[Overview]
<p>When you hear people talking in veiled whispers about actually using an Ice-type Pokemon in OU, one of the few they'll be talking about is Mamoswine. Mamoswine's unique typing provides a neutrality to Stealth Rock, immunity to both hail and sandstorm, and an incredibly potent offensive STAB combination that is resisted only by Bronzong in all of DPP OU. This, in conjunction with Mamoswine's gigantic base 130 Attack stat, STAB Earthquake, and access to priority in the form of Ice Shard, leaves little to imagination as to how Mamoswine survives in a metagame so hostile to Ice-type Pokemon.</p>
<p>Mamoswine is a powerful Pokemon, but as an Ice-type, it carries all of their associated and unfortunate weaknesses. With the prevalence of Steel-, Fighting-, Water-, and Fire-type attacks in OU, a vast number of offensive Pokemon have the ability to outspeed and OHKO Mamoswine with one of their typical attacks. This makes it difficult to get Mamoswine into play, as his only free switch-ins is are on predicted Electric-type attacks. As if to make matters worse, Mamoswine is cursed with very mediocre Speed, leaving him to be outsped by many common Pokemon in the tier. Despite these enormous setbacks, Mamoswine maintains his position as a moderate threat and potent wallbreaker.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Shard
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Superpower / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is designed to do what Mamoswine does best: knock the stuffing out of things. With excellent type coverage and a base 130 Attack stat, opponents will constantly be playing a deadly guessing game of prediction in order to switch in something that can take Mamoswine's chosen attack. Despitethat this set is so reliable on prediction, it yields an enormous payout if played correctly.</p>
<p>Mamoswine's Earthquake is the third-most powerful in the game, so there's no doubt that it'llbe on this set. Despite its low Base Power, Ice Shard is a strong move that can snipe and eliminate the many Ice-weak Pokemon in OU. Stone Edge is Mamoswine's best option against Gyarados, and with a Choice Band it can even OHKO physically defensive Zapdos after Stealth Rock damage. Superpower is an immensely powerful attack, chosen for an immediate OHKO on Blissey and to deal non-negligible decent damage to Bronzong and Skarmory switch-ins. Stealth Rock is useful on Mamoswine that carry Life Orb because he forces many switches with his power and can easily set it up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Mamoswine isa simple beast, and so too as is his EV spread. 252 Attack and Speed EVs are used so that Mamoswine hits as hard and as quickly as possible. The remaining 4 EVs are placed in Defense, as Mamoswine's HP stat is already very high. Jolly is the preferred nature so that Mamoswine can outspeed Naive Heatran and Adamant Lucario and OHKO both with Earthquake. Adamant is still an option, however, as the added power is significant. The item choice depends on how you want to use Mamoswine. Choice Band is preferred, as Mamoswine's resulting monumental Attack stat will destroy virtually anything that doesn't resist hisattacks. However, the Choice Band set relies immensely on prediction, as since giving Pokemon like Gyarados or Zapdos free switch-ins with Earthquake is never a good idea. Life Orb gives Mamoswine the flexibility of alternating between attacks to ease prediction at the cost of some of his HP per hit and reduced damage output. If using Stealth Rock, Life Orb should definitely be chosen over Choice Band so that Mamoswine is not locked into it. Ice Fang can be used over Superpower because it is quite a bit more powerful than Ice Shard and will 2HKO physically defensive Celebi. It is generally an inferior option, though, because between Stone Edge and Ice Shard, Mamoswine still achieves most necessary OHKOs and 2HKOs through Stone Edge and Ice Shard.</p>
<p>With Stealth Rock in the last slot instead of Superpower, Mamoswine can make eitheran excellent attacking lead or an excellent complement to another attacking lead such as Machamp. Mamoswine loathes the defensive, Ground-immune Steel-types, Bronzong and Skarmory. Bronzong can OHKO Mamoswine with Gyro Ball while Skarmory will can set up on Mamoswine and then Whirlwind him away. Scizor causes similar problems with his ability to survive even a Choice Band Earthquake and OHKO Mamoswine back with Bullet Punch. It might be tempting to pair Mamoswine with Magnezone, which nearly perfectly stops these three Steel-types in their tracks, but because Magnezone shares a Fire- and Fighting-type weakness with Mamoswine, alternative partners are recommended. Heatran makes for an excellent teammate forhis ability to reliably beat Skarmory, Bronzong, and Scizor, and for having a his 4x resistance to Steel-type attacks and an his immunity to Fire-type attacks. It is important that you be wary of Earthquake when switching Heatran into Bronzong or Superpower when switching him it into Scizor, though. Gyarados will try to switch into Earthquake, Intimidate Mamoswine, and proceed to set up Dragon Dance. Rotom-H makes a superb teammate for Mamoswine for its ability to take down Gyarados, OHKO Lucario and Skarmory with Overheat and Thunderbolt, respectively, and burn Bronzong switch-ins with Will-O-Wisp. Infernape can switch in on a predicted Ice Shard and threaten to OHKO Mamoswine with either STAB attack, so a Gyarados of your own is a good choice to take care of it. Starmie can also take on Infernape and simultaneously remove the entry hazards that Mamoswine doesn't particularly enjoy, but Starmie won't want to switch into Scizor.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Endeavor / Stone Edge
item: Focus Sash
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mamoswine makes for a surprisingly effective lead, even with his middling below average Speed stat, due to hisexcellent STAB attacking types, access to priority in Ice Shard, and Stealth Rock. Mamoswine's Attack stat and STAB Earthquake let him seriously hurt Metagross and OHKO Heatran leads through Shuca Berry. He can also set up Stealth Rock reliably due to the switches he forces. Mamoswine is can also be functional later in the match with his excellent type coverage and powerful STAB priority.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is an important asset for leads, and Mamoswine sets it up well with his respectable usableSpeed and strong offensive presence. Earthquake and Ice Shard are Mamoswine's STAB attacks on this set, providing him with both a combination of high-power and priority for crippling tanks and picking off faster leads respectively. The last slot has can include a couple of options that Mamoswine can take advantage of. Endeavor is recommended since he will often be taken down to 1 HP with his Focus Sash, allowing him to cripple an opposing Pokemon before finally ultimately being taken down. However, stone Edge can be used as a more reliable means to deal with Gyarados switch-ins that will attempt to set up on Mamoswine, though.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack and Speed EVs are standard, allowing Mamoswine to hit as hard and as fast as possible. The nature can be a difficult decision for this set, though. An Adamant nature is necessary to OHKO Shuca Berry Heatran with Earthquake, whereas a Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed the same Heatran. Jolly tends to be more useful later in the game for outpacing Pokemon like Jolly Breloom and Adamant Lucario, but the damage boost from Adamant is significant and can make Zapdos and Gyarados switch-ins think twice about trying to set up on Mamoswine. A Focus Sash is necessary to survive attacks from opposing leads so that Mamoswine can KO them in return. Protect is worth a mention for use in the last slot over Endeavor or and Stone Edge since it enables Mamoswine to beat Infernape leads. It generally has less late-game utility than the suggested options, but it can be useful on specific teams that have major trouble with lead Infernape.</p>
<p>Mamoswine has trouble with Jirachi and Bronzong leads, so Magnezone makes for a wonderful partner, even though it shares two common weaknesses with Mamoswine. Magnezone is also useful for beating Scizor that tend to switch into Mamoswine. Mamoswine doesn't like facing down Azelf leads, so having a Choice Scarf Tyranitar on your team will help a lot with this, despite compounding the Scizor weakness. Machamp leads are obnoxious andwill, in their obnoxious nature (lol don't have to add that if you don't want to), avoid a 2HKO from Earthquake followed by Ice Shard, but however they will take serious damage from Earthquake regardless. Similarly, Infernape leads will beat Mamoswine that lack Protect. Because of this, it is worth having a bulky Gyarados on your team to switch into both Machamp and Infernape without much issue. Starmie is a good partner if you picked Endeavor as the last move, as it can handle Infernape well, get rid of Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin, and handle other leads that give Mamoswine trouble. Lastly, Rotom-A is an excellent partner to lead Mamoswine for being able to deal with the Gyarados that love setting up on him and for its immunity to Machamp's DynamicPunch and Azelf's Explosion.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Mamoswine partners effectively with a lot of Pokemon in OU. Because of his wallbreaking potential, hepairs up well with Pokemon that appreciate having such walls weakened or eliminated altogether. Gyarados and Heatran pair the best with Mamoswine by taking because they take care of his checks and generally appreciating appreciate his offensive presence. Gyarados also gets a special mention for luring the Electric-type attacks that can get Mamoswine in for free. Magnezone can function well as a partner to all Mamoswine for its ability to eliminate the Steel-types that he Mamoswine hates, but special care must be taken for the their common Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses between the two. Rotom-A, Rotom-H in particular, makes an excellent defensive and offensive partner to Mamoswine for being able to threaten Steel-types with Overheat and take the Fighting- and Steel-type attacks aimed at Mamoswine. Rotom-A also poses a threat to Gyarados that like to attempt a setup against Mamoswine.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Mamoswine has a few notable options that hecan use to great effect and to beat his normal checks. When used in hail, Blizzard can be used off of Mamoswine's decent base 70 Special Attack stat with a Life Orb to 2HKO Skarmory. Bite can be useful for hurting Rotom-A and Azelf, although it is too weak to be useful anywhere else. An Expert Belt or NeverMeltIce is usable as an item to bluff the standard Choice Band set and score some surprise KOs against Pokemon that would normally love to set up on a Choice-locked Earthquake, such as Zapdos, Gliscor, or Gyarados. Choice Scarf Mamoswine can be useful to catch your opponent off-guard with the added Speed. Because Mamoswine has access to STAB Ice Shard, however, it typically is in his best interests to run an item that boosts damage in some form. Mamoswine can also set up one of either Reflect or Light Screen on the switches that his offensive presence forces as he forces switches with his offensive prowess, but this role is generally better left to durable defensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Mamoswine can run a set of Ice Shard, Earthquake, and Endeavor, and with either Substitute or Endure in the last slot in order to lure in and remove Pokemon that typically beat Mamoswine, such as Scizor or and Bronzong. This set, when used with either a Liechi Berry or Salac Berry, can be effective due to Mamoswine's immunity to both hail and sandstorm, but although it is easily foiled by phazing from the likes of Skarmory. Mamoswine is almost always better off using the Physical Attacker set instead and leaving the handling of Scizor and friends to other Pokemon that are better suited for it.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As an Ice-type Pokemon, Mamoswine has a rather unhealthy list of responses in the OU metagame. One of the things that makes Mamoswine viable in OU is that if the opponent mispredicts, they will likely lose a Pokemon due to Mamoswine's raw power and STAB type coverage. Jirachi, Lucario, and Scizor can all switch into an Ice-type attack and threaten to OHKO Mamoswine with their STAB attacks, but will be maimed by Earthquake in the process. Similarly, Gyarados and Zapdos will try to switch into Earthquake and either set up on Mamoswine (in Gyarados's case) or attempt to seriously damage himwith Heat Wave (in Zapdos's case). Levitate Bronzong is a textbook counter to anything Mamoswine will try to do, bar Choice Band Superpower. It shrugs off all of Mamoswine's other attacks and can take himdown with a super effective Gyro Ball. Skarmory functions in a similar manner, despite having a neutrality to Ice-type attacks, but will instead set up Spikes on Mamoswine and then Whirlwind him away. Because of Ice Shard's low Base Power, even very defensive Pokemon that are weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Hippowdon and Celebi, can check Mamoswine and can either set up or threaten him effectively and set up on or threaten him. Dual Screen Uxie and Cresselia can switch into and set up on any move with their high defensive stats and immunities to Earthquake.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Mamoswine partners effectively with a lot of Pokemon in OU. Because of his its wallbreaking potential, he it pairs up well with Pokemon that appreciate having such walls weakened or eliminated altogether. Gyarados and Heatran pair the best with Mamoswine by taking because they take care of his its checks and generally appreciating appreciate his offensive presence. Gyarados also gets a special mention for luring the Electric-type attacks that can get Mamoswine in for free. Magnezone can function well as a partner to all Mamoswine for its ability to eliminate the Steel-types that heMamoswine hates, but special care must be taken for the both of their common Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses between the two. Rotom-A, Rotom-H in particular, makes an excellent defensive and offensive partner to Mamoswine for being able to threaten Steel-types with Overheat and take the Fighting- and Steel-type attacks aimed at Mamoswine. Rotom-A also poses a threat to Gyarados that like to attempt a setup against Mamoswine.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Mamoswine has a few notable options that he it can use to great effect and to beat his normal checks. When used in hail, Blizzard can be used off of Mamoswine's decent base 70 Special Attack stat with a Life Orb to 2HKO Skarmory. Bite can be useful for hurting Rotom-A and Azelf, although it is too weak to be useful anywhere else. An Expert Belt or NeverMeltIce is usable as an item to bluff the standard Choice Band set and score some surprise KOs against Pokemon that would normally love to set up on a Choice-locked Earthquake, such as Zapdos, Gliscor, or Gyarados. Choice Scarf Mamoswine can be useful to catch your opponent off-guard with the added Speed. Because Mamoswine has access to STAB Ice Shard, however, it typically is in his its best interests to run an item that boosts damage in some form. Mamoswine can also set up one of Reflect or Light Screen on the switches that his offensive presence forces as it forces a switch, but this role is generally better left to durable defensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Mamoswine can run a set of Ice Shard, Earthquake, and Endeavor, and with either Substitute or Endure in the last slot in order to lure in and remove Pokemon that typically beat Mamoswine, such as Scizor or andbutalthough it is easily foiled by phazing from the likes of Skarmory. Mamoswine is almost always better off using the Physical Attacker set instead and leaving the handling of Scizor and friends to other Pokemon that are better suited for it.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As an Ice-type Pokemon, Mamoswine has a rather unhealthy list of responses in the OU metagame. One of the things that makes Mamoswine viable in OU is that if the opponent mispredicts, they will likely lose a Pokemon due to Mamoswine's raw power and STAB type coverage. Jirachi, Lucario, and Scizor can all switch into an Ice-type attack and threaten to OHKO Mamoswine with their STAB attacks, but will be maimed by Earthquake in the process. Similarly, Gyarados and Zapdos will try to switch into Earthquake and either set up on Mamoswine (in Gyarados's case) or attempt to seriously damage him it with Heat Wave (in Zapdos's case). Levitate Bronzong is a textbook counter to anything Mamoswine will try to do, bar Choice Band Superpower. It shrugs off all of Mamoswine's other attacks and can take him Mamoswine down with a super effective Gyro Ball. Skarmory functions in a similar manner, despite having a neutrality to Ice-type attacks, but will instead set up Spikes on Mamoswine and then Whirlwind him away. Because of Ice Shard's low Base Power, even very defensive Pokemon that are weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Hippowdon and Celebi, can check Mamoswine and can either set up or threaten him effectively and set up on or threaten him. Dual Screen Uxie and Cresselia can switch into and set up on any move with their high defensive stats and immunities to Earthquake.</p>
Bronzong. This set, when used with either a Liechi Berry or Salac Berry, can be effective due to Mamoswine's immunity to both hail and sandstorm,
