[OVERVIEW]
Mamoswine is a premier wallbreaker in UnderUsed thanks to its huge Attack stat and an excellent STAB combination, which offers nearly perfect coverage. It also has access to STAB Ice Shard, which can patch up its paltry Speed while picking off several top threats, such as Latias, Mega Altaria, and Mega Aerodactyl, when weakened. Moreover, Mamoswine can support its team with options such as Knock Off and Stealth Rock, increasing its overall utility. Unfortunately, despite hitting extremely hard, Mamoswine has a hard time actually coming into play due to its terrible defensive typing, which lacks useful resistances and gives it several common weaknesses, such as to Fighting and Water. Its poor defensive utility is further compounded by its unremarkable bulk and weakness to common priority moves like Bullet Punch and Aqua Jet, which compromises its ability to pressure slower threats in Scizor and Crawdaunt. Lastly, Mamoswine struggles from a below average Speed tier for an offensive Pokemon, which can leave it vulnerable to several of the tier's powerful faster threats, including Infernape, Cobalion, and Kyurem.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Ice Shard
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Icicle Crash
move 4: Knock Off / Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Shard takes advantage of the tier's several faster Pokemon that are weak to Ice, letting Mamoswine revenge kill foes such as Crobat, Kommo-o, Hydreigon, and Celebi after some chip damage. Earthquake is Mamoswine's most powerful STAB attack, 2HKOing the majority of switch-ins while forcing out defensive threats like Klefki and Mega Aggron. Icicle Crash applies pressure to several defensive Pokemon that could tank an Earthquake and damage Mamoswine in return, including Amoonguss and Hippowdon. It also hits Levitate users and Flying-types like Hydreigon, Latias, and bulkier variants of Togekiss, which would traditionally be used as Ground-type checks. Knock Off 2HKOes common switch-ins to Mamoswine in Rotom-H and Bronzong in addition to burdening foes with the removal of their items. Stealth Rock is an entry hazard that can be set as Mamoswine forces switches, inflicting chip damage on foes as they come in. It can be useful to run on Mamoswine if no other member of its team has room for the move. Freeze-Dry is also an option in the fourth slot, luring in and 2HKOing bulky Water-types like Swampert and Alomomola. However, with adequate chip damage, both of these Pokemon can already be 2HKOed by Earthquake, while the need to run a Naughty or Naive nature further compromises Mamoswine's defensive capabilities. Stone Edge is an option that can OHKO Rotom-H and Moltres, which can both otherwise come in once and pressure Mamoswine with either powerful attacks or status. It often comes at the cost of utility or better coverage, however.
Set Details
========
Full investment in Attack with an Adamant nature maximizes Mamoswine's power, allowing it to more easily secure OHKOs on foes such as Primarina and Amoonguss and 2HKOs on the likes of Mega Aggron and Slowbro. Full investment in Speed makes it as fast as possible with a neutral nature, outrunning the majority of the metagame's defensive threats. A Jolly nature is also an option, allowing Mamoswine to outrun Timid Volcanion and Speed tie with Togekiss, Mega Altaria, and Chandelure at the cost of some power. If running Freeze-Dry, Mamoswine should use a Naughty or Naive nature instead so its Special Attack isn't lowered. Life Orb increases Mamoswine's overall damage output, notably allowing it to secure the 2HKO on Suicune with Earthquake. Thick Fat is the preferred ability, decreasing the damage Mamoswine takes from Fire- and Ice-type attacks that Electric-types like Mega Manectric and Raikou often use to power through other Ground-types.
Usage Tips
========
Mamoswine's best use is on offensive teams as an early-game wallbreaker that can pave way for teammates to clean up later on. Ice Shard should be utilized to threaten to revenge kill the tier's several faster Pokemon that are weak to it, such as Latias, Togekiss, and Haxorus. If the opposing team is weakened enough, Mamoswine can also try using it to clean up late-game. The decision of whether to use Icicle Crash or Earthquake to wallbreak can be tough at times, though against teams with Ground-immune Pokemon, which are often weak to Ice, Icicle Crash is often smarter to use early on. Earthquake is best to use once Ground-resistant and -immune foes are removed or weakened due to its better neutral coverage. Mamoswine forces several switches as it wallbreaks and as such should take advantage of said switches to fire off powerful STAB attacks, set Stealth Rock, or hit various switch-ins that tank its STAB attacks, like Rotom-H and Bronzong, with Stone Edge or Knock Off if need be. Because its typing doesn't provide it with many switch-in opportunities, it's best to bring Mamoswine in via pivot support or after a teammate has fainted. However, it can come into play in a few specific scenarios, such as against passive defensive Pokemon like Klefki, Hippowdon, and Blissey and against Electric-types like Mega Manectric and Raikou if it predicts carefully. If running Freeze-Dry, Mamoswine should attempt to use it on the opponent's predicted switch to a bulky Water-type foe like Alomomola or Mega Slowbro, as this way it can more easily break past its most common method of defensive counterplay. Lastly, Mamoswine should capitalize on its strong matchup against defensive teams by using Knock Off and Stealth Rock to chip foes early-game, then weakening them further later on.
Team Options
========
Due to its huge offensive presence and struggle to defensively contribute to teams, Mamoswine is most comfortably fitted on offensively inclined builds. It is appreciated by setup sweepers, like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Raikou, thanks to its ability to weaken opposing teams for them to more easily do their job late-game. Cleaners such as Mega Sharpedo and Choice Band Scizor also appreciate Mamoswine's support for this reason. Pokemon capable of providing pivot support, like Crobat, Mega Manectric, and Moltres, are capable of safely bringing Mamoswine into play. Mamoswine also appreciates teammates capable of supporting it with entry hazards, such as Cobalion, Kommo-o, and Nihilego, as chip damage allows it to more easily muscle past the likes of Alomomola and Mega Slowbro on its own. Stealth Rock support can also allow Mamoswine to more comfortably run Knock Off, Freeze-Dry, or Stone Edge. Klefki is a particularly helpful partner, as it can provide Spikes support for Mamoswine to take advantage of in addition to patching up its poor Speed with Thunder Wave and crippling bulky Water-types with Toxic. Adequate methods of checking faster foes, such as Choice Scarf Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl, can help patch up Mamoswine's susceptibility to being revenge killed due to its poor Speed. Fighting-type checks like Latias, Slowbro, and Primarina can come in on the several Fighting-types that force Mamoswine out, such as Infernape, Cobalion, and Terrakion. Lastly, due to Mamoswine's susceptibility to being worn down, it enjoys the support of Pokemon capable of removing entry hazards, such as Latias, Starmie, and Hydreigon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mamoswine can viably function as a suicide lead, running a set with Stealth Rock, Focus Sash, Oblivious to evade Taunt, and Ice Shard + Endeavor for picking off at least one foe before fainting. However, it faces competition from other suicide leads like Azelf and Terrakion and isn't nearly as useful a set as Life Orb. Focus Sash can also be run as an item on offensive sets to allow Mamoswine to reliably tank at least one hit while retaliating with powerful attacks, though it often comes at the cost of invaluable power. Toxic can be used in the fourth slot to cripple Mamoswine's defensive switch-ins but usually doesn't provide as useful of overall utility as Stealth Rock or Knock Off. Finally, Protect is an option for scouting Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch or attacks from other Choice-locked Pokemon like Infernape and Volcanion, though it also often struggles to provide better utility than either Knock Off or Stealth Rock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Defensive Water-types**: Defensive Water-types like Alomomola, Slowbro and its Mega Evolution, and bulkier Suicune variants can often avoid the 2HKO from Earthquake while threatening Mamoswine with a super effective STAB Scald. All should be wary of Freeze-Dry, however.
**Fighting-types**: Though they can't switch in, the likes of Infernape, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Heracross are all faster than Mamoswine and can tank an Ice Shard, which allows them to KO Mamoswine with super effective STAB attacks. If running Shuca Berry, Cobalion can even set up on Mamoswine while tanking on Earthquake to become a fearsome threat to the rest of its team.
**Offensive Pressure**: Due to Mamoswine's low Speed and terrible defensive typing, faster Pokemon capable of hitting it hard can pose a large threat. Examples include Terrakion, Starmie, and Kyurem, though all should be wary of switching into Mamoswine directly. Rotom-H is particularly troublesome, as it is only hit hard by Knock Off and Stone Edge due to its typing and ability, and it can pick Mamoswine off with STAB Overheat.
**Super Effective Priority**: Mamoswine's typing leaves it weak to several forms of super effective priority that are run in UU, including Scizor's Bullet Punch, Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet, and Infernape's Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave. However, only offensive variants of the former can KO Mamoswine from full HP, meaning that both Infernape and Crawdaunt will require some chip damage to pick it off with priority moves.
**Residual Damage**: Mamoswine's middling bulk, poor defensive typing, and Life Orb recoil leave it open to being easily chipped down by forms of residual damage, which include entry hazards, U-turn pivoting from foes, and status ailments like poison.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Amaroq, 301581]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Nuked, 382658], [Amane Misa, 312356]]
- Grammar checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
Mamoswine is a premier wallbreaker in UnderUsed thanks to its huge Attack stat and an excellent STAB combination, which offers nearly perfect coverage. It also has access to STAB Ice Shard, which can patch up its paltry Speed while picking off several top threats, such as Latias, Mega Altaria, and Mega Aerodactyl, when weakened. Moreover, Mamoswine can support its team with options such as Knock Off and Stealth Rock, increasing its overall utility. Unfortunately, despite hitting extremely hard, Mamoswine has a hard time actually coming into play due to its terrible defensive typing, which lacks useful resistances and gives it several common weaknesses, such as to Fighting and Water. Its poor defensive utility is further compounded by its unremarkable bulk and weakness to common priority moves like Bullet Punch and Aqua Jet, which compromises its ability to pressure slower threats in Scizor and Crawdaunt. Lastly, Mamoswine struggles from a below average Speed tier for an offensive Pokemon, which can leave it vulnerable to several of the tier's powerful faster threats, including Infernape, Cobalion, and Kyurem.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Ice Shard
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Icicle Crash
move 4: Knock Off / Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Shard takes advantage of the tier's several faster Pokemon that are weak to Ice, letting Mamoswine revenge kill foes such as Crobat, Kommo-o, Hydreigon, and Celebi after some chip damage. Earthquake is Mamoswine's most powerful STAB attack, 2HKOing the majority of switch-ins while forcing out defensive threats like Klefki and Mega Aggron. Icicle Crash applies pressure to several defensive Pokemon that could tank an Earthquake and damage Mamoswine in return, including Amoonguss and Hippowdon. It also hits Levitate users and Flying-types like Hydreigon, Latias, and bulkier variants of Togekiss, which would traditionally be used as Ground-type checks. Knock Off 2HKOes common switch-ins to Mamoswine in Rotom-H and Bronzong in addition to burdening foes with the removal of their items. Stealth Rock is an entry hazard that can be set as Mamoswine forces switches, inflicting chip damage on foes as they come in. It can be useful to run on Mamoswine if no other member of its team has room for the move. Freeze-Dry is also an option in the fourth slot, luring in and 2HKOing bulky Water-types like Swampert and Alomomola. However, with adequate chip damage, both of these Pokemon can already be 2HKOed by Earthquake, while the need to run a Naughty or Naive nature further compromises Mamoswine's defensive capabilities. Stone Edge is an option that can OHKO Rotom-H and Moltres, which can both otherwise come in once and pressure Mamoswine with either powerful attacks or status. It often comes at the cost of utility or better coverage, however.
Set Details
========
Full investment in Attack with an Adamant nature maximizes Mamoswine's power, allowing it to more easily secure OHKOs on foes such as Primarina and Amoonguss and 2HKOs on the likes of Mega Aggron and Slowbro. Full investment in Speed makes it as fast as possible with a neutral nature, outrunning the majority of the metagame's defensive threats. A Jolly nature is also an option, allowing Mamoswine to outrun Timid Volcanion and Speed tie with Togekiss, Mega Altaria, and Chandelure at the cost of some power. If running Freeze-Dry, Mamoswine should use a Naughty or Naive nature instead so its Special Attack isn't lowered. Life Orb increases Mamoswine's overall damage output, notably allowing it to secure the 2HKO on Suicune with Earthquake. Thick Fat is the preferred ability, decreasing the damage Mamoswine takes from Fire- and Ice-type attacks that Electric-types like Mega Manectric and Raikou often use to power through other Ground-types.
Usage Tips
========
Mamoswine's best use is on offensive teams as an early-game wallbreaker that can pave way for teammates to clean up later on. Ice Shard should be utilized to threaten to revenge kill the tier's several faster Pokemon that are weak to it, such as Latias, Togekiss, and Haxorus. If the opposing team is weakened enough, Mamoswine can also try using it to clean up late-game. The decision of whether to use Icicle Crash or Earthquake to wallbreak can be tough at times, though against teams with Ground-immune Pokemon, which are often weak to Ice, Icicle Crash is often smarter to use early on. Earthquake is best to use once Ground-resistant and -immune foes are removed or weakened due to its better neutral coverage. Mamoswine forces several switches as it wallbreaks and as such should take advantage of said switches to fire off powerful STAB attacks, set Stealth Rock, or hit various switch-ins that tank its STAB attacks, like Rotom-H and Bronzong, with Stone Edge or Knock Off if need be. Because its typing doesn't provide it with many switch-in opportunities, it's best to bring Mamoswine in via pivot support or after a teammate has fainted. However, it can come into play in a few specific scenarios, such as against passive defensive Pokemon like Klefki, Hippowdon, and Blissey and against Electric-types like Mega Manectric and Raikou if it predicts carefully. If running Freeze-Dry, Mamoswine should attempt to use it on the opponent's predicted switch to a bulky Water-type foe like Alomomola or Mega Slowbro, as this way it can more easily break past its most common method of defensive counterplay. Lastly, Mamoswine should capitalize on its strong matchup against defensive teams by using Knock Off and Stealth Rock to chip foes early-game, then weakening them further later on.
Team Options
========
Due to its huge offensive presence and struggle to defensively contribute to teams, Mamoswine is most comfortably fitted on offensively inclined builds. It is appreciated by setup sweepers, like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Raikou, thanks to its ability to weaken opposing teams for them to more easily do their job late-game. Cleaners such as Mega Sharpedo and Choice Band Scizor also appreciate Mamoswine's support for this reason. Pokemon capable of providing pivot support, like Crobat, Mega Manectric, and Moltres, are capable of safely bringing Mamoswine into play. Mamoswine also appreciates teammates capable of supporting it with entry hazards, such as Cobalion, Kommo-o, and Nihilego, as chip damage allows it to more easily muscle past the likes of Alomomola and Mega Slowbro on its own. Stealth Rock support can also allow Mamoswine to more comfortably run Knock Off, Freeze-Dry, or Stone Edge. Klefki is a particularly helpful partner, as it can provide Spikes support for Mamoswine to take advantage of in addition to patching up its poor Speed with Thunder Wave and crippling bulky Water-types with Toxic. Adequate methods of checking faster foes, such as Choice Scarf Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl, can help patch up Mamoswine's susceptibility to being revenge killed due to its poor Speed. Fighting-type checks like Latias, Slowbro, and Primarina can come in on the several Fighting-types that force Mamoswine out, such as Infernape, Cobalion, and Terrakion. Lastly, due to Mamoswine's susceptibility to being worn down, it enjoys the support of Pokemon capable of removing entry hazards, such as Latias, Starmie, and Hydreigon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mamoswine can viably function as a suicide lead, running a set with Stealth Rock, Focus Sash, Oblivious to evade Taunt, and Ice Shard + Endeavor for picking off at least one foe before fainting. However, it faces competition from other suicide leads like Azelf and Terrakion and isn't nearly as useful a set as Life Orb. Focus Sash can also be run as an item on offensive sets to allow Mamoswine to reliably tank at least one hit while retaliating with powerful attacks, though it often comes at the cost of invaluable power. Toxic can be used in the fourth slot to cripple Mamoswine's defensive switch-ins but usually doesn't provide as useful of overall utility as Stealth Rock or Knock Off. Finally, Protect is an option for scouting Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch or attacks from other Choice-locked Pokemon like Infernape and Volcanion, though it also often struggles to provide better utility than either Knock Off or Stealth Rock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Defensive Water-types**: Defensive Water-types like Alomomola, Slowbro and its Mega Evolution, and bulkier Suicune variants can often avoid the 2HKO from Earthquake while threatening Mamoswine with a super effective STAB Scald. All should be wary of Freeze-Dry, however.
**Fighting-types**: Though they can't switch in, the likes of Infernape, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Heracross are all faster than Mamoswine and can tank an Ice Shard, which allows them to KO Mamoswine with super effective STAB attacks. If running Shuca Berry, Cobalion can even set up on Mamoswine while tanking on Earthquake to become a fearsome threat to the rest of its team.
**Offensive Pressure**: Due to Mamoswine's low Speed and terrible defensive typing, faster Pokemon capable of hitting it hard can pose a large threat. Examples include Terrakion, Starmie, and Kyurem, though all should be wary of switching into Mamoswine directly. Rotom-H is particularly troublesome, as it is only hit hard by Knock Off and Stone Edge due to its typing and ability, and it can pick Mamoswine off with STAB Overheat.
**Super Effective Priority**: Mamoswine's typing leaves it weak to several forms of super effective priority that are run in UU, including Scizor's Bullet Punch, Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet, and Infernape's Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave. However, only offensive variants of the former can KO Mamoswine from full HP, meaning that both Infernape and Crawdaunt will require some chip damage to pick it off with priority moves.
**Residual Damage**: Mamoswine's middling bulk, poor defensive typing, and Life Orb recoil leave it open to being easily chipped down by forms of residual damage, which include entry hazards, U-turn pivoting from foes, and status ailments like poison.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Amaroq, 301581]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Nuked, 382658], [Amane Misa, 312356]]
- Grammar checked by: [[martha, 384270], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
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