Status:(are we done?)
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/mesprit
[Overview]
<p>Mesprit has an amazing movepool, including the great attacking combination of BoltBeam and many support options such as Stealth Rock. It differentiates itself from Uxie with superior offensive stats and an improved physical and special movepool along with slightly higher base HP, but also has a lower base Speed. However, Mesprit’s lack of a reliable recovery move outside of Rest is its major downfall.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Trick
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 204 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set is designed to set up Stealth Rock as quickly as possible. Tricking a Choice Scarf can cripple bulky leads like Uxie and lets Mesprit deal with defensive stat-uppers later in the game. U-turn allows Mesprit to escape the battle if it cannot handle the situation; it also has enough power to break Raikou's Substitute.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is one of the deadliest support moves in the game; with Mesprit setting up Stealth Rock, opponents like Moltres and Altaria lose large amounts of health upon switching in. Trick allows Mesprit to cripple walls such as Registeel and Chansey by giving them a useless Choice Scarf. U-turn lets Mesprit escape from battle while hitting Dark-types as well as opposing Psychic-types super effectively. Finally, Zen Headbutt gives Mesprit a solid STAB attack and allows it to hit Venusaur and Blaziken, two of UU's biggest offensive threats.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>204 Attack EVs allow Mesprit to break Raikou's Substitute with U-turn. Max Speed is needed to tie with base 80 Pokémon that run a positive nature and 252 EVs. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to allow Mesprit to take hits better.</p>
<p>Set up sweepers can take advantage of crippled opponents by switching in on a resisted move and gaining a free stat boost or two. Rock Polish Aggron makes a great choice as it can freely switch into the Bug- and Dark-type Pokémon that Mesprit has trouble with. Calm Mind Raikou is another excellent option as it can use Substitute as the opponent switches, which lets it set up at least one Calm Mind while the opponent attempts to break its Substitute.</p>
<p>Dugtrio makes another great partner for Mesprit. Many Pokemon that would love to set up on Mesprit’s Psychic attacks, such as Registeel, Houndoom, and Drapion, are weak to Ground-type attacks, which means U-turning to Dugtrio is an easy way to dispatch them. This combination also places Raikou into a rare lose-lose situation, even if it has a Substitute up. If it stays in on Mesprit and either Thunderbolts or Calm Minds, U-turn will break its Substitute and Dugtrio will have a free kill. If Raikou switches, then Mesprit can U-turn to something that counters whatever just came in. However, Raikou will rarely switch out with an intact Substitute, which means this can be an effective way to eliminate a very dangerous sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Psychic / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Leftovers
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 SpA
ivs: 30 HP / 30 SpA
[Set Comments]
<p>The main goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock and U-turn to another teammate. Stealth Rock allows Mesprit to support its team, making users of Focus Sash useless while also stripping Moltres of 50% of its health. U-turn allows Mesprit to escape battle and bring in a counter to the opponent's Pokémon, while also doing large amounts of damage to Dark- and Psychic-types. STAB Psychic allows Mesprit to hit opponents for decent power coming from base 105 Special Attack. Grass Knot allows Mesprit to OHKO the standard Rhyperior, assuming it stays in to set up.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Maximum HP is needed to give Mesprit excellent defensive abilities, allowing it to survive powerful hits with little trouble. 96 Attack EVs allows Mesprit to always break Raikou’s Substitute with U-turn. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack, which allows Mesprit to 2HKO the most bulky Froslass lead.</p>
<p>Spiritomb leads cause Mesprit major problems as they can attack with Shadow Ball for super effective damage or catch Mesprit trying to escape with Pursuit. Blaziken makes an excellent partner for Mesprit, as it has an immunity to Will-O-Wisp and takes neutral damage from anything Spiritomb commonly uses; it must be careful not to switch into Spooky Plate-boosted Shadow Balls, though. Fire Blast will do large amounts of damage to any lead Spiritomb, as most of them are offensive versions. Dark-types in general can trouble Mesprit, and Blaziken can hit them super effectively with Superpower.</p>
<p>Powerful sweepers appreciate Stealth Rock on the field as it can make the difference between an OHKO and 2HKO. Again, Blaziken makes an excellent example, as it is able to use its mixed sweeping capabilities to open up major holes in the opponent's team. Other examples include Swords Dance Drapion and Calm Mind Raikou.</p>
[SET]
name: Supporting Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave / Reflect / Knock Off
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 92 SpA / 164 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set is played differently from the previous set. The goal is to cripple an opponent's Pokémon or support your own teammates with Reflect. Stealth Rock is probably Mesprit's best support option as it can make the difference between an OHKO and a 2HKO for Mesprit's sweeper teammates. This set is to be played more offensively than the above set, hitting many of UU's more powerful threats, such as Venusaur and Blaziken, with Psychic. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are both good options to give great type coverage and hit threats such as Altaria (Ice Beam) and Moltres (Thunderbolt) harder.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave allows Mesprit to cripple fast sweepers like Drapion and Houndoom, Reflect allows it to weaken oncoming physical moves, and Knock Off allows it to remove opponent's items, which could potentially make them less of a threat. Stealth Rock allows you to damage Pokémon switching in and ruin Focus Sash users.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The 164 Speed EVs allow Mesprit to outrun all neutral natured base 80 Pokémon, most notably Blaziken and Venusaur. Maximum HP EVs give Mesprit bulk and allow it to take repeated hits with ease. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack, giving Mesprit's attacking moves more power behind them.</p>
<p>Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee or Hitmontop are great options to pair with Mesprit as they are able to remove dangerous Dark-type opponents from play. Houndoom and Absol both fall to Mach Punch, while Earthquake is able to remove Drapion. Fighting-types also appreciate Stealth Rock support (which makes it harder for Flying Pokemon to wall them), and the removal of Poison-types such as Venusaur.</p>
<p>Feraligatr makes another excellent partner as it appreciates the removal of bulky Grass-types like Venusaur and Tangrowth. Feraligatr can also take out Houndoom with Aqua Jet. Without the fear of being KOed, Feraligatr is able to set up with Swords Dance and sweep the opponent's team with little difficulty.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind Sweeper
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Substitute / Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With its high Special Attack and decent Speed, Mesprit makes a great candidate for a Calm Mind set. Psychic and Ice Beam give near-perfect type coverage, hitting most Pokémon in UU for neutral damage. Substitute grants Mesprit safety from status moves while Hidden Power Ground lets it hit the Steel-types that resist both Psychic and Ice. If using Substitute, Leftovers becomes the preferred hold item, since the HP loss from Substitute and Life Orb recoil will greatly decrease Mesprit’s chances of sweeping.</p>
<p>Calm Mind allows Mesprit to raise its special stats to insane levels, allowing it to deal great damage to anything not named Chansey. Psychic allows you to hit Poison- and Fighting-types, Venusaur and Blaziken being the most prominent. Ice Beam hits Altaria, Torterra, and Donphan for major amounts of damage, while also giving near-perfect coverage alongside Psychic. Substitute gives Mesprit safety from status moves.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The Speed EVs on this set allow Mesprit to tie with positive base 80 Pokémon running 252 EVs in Speed, such as Venusaur and Blaziken. Max Special Attack is a must as it allows Mesprit to deal powerful hits to the opponent. The remaining EVs are placed into HP, giving Mesprit a small amount of bulk.</p>
<p>Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, and Hariyama fare well against Dark-types such as Absol and Drapion, both of which are deadly to Mesprit as they have the combination of Night Slash and Pursuit available to them. These Pokemon can also switch in relatively easily against Chansey (who walls this set) and start unleashing high-powered attacks.</p>
<p>Support from Reflect or Will-O-Wisp is helpful for this set as it gives Mesprit time to set up more boosts with Calm Mind without being completely physically vulnerable. Weezing is a great option to utilize Will-O-Wisp as it only has one weakness and a great Defense stat. Defensive Arcanine can use Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp to buffer hits from Pokemon like Absol, and has access to Morning Sun to heal itself (while Weezing must depend on Pain Split or Rest). Clefable a great option to set up Reflect as it also has access to Encore, which is able to cripple Pokémon that use boosting or support moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Choice
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: U-turn / Trick
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set sets Mesprit apart from other Psychic-types like Cresselia and Uxie; with a respectable base 105 Attack and a decent movepool, this can be a nasty surprise to those expecting special sets. Zen Headbutt gives Mesprit a reliable physical STAB move use, scoring super effective hits against the likes of Weezing and Venusaur. Trick allows Mesprit to cripple walls, such as Slowbro and Claydol, who take little damage from Mesprit's attacks. Fire Punch is listed as it allows it to deal decent damage to Tangrowth, Registeel, and Steelix. Ice Punch is noted in the final slot as it gives Mesprit more power against opponents like Altaria and Torterra, hitting both threats for 4x super effective damage.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs listed are primarily used for Mesprit with a Choice Scarf. 212 EVs and an Adamant nature allow Mesprit to reach 373 Speed, which lets it outpace non-Scarfed Alakazam and KO with U-turn. Max Attack EVs are a must as Mesprit wants some force behind its attacks. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to give Mesprit a little bulk. If using a Choice Band, a Jolly nature with a spread of 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe allows Mesprit to outspeed neutral natured base 85 Speed Pokémon.</p>
<p>Houndoom makes a great offensive partner for this set as it can deal with pesky Psychic-types, such as Slowbro and Claydol, with STAB Dark Pulse. Since Mesprit is crippled by Will-O-Wisp, Houndoom again gets a mention for being able to switch in and net a boost from Flash Fire. The main users of Will-O-Wisp in the UU tier have trouble with Houndoom; Mismagius takes large amounts of damage from Dark Pulse, while Weezing is OHKOed by Fire Blast after a boost from Flash Fire.</p>
<p>Dark-types cause problems for Mesprit as they are able to switch into Zen Headbutt and threaten Mesprit with Pursuit or Night Slash. It may seem strange due to the additional Ghost and Dark weakness, but a Mismagius with Substitute and Will-O-Wisp can lure out these Pokémon and lower their Attack with a burn. Substitute is suggested so Mismagius isn't KOed when switching against or burning the opponent. The usual Fighting-type Pokemon can switch easily into Dark attacks and strike back with Close Combat.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Choice
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Similar to the set above, Mesprit utilizes Choice items to raise its Speed or offensive stats. Great type coverage makes Mesprit ideal for a Choice set. Using the BoltBeam combination and Psychic allows Mesprit to hit everything besides Magneton and Shedinja in UU for neutral or super effective damage. Psychic is Mesprit's most powerful STAB move, able to deal with Pokémon such as Venusaur and Blaziken. Ice Beam is listed to give great type coverage and hit Altaria, Tangrowth, and Donphan super effectively. Thunderbolt allows you to hit Moltres and Feraligatr for super effective damage. The final slot allows Mesprit to cripple potential counters, such as Clefable and Chansey, with Trick. Hidden Power Ground allows Mesprit to hitSteel-types like Registeel and Magneton, but is an inferior option because it doesn’t do much damage to Registeel and Magneton is relatively rare.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>When using Choice Scarf, 240 EVs and a Modest nature is recommended as it allows Mesprit to reach 384 Speed, outrunning Swellow and enabling it to KO it with Ice Beam or Thunderbolt. Max Special Attack EVs are vital as Mesprit wants as much power as possible. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to give Mesprit a little bulk. If you wish to use Choice Specs, a Timid nature is recommended with a spread of 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe, which allows it to outspeed neutral natured base 85 Speed Pokémon.</p>
<p>Chansey causes problems for this set, being able to switch in on any special-based attacks without taking a lot of damage. . To deal with Chansey, a powerful physical sweeper such as Hitmonlee is a good choice to use as a partner as it is able to KO her with super effective STAB Close Combats. Dark-types are the biggest threat for Mesprit as they can hit it with super effective attacks and Pursuit as it switches out. Hitmonlee also helps deal with this problem.</p>
<p>Using a Chansey of your own is an option as this set is completely walled by Magneton, though you should be cautious of Explosion. Another option to deal with Magneton in Camerupt, who resists everything Magneton can throw at it while being able to KO it back with a STAB Fire- or Ground-type move.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Mesprit appreciates support from Wish as it is unable to recover by itself. Umbreon makes a good choice as it resists Ghost- and Dark-type moves and has great defenses. Umbreon can also cripple Mesprit's counters with Yawn or Toxic.</p>
<p>Steel- and Dark-types cause problems for Mesprit as they are able to wall Mesprit's moves. Hitmonlee is a great choice to remove these threats as it has STAB Close Combat and Mach Punch to defeat them. Stone Edge is helpful for hitting Bug-types. Earthquake is available to hit Drapion super effectively.</p>
<p>Registeel is a great defensive partner for Mesprit as it can switch in on Bug- and Dark-types without trouble and proceed to paralyze them with Thunder Wave. Also, Mesprit is able to switch in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Registeel. This pair allows you to attack from both sides of the spectrum while crippling opponents with moves such as Trick, Thunder Wave, and Stealth Rock.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Since Mesprit has such a wide movepool, there are so many viable options it can use. Charm is great for lowering a physical sweeper's Attack stat, forcing them to use weakened attacks or switch out. Magic Coat is helpful for bouncing back nasty status moves that can cripple Mesprit. Trick Room is a great option with Mesprit's great defensive stats and access to U-turn; using a negative Speed nature with a low Speed IV will make Mesprit slower than many Pokémon in the UU tier. Healing Wish is helpful when setting up screens as it can replenish a weakened teammate's health, although it comes at the cost of Mesprit's life. ThunderPunch is an option on the Physical Choice set as it can hit bulky Water-types, such as Slowbro, for super effective damage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Mesprit isn't an easy Pokémon to counter due to its mixed offensive stats and great movepool; it is able to use any combination of attacks.</p>
<p>Chansey can counter most of Mesprit’s special sets; with her mammoth HP stat and great Special Defense she is able to survive boosted special moves with ease. Chansey can also cripple Mesprit with Toxic or Thunder Wave while weakening it with Seismic Toss. Chansey needs to be careful of Trick, however, as being stuck with a Choice item can make walling much more difficult.</p>
<p>With good prediction, Dark-types are able to switch in on Psychic or Zen Headbutt with an immunity and threaten to damage Mesprit with powerful STAB moves. Houndoom is the best option as it's able to attack from the special side, and Mesprit rarely invests in Special Defense. It also boasts a resistance to Mesprit's Ice-type attacks, giving it more opportunities to switch in than other Dark-types.</p>
<p>Calm Mind Spiritomb is a solid counter to Mesprit as it has an immunity to Psychic moves, while it can set up against unSTABed moves that barely scratch Spiritomb. If Mesprit stays in, it faces a hit from a boosted Dark Pulse or becoming set up fodder. Spiritomb should be careful of Trick. Physical Spiritomb (especially Choice Band variants) is also a threat since it doesn't mind receiving a Choice item, while it threatens Mesprit with Pursuit and Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>Steel-types are good switch-ins because they resist Psychic and Ice Beam. Registeel is a fine option as it takes little damage from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power thanks to its high Special Defense stat. It can then set up Stealth Rock of its own and weaken Mesprit with Iron Head, cripple it with Thunder Wave, or KO it with Explosion. Magneton resists all of Mesprit’s commonly used attacks, but risks getting 2HKOed by Specs Psychic and can be set up on by the Calm Mind set.</p>
<p>Clefable is another great counter to specially-based sets as it has a great HP stat and above average Special Defense. Access to Encore allows it to cripple Mesprit as is sets up Stealth Rock. Mesprit is unable to status Clefable due to Magic Guard, while Trick will usually leave Mesprit with a damaging Toxic Orb.</p>
<p>Physical sets are countered by Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro; with their great defensive stats, they take little damage from most of Mesprit's moves. Slowbro is able to set up Calm Mind, while Milotic can cripple Mesprit with Toxic or Hypnosis. Again, both of these Pokémon must beware of Trick as they can be crippled with a useless Choice item.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/mesprit
[Overview]
<p>Mesprit has an amazing movepool, including the great attacking combination of BoltBeam and many support options such as Stealth Rock. It differentiates itself from Uxie with superior offensive stats and an improved physical and special movepool along with slightly higher base HP, but also has a lower base Speed. However, Mesprit’s lack of a reliable recovery move outside of Rest is its major downfall.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Trick
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 204 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set is designed to set up Stealth Rock as quickly as possible. Tricking a Choice Scarf can cripple bulky leads like Uxie and lets Mesprit deal with defensive stat-uppers later in the game. U-turn allows Mesprit to escape the battle if it cannot handle the situation; it also has enough power to break Raikou's Substitute.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is one of the deadliest support moves in the game; with Mesprit setting up Stealth Rock, opponents like Moltres and Altaria lose large amounts of health upon switching in. Trick allows Mesprit to cripple walls such as Registeel and Chansey by giving them a useless Choice Scarf. U-turn lets Mesprit escape from battle while hitting Dark-types as well as opposing Psychic-types super effectively. Finally, Zen Headbutt gives Mesprit a solid STAB attack and allows it to hit Venusaur and Blaziken, two of UU's biggest offensive threats.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>204 Attack EVs allow Mesprit to break Raikou's Substitute with U-turn. Max Speed is needed to tie with base 80 Pokémon that run a positive nature and 252 EVs. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to allow Mesprit to take hits better.</p>
<p>Set up sweepers can take advantage of crippled opponents by switching in on a resisted move and gaining a free stat boost or two. Rock Polish Aggron makes a great choice as it can freely switch into the Bug- and Dark-type Pokémon that Mesprit has trouble with. Calm Mind Raikou is another excellent option as it can use Substitute as the opponent switches, which lets it set up at least one Calm Mind while the opponent attempts to break its Substitute.</p>
<p>Dugtrio makes another great partner for Mesprit. Many Pokemon that would love to set up on Mesprit’s Psychic attacks, such as Registeel, Houndoom, and Drapion, are weak to Ground-type attacks, which means U-turning to Dugtrio is an easy way to dispatch them. This combination also places Raikou into a rare lose-lose situation, even if it has a Substitute up. If it stays in on Mesprit and either Thunderbolts or Calm Minds, U-turn will break its Substitute and Dugtrio will have a free kill. If Raikou switches, then Mesprit can U-turn to something that counters whatever just came in. However, Raikou will rarely switch out with an intact Substitute, which means this can be an effective way to eliminate a very dangerous sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Psychic / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Leftovers
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 SpA
ivs: 30 HP / 30 SpA
[Set Comments]
<p>The main goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock and U-turn to another teammate. Stealth Rock allows Mesprit to support its team, making users of Focus Sash useless while also stripping Moltres of 50% of its health. U-turn allows Mesprit to escape battle and bring in a counter to the opponent's Pokémon, while also doing large amounts of damage to Dark- and Psychic-types. STAB Psychic allows Mesprit to hit opponents for decent power coming from base 105 Special Attack. Grass Knot allows Mesprit to OHKO the standard Rhyperior, assuming it stays in to set up.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Maximum HP is needed to give Mesprit excellent defensive abilities, allowing it to survive powerful hits with little trouble. 96 Attack EVs allows Mesprit to always break Raikou’s Substitute with U-turn. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack, which allows Mesprit to 2HKO the most bulky Froslass lead.</p>
<p>Spiritomb leads cause Mesprit major problems as they can attack with Shadow Ball for super effective damage or catch Mesprit trying to escape with Pursuit. Blaziken makes an excellent partner for Mesprit, as it has an immunity to Will-O-Wisp and takes neutral damage from anything Spiritomb commonly uses; it must be careful not to switch into Spooky Plate-boosted Shadow Balls, though. Fire Blast will do large amounts of damage to any lead Spiritomb, as most of them are offensive versions. Dark-types in general can trouble Mesprit, and Blaziken can hit them super effectively with Superpower.</p>
<p>Powerful sweepers appreciate Stealth Rock on the field as it can make the difference between an OHKO and 2HKO. Again, Blaziken makes an excellent example, as it is able to use its mixed sweeping capabilities to open up major holes in the opponent's team. Other examples include Swords Dance Drapion and Calm Mind Raikou.</p>
[SET]
name: Supporting Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave / Reflect / Knock Off
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 92 SpA / 164 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set is played differently from the previous set. The goal is to cripple an opponent's Pokémon or support your own teammates with Reflect. Stealth Rock is probably Mesprit's best support option as it can make the difference between an OHKO and a 2HKO for Mesprit's sweeper teammates. This set is to be played more offensively than the above set, hitting many of UU's more powerful threats, such as Venusaur and Blaziken, with Psychic. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are both good options to give great type coverage and hit threats such as Altaria (Ice Beam) and Moltres (Thunderbolt) harder.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave allows Mesprit to cripple fast sweepers like Drapion and Houndoom, Reflect allows it to weaken oncoming physical moves, and Knock Off allows it to remove opponent's items, which could potentially make them less of a threat. Stealth Rock allows you to damage Pokémon switching in and ruin Focus Sash users.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The 164 Speed EVs allow Mesprit to outrun all neutral natured base 80 Pokémon, most notably Blaziken and Venusaur. Maximum HP EVs give Mesprit bulk and allow it to take repeated hits with ease. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack, giving Mesprit's attacking moves more power behind them.</p>
<p>Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee or Hitmontop are great options to pair with Mesprit as they are able to remove dangerous Dark-type opponents from play. Houndoom and Absol both fall to Mach Punch, while Earthquake is able to remove Drapion. Fighting-types also appreciate Stealth Rock support (which makes it harder for Flying Pokemon to wall them), and the removal of Poison-types such as Venusaur.</p>
<p>Feraligatr makes another excellent partner as it appreciates the removal of bulky Grass-types like Venusaur and Tangrowth. Feraligatr can also take out Houndoom with Aqua Jet. Without the fear of being KOed, Feraligatr is able to set up with Swords Dance and sweep the opponent's team with little difficulty.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind Sweeper
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Substitute / Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With its high Special Attack and decent Speed, Mesprit makes a great candidate for a Calm Mind set. Psychic and Ice Beam give near-perfect type coverage, hitting most Pokémon in UU for neutral damage. Substitute grants Mesprit safety from status moves while Hidden Power Ground lets it hit the Steel-types that resist both Psychic and Ice. If using Substitute, Leftovers becomes the preferred hold item, since the HP loss from Substitute and Life Orb recoil will greatly decrease Mesprit’s chances of sweeping.</p>
<p>Calm Mind allows Mesprit to raise its special stats to insane levels, allowing it to deal great damage to anything not named Chansey. Psychic allows you to hit Poison- and Fighting-types, Venusaur and Blaziken being the most prominent. Ice Beam hits Altaria, Torterra, and Donphan for major amounts of damage, while also giving near-perfect coverage alongside Psychic. Substitute gives Mesprit safety from status moves.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The Speed EVs on this set allow Mesprit to tie with positive base 80 Pokémon running 252 EVs in Speed, such as Venusaur and Blaziken. Max Special Attack is a must as it allows Mesprit to deal powerful hits to the opponent. The remaining EVs are placed into HP, giving Mesprit a small amount of bulk.</p>
<p>Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, and Hariyama fare well against Dark-types such as Absol and Drapion, both of which are deadly to Mesprit as they have the combination of Night Slash and Pursuit available to them. These Pokemon can also switch in relatively easily against Chansey (who walls this set) and start unleashing high-powered attacks.</p>
<p>Support from Reflect or Will-O-Wisp is helpful for this set as it gives Mesprit time to set up more boosts with Calm Mind without being completely physically vulnerable. Weezing is a great option to utilize Will-O-Wisp as it only has one weakness and a great Defense stat. Defensive Arcanine can use Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp to buffer hits from Pokemon like Absol, and has access to Morning Sun to heal itself (while Weezing must depend on Pain Split or Rest). Clefable a great option to set up Reflect as it also has access to Encore, which is able to cripple Pokémon that use boosting or support moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Choice
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: U-turn / Trick
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set sets Mesprit apart from other Psychic-types like Cresselia and Uxie; with a respectable base 105 Attack and a decent movepool, this can be a nasty surprise to those expecting special sets. Zen Headbutt gives Mesprit a reliable physical STAB move use, scoring super effective hits against the likes of Weezing and Venusaur. Trick allows Mesprit to cripple walls, such as Slowbro and Claydol, who take little damage from Mesprit's attacks. Fire Punch is listed as it allows it to deal decent damage to Tangrowth, Registeel, and Steelix. Ice Punch is noted in the final slot as it gives Mesprit more power against opponents like Altaria and Torterra, hitting both threats for 4x super effective damage.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs listed are primarily used for Mesprit with a Choice Scarf. 212 EVs and an Adamant nature allow Mesprit to reach 373 Speed, which lets it outpace non-Scarfed Alakazam and KO with U-turn. Max Attack EVs are a must as Mesprit wants some force behind its attacks. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to give Mesprit a little bulk. If using a Choice Band, a Jolly nature with a spread of 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe allows Mesprit to outspeed neutral natured base 85 Speed Pokémon.</p>
<p>Houndoom makes a great offensive partner for this set as it can deal with pesky Psychic-types, such as Slowbro and Claydol, with STAB Dark Pulse. Since Mesprit is crippled by Will-O-Wisp, Houndoom again gets a mention for being able to switch in and net a boost from Flash Fire. The main users of Will-O-Wisp in the UU tier have trouble with Houndoom; Mismagius takes large amounts of damage from Dark Pulse, while Weezing is OHKOed by Fire Blast after a boost from Flash Fire.</p>
<p>Dark-types cause problems for Mesprit as they are able to switch into Zen Headbutt and threaten Mesprit with Pursuit or Night Slash. It may seem strange due to the additional Ghost and Dark weakness, but a Mismagius with Substitute and Will-O-Wisp can lure out these Pokémon and lower their Attack with a burn. Substitute is suggested so Mismagius isn't KOed when switching against or burning the opponent. The usual Fighting-type Pokemon can switch easily into Dark attacks and strike back with Close Combat.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Choice
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Similar to the set above, Mesprit utilizes Choice items to raise its Speed or offensive stats. Great type coverage makes Mesprit ideal for a Choice set. Using the BoltBeam combination and Psychic allows Mesprit to hit everything besides Magneton and Shedinja in UU for neutral or super effective damage. Psychic is Mesprit's most powerful STAB move, able to deal with Pokémon such as Venusaur and Blaziken. Ice Beam is listed to give great type coverage and hit Altaria, Tangrowth, and Donphan super effectively. Thunderbolt allows you to hit Moltres and Feraligatr for super effective damage. The final slot allows Mesprit to cripple potential counters, such as Clefable and Chansey, with Trick. Hidden Power Ground allows Mesprit to hitSteel-types like Registeel and Magneton, but is an inferior option because it doesn’t do much damage to Registeel and Magneton is relatively rare.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>When using Choice Scarf, 240 EVs and a Modest nature is recommended as it allows Mesprit to reach 384 Speed, outrunning Swellow and enabling it to KO it with Ice Beam or Thunderbolt. Max Special Attack EVs are vital as Mesprit wants as much power as possible. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to give Mesprit a little bulk. If you wish to use Choice Specs, a Timid nature is recommended with a spread of 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe, which allows it to outspeed neutral natured base 85 Speed Pokémon.</p>
<p>Chansey causes problems for this set, being able to switch in on any special-based attacks without taking a lot of damage. . To deal with Chansey, a powerful physical sweeper such as Hitmonlee is a good choice to use as a partner as it is able to KO her with super effective STAB Close Combats. Dark-types are the biggest threat for Mesprit as they can hit it with super effective attacks and Pursuit as it switches out. Hitmonlee also helps deal with this problem.</p>
<p>Using a Chansey of your own is an option as this set is completely walled by Magneton, though you should be cautious of Explosion. Another option to deal with Magneton in Camerupt, who resists everything Magneton can throw at it while being able to KO it back with a STAB Fire- or Ground-type move.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Mesprit appreciates support from Wish as it is unable to recover by itself. Umbreon makes a good choice as it resists Ghost- and Dark-type moves and has great defenses. Umbreon can also cripple Mesprit's counters with Yawn or Toxic.</p>
<p>Steel- and Dark-types cause problems for Mesprit as they are able to wall Mesprit's moves. Hitmonlee is a great choice to remove these threats as it has STAB Close Combat and Mach Punch to defeat them. Stone Edge is helpful for hitting Bug-types. Earthquake is available to hit Drapion super effectively.</p>
<p>Registeel is a great defensive partner for Mesprit as it can switch in on Bug- and Dark-types without trouble and proceed to paralyze them with Thunder Wave. Also, Mesprit is able to switch in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Registeel. This pair allows you to attack from both sides of the spectrum while crippling opponents with moves such as Trick, Thunder Wave, and Stealth Rock.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Since Mesprit has such a wide movepool, there are so many viable options it can use. Charm is great for lowering a physical sweeper's Attack stat, forcing them to use weakened attacks or switch out. Magic Coat is helpful for bouncing back nasty status moves that can cripple Mesprit. Trick Room is a great option with Mesprit's great defensive stats and access to U-turn; using a negative Speed nature with a low Speed IV will make Mesprit slower than many Pokémon in the UU tier. Healing Wish is helpful when setting up screens as it can replenish a weakened teammate's health, although it comes at the cost of Mesprit's life. ThunderPunch is an option on the Physical Choice set as it can hit bulky Water-types, such as Slowbro, for super effective damage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Mesprit isn't an easy Pokémon to counter due to its mixed offensive stats and great movepool; it is able to use any combination of attacks.</p>
<p>Chansey can counter most of Mesprit’s special sets; with her mammoth HP stat and great Special Defense she is able to survive boosted special moves with ease. Chansey can also cripple Mesprit with Toxic or Thunder Wave while weakening it with Seismic Toss. Chansey needs to be careful of Trick, however, as being stuck with a Choice item can make walling much more difficult.</p>
<p>With good prediction, Dark-types are able to switch in on Psychic or Zen Headbutt with an immunity and threaten to damage Mesprit with powerful STAB moves. Houndoom is the best option as it's able to attack from the special side, and Mesprit rarely invests in Special Defense. It also boasts a resistance to Mesprit's Ice-type attacks, giving it more opportunities to switch in than other Dark-types.</p>
<p>Calm Mind Spiritomb is a solid counter to Mesprit as it has an immunity to Psychic moves, while it can set up against unSTABed moves that barely scratch Spiritomb. If Mesprit stays in, it faces a hit from a boosted Dark Pulse or becoming set up fodder. Spiritomb should be careful of Trick. Physical Spiritomb (especially Choice Band variants) is also a threat since it doesn't mind receiving a Choice item, while it threatens Mesprit with Pursuit and Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>Steel-types are good switch-ins because they resist Psychic and Ice Beam. Registeel is a fine option as it takes little damage from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power thanks to its high Special Defense stat. It can then set up Stealth Rock of its own and weaken Mesprit with Iron Head, cripple it with Thunder Wave, or KO it with Explosion. Magneton resists all of Mesprit’s commonly used attacks, but risks getting 2HKOed by Specs Psychic and can be set up on by the Calm Mind set.</p>
<p>Clefable is another great counter to specially-based sets as it has a great HP stat and above average Special Defense. Access to Encore allows it to cripple Mesprit as is sets up Stealth Rock. Mesprit is unable to status Clefable due to Magic Guard, while Trick will usually leave Mesprit with a damaging Toxic Orb.</p>
<p>Physical sets are countered by Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro; with their great defensive stats, they take little damage from most of Mesprit's moves. Slowbro is able to set up Calm Mind, while Milotic can cripple Mesprit with Toxic or Hypnosis. Again, both of these Pokémon must beware of Trick as they can be crippled with a useless Choice item.</p>
