[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Spectral Thief
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Low Kick
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
* Choice Band Marshadow is a beacon of offensive role compression in a single slot for balance and bulky offense structures. Marshadow shores up some of the biggest holes in the defensive backbones of these structures, since it single-handedly revenge kills Extreme Killer Arceus, wallbreaker Primal Kyogre, and Ultra Necrozma. The latter is particularly important, as it allows teams to easily diversify their Arceus slot beyond Arceus-Dark. Furthermore, Marshadow's Tera Ghost Shadow Sneak is also powerful enough to serve as speed control, as it 2HKOes even offensive Eternatus and Zacian-C. Additionally, Marshadow is similarly effective against bulkier Pokemon, as the pool of Pokemon able to safely switch in long-term is limited to Coil Zygarde and Tera Fairy Garganacl. Marshadow's efficacy at revenge killing, wallbreaking, and providing speed control enables it to play an important role in most battles against most archetypes barring stall.
* Poltergeist is Marshadow's primary wallbreaking tool, and its sheer power is a significant reason why Marshadow is so difficult to safely switch into for balance and bulky offense teams lacking Coil Zygarde or Tera Fairy Garganacl, as Poltergeist even 2HKOes defensive Ho-Oh and Timid Arceus formes. Spectral Thief is used to help dissuade setup sweepers such as Coil Zygarde and Calm Mind Arceus formes while still packing a solid punch and the ability to safely clean weakened teams. Shadow Sneak enables Marshadow to revenge kill Pokemon that outspeed it such as Deoxys-A, Zacian-C, or a boosted Ultra Necrozma. Low Kick is used over Close Combat, as it reliably reaches 120 Base Power against most foes; although Chi-Yu and Chansey are notable exceptions, Low Kick 2HKOes both anyway, and Close Combat's low PP and defense reductions, putting Marshadow in range of attacks it would otherwise survive, make it a poor option.
* Marshadow is an excellent user of Terastallization but is by no means dependent on it to function. Rather, Tera Ghost serves to enhance Marshadow’s Marshadow's potency by reaching key damage thresholds. For example, Tera Ghost Shadow Sneak is guaranteed to OHKO Ultra Necrozma and Mega Mewtwo Y while also 2HKOing Pokemon such as offensive Eternatus and Zacian-C. Tera Ghost also pushes Poltergeist to absurd levels, enabling Marshadow to OHKO wallbreaker Primal Kyogre and Rayqauza while having favorable odds to OHKO offensive Ho-Oh. Tera Ghost Spectral Thief is powerful enough to prevent Calm Mind Arceus formes from getting out of hand, as they are now 2HKOed. Tera Ghost also has some defensive applications; shedding its Fairy weakness in a pinch can be beneficial against Arceus-Fairy or Zacian-C.
* Marshadow's poor bulk and defensive typing leave it with scant safe switch-in opportunities. However, Marshadow's bulk is sufficient to take a hit from some Pokemon. For example, Marshadow survives Primal Groudon's uninvested Precipice Blades, Eternatus's unboosted Dynamax Cannon, and Arceus-Dark's +1 Judgment. This is at its fullest display against hyper offense structures, which is also Marshadow's best matchup, where its efficacy as a revenge killer is at full display.
* Marshadow is still a solid revenge killer against bulky offence and balance structures, but it often transitions to a wallbreaking role. Its Spectral Thief easily halts late-game sweeping attempts from Pokemon such as Coil Zygarde and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Its combination of instant power and Speed provides insurance against +1 Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, as other Pokemon such as Sucker Punch Yveltal and Zacian-C require a boost or significant chip damage to revenge kill it. Choice Band Marshadow struggles against stall, as it is hard checked by Dondozo, and its prediction-reliant nature makes it difficult to generate reliable progress against defensive Ho-Oh, Chansey, Giratina, and defensive Arceus-Dark. Defensive Eternatus's Toxic Spikes also poses a threat to Marshadow, limiting its switch-in opportunities.
* Marshadow is a common addition to the common balance core of defensive Primal Groudon, offensive Ho-Oh, Coil Zygarde, and Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, as it offensively checks the biggest threats to this core in Tera Normal Double-Edge Extreme Killer Arceus and wallbreaker Primal Kyogre. This core can defensively check most of the metagame, including Pokemon that can scare Marshadow out such as Eternatus and Zacian-C. As Marshadow offensively checks Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, Coil Zygarde can more easily justify Tera Fairy to act as a counter to Dragon Dance Zygarde, which would otherwise threaten this core, especially since boosted Tera Ground Thousand Arrows OHKOes Marshadow, preventing it from using Spectral Thief.
* Marshadow is an excellent teammate for Arceus-Fairy,as it revenge kills Ultra Necrozma and avoids makeshift countermeasures such as Tera Dark Ho-Oh. Arceus-Fairy also provides a switch-in to Arceus-Dark and Yveltal, and its positive matchup against Coil Zygarde and Garganacl is appreciated. Defensive Primal Kyogre is common on these teams due to its stellar matchup against stall, while its bulk allows it to trade against specially offensive Yveltal and Dragon Dance Zygarde.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
name: Choice Band
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Spectral Thief
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Low Kick
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
* Choice Band Marshadow is a beacon of offensive role compression in a single slot for balance and bulky offense structures. Marshadow shores up some of the biggest holes in the defensive backbones of these structures, since it single-handedly revenge kills Extreme Killer Arceus, wallbreaker Primal Kyogre, and Ultra Necrozma. The latter is particularly important, as it allows teams to easily diversify their Arceus slot beyond Arceus-Dark. Furthermore, Marshadow's Tera Ghost Shadow Sneak is also powerful enough to serve as speed control, as it 2HKOes even offensive Eternatus and Zacian-C. Additionally, Marshadow is similarly effective against bulkier Pokemon, as the pool of Pokemon able to safely switch in long-term is limited to Coil Zygarde and Tera Fairy Garganacl. Marshadow's efficacy at revenge killing, wallbreaking, and providing speed control enables it to play an important role in most battles against most archetypes barring stall.
* Poltergeist is Marshadow's primary wallbreaking tool, and its sheer power is a significant reason why Marshadow is so difficult to safely switch into for balance and bulky offense teams lacking Coil Zygarde or Tera Fairy Garganacl, as Poltergeist even 2HKOes defensive Ho-Oh and Timid Arceus formes. Spectral Thief is used to help dissuade setup sweepers such as Coil Zygarde and Calm Mind Arceus formes while still packing a solid punch and the ability to safely clean weakened teams. Shadow Sneak enables Marshadow to revenge kill Pokemon that outspeed it such as Deoxys-A, Zacian-C, or a boosted Ultra Necrozma. Low Kick is used over Close Combat, as it reliably reaches 120 Base Power against most foes; although Chi-Yu and Chansey are notable exceptions, Low Kick 2HKOes both anyway, and Close Combat's low PP and defense reductions, putting Marshadow in range of attacks it would otherwise survive, make it a poor option.
* Marshadow is an excellent user of Terastallization but is by no means dependent on it to function. Rather, Tera Ghost serves to enhance Marshadow’s Marshadow's potency by reaching key damage thresholds. For example, Tera Ghost Shadow Sneak is guaranteed to OHKO Ultra Necrozma and Mega Mewtwo Y while also 2HKOing Pokemon such as offensive Eternatus and Zacian-C. Tera Ghost also pushes Poltergeist to absurd levels, enabling Marshadow to OHKO wallbreaker Primal Kyogre and Rayqauza while having favorable odds to OHKO offensive Ho-Oh. Tera Ghost Spectral Thief is powerful enough to prevent Calm Mind Arceus formes from getting out of hand, as they are now 2HKOed. Tera Ghost also has some defensive applications; shedding its Fairy weakness in a pinch can be beneficial against Arceus-Fairy or Zacian-C.
* Marshadow's poor bulk and defensive typing leave it with scant safe switch-in opportunities. However, Marshadow's bulk is sufficient to take a hit from some Pokemon. For example, Marshadow survives Primal Groudon's uninvested Precipice Blades, Eternatus's unboosted Dynamax Cannon, and Arceus-Dark's +1 Judgment. This is at its fullest display against hyper offense structures, which is also Marshadow's best matchup, where its efficacy as a revenge killer is at full display.
* Marshadow is still a solid revenge killer against bulky offence and balance structures, but it often transitions to a wallbreaking role. Its Spectral Thief easily halts late-game sweeping attempts from Pokemon such as Coil Zygarde and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Its combination of instant power and Speed provides insurance against +1 Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, as other Pokemon such as Sucker Punch Yveltal and Zacian-C require a boost or significant chip damage to revenge kill it. Choice Band Marshadow struggles against stall, as it is hard checked by Dondozo, and its prediction-reliant nature makes it difficult to generate reliable progress against defensive Ho-Oh, Chansey, Giratina, and defensive Arceus-Dark. Defensive Eternatus's Toxic Spikes also poses a threat to Marshadow, limiting its switch-in opportunities.
* Marshadow is a common addition to the common balance core of defensive Primal Groudon, offensive Ho-Oh, Coil Zygarde, and Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, as it offensively checks the biggest threats to this core in Tera Normal Double-Edge Extreme Killer Arceus and wallbreaker Primal Kyogre. This core can defensively check most of the metagame, including Pokemon that can scare Marshadow out such as Eternatus and Zacian-C. As Marshadow offensively checks Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, Coil Zygarde can more easily justify Tera Fairy to act as a counter to Dragon Dance Zygarde, which would otherwise threaten this core, especially since boosted Tera Ground Thousand Arrows OHKOes Marshadow, preventing it from using Spectral Thief.
* Marshadow is an excellent teammate for Arceus-Fairy,as it revenge kills Ultra Necrozma and avoids makeshift countermeasures such as Tera Dark Ho-Oh. Arceus-Fairy also provides a switch-in to Arceus-Dark and Yveltal, and its positive matchup against Coil Zygarde and Garganacl is appreciated. Defensive Primal Kyogre is common on these teams due to its stellar matchup against stall, while its bulk allows it to trade against specially offensive Yveltal and Dragon Dance Zygarde.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
