Carracosta (Analysis)

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Carracosta

Status: Analysis written: awaiting GP checks.
QC Approval: Iconic, Delta 2777, Bloo
GP Checks: jc104, Ray Jay (stamping Accidental Greed's check)


[Overview]

<p>Carracosta is one of the newest fossil Pokemon, and it seems to be bringing in some of its own brand of turtle power. It can be an effective physical tank with its stellar Defense, five resistances, and Solid Rock; when backed by Sandstorm, it can also take some special hits. However, it is with Shell Smash where it shines. Carracosta is arguably the strongest user of Shell Smash in terms of sheer power, sporting Base 108 Atk and Base 83 SpA, which are doubled thanks to Shell Smash.</p>

<p>While Carracosta has many things going for it, it is not without faults. It is horribly slow; even with a Shell Smash boost, a neutral-natured Carracosta won't be outrunning Base 100 Speed Pokemon. Its movepool is also lackluster, consisting of mostly Water-, Rock-, and Normal-type attacks. While Solid Rock helps in tanking hits, Carracosta's base Special Defense is also poor, in addition to lacking any recovery move outside of the unreliable Rest. To top it off, the Water / Rock typing brings about four common weaknesses, including a crippling Grass-type weakness. Still, don't let those faults convince you to forgo Carracosta. It can be a great sweeper or wallbreaker if played correctly.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Jet
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Carracosta is one of the few Pokemon to receive the blessings of Shell Smash, doubling its great offenses and boosting its lackluster Speed to acceptable levels. Bring in Carracosta on something it can easily take on and set up a Shell Smash. After one Shell Smash, Carracosta reaches an attack stat of 630 (819 with Life Orb) and a speed stat of 358, outspeeding Base 113 Pokemon by one point. From there, use the coverage of Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type attacks to deal destructive damage. Waterfall is Carracosta's primary Water-type STAB move, with the added advantage of possibly flinching opponents. However, there are still some notable Pokemon, such as Sand Rush Excadrill under Sandstorm, who will still outrun Carracosta. For that reason, Aqua Jet is perfectly acceptable, especially if you go with an Adamant nature. Although not as damaging as Waterfall, after one boost, Carracosta can OHKO Excadrill, possibly the most threatening sweeper under Sandstorm. Even without a boost, Carracosta can 2HKO Excadrill with Aqua Jet.</p>

<p>The choice of Rock-type STAB between Stone Edge and Rock Slide comes down to the age-old power vs. accuracy argument, but note that Rock Slide has the potential to flinch foes, much like Waterfall can. Earthquake rounds out the coverage in this set, hitting Steel-type foes, such as Metagross and Cobalion, harder while also helping against Electric-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Although Aqua Tail isn't listed here, it can still be used over the other two Water type moves, being slightly more powerful. The risk it poses is its minor inaccuracy, which Carracosta can't really afford, having weakened its defenses after Shell Smash. If you aren't satisfied with the offensive output from a Jolly nature, an Adamant nature can be used to sport an impressive 899 Attack (accounting for Life Orb). The downside is that at most, Carracosta will tie with Base 99 Speed Pokemon, meaning Carracosta will most assuredly want Aqua Jet to get the jump on faster foes while taking advantage of that increased Attack by using Stone Edge. The item choice comes down to survivability versus power output. Life Orb is the best choice should you desire a higher damage output after one boost. However, White Herb deserves a special mention for preserving Carracosta's defenses after a Shell Smash boost. If played correctly, Carracosta may even snatch a second boost.</p>

<p>This set has no reliable way to battle Ferrothorn and bulky Grass-types, since Ferrothorn takes neutral damage from Earthquake and most bulky Grass-types can survive a boosted Stone Edge. For that reason, the best partners are Magnezone and Infernape. Magnezone can trap Ferrothorn and proceed for the quick OHKO with Hidden Power Fire while Infernape can do the same to Ferrothorn in addition to having STAB on Fire-type attacks, making combating Grass-types an easy prospect.</p>

[SET]
name: Cursing Turtle
move 1: Curse
move 2: Aqua Jet / Aqua Tail
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Though Shell Smash is one of Carracosta's most valued moves, Curse should definitely not be overlooked. It may be slower to set up than the Shell Smash set, but this way, Carracosta can boost its stellar Defense in conjunction with its Attack, which, when paired up with Solid Rock, means it can sponge hits more efficiently while still dealing enough damage to the opponent. Aqua Jet is chosen as your primary Water-type STAB because Carracosta has low Speed which is further decreased by Curse. Priority is also crucial against threatening sweepers, such as Excadrill under Sandstorm. If you want more power, Aqua Tail is preferred over Waterfall, seeing as the chances of flinch are negligible (barring Trick Room). It also has the merit of 2HKOing common variants of Hippowdon after one boost. Stone Edge is dominant over Rock Slide because of the power difference while Earthquake rounds out the set yet again to combat bulky Steel-types such as Metagross.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Careful is chosen to bolster that underwhelming Special Defense to acceptable levels, but it can't be emphasized enough: Sandstorm is necessary to make the best of this set. After one boost from Curse, Carracosta sports an impressive 352 HP / 453 Def / 376 SpD, not to mention a nice 379 Attack stat. If you'd rather sponge physical hits even better with Curse, go with Impish and allocate those Special Defense EVs into Defense.</p>

<p>Much like the physical Shell Smash set, this set has no reliable way of battling Ferrothorn, since Earthquake will be hitting for paltry damage even after the boost. For this reason, Magnezone is the perfect partner; it can trap Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory with Magnet Pull and proceed for the easy KO with Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt. With no reliable way to battle against bulky Grass-types, Fire-types of your own, such as Infernape, help while also doubling the efforts against Steel-types immune or neutral to Earthquake. As for the preferred Sand Streamer, Tyranitar edges out Hippowdon, since Tyranitar has a usable Special Attack to battle against bulky Grass-types.</p>

[SET]
name: Wallbreaking
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Rash / Naive
evs: 48 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Shell Smash also boosting Carracosta's decent Special Attack, it would be a shame not to make a mixed set. After one Shell Smash and Life Orb's boost, Carracosta reaches 686 Atk / 657 SpA / 356 Spe, set up for some nice wallbreaking action. Surf is chosen over Hydro Pump for the reliability, but Hydro Pump hits foes harder. The given Attack EVs ensure that Rock Slide, after the boost, will OHKO Physically Defensive Zapdos and Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados; however, Stone Edge is noticeably more powerful. The final moveslot is up for grabs; with Hidden Power Fire, you can reliably KO Ferrothorn after the boost. However, Focus Blast deserves merit as it can do the same (provided it hits), in addition to providing coverage against foes such as Hydreigon and Empoleon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An alternative spread to go for is 20 Atk / 236 SpA / 252 Spe with a Rash nature. After Shell Smash, you can easily OHKO Ferrothorn 100% of the time with Focus Blast without prior damage (percentage not including accuracy issues with Focus Blast). This ensures you don't sacrifice any IVs to get a perfect Hidden Power Fire. Finally, though not mentioned, Ice Beam is also an option to batter Grass types harder than HP Fire while hitting Dragon-types with a secondary typing harder, such as Salamence.</p>

<p>Naive is a perfectly acceptable nature to use, as with Focus Blast and the given spread you still have the chance of OHKOing Ferrothorn, dealing 84.7% - 100% damage. Again, you'll be sacrificing a bit of power to outrun additional foes, and Stone Edge once again becomes the premier option as your Rock-type attack to achieve any OHKOs or 2HKOs.</p>

<p>Unlike the previous sets, this Carracosta is less dependent on teammates such as Infernape and Magnezone since it alone can defeat its previous counters. However, as repeatedly mentioned, Shell Smash still isn't enough to outspeed threats such as Starmie. For that reason, Ferrothorn becomes a great teammate to this set, helping in setting up Spikes and Stealth Rock and scaring or beating Starmie. Priority from Conkledurr is more troublesome, especially if you lack White Herb, so bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Cofagrigus and Reuniclus, can be used as set up on it.</p>

[SET]
name: Banded Turtle
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Aqua Tail
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock / Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With a decent physical movepool and a great Attack stat, Carracosta is a good candidate for a Choice Band. With Choice Band attached, Carracosta reaches 519 Attack. From there proceed to attack with Carracosta's combination of powerful coverage moves. By not having a boosting move, you free up a moveslot, which can be filled up with any move, but Aqua Tail helps in combating bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Carracosta's other notable offensive option is Crunch, which can be used to break through Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon. It may also choose to forgo a moveslot for a Normal-type move, such as Body Slam or Flail. Normal-type moves generally provide good coverage with Carracosta's Water-type STAB attacks. However, the all-around coverage provided by the main options far surpasses the coverage from choosing to use the aforementioned moves.</p>

<p>Hitting hard from the get-go is great, but one must not forget that this particular Carracosta is extremely slow; with no Speed EV investment, this Carracosta sits at a paltry 100 Speed. In addition, Ferrothorn yet again becomes the greatest threat to this set. Infernape and Magnezone are great partners yet again in this respect. Meanwhile, Virizion, with its Grass- and Fighting-type STAB and resistance to Grass- and Electric-type moves, teams up well with Carracosta, as Carracosta can deal with the Flying- and Fire-types that plague Virizion in return.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Rock Polish is largely outclassed by Shell Smash, and even when used, Carracosta has much competition with other Rock Polish users. Hidden Power has very little utility save for Hidden Power Fire, the most effective way with dealing with Ferrothorn and Forretress. Return is the best way for Carracosta to hit Breloom and Virizon if you go with a physical set. Rest is a risky option, especially with no Sleep Talk, but it is the only way to heal any damage or status. Sturdy, while being greatly improved this generation, has little merit on Carracosta; though it could serve to provide an extra Shell Smash should the opponent switch out.</p>


[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ferrothorn is the best counter to Carracosta, being able to take any attacks it dishes out aside from a risky Focus Blast or the very rare Hidden Power Fire. Otherwise, any bulky Grass type, such as Tangrowth, can easily take any boosted physical attack. Carracosta is terribly slow; one boost provided by Shell Smash on a positive natured Carracosta is only large enough to outrun Base 113 Speed stat Pokemon, so faster sweepers such as Starmie or Jolteon, to name a few, can easily prey on the weaker Special Defense stat. Also, while Shell Smash does provide a sharp boost to its attacking prowess, it comes at the cost of cutting Carracosta's great Defense and already lackluster Special Defense, meaning priority from the likes of Fighting types will easily KO, most notably a boosted Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Carracosta's Dream World ability is Swift Swim, which has yet to be released. If ever released, it will be the superior choice on any offensive sets using Shell Smash. This can also free up any EVs in Speed to be put in another stat. However, note that currently, Drizzle and Swift Swim on the same team are banned, so one must adjust accordingly, either by bringing a Pokemon with the move Rain Dance or hope that their opponent runs Drizzle on their team; this latter event should not be counted on though.</p>
 
I'd prefer to see any Shell Break variant have a +Spe nature even with Aqua Jet, because there are a lot of relevant threats that lie between 326 and 358 Speed (Latias, Garchomp, Infernape and Terakion, not to mention the numerous Base 100 Speed Pokes). Within the set comments, you'll also probably want to mention good partners for Abagoura. Wobbuffet comes to mind for Shell Break versions, and you might want to make a mention of Trick Room Rankurusu (and others) for slower sets.

A mono-Curse set sounds like it might work. Have you tested it yet? With Shaymin-S being banned, Grass-type moves are going to be even less common than they already were, so a Curse set loaded up on Special Defense with Rest and Sleep Talk could be pretty cool. Not really a big deal, but you should at least mention Curse when you talk about Rest + Sleep Talk in the Additional Comments.

QC Approved 1/2

EDIT: okee dokee ignore the sleep talk thing!
 
I'd prefer to see any Shell Break variant have a +Spe nature even with Aqua Jet, because there are a lot of relevant threats that lie between 326 and 358 Speed (Latias, Garchomp, Infernape and Terakion, not to mention the numerous Base 100 Speed Pokes). Within the set comments, you'll also probably want to mention good partners for Abagoura. Wobbuffet comes to mind for Shell Break versions, and you might want to make a mention of Trick Room Rankurusu (and others) for slower sets.

A mono-Curse set sounds like it might work. Have you tested it yet? With Shaymin-S being banned, Grass-type moves are going to be even less common than they already were, so a Curse set loaded up on Special Defense with Rest and Sleep Talk could be pretty cool. Not really a big deal, but you should at least mention Curse when you talk about Rest + Sleep Talk in the Additional Comments.

QC Approved 1/2

Where was the announcement for Skymin being moved to Ubers?
 
i don't know if you would try it, but a rock polish set could work. Or possibly making a specs set as it's special isn't that terrible.
psthispostwasmainlytosayhitoiconicbecauseilovehimandmisshimheart
 
i don't know if you would try it, but a rock polish set could work. Or possibly making a specs set as it's special isn't that terrible.
psthispostwasmainlytosayhitoiconicbecauseilovehimandmisshimheart

Rock Polish was mentioned in the "Optional Changes" section.
 
Question: Why does the wallbreaker set have a bunch of Atk EVs when it only has one attack? Do those EVs give Stone Edge a specific KO?
 
...Aqua Jet is chosen as your primary Water STAB since Abagoura has poor Speed further decreased by Curse...

Correction in bold. On the Curse set, remove the slash with Aqua Tail; you are sacrificing accuracy in exchange only for a marginal amount of power. Give it an AC mention though. However, does Aqua Tail help Abagoura achieve any crucial OHKOs / 2HKOs that Waterfall misses out on?

<p>Sturdy, while being greatly improved this generation, has little merit on Abagoura; it could serve to provide an extra Shell Break should the opponent switch out.</p>

Correction in Bold. ''Providing a Shell Break on the opponent'' is grammatically incorrect.
 
Question: Why does the wallbreaker set have a bunch of Atk EVs when it only has one attack? Do those EVs give Stone Edge a specific KO?

Huh...I see what you're saying. I was measuring it in the minimum amount of SpA EVs needed for Abagoura to KO Nattorei after a Shell Break. I'll have to run calcs again though.

Edit: Yup, I fixed up the EVs. It would be overkill against Physically Defensive Zapdos to use that many Attack EVs against it.

Calm Pokemaster: Aqua Tail achieves a 2HKO on Physically Defensive Hippowdon; using it on the Curse set, it deals 51.9%-61.4% damage. Meanwhile, on the Banded set, it deals 70.5%-83.3% damage. In other words, anything with similar bulk to Hippowdon will be 2HKO'ed by Aqua Tail, something that Aqua Jet (or even Waterfall) can't do.
 
Good analysis jedi ;)

Umm remove the support set... It just isn't good at all.
Take out Rock Slide from all sets and just mention it in the AC (unless maybe the Shell Break sets... Does it OHKO Defensive Gyarados accounting for Intimidate? Also how much does Rock Slide do to stuff like Rotom-W and Jellicant?).
Make the "Break on through!" set the first one (before Curse)
Mention that Curse NEEDS to be used in Sandstorm to be effective. Also mention that a more offensive Curse set can be used in the AC.
Take out the Ice Beam slash on the wallbreaker set.

Also I'd rather see the CB set use both Aqua Tail and Aqua Jet. Stone Edge hits everything Crunch would for nearly as much damage so I don't think it'd be that useful.

QC Approved (2/3)
 
Just ran some damage calculations Delta and...

Adamant +1 Rock Slide vs standard bulky Gyarados: 103.8% - 122.2%
Adamant +1 LO Rock Slide vs standard bulky Gyarados: 134.6% - 158.9%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +1 Rock Slide vs standard bulky Gyarados: 79.5% - 94.1%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +1 LO Rock Slide vs standard bulky Gyarados: 102.7% - 121.6%

In short, Rock Slide KOs the standard bulky Gyarados even at +1 (only the wallbreaker set without LO would need Stealth Rock to assure this). Next, Rotom-W:

Adamant +2 Rock Slide vs 4th Gen Defensive Rotom-W: 57.2% - 67.4%
Adamant +2 LO Rock Slide vs 4th Gen Defensive Rotom-W: 74.3% - 87.8%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +2 Rock Slide vs 4th Gen Defensive Rotom-W: 43.8% - 51.6%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +2 LO Rock Slide vs 4th Gen Defensive Rotom-W: 56.6% - 67.1%

The wallbreaker set wouldn't be able to do more than 2HKO even with Stone Edge. Stone Edge from Adamant +2 LO Carracosta has a chance to do so, dealing 99% - 116.8%. Finally, here's Jellicent:

Adamant +2 Rock Slide vs 252 HP/172 Def Calm Jellicent: 63.1% - 74.5%
Adamant +2 LO Rock Slide vs 252 HP/172 Def Calm Jellicent: 81.9% - 96.8%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +2 Rock Slide vs 252 HP/172 Def Calm Jellicent: 62.4% - 73.5%
Neutral Natured (48 Atk) +2 LO Rock Slide vs 252 HP/172 Def Calm Jellicent: 56.6% - 67.1%

Adamant +2 LO Carracosta can OHKO Jellicent with Stone Edge, dealing 109.2% - 128.7% damage. Simply put, this turtle keeps amazing me...
 
Iconic and Delta basically covered everything. Good job, you're good to go.

QC APPROVED (3/3)
 
[Overview]
<p>Carracosta is one of the newest fossil Pokemon to premier in Black / White, and it seems to be bringing in some of its own brand of turtle power. It can be an effective physical tank with its stellar defense, five resistances, and Solid Rock; when backed by Sandstorm, it can also buff off some special damage. However, it is with Shell Break where it shines. Carracosta is arguably the strongest user of Shell Break in terms of sheer force, sporting Base 108 Atk / 83 SpA, which thanks to Shell Break, doubles its offensive prowess.</p>

<p>Carracosta is not without its faults. It is horribly slow, and even with a Shell Break, a neutral nature Carracosta won't be outrunning Base 100 Speed tier Pokemon. It's movepool is pretty lackluster, consisting of mostly Water, Rock, and Normal attacks. And while Solid Rock helps in tanking hits, Carracosta lacks any recovery move outside of the risky Rest. To top it off, Water / Rock brings about four common weaknesses, including a crippling Grass weakness. Still, don't let those faults convince you in forgoing Carracosta. It can be a good wall under sandstorm or a great sweeper/wallbreaker if played correctly.</p>

[SET]
Name: Break On Through!
Move 1: Shell Break
Move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Jet
Move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Move 4: Earthquake
Item: Life Orb / White Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Carracosta is one of the few Pokemon to receive the blessings of Shell Break, boosting its great offenses and lackluster Speed to acceptable levels. Bring in Carracosta on something it can easily take on and set off a Shell Break. After one Shell Break, Carracosta reaches an attack stat of 692 (899 with Life Orb) and a speed stat of 326, tying with base 99 Speed Pokemon. From there, use the coverage of Water, Rock, and Ground to deal damage. Waterfall is your primary Water STAB, with the added advantage of possibly flinching opponents. Still, Carracosta is too slow to take advantage of the boosted Speed, since it fails to outrun anything higher than Base 98 Speed positive natured Pokemon. For that reason, Aqua Jet is perfectly acceptable. Although not as damaging as Waterfall, after one boost, Carracosta can OHKO Excadrill, possibly one of the most threatening sweepers under Sandstorm. Even without a boost, Carracosta can 2HKO Excadrill with Aqua Jet. Stone Edge and Rock Slide is the age old power vs. accuracy, but note that Rock Slide has the potential to flinch foes, much like Waterfall can. Earthquake rounds out the coverage in this set, hitting Steel type foes harder.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Aqua Tail isn't listed here, it can still be used over the other two Water type moves, being more powerful. The risk it poses is its minor inaccuracy, which Abagoura can't really afford, having weakened its defenses stats. If you aren't satisfied with the Speed output from an Adamant nature, a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Base 113 positive natured foes. There is a minor drop in power, but Aqua Jet still has more than enough juice to OHKO Excadrill after the boost. White Herb deserves a special mention, in that it gives room for a second Shell Break or returns natural bulk to Carracosta.</p>

[SET]
Name: Cursing Turtle
Move 1: Curse
Move 2: Aqua Jet / Aqua Tail
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Earthquake
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Shell Break is a one of the positives of Carracosta, Curse should definitely not be overlooked. It may be slower to do than Shell Break, but this way, you boost that stellar Defense in conjunction with your Attack, which, when paired up with Solid Rock, means Carracosta can take hits much better while still dealing enough damage to your opponent. Aqua Jet is chosen as your primary Water STAB because Carracosta has slow speed which is further decreased by Curse, but priority against threatening sweepers, such as Excadrill under Sandstorm, is crucial to take them down. If you want more power, Aqua Tail is preferred over Waterfall, seeing as the chances of flinch are less likely (barring Trick Room). It also 2HKO's Physically Defensive Hippowdon after one boost. Stone Edge is dominant over Rock Slide because of the power difference while Earthquake rounds out the set yet again.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Careful is chosen to bolster that below average Special Defense to acceptable levels, and it can't be emphasized enough: Sandstorm is necessary to make the best of the Curse set; after one boost from Curse, Carracosta sports an impressive 352 HP / 453 Def / 376 SpD, not to mention a nice 379 Atk. If you'd rather sponge physical hits even better with Curse, go with Impish and allocate those Special Defense EVs into Defense.</p>

[SET]
Name: Wallbreaking
Move 1: Shell Break
Move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
Move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
Item: Life Orb / White Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Rash / Naive
EVs: 48 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Shell Break also boosting Carracosta's decent Special Attack, it would be a shame not to make a mixed set. After one Shell Break and Life Orb's boost, Carracosta reaches 686 Atk / 722 SpA / 324 Spe, set up for some nice wallbreaking action. Surf is chosen over Hydro Pump for the reliability, but Hydro Pump hits foes harder. The given Attack EVs ensure that Rock Slide, after the boost, will OHKO Physically Defensive Zapdos and Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados; this means that Stone Edge is basically overkill to the Electric Bird and Water Serpent. The final moveslot is up for grabs; with Hidden Power Fire, you can reliably KO Ferrothorn after the boost. However, Focus Blast deserves merit as it too can also do the same (provided it hits), in addition to providing coverage against foes such as Hydreigon and Empoleon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An alternative spread to go for is 20 Atk / 236 SpA / 252 Spe with a Rash nature. After Shell Break, you can easily OHKO Ferrothorn 100% of the time with Focus Blast without prior damage (percentage not including accuracy issues with Focus Blast). This ensures you don't sacrifice any IVs to get a perfect Hidden Power Fire. Rock Slide once again can go over Stone Edge; however Stone Edge is the definitive Rock move, if you want to OHKO Zapdos after the Shell Break. Finally, though not mentioned, Ice Beam is also an option to batter Grass types harder than HP Fire while hiting Dragon types with a secondary typing harder, such as Garchomp and Salamence.</p>

<p>Naive is a perfectly acceptable nature to use, as with Focus Blast and the given spread you still have the chance of OHKOing Ferrothorn, dealing 84.7% - 100% damage. Again, you'll be sacrificing a bit of power to outrun additional foes, and Stone Edge once again becomes the premier option as your Rock attack.</p>

[SET]
Name: Banded Turtle
Move 1: Aqua Jet
Move 2: Aqua Tail
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Earthquake
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]
(Space)
<p>With a decent physical movepool and a great Attack stat, Carracosta is a good candidate for a Choice Band set. With Choice Band attached, Carracosta reaches 519 Attack. From there proceed to attack with the tried and true Water / Rock / Ground combo. Aqua Jet despite having a meager 40 Base Power, can be very threatening coming of a massive 514 Attack stat By not having a boosting move, you free up a moveslot, which can be filled up with any move, but Aqua Tail helps in combating bulkier Ground types harder, such as Hippowdon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
(Space)
<p>Crunch is an option to use to batter Ghost types harder, but there are other moves that can be put in. Body Slam can be used to cause paralysis, helping other sweepers on your team. Or, Flail, though very situational, can be used to deal even more damage as Carracosta is weakened.</p>

[Team Options]
(Space)
<p>Carracosta is at the mercy of bulky Grass-types, and even if it carries Ice Beam, Ferrothorn walls him to no end. Virizon and Breloom also make life difficult for the turtle a pain, since the physical Shell Break and the Curse set carry no moves that cause significant damage. Pairing it up with a Fire-type or Magnezone (for Ferrothorn purposes) might seem good, but Fire-types share the Ground weakness as does Magnezone (plus the Fighting weakness in its case). Therefore, Flying- types are the best partners to Carracosta, particularly Zapdos. It resists or is immune to most of Carracosta's weaknesses and is commonly seen carrying Heat Wave; meanwhile, Carracosta won't mind taking any Ice attacks aimed at Zapdos.</p>

[Optional Changes]
(Space)
<p>Rock Polish is largely outclassed by Shell Break, but it is there if you feel that having Carracosta's bulk is to your benefit in sweeping. Hidden Power has very little utility save for Hidden Power Fire, the most effective way with dealing with Ferrothorn and Forretress. Return is the best way for Carracosta to hit Breloom and Virizon if you go with a physical set. Rest is a risky option, especially with no Sleep Talk, but it is the only way to heal any damage or status. Sturdy, while being greatly improved this generation, has little merit on Carracosta; it could serve to provide an extra Shell Break should the opponent switch out.</p>

[Counters]
(Space)
<p>Ferrothorn is the best counter to Carracosta, being able to take any attacks it dishes out aside from a risky Focus Blast or the very rare Hidden Power Fire. Otherwise, any bulky Grass-type, such as Tangrowth, can easily take any boosted physical attack. Carracosta is terribly slow; one boost provided by Shell Break on a positive natured Carracosta is only big enough to outrun Base 113 Speed stat Pokemon, so faster sweepers such as Starmie or Jolteon, to name a few, can easily prey on the weaker Special Defense stat. Also, while Shell Break does provide a sharp boost to its attacking prowess, it comes at the cost of cutting Carracosta's great Defense and already lackluster Special Defense, meaning priority from the likes of Fighting-typeswill easily KO, most notably a boosted Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave.</p>

[Dream World]
(Space)
<p>Carracosta's Dream World ability is Swift Swim, which has yet to be released. If ever released, it will be the superior choice on any offensive sets using Shell Break. This can also free up any EVs in Speed to be put in another stat.</p>

Will continue later.
 
Name: Break On Through!
Move 1: Shell Smash
Move 2: Waterfall
Move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Move 4: Aqua Jet / Earthquake
Item: Water Gem
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Is what I prefer to use, though it's mainly used on rain it gets one free shell smash, priority rapes, and waterfall OHKO's Skarm in rain, about 75% without and about 50% without gem. Just a thought >.>
 
Between the 3 move sets, there are 2 that use Aqua Tail and 1 that uses Waterfall. Shouldn't either one move be taken completely over the other one or Aqua Tail and Waterfall be constantly slashed? I mean, doing both just doesn't make sense...
 
Couple of things.

Nothing on the left under [SET] is capitalized, so name, move, evs, ivs, are all lower-cased.

You need to add teammates under the last two sets and more teammates than just Magnezone for the first two before this gets GP checks.
 
Couple of things.

Nothing on the left under [SET] is capitalized, so name, move, evs, ivs, are all lower-cased.

You need to add teammates under the last two sets and more teammates than just Magnezone for the first two before this gets GP checks.

Yeah, I noticed it was lacking teammates, so I started putting them in.
 
[Overview]
<p>Carracosta is one of the newest fossil Pokemon, premiering in Black / White, and it seems to be bringing in some of its own brand of turtle power. It can be an effective physical tank with its stellar Defense, five resistances, and Solid Rock; when backed by Sandstorm, it can also take some special hits buff off some special damage. However, it is with Shell Smash where it shines. Carracosta is arguably the strongest user of Shell Smash in terms of sheer power force (sheer force is an ability), sporting Base 108 Atk and Base 83 SpA, which are doubled in a single turn thanks to Shell Smash, doubles its offensive prowess.</p>

<p>While Carracosta has many things going for it, it is not without faults. It is horribly slow; and even with a Shell Smash, a neutral-natured Carracosta won't be outrunning Base 100 Speed tier Pokemon. Its movepool is pretty lackluster, consisting of mostly Water, Rock, and Normal attacks. And while Solid Rock helps in tanking hits, Carracosta's Base Special Defense is also poor, and in addition it lacks any recovery move outside of the risky Rest. To top it off, Water / Rock brings about four common weaknesses, including a crippling Grass weakness. Still, don't let those faults convince you to forgo in forgoing Carracosta. It can be a good wall under sandstorm or a great sweeper/wallbreaker if played correctly.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Jet
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Carracosta is one of the few Pokemon to receive the blessings of Shell Smash, boosting doubling its great offenses and boosting its lackluster Speed to acceptable levels (its offensive stats become more than acceptable). Bring in Carracosta on something it can easily take on and set off up a Shell Smash. After one Shell Smash, Carracosta reaches an attack stat of 630 (819 with Life Orb) and a speed stat of 358, outspeeding Base 113 Pokemon by one point (base 113 Pokemon like what exactly? Only Serperior has this speed and it is utterly terrible). From there, use the coverage of Water, Rock, and Ground to deal damage. Waterfall is your primary Water STAB, with the added advantage of possibly flinching opponents. However, there are still some significant Pokemon, such as Excadrill under Sandstorm, who will still outspeed Carracosta. For that reason, Aqua Jet is perfectly acceptable, especially if you go with an Adamant nature. Although not as damaging as Waterfall, after one boost, Carracosta can OHKO Excadrill, possibly one of the most threatening sweepers under Sandstorm. Even without a boost, Carracosta can 2HKO Excadrill with Aqua Jet. The choice between Stone Edge and Rock Slide comes down to is the age-old power vs. accuracy argument, but note that Rock Slide has the potential to flinch foes, much like Waterfall can. Earthquake rounds out the coverage in this set, hitting Steel-type foes harder while also helping against Electric-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Aqua Tail isn't listed here, it can still be used over the other two Water type moves, being more powerful. The risk it poses is its minor inaccuracy, which Carracosta can't really afford, having weakened its defenses stats. If you aren't satisfied with the offensive output from a Jolly nature, an Adamant nature can be used to sport an impressive 899 Attack. The downside is that at most, Carracosta will tie with Base 99 Speed Pokemon, meaning Carracosta will most assuredly want Aqua Jet to get the jump on faster foes while taking advantage of that increased Attack by using Stone Edge. The item choice comes down to a desire of the choice between survivability and power output. Life Orb is arguably the best choice should you desire stronger a higher damage output after one boost. However, White Herb deserves a special mention, in that it gives room for a second Shell Smash or returns natural bulk to Carracosta.</p>

<p>This set has no reliable way to battle Ferrothorn and bulky Grass-types, since Ferrothorn takes neutral damage from Earthquake and bulky Grass-types can survive a boosted Stone Edge. For that reason, the best partners are Magnezone and Infernape. Magnezone can trap Ferrothorn and proceed for the quick OHKO with Hidden Power Fire while Infernape can do the same to Ferrothorn in addition to having STAB on Fire-type attacks, making combating Grass-types an easy prospect.</p>

[SET]
Name: Cursing Turtle
Move 1: Curse
Move 2: Aqua Jet / Aqua Tail
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Earthquake
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Shell Smash is one of Carracosta's most valued moves, Curse should definitely not be overlooked. It may be slower to do set up than the Shell Smash set, but this way, you boost that stellar Defense in conjunction with your Attack, which, when paired up with Solid Rock, means Carracosta can take hits much better while still dealing enough damage to your opponent. Aqua Jet is chosen as your primary Water-type STAB because Carracosta has low Speed which is further decreased by Curse. Priority is also crucial against threatening sweepers, such as Excadrill under Sandstorm, is crucial to take them down. If you want more power, Aqua Tail is preferred over Waterfall, seeing as the chances of flinch are negligible less likely (barring Trick Room). It also has the merit of 2HKOing Physically Defensive Hippowdon after one boost. Stone Edge is dominant over Rock Slide because of the power difference while Earthquake rounds out the set yet again to combat bulky Steel-types such as Metagross.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Careful is chosen to bolster that underwhelming Special Defense to acceptable levels, but it can't be emphasized enough: Sandstorm is necessary to make the best of this set. After one boost from Curse, Carracosta sports an impressive 352 HP / 453 Def / 376 SpD, not to mention a nice 379 Atk. If you'd rather sponge physical hits even better with Curse, go with Impish and allocate those Special Defense EVs into Defense.</p>

<p>Much like the physical Shell Smash set, this set has no reliable way of battling Ferrothorn, since Earthquake will be hitting for paltry damage even after the boost. For this reason, Magnezone is the perfect partner; it can trap Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory with Magnet Pull and proceed for the easy KO with Hidden Power Fire and or Thunderbolt, respectively. With no reliable way to battle against bulky Grass-types, Fire-types of your own, such as Infernape, help in that aspect, while also doubling the efforts against Steel-types who or areneutral against immune or neutral to Earthquake. As for the preferred Sand Streamer, Tyranitar edges out Hippowdon, since Tyranitar has a usable Special Attack to battle against bulky Grass-types.</p>

[SET]
Name: Wallbreaking
Move 1: Shell Smash
Move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
Move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
Item: Life Orb / White Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
Nature: Rash / Naive
EVs: 48 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Shell Smash also boosting Carracosta's decent Special Attack, it would be a shame not to make a mixed set. After one Shell Smash and Life Orb's boost, Carracosta reaches 686 Atk / 722 SpA / 324 Spe, set up for some nice wallbreaking action. Surf is chosen over Hydro Pump for the reliability, but Hydro Pump hits foes harder. The given Attack EVs ensure that Rock Slide, after the boost, will OHKO Physically Defensive Zapdos and Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados; however, Stone Edge is noticeably more powerful; this means that Stone Edge is basically overkill to the Electric Bird and Water Serpent. The final moveslot is up for grabs; with Hidden Power Fire, you can reliably KO Ferrothorn after the boost. However, Focus Blast deserves merit as it too can also do the same (provided it hits), in addition to providing coverage against foes such as Hydreigon and Empoleon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An alternative spread to go for is 20 Atk / 236 SpA / 252 Spe with a Rash nature. After Shell Smash, you can easily OHKO Ferrothorn 100% of the time with Focus Blast without prior damage (percentage not including accuracy issues with Focus Blast). This ensures you don't sacrifice any IVs to get a perfect Hidden Power Fire. Rock Slide once again can go over Stone Edge; however Stone Edge is the definitive Rock move, if you want to OHKO Zapdos after the Shell Smash. Finally, though not mentioned, Ice Beam is also an option to batter Grass types harder than HP Fire while hitting Dragon-types with a secondary typing harder, such as Garchomp and Salamence.</p>

<p>Naive is a perfectly acceptable nature to use, as with Focus Blast and the given spread you still have the chance of OHKOing Ferrothorn, dealing 84.7% - 100% damage. Again, you'll be sacrificing a bit of power to outrun additional foes, and Stone Edge once again becomes the premier option as your Rock attack to achieve any OHKOs or 2HKOs.</p>

<p>Unlike the previous sets, this Carracosta is less dependent on teammates such as Infernape and Magnezone since it alone can defeat its previous counters. However, as repeatedly mentioned, Shell Smash still isn't enough to outspeed threats such as Starmie. For that reason, Ferrothorn becomes a great teammate to this set, helping in setting up Spikes and Stealth Rock and scaring or beating Starmie. Priority from Conkledurr is more troublesome, especially if you lack White Herb, so bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Cofagrigus and Reuniclus, respectively, can be used to set up on it. as setup fodder for Calm Mind sets. in Cofagrigus' case, its Mummy ability is a benefit as it takes away Conkledurr's Guts ability when touched.</p>

[SET]
Name: Banded Turtle
Move 1: Aqua Jet
Move 2: Aqua Tail
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Earthquake
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock / Sturdy
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a decent physical movepool and a great Attack stat, Carracosta is a good candidate for a Choice Band. With Choice Band attached, Carracosta reaches 519 Attack. From there proceed to attack with the tried and true Water / Rock / Ground combo. By not having a boosting move, you free up a moveslot, which can be filled up with any move, but Aqua Tail helps in combating bulky Ground-types harder, such as Hippowdon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Crunch is an option to use to batter Ghost types harder, but there are other moves that can be put in. Body Slam can be used to cause paralysis, helping other sweepers on your team. Or, Flail, though very situational, can be used with Sturdy to deal even more damage as Carracosta is weakened. Flail is best used with Sturdy though.</p>

<p>Hitting hard from the get-go is great, but one must not forget that this particular Carracosta is extremely slow; with no Speed EV investment, this Carracosta sits at a paltry 100 Speed. In addition, Ferrothorn yet again becomes the greatest threat to this set's greatestthreat yet again. Infernape and Magnezone are great partners yet again in this respect for that aspect. Meanwhile, Virizion, with its Grass- and Fighting-type STAB and resistance to Grass- and Electric-type moves, teams up well with Carracosta, as Carracosta can deal with the Flying- and Fire-types that plague Virizion in return.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Rock Polish is largely outclassed by Shell Smash, but it is there if you feel having Carracosta's bulk is to your benefit in sweeping(white herb shell smash >>life orb rock polish). Various Hidden Powers can be used, but have very little utility save for Hidden Power Fire, the most effective way to deal with dealing with Ferrothorn and Forretress. Return is the best way for Carracosta to hit Breloom and Virizon if you go with a physical set. Rest is a risky option, especially with no Sleep Talk, but it is the only way to heal any damage or status. Sturdy, while being greatly improved this generation, has little merit on Carracosta; it could serve to provide an extra Shell Smash should the opponent switch out.</p>


GP 1/2
 
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