[OVERVIEW]
Blastoise carves itself a niche as a decently bulky Rapid Spin user with coverage moves that complement its role well, such as Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere, targeting common entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Ferrothorn. Mega Blastoise's high Special Attack and good ability in Mega Launcher also make said coverage options hit significantly harder, making it a decent wallbreaker. However, Mega Blastoise's low Speed and lack of any recovery make it easy to wear down and revenge kill. Blastoise also takes up the Mega slot and is therefore very hard to fit on teams, especially considering it faces stiff competition from Starmie, which provides Rapid Spin without the cost of using up a Mega slot and has far more use against offensive teams due to its superior Speed.
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Scald / Hydro Pump
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Aura Sphere / Ice Beam
item: Blastoisinite
ability: Rain Dish
nature: Modest
evs: 184 HP / 252 SpA / 72 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin provides invaluable team support by removing all entry hazards. Scald has decent Base Power and a nice chance to burn the foe. Hydro Pump is an alternative for a more powerful Water-type STAB move, as it most notably has a good chance to 2HKO standard utility Mega Sableye. Dark Pulse has great coverage with Scald, hitting Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Celebi, Starmie, and Slowbro while also hitting Ghost-types that attempt to block Rapid Spin. Aura Sphere allows Blastoise to most notably hit Ferrothorn, as well as Mega Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Keldeo. Ice Beam hits Breloom, Dragalge, and Mega Altaria, as well as hitting Serperior and Thundurus on the switch.
Set Details
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Running maximum Special Attack EVs plus a Modest nature allows Mega Blastoise to hit as hard as possible, while 72 Speed EVs allow Mega Blastoise to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and below. The rest of the EVs go into HP to give it additional bulk. Rain Dish is the preferred ability for Blastoise before it Mega Evolves, as the boost from Torrent is useless.
Usage Tips
========
Find an opportunity to bring in Blastoise safely to Mega Evolve as soon as possible. Use Mega Blastoise's good natural bulk to switch in on resisted or weak neutral attacks and start using powerful special attacks. Mega Blastoise should generally switch into Pokemon that it naturally forces out such as Heatran, Weavile, and Bisharp and use the forced switch as an opportunity to use Scald or Rapid Spin to get rid of entry hazards. Against more offensive teams, try to use the appropriate move for predicted switch-ins. For example, if the opponent has a Water-resistant Pokemon such as Latios or Celebi to switch in, use Dark Pulse on the predicted switch. If the opponent has a Ghost-type, use Dark Pulse, as they may try to predict Rapid Spin to block it. Make sure to not play Blastoise recklessly, as it has no recovery and is prone to being worn down by entry hazards and other residual damage such as poison and burn.
Team Options
========
This set best fits on teams looking for a Pokemon that can reliably break through some balance cores such as Ferrothorn + Heatran while providing Rapid Spin support. Azumarill and bulky Water-types tend to be an issue for this set, especially due to the former resisting every one of Blastoise's moves, so Grass-types such as Serperior, Celebi, and Breloom pair well with it, and they also appreciate Blastoise's ability to switch in on Weavile, Talonflame, and Heatran. Celebi also can pass a Nasty Plot boost to Mega Blastoise, enabling it to dismantle defensive teams with ease, as well as support Mega Blastoise with Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Heal Bell. Tornadus-T is a great partner, as it threatens many Pokemon that give Mega Blastoise troubles such as Mega Venusaur, Serperior, and Breloom while Blastoise takes on Pokemon that tend to give Tornadus issues such as Jirachi and Skarmory. Talonflame is also a decent partner for its ability to threaten Grass-types, though it is strongly recommended to pair both with a check to Electric-types such as Hippowdon, Assault Vest Raikou, or Ferrothorn.
Heatran pairs well with Mega Blastoise, as it switches in on many Pokemon that give Blastoise trouble, such as Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Mega Altaria, while providing Stealth Rock to support Mega Blastoise's wallbreaking abilities. Volcarona is another good teammate, as it appreciates the field being clear of entry hazards while threatening and setting up on Grass-types. Scizor is a decent partner for its ability to threaten Fairy-types such as Clefable and Mega Altaria, both of which can set up on Mega Blastoise. Due to Blastoise having no form of recovery, it is worn down very fast, so Wish support is very useful. On balance teams, Jirachi is a good partner, as it can even bring in Blastoise safely with U-turn, while on stall teams Chansey works well, as it is able to absorb any status ailment aimed at Mega Blastoise due to Natural Cure. Mega Venusaur is an issue for this set, so Psychic-types such as Alakazam, Reuniclus, Victini, and Jirachi pair well with Mega Blastoise. Jirachi is also able to bring Blastoise back to full HP with Healing Wish. Klefki is an interesting partner, as it slows down fast Pokemon with Thunder Wave and supports Mega Blastoise with Spikes, while it appreciates Blastoise's ability to switch in on and threaten Ground- and Fire-type Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mega Blastoise doesn't have too much as far as other moves it can run, but Roar and Dragon Tail are useful for phazing out the foe. Dragon Pulse gets the boost from Mega Launcher and targets Kingdra and Mega Charizard X. Water Pulse is another option for a STAB move, as it gets the boost from Mega Launcher and has a chance to confuse, but generally the burn chance from Scald and the higher Base Power from Hydro Pump make this a lesser option. Rest plus Sleep Talk is another option to have Mega Blastoise act as a better check to Pokemon such as Keldeo and Talonflame. An all-out attacking set with an EV spread of 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe is also an option to have Mega Blastoise act as a more efficient wallbreaker thanks to the additional coverage move, but doing so sacrifices Rapid Spin, which strays away from its main niche over other offensive Water-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Serperior, Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss resist most of Blastoise's moves while threatening back with their respective STAB moves. Mega Venusaur in particular takes very little damage from all of Blastoise's attacks due to Thick Fat.
**Electric-types**: Though most Electric-types such as Thundurus, Mega Manectric, and Raikou cannot switch in safely due to Blastoise's coverage, they all threaten it with their Electric-type STAB moves. Raikou and Mega Manectric in particular can also take away momentum from Mega Blastoise with Volt Switch.
**Mega Altaria**: Mega Altaria only fears Ice Beam, resists every other move from Blastoise, and uses it as setup bait. It also can cure any burns from Scald with Heal Bell or Refresh.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Clefable and Chansey can stomach any hit Mega Blastoise has, restore lost HP with Soft-Boiled, and chip away at it with Moonblast and Seismic Toss, respectively. Clefable can also use Blastoise to set up Calm Mind freely.
**Water-types**: Azumarill is the biggest thorn in Mega Blastoise's side, as it resists every single coverage move that Mega Blastoise throws at it while threatening it with a Choice Band-boosted Play Rough and even using it to safely set up Belly Drum. However, it does not appreciate being burned by Scald. Manaphy is another issue, as Blastoise cannot hit it for super effective damage, while Manaphy can use it to set up Tail Glow and threaten it with Energy Ball.
**Water-Immune Pokemon**: Toxicroak and Gastrodon are both immune to Blastoise's Water-type STAB moves due to their respective abilities. Gastrodon can cripple Blastoise with Toxic, while Toxicroak resists most of its coverage moves and can use it as setup bait.
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