First analysis ever, and I very much hope for a great first impression!
[Overview]
<p>Differentiating itself from its fellow Bug-types with access to Quiver Dance, Masquerain cements its primary niche as the only user of the move with access to Baton Pass, which allows it to pass its boosts to a partner. Finding opportunities to set up can be a difficult task, largely due to Masquerain's crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock that is further compounded with a defensive typing that is surprisingly easy to take advantage of. It has access to a useful ability in Intimidate however, which with the help of Roost gives it the chance to set up against a variety of physical attackers and defensive Pokemon. Even when it manages to set up though, Masquerain by itself does not make for a good sweeper and relies on the partners it passes to in order to keep up the offensive momentum; using it to its utmost potential requires team support in the form of Pokemon that can take advantage of the boosts that it provides.</p>
[SET]
name: QuiverPass
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Roost
move 4: Bug Buzz / Air Slash
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a simple goal of setting up as many Quiver Dance boosts as possible so that a teammate can perform a sweep afterwards. The combination of Intimidate, Special Defense boosts from Quiver Dance, and a typing that grants Masquerain some useful resistances gives it the opportunity to set up on most defensive Pokemon; including Alomomola, Tangela, Seismitoad, Misdreavus, and Miltank, as well as on Choice-locked Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon like Golurk and Sawk. It should be taken into account that it will often take a bit of prediction to find opportunities to pull off a successful pass with the general prevalence of Choice Scarf users. Once Masquerain has received enough boosts, then the most urgent thing to do is to pass to a recipient as soon as it can.</p>
<p>Baton Pass serves an important role here, as not only does it pass Quiver Dance boosts but making timely use of it can work wonders towards easing prediction and gaining momentum when scouting common switch-ins such as Choice Scarf users or phazers. In terms of attacking, Bug Buzz is useful in the fact that it hits moderately hard after a number of boosts, while also serving as a tool towards bypassing some phazers such as Zweilous and Grumpig. Air Slash serves as a secondary option that can help Masquerain fend off Primeape, while also being able to nab an OHKO on Scolipede after a Quiver Dance boost. It should be taken into account that while attacking isn't particularly important for this set for the most part, running one of these moves does prevent Masquerain from being complete Taunt bait. Roost is one of Masquerain's most vital assets, as it helps increase its longevity mitigate its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, potentially giving it more opportunities to set up later.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The displayed EV spread is used to invest as much as possible into bulk while still maintaining the ability to outspeed positive-natured base 95 Pokemon such as Jynx, Primeape, Sawsbuck, and Haunter after a boost. Using 248 HP EVs instead of 252 is vital so that Masquerain has a Stealth Rock number and can switch in twice without fainting. If you care a bit more about outpacing as much as possible after a Quiver Dance boost, you can also forgo the standard option for an EV spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe with a Timid nature, which allows Masquerain to gain the jump on everything up to positive-natured Swoobat after a boost. The bulk that Masquerain receives from the recommended Defense investment when factoring in Intimidate is very beneficial though, and many of the Pokemon this extra Speed helps with are declining in usage. As far as movepool options go, Substitute works as a good alternative to Bug Buzz and Air Slash as it can allow Masquerain to set up more reliably, give it protection from Dragon Tail Lickilicky and status, scout for Choice Scarf Pokemon, and provide its recipient with even more benefits once it's ready to Baton Pass out.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons as to why Masquerain typically doesn't find much usage is because of how difficult it is to find a proper place for it on a team; it generally fits best on teams structured around a number of Pokemon that can both take advantage of Quiver Dance boosts and help it gain setup opportunities. Seismitoad is one of the best options for a teammate, as it not only possesses just the right offensive stats and Speed to be threatening after a boost or two but also synergizes well with Masquerain, being able to come in on a variety of Fire-, Rock-, and Electric-type Pokemon that threaten it. Other solid choices for teammates to pass boosts to include Ludicolo, Jynx, Electabuzz, and Haunter. Masquerain also benefits from Pokemon that are able to remove threats that force it out rather quickly, such as Golem and Piloswine, or can phaze it, such as Bastiodon, Lairon, and the like, as they otherwise ruin its strategy. Mold Breaker Sawk is an excellent addition for any team in need of a way to handle this category of threats and comes with the added benefit of being able to take on special walls that might hinder the sweeping potential of Masquerain's most powerful teammates. Special Samurott is a potent partner as well as it is capable of threatening a lot of Pokemon that set up Stealth Rock and can even prevent them from doing so with Taunt. Samurott also makes great use of Quiver Dance boosts and can break through a lot of defensive Pokemon with Taunt. Additionally, Air Balloon Probopass in particular has solid match-ups against most Stealth Rock users, while also providing a slow Volt Switch for Masquerain to come in safely and the ability to trap Steel-type phazers such as Bastiodon and Lairon. It also has nice synergy, being able to switch in on a variety of threats like Swellow and Choice Braviary while Masquerain can come in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Probopass. As a more defensive option, Wartortle can support Masquerain by spinning away Stealth Rock and checking the Rock-type Pokemon that trouble it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On paper, Masquerain has the capability to take a more offensive approach with Quiver Dance and attempt a combination of sweeping and Baton Passing. Such a set would be along the lines of Quiver Dance / Bug Buzz / Air Slash / Baton Pass with Life Orb to somewhat separate itself from Butterfree. Even then though, it isn't as fast or powerful as Butterfree and doesn't have the ability to put a counter to sleep, making it somewhat inferior in this role. Coverage moves like Hydro Pump and Giga Drain can work, as the former can get some nice hits on Pokemon that otherwise don't take much from Masquerain's STAB attacks such as Bastiodon and Flareon and the latter can score super effective hits against Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types such as Golem, Seismitoad, and Alomomola while regaining some health. Toxic and Stun Spore could be nice to cripple walls that Masquerain can set up on even further. This could also be beneficial for crippling Taunt Misdreavus as they normally expect to stop Masquerain from setting up without any consequences. Scald seems like a somewhat effective option because of its ability to inflict burns, something especially helpful in gaining setup opportunities, but it is rather weak. Masquerain can make use of both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, being able to fire off rain-boosted Hydro Pumps with the former, make use of SolarBeam with the latter, and provide momentum for teams based around either with U-turn and Baton Pass. However, Masquerain is quite slow and doesn't benefit from the common members of the weather teams all that much. Tailwind seems like a potentially useful support move, but Masquerain is often eclipsed by other users and can already pass Speed boosts with Quiver Dance.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to counter Masquerain is to prevent it from getting a successful pass off. This part can often be tricky, as there are few Pokemon that can outspeed it after a Quiver Dance boost. One important way of making its job difficult is through the use of Stealth Rock, as chipping away 50% of its health makes it much more difficult for Masquerain to get around its checks and counters, set up, and avoid getting picked off. The single best and most reliable way of shutting it down is through the use of phazers, particularly the ones that aren't weak to its STAB and don't mind taking a boosted hit in response. Pokemon such as Bastiodon, Camerupt, Munchlax, and Lickilicky can take boosted hits with ease and ruin its strategy with Roar or Dragon Tail, though the latter has to beware of Substitute. Taunt from the likes of Skuntank and Misdreavus can also temporarily stop it from doing its job.</p>
<p>On a more offensive approach, Swellow is initially a very strong response towards stopping Masquerain. Swellow can not only come in on anything Masquerain can do but also outspeed it even after a Quiver Dance boost and OHKO with Facade or Brave Bird. Charizard can also safely come in on Masquerain, outspeeds after a boost, and easily threaten it with Fire Blast. Making use of Choice Scarf users that can outspeed and OHKO Masquerain after a boost can also work wonders. Choice Scarf Braviary is an excellent answer to Masquerain as not only can it outspeed and OHKO with Brave Bird, but it can also discourage Masquerain from switching in on something that it can set up on due to the possibility of a timely double switch in an attempt to activate Defiant. Choice Scarf Primeape and Sawk are other good examples of such checks, as they can come in on anything safely other than Air Slash and proceed to OHKO Masquerain with Stone Edge. Answers also include Garbodor, which not only can deal a lot of damage with Rock Blast but can utilize Clear Smog to negate any boosts Masquerain or the receiver has and Toxic to cripple the receiver as it comes in. Golem and Piloswine are also able to threaten Masquerain with their respective multi-hit STAB moves, but they won't be able to stop it from Baton Passing out unless Masquerain is weakened enough to be picked off by Ice Shard in Piloswine's case.</p>
<p>There are other measures that can be taken if you cannot prevent Masquerain from setting up and Baton Passing to a recipient. If necessary, you could try to predict what Masquerain will pass to and attempt to OHKO or status the recipient in some manner, but such a strategy isn't particularly reliable and should only be treated as a last resort.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Differentiating itself from its fellow Bug-types with access to Quiver Dance, Masquerain cements its primary niche as the only user of the move with access to Baton Pass, which allows it to pass its boosts to a partner. Finding opportunities to set up can be a difficult task, largely due to Masquerain's crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock that is further compounded with a defensive typing that is surprisingly easy to take advantage of. It has access to a useful ability in Intimidate however, which with the help of Roost gives it the chance to set up against a variety of physical attackers and defensive Pokemon. Even when it manages to set up though, Masquerain by itself does not make for a good sweeper and relies on the partners it passes to in order to keep up the offensive momentum; using it to its utmost potential requires team support in the form of Pokemon that can take advantage of the boosts that it provides.</p>
[SET]
name: QuiverPass
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Roost
move 4: Bug Buzz / Air Slash
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a simple goal of setting up as many Quiver Dance boosts as possible so that a teammate can perform a sweep afterwards. The combination of Intimidate, Special Defense boosts from Quiver Dance, and a typing that grants Masquerain some useful resistances gives it the opportunity to set up on most defensive Pokemon; including Alomomola, Tangela, Seismitoad, Misdreavus, and Miltank, as well as on Choice-locked Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon like Golurk and Sawk. It should be taken into account that it will often take a bit of prediction to find opportunities to pull off a successful pass with the general prevalence of Choice Scarf users. Once Masquerain has received enough boosts, then the most urgent thing to do is to pass to a recipient as soon as it can.</p>
<p>Baton Pass serves an important role here, as not only does it pass Quiver Dance boosts but making timely use of it can work wonders towards easing prediction and gaining momentum when scouting common switch-ins such as Choice Scarf users or phazers. In terms of attacking, Bug Buzz is useful in the fact that it hits moderately hard after a number of boosts, while also serving as a tool towards bypassing some phazers such as Zweilous and Grumpig. Air Slash serves as a secondary option that can help Masquerain fend off Primeape, while also being able to nab an OHKO on Scolipede after a Quiver Dance boost. It should be taken into account that while attacking isn't particularly important for this set for the most part, running one of these moves does prevent Masquerain from being complete Taunt bait. Roost is one of Masquerain's most vital assets, as it helps increase its longevity mitigate its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, potentially giving it more opportunities to set up later.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The displayed EV spread is used to invest as much as possible into bulk while still maintaining the ability to outspeed positive-natured base 95 Pokemon such as Jynx, Primeape, Sawsbuck, and Haunter after a boost. Using 248 HP EVs instead of 252 is vital so that Masquerain has a Stealth Rock number and can switch in twice without fainting. If you care a bit more about outpacing as much as possible after a Quiver Dance boost, you can also forgo the standard option for an EV spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe with a Timid nature, which allows Masquerain to gain the jump on everything up to positive-natured Swoobat after a boost. The bulk that Masquerain receives from the recommended Defense investment when factoring in Intimidate is very beneficial though, and many of the Pokemon this extra Speed helps with are declining in usage. As far as movepool options go, Substitute works as a good alternative to Bug Buzz and Air Slash as it can allow Masquerain to set up more reliably, give it protection from Dragon Tail Lickilicky and status, scout for Choice Scarf Pokemon, and provide its recipient with even more benefits once it's ready to Baton Pass out.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons as to why Masquerain typically doesn't find much usage is because of how difficult it is to find a proper place for it on a team; it generally fits best on teams structured around a number of Pokemon that can both take advantage of Quiver Dance boosts and help it gain setup opportunities. Seismitoad is one of the best options for a teammate, as it not only possesses just the right offensive stats and Speed to be threatening after a boost or two but also synergizes well with Masquerain, being able to come in on a variety of Fire-, Rock-, and Electric-type Pokemon that threaten it. Other solid choices for teammates to pass boosts to include Ludicolo, Jynx, Electabuzz, and Haunter. Masquerain also benefits from Pokemon that are able to remove threats that force it out rather quickly, such as Golem and Piloswine, or can phaze it, such as Bastiodon, Lairon, and the like, as they otherwise ruin its strategy. Mold Breaker Sawk is an excellent addition for any team in need of a way to handle this category of threats and comes with the added benefit of being able to take on special walls that might hinder the sweeping potential of Masquerain's most powerful teammates. Special Samurott is a potent partner as well as it is capable of threatening a lot of Pokemon that set up Stealth Rock and can even prevent them from doing so with Taunt. Samurott also makes great use of Quiver Dance boosts and can break through a lot of defensive Pokemon with Taunt. Additionally, Air Balloon Probopass in particular has solid match-ups against most Stealth Rock users, while also providing a slow Volt Switch for Masquerain to come in safely and the ability to trap Steel-type phazers such as Bastiodon and Lairon. It also has nice synergy, being able to switch in on a variety of threats like Swellow and Choice Braviary while Masquerain can come in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Probopass. As a more defensive option, Wartortle can support Masquerain by spinning away Stealth Rock and checking the Rock-type Pokemon that trouble it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On paper, Masquerain has the capability to take a more offensive approach with Quiver Dance and attempt a combination of sweeping and Baton Passing. Such a set would be along the lines of Quiver Dance / Bug Buzz / Air Slash / Baton Pass with Life Orb to somewhat separate itself from Butterfree. Even then though, it isn't as fast or powerful as Butterfree and doesn't have the ability to put a counter to sleep, making it somewhat inferior in this role. Coverage moves like Hydro Pump and Giga Drain can work, as the former can get some nice hits on Pokemon that otherwise don't take much from Masquerain's STAB attacks such as Bastiodon and Flareon and the latter can score super effective hits against Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types such as Golem, Seismitoad, and Alomomola while regaining some health. Toxic and Stun Spore could be nice to cripple walls that Masquerain can set up on even further. This could also be beneficial for crippling Taunt Misdreavus as they normally expect to stop Masquerain from setting up without any consequences. Scald seems like a somewhat effective option because of its ability to inflict burns, something especially helpful in gaining setup opportunities, but it is rather weak. Masquerain can make use of both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, being able to fire off rain-boosted Hydro Pumps with the former, make use of SolarBeam with the latter, and provide momentum for teams based around either with U-turn and Baton Pass. However, Masquerain is quite slow and doesn't benefit from the common members of the weather teams all that much. Tailwind seems like a potentially useful support move, but Masquerain is often eclipsed by other users and can already pass Speed boosts with Quiver Dance.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to counter Masquerain is to prevent it from getting a successful pass off. This part can often be tricky, as there are few Pokemon that can outspeed it after a Quiver Dance boost. One important way of making its job difficult is through the use of Stealth Rock, as chipping away 50% of its health makes it much more difficult for Masquerain to get around its checks and counters, set up, and avoid getting picked off. The single best and most reliable way of shutting it down is through the use of phazers, particularly the ones that aren't weak to its STAB and don't mind taking a boosted hit in response. Pokemon such as Bastiodon, Camerupt, Munchlax, and Lickilicky can take boosted hits with ease and ruin its strategy with Roar or Dragon Tail, though the latter has to beware of Substitute. Taunt from the likes of Skuntank and Misdreavus can also temporarily stop it from doing its job.</p>
<p>On a more offensive approach, Swellow is initially a very strong response towards stopping Masquerain. Swellow can not only come in on anything Masquerain can do but also outspeed it even after a Quiver Dance boost and OHKO with Facade or Brave Bird. Charizard can also safely come in on Masquerain, outspeeds after a boost, and easily threaten it with Fire Blast. Making use of Choice Scarf users that can outspeed and OHKO Masquerain after a boost can also work wonders. Choice Scarf Braviary is an excellent answer to Masquerain as not only can it outspeed and OHKO with Brave Bird, but it can also discourage Masquerain from switching in on something that it can set up on due to the possibility of a timely double switch in an attempt to activate Defiant. Choice Scarf Primeape and Sawk are other good examples of such checks, as they can come in on anything safely other than Air Slash and proceed to OHKO Masquerain with Stone Edge. Answers also include Garbodor, which not only can deal a lot of damage with Rock Blast but can utilize Clear Smog to negate any boosts Masquerain or the receiver has and Toxic to cripple the receiver as it comes in. Golem and Piloswine are also able to threaten Masquerain with their respective multi-hit STAB moves, but they won't be able to stop it from Baton Passing out unless Masquerain is weakened enough to be picked off by Ice Shard in Piloswine's case.</p>
<p>There are other measures that can be taken if you cannot prevent Masquerain from setting up and Baton Passing to a recipient. If necessary, you could try to predict what Masquerain will pass to and attempt to OHKO or status the recipient in some manner, but such a strategy isn't particularly reliable and should only be treated as a last resort.</p>
[Overview]
[SET]
name: QuiverPass
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Roost
move 4: Bug Buzz / Air Slash
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
[Checks and Counters]
- Cements its niche as the only Quiver Dance user in the NU tier with Baton Pass, allowing for it to separate towards its infamous, forgotten nature of its Bug / Flying brethren to perform in an often underlooked, yet quite potent strategy of QuiverPass.
- Mediocre stats overall, but there are only a few that applies to relevance within the context of what it specifically does.
- It's main competition, Butterfree, limits it towards using it for the sole purpose of QuiverPassing in order to best justify its use over its competition.
- Serves a specific role in the fact that it doesn't need support to make it effective. Rather, it benefits from the proper teammates for its niche so it can support them instead.
- Prime example of an offensive-inclined support Pokemon in that of it being capable of easily making or breaking a devastating win condition for its teammates.
[SET]
name: QuiverPass
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Roost
move 4: Bug Buzz / Air Slash
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- This set's goal strives to setup as many Quiver Dances as possible in attempts to having a teammate perform a sweep.
- The combination of Intimidate, Special Defense boosts from Quiver Dance, and typing that grants some useful resistances allows it to gain setup opportunities on a good number of Choice-locked Fighting and Ground type Pokemon such as Sawk, Primeape, or Golurk while being able to setup on several walls such as Alomomola, Tangela, Seismitoed, Miltank or Misdreavus.
- It often takes a bit of prediction to be able to make safe opportunities to setup, due to the prevalence of Choice Scarf Pokemon that can outspeed immediately threaten it even after a boost.
- Baton Pass is not only important for the role of passing Quiver Dance boosts, but a timely use of it can also work wonders towards easing prediction to gain momentum on common switch-ins, being various Choice Scarf users or phazers.
- Roost is used on this set to help increase longevity over the course of the match. This is especially useful factoring its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock and can gain it more opportunities to potentially setup later.
- Attacking isn't particularly important for the most part, but it's obviously for the purpose of preventing being complete Taunt bait. Bug Buzz is Masquerain's strongest STAB move that hits moderately hard after a boost, while also helping you bypass a few phazers such as Zweilous or Grumpig. Air Slash serves as a secondary option that can help Masqerain fend off Primeape, while also being able to OHKO Scolipede after a Quiver Dance boost.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- The EVs are used to invest a good chunk into bulk while still maintaining a jump towards a crucial speed tier at +1. Masqerain is able to outspeed everything up to positive-natured base 95 speed Pokemon after a boost, while initiating a Stealth Rock number so that you can switch in twice without being KO'd.
- Masquerain can further invest into its defenses a bit more towards a physically defensive spread with a Bold nature to gain more setup opportunities, but its decent bulk is already assured with Intimidate and it only makes it easier to force you into a situation of not being able to Baton Pass out fast enough when your opponent tries to stop you from doing so as you setup.
- If you care more about outpacing as much as you can after a Quiver Dance boost, you can also forgo an EV spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe with a Timid nature that allows you to gain the jump on everything up to positive-natured Swoobat after a boost. The bulk that Masqerain receives when factoring the defense investment gaining a 1.5x boost with Intimidate is very beneficial though, and often times the Pokemon that you're aiming for isn't all that important otherwise.
- Substitute works as a good alternative between either Bug Buzz / Air Slash as it allows you to setup more reliably if you can get a free Substitute up, gives you protection from Dragon Tail Lickilicky or status, scout for Choice Scarf Pokemon, and provide more safe and threatening benefits from Baton Passing out once you're ready.
- One of the main reasons as to why it doesn't find much usage at all because of how deceptively difficult it is to find a proper placing into a team; thereby, it mostly wants to fit in a team structured around the number of Pokemon that can abuse QuiverPass boosts and help gain it setup opportunities very well.
- Seismitoed is one of the best options for a teammate that makes good use of Masqerain's Quiver Dance support, as it not only possesses just the right offensive stats and Speed to be threatening after a boost or two, but it synergizes well in the fact that it can come in on a variety of Fire, Rock, and Electric-type Pokemon that threatens Masqerain. It can also pass very useful boosts from the likes of other solid choices for teammates such as Ludicolo, Jynx, Eelectabuzz, or Haunter.
- Masqerain also benefits from Pokemon that are able to threaten and remove threats that forces it out rather quickly such as Golem or Piloswine and phazing Pokemon such as Bastiodon, Lairon, Munchlax, and the like that would otherwise ruin its strategy. Mold Breaker Sawk is an excellent addition for a team in need of being able to threaten all kinds of threats among this category, with the addition of taking on special walls that may conflict the sweeping potential of Masqerain's most powerful teammates. Special Samurott poses as a potent partner as it is capable of threatening a lot of Pokemon that initially sets up Stealth Rock and can even prevent them from being activated with Taunt. Samurott also makes great use of Quiver Dances boosts as well on the process and can capitalize on a lot of defensive Pokemon with Taunt. Additionally, Air Balloon Probopass in particular has solid matchups against most Stealth Rock users, providing a slow Volt Switch for Masqerain to come in safely, and possesses the ability to trap Steel-type phazers such as Bastiodon and Lairon. It also shares nice synergy, being able to switch in on a variety threats like Swellow or Choiced Braviary while Masqerain can come in on Fighting and Ground-types aimed at Probopass.
- On a more defensive route, Wartortle supports Masquerain by spinning away Stealth Rock and checking the Rock-type Pokemon that troubles it.
[Other Options]
- On paper, Masqerain has the capabilities of pulling off a more offensive approach with Quiver Dance and attempt to go a pseudo route of sweeping and Baton Passing. Such set would be along the lines of utilizing Life Orb with Quiver Dance / Bug Buzz / Air Slash / Baton Pass to somewhat separate itself from Butterfree. Even then, it isn't as fast, is less powerful, and doesn't have the ability to put a counter to sleep unlike Butterfree, making it somewhat inferior in the role of a sweeper.
- Coverage moves like Hydro Pump or Giga Drain can work, as the former can gain some nice hits on Pokemon that otherwise don't take much from its initial STAB attacks such as Bastiodon or Flaron. On a similar boat, the latter can score super effective hits against Rock, Ground, and Water types such as Golem, Seismitoad, or Alomomola while regaining some health.
- Toxic could be nice to cripple walls that it can setup on even further. This could also be beneficial against crippling Taunt Misdreavus as they expect to stop you from setting up on it on the same turn.
- Scald seems like a somewhat effective option because of its ability to inflict burns essentially helping it gain setup opportunities, but is rather weak and doesn't provide any additionally coverage that's different from Hydro Pump.
- Masqerain can make use of both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, while being able to fire off Rain-boosted Hydro Pumps for the former, make use of Solarbeam for the latter, and provide momentum with U-turn or Baton Pass. It's quite slow and doesn't benefit from the initial teams all that much otherwise.
- Tailwind seems like a unique support move, but is often eclipsed by other users and can already pass speed boosts off of Quiver Dance anyways.
[Checks and Counters]
- Ideally, the best way to counter Masqerain is ultimately preventing it from getting a successful pass off. This part can often be tricky, as there are few Pokemon that can outspeed it after a Quiver Dance boost.
- Stealth Rock is an effective way of making Masquerain's job significantly more difficult, as the presence of setting it up and chipping away 50% of its health also becomes a major detriment towards Masqerain in terms of getting around its checks and counters, setting up, and makes it easier to pick off.
- The single best and most reliable way of shutting it down is through the use of phazers, particularly the ones that aren't weak to its STAB and don't mind taking a boosted hit in response. Pokemon such as Bastiodon, Camerupt, Munchlax, or Lickilicky can take boosted hits with ease and ruin its strategy with Roar or Dragon Tail, though the latter has to beware of Substitute.
- On a more offensive approach towards dealing with Masqerain, Swellow is initially a very strong response towards stopping it. Swellow can not only come in on anything Masquerain can do, but can also outspeed Masqerain after a Quiver Dance boost and OHKO with Facade.
- Within a similar route, making use of Choice Scarf users that can outspeed after a boost and OHKO Masquerain can also work wonders. Choice Scarf Braviary is a dangerous answer to it as not only can it outspeed and OHKO with Brave Bird, but can also discourage Masqerain from switching in on something that it can setup on due to the possibility of a timely double switch in attempts to activating Defiant. Choice Scarf Primeape or Sawk are other good examples of which they can come in on anything safely other than Air Slash and proceed to OHKO with Stone Edge.
- To a lesser extent, most Electric-types can also deal significant damage to it and essentially force it out if it hasn't boosted yet. While Masqerain's bulk is not quite stellar, after a boost or two, it will have the capabilities of taking on special attackers a lot easier. This makes most Choice Scarf varients of Electric-types shaky checks at best, especially if Stealth Rock has not been activated.
- Taunt users from the likes of Skuntank or Misdreavus can temporarily stop it from doing its job.
- Another answer would include Garbodor, which not only can deal a lot of damage with Rock Blast, but can utilize Clear Smog to negate any boosts towards Masqerain or the receiver or Toxic to cripple the receiver as it comes in. Golem or Piloswine are also able to threaten Masqerain with their respective multi-hit STAB, but they won't be able to stop it from Baton Passing out unless Masqerain is weakened enough to be picked off by Ice Shard in Piloswine's case.
- There are other measures that can be taken if you cannot prevent Masqerain from setting up and Baton Passing to a recipient. If necessary, you could try to predict where Masqerain will pass to and attempt to OHKO or status the recipient in some manner, but such strategy isn't particularly reliable and should only be treated as a all-in-all last resort.
Last edited:
