[OVERVIEW]
Musharna's excellent overall bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to check various threats and act as a reliable win condition for balanced and defensive teams. Musharna's solid movepool allows it to play multiple roles on a team, including a bulky sweeper, supportive pivot, and offensive Trick Room attacker. Unfortunately, Musharna often must rely on its bulk to take hits, as its pure Psychic typing has few useful resistances, and its extremely low Speed forces it to recover often and almost always take hits before responding.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Signal Beam / Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Musharna's Special Attack and Special Defense, making it difficult to take down after multiple boosts. Psyshock is a decently powerful STAB move that hits Pokemon on their physical defense, allowing Musharna to outlast and defeat other Calm Mind users such as Mega Audino and Xatu. Alternatively, Psychic can be used to hit physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mawile, and Weezing harder, as well as hitting harder unboosted than Psyshock. Moonlight recovers half of Musharna's HP. Signal Beam provides excellent coverage alongside Psyshock, hitting Dark-types such as Malamar, Liepard, and Sneasel. Alternatively, Baton Pass can be used to allow Musharna to act as a pivot early-game before boosting, weaken damage taken from Pursuit, and pass accumulated boosts to a teammate. Barrier is another alternative in the last slot that allows Musharna to increase its already high Defense stat to extreme levels. Stored Power is an option over Psyshock when used with Barrier, as the cumulative stat boosts greatly increase the damage output of Stored Power. However, Stored Power is not preferred most of the time, as it is extremely weak before multiple boosts. Heal Bell allows Musharna to support itself and its teammates by removing detrimental status conditions and also synergizes well with Synchronize, allowing Musharna to switch into status users more freely.
Set Details
========
Leftovers provides passive recovery, which is very important while boosting. Synchronize cripples status users, but without Heal Bell Musharna dislikes getting hit with a status move. The given EV spread and a Bold nature maximize Musharna's physical bulk and hit a Leftovers number in HP. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread of 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SpD with a Calm nature can be used to allow Musharna to set up on powerful special attackers such as Magneton and Magmortar.
Usage Tips
========
Musharna should pivot into neutral or resisted physical attacks from the likes of Tauros, Sawk, and Gurdurr in order to gain momentum with Baton Pass or set up boosts. Baton Pass is best used early-game to maintain momentum and can also be useful later on, if possible, to pass boosts to a teammate. Set up on weak defensive Pokemon lacking Toxic, such as Togetic and Flareon, or Poison- and Fighting-types that Musharna forces out, such as Weezing, Vileplume, Hariyama, and Primeape. Use Moonlight to recover HP when Musharna is around or below 60% HP. However, be wary of Moonlight's low PP.
Team Options
========
Checks to Dark-type Pokemon that consistently pressure Musharna such as Pawniard, Malamar, and Sneasel are important to aid Musharna's sweep. Good examples of teammates that fit this role include Gurdurr, Mega Audino, and Mawile. In particular, offensive variants of Mega Audino can lure in typical answers to Musharna and eliminate them with coverage moves. Note that having Dark-type checks is still very helpful even if Musharna is carrying Signal Beam, as some of them can take an unboosted Signal Beam and retaliate with a powerful STAB move. Fast special attackers, such as Choice Scarf Lilligant, Pyroar, and Choice Specs Swellow, appreciate being passed Calm Mind boosts. In addition, fast special attackers are particularly helpful thanks to their high Speed, which allows them to pressure offensive Pokemon that can otherwise overwhelm Musharna. Pokemon that appreciate having a teammate that resists Fighting and a pivot to fall back on, such as Regirock, Kangaskhan, and Ferroseed, find a good teammate in Musharna. Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Lanturn, Rotom, Scyther, and Primeape, pair well with Musharna's Baton Pass. Pursuit trappers, such as Sneasel, Tauros, and Liepard, can eliminate Ghost-types such as Rotom and Mismagius that threaten Musharna with powerful STAB attacks or Trick.
[SET]
name: Pivot
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Thunder Wave / Signal Beam / Healing Wish
item: Leftovers / Colbur Berry
ability: Synchronize
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonlight recovers Musharna's HP, and Psychic is a strong STAB move. Psychic is preferred over Psyshock for increased damage against physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Garbodor, and Vileplume. Baton Pass keeps up momentum and weakens damage from a boosted Pursuit. Thunder Wave cripples fast offensive Pokemon such as Sneasel, Tauros, and Mismagius. Signal Beam provides coverage against Dark-type Pokemon, most notably Malamar. Healing Wish can be used to revive a weakened teammate, which is particularly useful for setup sweepers. Yawn puts the opposing Pokemon to sleep, potentially forcing a switch and thus working well in tandem with Baton Pass. Heal Bell is another alternative that cures Musharna and its teammates of status conditions.
Set Details
========
Leftovers provides Musharna passive recovery, while a Colbur Berry can be used to weaken the damage from one Dark-type attack. Synchronize cripples opposing status users, but, without Heal Bell, getting hit by status moves is detrimental to Musharna. The given EV spread and a Bold nature maximize Musharna's physical bulk and hit a Leftovers number in HP. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread of 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SpD with a Calm nature can be used to allow Musharna to better handle powerful special attackers such as Samurott lacking Taunt and Magmortar.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best used as a pivot into physical attacks, preferably resisted hits from the likes of Gurdurr and Hariyama. While Musharna can effectively pivot into these attackers, they all carry Knock Off, and losing the passive recovery Leftovers provides is quite bothersome for Musharna, as it forces Musharna to use Moonlight more often. If Colbur Berry is used, pivoting into Fighting-types is less concerning, as it weakens the damage taken from Knock Off. Early-game, using Baton Pass after pivoting into an attack is typically the best option in order to keep up momentum. Use Healing Wish when Musharna is low on HP or if you need to revive a weakened teammate. In addition, the utility of Healing Wish allows you to play much more recklessly with setup sweepers. Status moves are best used to catch offensive Pokemon on the switch, particularly Dark-types, which are common switch-ins to Musharna. Note that Yawn often forces the opponent to switch out after it is used; as such, Musharna should Baton Pass out afterwards. Use Moonlight to recover HP when Musharna is around or below 60% HP.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn, such as Rotom, Lanturn, Scyther, and Liepard, pair well to form a pivot core with Musharna's Baton Pass. Slower wallbreakers such as Magmortar and Aurorus appreciate fast Pokemon being slowed down with Thunder Wave, as well as the momentum provided by Baton Pass. Pokemon such as Mawile, Gurdurr, and Mega Audino are good teammates for Musharna, as they check Dark-type Pokemon. Setup sweepers, such as Sneasel, Lilligant, Samurott, and Ninetales, appreciate the support provided by Healing Wish, which gives them a second chance at sweeping.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Signal Beam
move 4: Moonlight / Healing Wish
item: Life Orb
ability: Synchronize
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room allows slower Pokemon such as Musharna to move first. Psychic is a strong STAB move that hits hard and is used over Psyshock for its higher Base Power and greater damage against physically bulky Pokemon such as Vileplume and Gourgeist. Signal Beam provides excellent coverage alongside Psychic, hitting Dark-types such as Malamar and Sneasel as well as opposing Psychic-types such as Mesprit and Uxie for super effective damage. Moonlight recovers Musharna's HP. Alternatively, Healing Wish can be used to revive a weakened teammate; moreover, Musharna doesn't often have the opportunity to recover, as this set fits well on more offensively inclined teams.
Set Details
========
Life Orb gives a significant boost to Musharna's damage output. Synchronize cripples opposing status users, but without Heal Bell getting hit by status moves is detrimental to Musharna. Maximum Special Attack EVs are used to hit as hard as possible. A Quiet nature and a 0 Speed IV allow Musharna to outspeed as many threats as possible under Trick Room.
Usage Tips
========
Without any Defense investment, this set is not meant to take hits very well. Set up Trick Room when Musharna threatens out a foe and proceed to launch powerful attacks. Don't try to sweep until Musharna's checks and counters are eliminated. Use Healing Wish when Musharna is low on HP or when it is the last turn of Trick Room to revive a weakened teammate.
Team Options
========
Other Trick Room setters, such as Carbink, (Mega) Audino, and Uxie, and other Trick Room sweepers, such as Beheeyem and Exeggutor, make for good teammates. While this set can be effective on dedicated Trick Room teams, it can also function well on slower balanced teams that need a way to turn the tables against offensive teams. Setup sweepers such as Bouffalant and Mawile appreciate Trick Room, which alleviates their low Speed, and also appreciate Healing Wish, which gives them a second chance at sweeping. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Gurdurr and Hariyama, check the Dark-types which threaten Musharna.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Magic Coat bounces back entry hazards and status moves. Hidden Power Fire specifically targets Ferroseed, while Hidden Power Ground targets Probopass and Mawile. Energy Ball deals heavy damage to Quagsire and Rhydon but has little use outside of that. A Kee Berry can be used to increase Musharna's Defense upon taking an attack. Choice Specs can be used to greatly increase Musharna's damage output, but Musharna prefers the ability to switch up moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types, such as Liepard, Sneasel, Malamar, and Pawniard, can overwhelm Musharna with their Dark-type attacks or, depending on Musharna's set, can even set up on it. Pawniard separates itself from the other Dark-types due to its neutrality to Signal Beam.
**Taunt**: Taunt users, such as Archeops, Mismagius, and Samurott, prevent Musharna from accomplishing the majority of its roles, thereby nullifying it.
**Status**: If Musharna is not running Heal Bell, status can quickly wear it down. However, the opposing status user has to be wary of Synchronize. Toxic is the most detrimental status condition for Musharna, as it quickly chips away at its health and forces it to heal more often.
**Trick**: Pokemon that use Trick, such as Mesprit, Rotom, and Jynx, can limit Musharna's utility by locking it into one move.
**Wallbreakers**: Heavy-hitting Pokemon and wallbreakers such as Samurott, Sawk, Pyroar, and Kangaskhan can quickly overwhelm Musharna and force it to recover more often.
**Bug-types**: Bulky Swords Dance Scyther can shrug off Musharna's attacks and set up alongside it, dealing heavy damage with STAB Aerial Ace or Bug Bite. Choice Band Scyther has a much harder time consistently switching into Musharna, but it deals significantly more damage with its attacks. Pinsir deals heavy damage to Musharna with a powerful STAB X-Scissor. Note that both of these Pokemon can struggle against Barrier variants of Musharna.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Klinklang, Probopass, and Ferroseed resist Musharna's STAB moves and can also hit it with a Toxic without getting poisoned in return by Synchronize. Klinklang is the only one that is crippled by Musharna's Thunder Wave, but it can dodge that with Substitute. Pawniard and Mawile can also use Musharna as setup fodder, as the former is immune to Musharna's STAB moves and the latter shrugs off Psyshocks with ease. Note that defensive Steel-types such as Probopass, Mawile, and Ferroseed must carry Toxic in order not to be setup fodder for Calm Mind Musharna.
**Entry Hazards**: Multiple layers of Spikes in combination with Stealth Rock limit the amount of times that Musharna can comfortably switch in to take attacks. They also force Musharna to use Moonlight more often instead of pivoting.
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