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Carracosta
http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/565.shtml
[Overview]
<p>Balanced attacking stats, great STAB coverage, access to Shell Smash, and two amazing abilities in Sturdy and Solid Rock all turn Carracosta, one of the fifth generation fossil Pokemon, into a very powerful sweeper. With these abilities, superior Defense, and great physical coverage, Carracosta easily sets itself apart from Omastar as a Shell Smasher and Kabutops as a Choice Band user. It's not all good news for Carracosta, though; vulnerability to the common Fighting-, Ground-, Electric-, and Grass-type moves hamper its ability to sweep completely, even with Solid Rock. The fossil turtle is also painfully slow; Shell Smash helps remedy this to an extent; he is still, but still doesn't turn him into a speed demon, and he is still pretty easily outsped. Despite these drawbacks, Carracosta is still a great Pokemon, though, despite these drawbacks, and is a good choice for any team that needs a powerful and reliable sweeper.</p>
[Set]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aqua Jet / Earthquake
item: White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is really quite easy to use, and very self-explanatory; come in on a resisted attack or non-damaging move, set up a Shell Smash, and tear your opponent's team apart with Carracosta's good coverage. Waterfall is the obligatory STAB move of choice, and is complimented very well by Stone Edge. In the last slot, one can either use Aqua Jet for priority (seeing that Carracosta is still relatively slow, even after a Shell Smash boost,) or Earthquake for additional coverage. Note that without Earthquake, however, Empoleon counters Carracosta completely. White Herb negates the first defense drops that Shell Smash causes and pairs very well with Solid Rock, allowing Carracosta to maintain its bulk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Carracosta can run Surf or Hydro Pump instead of Waterfall, since a base 83 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at after a Shell Smash boost. However, a special Water-type move does not offer much coverage outside of what Waterfall already hits, and splitting the EVs for a mixed set removes some of Carracosta's potency. Crunch can be used in the last slot if one is desperate to get super-effective damage on Ghost- and Psychic-types, but it only has ten more Base Power than STAB Stone Edge's.</p>
<p>Shell Smash needs a good bit of support to work properly. Uxie pairs well with Carracosta, sporting an immunity to Ground-type attacks as well as being able to provide dual screens support. Entry hazards also help make the armored turtle's job much easier; pair Carracosta with a hazard setter, such asFroslass or Ferroseed. Hippopotas also makes a decent partner, boosting Carracosta's special bulk thanks to sandy weather while simultaneously providing residual damage against the foe.</p>
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[Set]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake / Crunch
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Using a Choice Band turns Carracosta into an immediately powerful physical sweeper without the need of setting up. Again, Waterfall and Stone Edge are great STAB attacks that provide nice coverage. Earthquake hits Steel-types, while Crunch nails Psychic- and Ghost-types hard. Aqua Jet is a great move for this set, providing Carracosta with a priority attack to nail faster Pokemon harder. Solid Rock is the ability of choice here, since it gives Carracosta more chances to switch in. Wish, Aromatherapy, and Rapid Spin all help keep Carracosta alive and sweeping longer, and setting up your own entry hazards makes it easier for Carracosta to KO its opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>For this set, Sturdy could be used over Solid Rock to guarantee at least one hit if Carracosta is at full health. However, Solid Rock lets Carracosta switch in more easily and has more benefit for Carracosta than Sturdy in the long run. Solid Rock , along with Carracosta's better coverage and higher defense stat, is why Carracoste uses this set rather than Kabutops. this set is used over Kabutops, along with Carracosta's better coverage and higher defense stat.</p>
[Other Options]
<p> A special set consisting of Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Hidden Power, and Surf, Hydro Pump, or Scald is plausible, but Omastar outclasses Carracosta at this set due to its higher Special Attack stat. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall if one craves a bit more power at the cost of accuracy. Conversely, Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if one wants a more accurate, albeit much less powerful, attack. Bulldoze and Smack Down are both interesting options that each have situational benefits, but their more powerful counterparts are usually the better choice.</p>
<p>Carracosta has a decent support movepool at its disposal, including Knock Off, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Body Slam, and Toxic. However, Carracosta's common weaknesses, abysmal Speed, and lack of recovery prevent a defensive or supportive set from being truly viable.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There are several simple ways to easily counter a Carracosta onslaught. Bulky Grass-types like Celebi and Tangrowth can come in and hit Carracosta with their quadruple effective STAB moves. Bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Slowbro, and Unaware Quagsire can also handle most Carracosta with ease. Celebi and Slowbro do need to watch out for the rare Crunch, however.</p>
<p>Speedy super-effective Special Attackers can easily beat Carracosta, especially if Sturdy is already broken by entry hazards or previous attacks. Jolteon, Zapdos, and Sceptile are all great examples of quick, powerful sweepers who can easily OHKO Carracosta. Phazing with Roar or Dragon Tail checks the Shell Smash set and breaks Sturdy if hazards are up.</p>
<p>Finally, Will-o-Wisp cripples Carracosta almost completely, and is easily set up by defensive Pokemon, such as Weezing, Dusclops, and Cofagrigus, can cripple Carracosta with Will-O-Wisp. Sableye gets special mention due to its priority on Will-o-Wisp, and can its ability to Taunt to prevent Carracosta, preventing it from using Shell Smash; however, Sableye must be wary of priority Aqua Jet.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Carracosta gets Swift Swim from the Dream World. Swift Swim is a great ability, but Sturdy and Solid Rock are really what set Carracosta apart from the likes of Kabutops., and without these abilities, the armored turtle is basically outclassed.</p>
