Respect the post, but I'll go over the reasons why these things are not nearly as good of checks to moon as you say. Most of them are "knock cripples them for the rest of the game", which is something a lot of other offensive threats cannot do.
Lando always lives a DD-boosted hit. It chips Moon with U-Turn and Helmet to put it in range of priority like Sucker, Clap, E-Speed, etc. Lando also can tech Rock Tomb/Stone Edge to check it on its own.
Offensive lando can die to a +1 knock off, but defensive lando always does live. However, it has to lose its item in return, which is big as lando now cannot be switching in as easily to get chip.
Gliscor gets off a Toxic vs non-Taunt variants. Like Lando, it can U-Turn into something like Weavile.
U-turn doesn't even show up in the April statistics, its not used all that often. Technically, it can get a toxic off, but moon can just dd in its face to get to +2 since it can't do much to it otherwise (e-quake does 46% max, so it can threaten a 2hit ko potentially but it will most likely die in return), which something is going to have to take and its not going to like it due to being a really powerful move.
R-Bolt can Tera Fairy into an incoming EQ. It checks Taunt DD very nicely. It also punishes Tera Flying with Thunderclap. Even Adamant Knock doesn’t scratch this.
Tera'ing shouldn't really be your resort, but bolt still can't take an e-q well as it is 2hit-ko'd by it. The raging bolt does threaten a ko in return with d-pulse, but a mon that has to tera AND still takes massive damage even then isn't really a good answer. Does well against taunt DD, but still has to take big damage.
Zama can Tera Steel and Roar the Roaring Moon out. Defensive Tera is not usually an argument, but with something that only fits on HO, I think its fair. Specially since it doesn’t hinder Zama much. Mirror Herb Zama also completely destroys this.
Mirror Herb does destroy this, but that's at 4% usage, so not common. I do think that this isn't really an arguement, since Zama is able to fit on more than HO, its quite good on balance as a blanket physical check and a late game wincon (I think this is what you are saying, but if you are talking about moon it can also be used on balance as a late game wincon too). If it doesn't tera, yeah, it just goes bye bye, since +1 acro 2hit kos.
Mola can fish for burns or pivot into R-Bolt, Weavile, Lando, Dnite, or Gambit. Not actually that reliable.
Admitted this isn't reliable. Mola is actually moon setup tbh. Like, just dd on it, they get a burn but you can dd so the burn is nullified, which is great. Also relies on a really inconsistent burn chance, 30% is not reliable enough.
One player used Dtail Dnite as a Moon check and it worked well. Even outside that, Dnite 2HKOs with Ice Spinner + E-Speed, or two Tera Normal E-Speeds. Depending on the matchup, trading Multiscale away to handle Moon should be fine. Just be mindful about the rare Tera Ghost.
Does win, but has to then start sweeping as its multiscale is broken and its boots are off. But it can't do much other than get an e-speed off.
PhysD Garg can trade with Moon or 1v1 with Tera Fairy. Pre-Tera Garg also lives a +1 EQ after rocks.
PhysD Garg does trade with moon, but it is going to be crippled by knock, as its lefties are part of the reason it can do its bs. The more normal Garg set, Sp.D Garg, does not live a +1 EQ after rocks, which is big.
Ting-Lu can Whirlwind non-Taunt variants out or chip it in range of priority with Ruination.
Moon knocks off Ting's item, which is something Ting hates unless it is running red card. No lefties means it has no recovery, making every bit of chip worth it, while no HDB means it can't switch in with hazards up as often. Ting lu also does not like taking +1 hits from moon, even +1 knock does 25% min and acro is a 3hit ko. It can phaze out moon or chip it into priority range, but not at a severe cost to it.
Weavile doesn’t eat a +1 hit, but it can rkill it after Moon gets chipped into range which isn’t hard to do in a game-to-game basis.
Yes, weavile can revenge kill it, but you have to use another mon to chip it into range, which is around 45% to consistently kill. This is a big ask to have, which while possible is going to eat up your resources a lot. You can tera ice, but you still have to get it to 60% hp, doable but again a big ask. Something like toxic gliscor + weavile can work, but you are giving up gliscor in order for weavile to do its job.
Perhaps the closest to being a hard check. Living a hit at full and either threatening to cripple with T-Wave or Sticky Barb.
Clefable is a bad matchup to moon, but it can't take 2 +1 moon acros as it is ko'd. As you said, it can win, but in a game where clef is going to be chipped, it can lose. Even with 20% chip, not something that I think is hard to acheive, then it is kod by +1 tera flying acro.
Corv can live a hit and chip with RH + U-Turn for its teammates.
Yes, it can live a hit, but it is going to have to take big damage, +1 knock does 56% min, and lose its rocky helmet, meaning its only doing that chip once. That is doing about 50%, which as shown above, is not enough for weavile ice shard to consistently ko unless they tera ice. It can then come in again to bp, but that means something else is ko'd and corv is basically dead.
Mid mon. Skarm beats non-Taunt variants.
Does beat it. Also, please start using bb skarm. Like, iron defensing already invites so many things, so attacking is much better. I'll provide a sample below. Also interested in drill run skarm, which can threaten bolt for about 25% min, which is nice.
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Body Press
It doesn’t live a +1 Knock, nor does it like to switch in, but it can rkill with Bullet Punch. CB Tera Steel BP also outright kills this after a bit of chip
Has to be a revenge killer, meaning that something else is already ko'd, but is a really good revenge killer, so I'll give you that.
Ditch the old Zapdos spread. Go full-out with physical bulk since you avoid a 2HKO from Tusk Ice Spinner anyways and it has far more benefits like avoiding an OHKO from +2 Tera Dark Val and more importantly, living a +1 Knock from Moon.
+1 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zapdos: 261-307 (67.9 - 79.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Though you lose Boots, Zapdos can trade with Moon to get off a T-Wave or lucky Static proc. For Taunt Moon you can always run Discharge which can still land consistent paralysis.
Moltres is the same except burns are much more damaging to Moon.
+1 252 Atk Protosynthesis Tera Flying Roaring Moon Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 248 HP / 248+ Def Moltres: 285-336 (74.4 - 87.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I mean, they are so crippled by moon knock it is not even funny. Zap can deal with knock but will not like it very much, but moltres basically just rolls over and gives up. Also you don't need to tera in order to deal with molt, +1 knock deals pleanty damage to it.
+1 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 248+ Def Moltres: 252-297 (65.7 - 77.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
These are mons that have to rely on a 30% proc chance in order to win, which is not very reliable.
Vs non-Taunt variants, G-Weez does well into it if you opt to run Levitate. It eats any +1 hit and threatens with Wisp.
Depends on what set it is running, yes it can always live a +1 attack, but on a mon with no reliable recovery, that is big, and then having to rely on 85% accuracy is not good. On levitate variants, +1 acro 2hit kos. Strange steam does threaten an OHKO back, so that is an option.
Tankchomp is pretty unexplored in the meta. RH + Rough Skin punishes physical attackers or U-Turn spam all while providing Spikes and a phazer to the team. Basically a faster more physically-oriented Ting-Lu with a free Helmet. Chomp also outright checks Moon, always tanking a +1 hit and Dtailing it out.
+1 252 Atk Protosynthesis Tera Flying Roaring Moon Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 216+ Def Garchomp: 282-333 (67.1 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after 1 layer of Spikes
Garchomp does check it (I'm more interested in sweeper chomp, liquidation is a move that other grounds besides clod and technically gliscor who has crabhammer, don't have), but it still is going to get its item knocked off.
Overall, these mons can try to check moon, but they either have to have lots of things go right for them, or are going to be crippled for the rest of the match. Again, I do think that we should experiment more with moon, it can do more than just DD and 3A or 2A and taunt. Yes, these sets don't replicate the exact things moon is doing now, but that's not the point. It's to diversify its sets which will threaten different things in the meta.