice-, Grass-, and Fire-type threats. Magmortar sports a Speed tier just fast enough to outspeed some relevant offensive Pokemon, such as Shiftry, Mesprit, and Kabutops. However, its Speed and lacking Defense typically leave it helpless against faster, physically oriented Pokemon, such as Scyther, Tauros, and Archeops. Magmortar's pure Fire typing also leaves it weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes with no reliable way to heal back the damage.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast is Magmortar's preferred STAB move because of its high power with minimal drawbacks. Thunderbolt targets most Water-type Pokemon that resist Fire Blast, such as Prinplup, Mantine, and Pelipper. Focus Blast nails bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take the onslaught of Magmortar's coverage and STAB moves. Hidden Power Grass is a safer alternative to Focus Blast because, while Magmortar loses stronger coverage for Regirock, it is a perfectly accurate option for Rhydon and Quagsire. Earthquake is the strongest move Magmortar has to hit Lanturn and Pokemon with Flash Fire, such as Flareon and Ninetales. Flamethrower is a safe alternative to Fire Blast, trading the extra power away for the inability to miss.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Magmortar to hit hard and with as little opposition as possible. Having as few Pokemon that outspeed Magmortar as possible will preserve as much of its HP as possible for more attacks with Life Orb. Vital Spirit gives Magmortar an immunity to sleep-inducing moves such as Sleep Powder and Lovely Kiss from the likes of Lilligant and Jynx. Life Orb is preferred to ensure Magmortar hits as hard as possible while still retaining the ability to switch moves. However, if you would like an alternative with no recoil damage, Magmortar sports enough raw power to use an Expert Belt, still boosting its relevant super effective coverage moves without inflicting recoil. A Rash nature preserves Magmortar's Defense so that it takes less damage from physical priority attacks, such as Fake Out and Sucker Punch. Mild preserves Magmortar's Special Defense in case you want Magmortar to take powerful special attacks better. A Hasty nature sacrifices some power for the ability to outspeed base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mesprit and Shiftry, along with Adamant Sawk.
Usage Tips
========
Magmortar has little to no safe switch-ins in the tier, so its main job is to break down defensive cores. If Magmortar is in against a foe that it can KO, don't be afraid to just click Fire Blast. Most Pokemon that resist fire don't appreciate taking a Fire Blast and one of Magmortar's coverage moves as a follow up. Magmortar is very susceptible to residual damage between Life Orb recoil, entry hazard damage, and tanking potential resisted hits, so try to bring it in safely with double switches, on a predicted sleep-inducing move, or with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch. However, if you are switching into a sleep-inducing move, you should be cautious about letting Magmortar take a Sludge Bomb or Psyshock from Vileplume and Jynx, respectively. You can afford to be aggressive against switch-ins that can tank a Fire Blast and a follow-up coverage move, as sometimes your opponent is just forced to switch in their Regirock, Lanturn, or Rhydon, hoping that Magmortar didn't use the correct coverage move.
Team Options
========
Defog or Rapid Spin support from the likes of Prinplup and Claydol keeps Stealth Rock and Spikes off the field for Magmortar. Slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, such as bulky Mesprit, Lanturn, and Xatu, can grab momentum for Magmortar and bring it in safely. Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types appreciate Magmortar's ability to check Grass-types and absorb Sleep Powder. Setup sweepers and cleaners, such as Lilligant, Floatzel, and Swellow, appreciate Magmortar's ability to wallbreak for a late-game sweep. Sticky Web support slows down offensive threats, such as Tauros, Zangoose, and Electivire, for Magmortar. Similarly, Stealth Rock and Spikes support make switching into Magmortar even more difficult, guaranteeing a 2HKO on specially defensive Mega Audino and punishing the likes of Hariyama and Grumpig, which have no reliable recovery.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest Tank
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Flame Charge / Earthquake
item: Assault Vest
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Modest
evs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast is Magmortar's preferred STAB move because of its high power with minimal drawbacks. Thunderbolt targets most Water-type Pokemon that resist Fire Blast, such as Prinplup, Mantine, and Pelipper. Focus Blast nails bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take the onslaught of Magmortar's coverage and STAB moves. Hidden Power Grass is a safer alternative to Focus Blast because, while Magmortar loses stronger coverage for Regirock, it is a perfectly accurate option for Rhydon and Quagsire. Flame Charge is very useful against weaker targets that can't deal much damage to Magmortar, such as Mismagius and Lilligant, or on the switches that Magmortar forces because it boosts Magmortar's Speed, making it much harder to revenge kill. Earthquake is the strongest move Magmortar has to hit Lanturn and Pokemon with Flash Fire, such as Flareon and Ninetales.
Set Details
========
Running 152 Speed EVs gives Magmortar enough Speed to outspeed neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Samurott and Ludicolo. Maximum Special Attack is preferred because you want Magmortar to hit as hard as possible. The rest of the EVs are put into HP to help increase Magmortar's bulk in tandem with its Assault Vest. Vital Spirit gives Magmortar free switches on sleep-inducing moves. A Modest nature should be used if not using Earthquake because Flame Charge's damage output is irrelevant. However, if running Earthquake, you can use a Mild nature in order to make it a bit more powerful at the cost of Magmortar's Defense. However, Earthquake with a Modest nature still manages to 3HKO Lanturn after Stealth Rock damage, so the extra boost is all about preference. A set with 248 HP EVs is much bulkier and makes for a more reliable check to some Fire-types; however, you should be prepared for Ludicolo and Samurott because they will threaten Magmortar out if they are allowed to switch in. Maximum Speed can allow Magmortar to outpace base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mesprit and Shiftry.
Usage Tips
========
Assault Vest Magmortar is one of the safest offensive answers to Lilligant and defensive Grass-types, such as Vileplume, Ferroseed, Gourgeist-S, and Gourgeist-XL in the tier, fearing, at worst, Leech Seed or getting poisoned from Sludge Bomb. Magmortar has the ability to check special Fire- and Ice-types, such as Pyroar, Aurorus, and Jynx, as well but should be wary of coverage moves, such as Hyper Voice, Earth Power, and Psyshock, respectively. Assault Vest gives Magmortar just enough bulk to take one neutral or resisted hit, such as Rotom's Shadow Ball or Swellow's Boomburst, and retaliate with its impressive coverage. Magmortar struggles to take these hits if it switches into entry hazards, so be conservative with your switches or make sure the field is cleared.
Team Options
========
Defog and Rapid Spin support from the likes of Prinplup and Claydol keeps Stealth Rock and Spikes off the field for Magmortar. Swords Dance Samurott is a great offensive partner for Magmortar because it struggles against the bulky Grass-types that Magmortar easily handles. Bulky Grass-types, such as Gourgeist-XL, Torterra, and Tangela, also pair well with Magmortar because of its ability to handle opposing Fire- and Ice-type Pokemon. These Grass-types can also switch in safely against the Ground- and Rock-types that can revenge kill Magmortar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Magmortar can use a set consisting of Belly Drum / Fire Punch / Mach Punch / Earthquake to boost its Attack to +6 and attempt to sweep despite having very few setup opportunities. Psychic is an option on the Life Orb set to 2HKO Hariyama, which avoids a 2HKO from Magmortar's other moves. A Sunny Day set consisting of Sunny Day / Fire Blast / Solar Beam / Thunderbolt can be used to boost Magmortar's Fire Blast and give it access to a powerful 120 Base Power Grass-type attack in Solar Beam for Rock- and Water-types. Substitute avoids Sucker Punch and can let Magmortar take a hit. A Choice Band set with Flare Blitz / Earthquake / Mach Punch / Cross Chop hits fairly hard with a strong STAB move, solid coverage, and a respectable Attack stat, although it's mostly outclassed by Flareon. Will-O-Wisp can cripple Thick Fat Hariyama, Regirock, and Rhydon as an alternative to a coverage move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Rock-types**: Rhydon and Regirock resist Fire Blast and can take a Focus Blast. They can't switch in safely every time, but they are able to switch into three out of four of Magmortar's common coverage moves. Regirock also has an easier time against Hidden Power Grass variants and has the bonus of Leftovers recovery over Rhydon.
**Thick Fat Users**: Due to Thick Fat, Grumpig and Assault Vest Hariyama tank all of Magmortar's common coverage moves and threaten it with Close Combat and Thunder Wave, respectively. However, Hariyama fears uncommon options such as Will-O-Wisp and Psychic.
**Lanturn**: Lanturn is different from other bulky Water-types because of its immunity to Thunderbolt. Lanturn's special bulk also lets it weather Magmortar's onslaught of coverage moves, with the exception of Earthquake, and retaliate with Scald, Thunder Wave, or Toxic.
**Entry Hazards**: Magmortar is grounded and sports an unhealthy Rock-type weakness, leaving it vulnerable to every entry hazard upon switching in.
**Revenge Killers**: Archeops, Tauros, Floatzel, and Jolly Sawk all outspeed Magmortar before it can set up with Flame Charge and can OHKO it. Users of strong priority moves, such as Shiftry, Hitmonchan, and Kangaskhan, and especially strong Pokemon with Aqua Jet, such as Samurott and Kabutops, also put a lot of pressure on Magmortar regardless of any Flame Charge boosts.
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