AMNESIA IS 2 CALM MINDS
[OVERVIEW]
Ever since RBY's inception, Mewtwo has stood out as the most terrifying and dominant Pokemon in the entire game, and it's not hard to see why. Its combination of a titanic base 154 special, a blazing fast 130 base Speed, corresponding to a critical hit rate of 25.39%, and a superb movepool make it an extremely deadly offensive threat. Mewtwo is also great defensively, with decent HP and Defense, access to the coveted Recover, and a mono-Psychic typing giving it no practical weakness. It is nearly impossible to KO a healthy Mewtwo, forcing you to use status to take it down. Mewtwo's diverse movepool gives it incredible set variety. It can take an offensive role with moves such as Blizzard and Self-Destruct, a supportive role using Thunder Wave to spread paralysis, or a sweeping role with its setup options such as Amnesia and Barrier. This makes Mewtwo an extremely important Pokemon in all stages of a game, and its set can be tailored to what your team requires.
However, Mewtwo is not as untouchable as one might think. Mewtwo's STAB Psychic is resisted by many Pokemon, such as opposing Mewtwo, Mew, Alakazam, Exeggutor, and Starmie. Although an unparalyzed Mewtwo is extremely scary, a Paralyzed Mewtwo is much easier to take down, as Physical attackers such as Tauros, Snorlax, and Rhydon can break through it. This means even a boosted Mewtwo can be forced out by Thunder Wave users such as Alakazam, Chansey, and Mew. Mewtwo is also generally the best switch-in to itself, meaning one Mewtwo can force the other to switch in and paralyze it. In addition to physical attacks, a paralyzed Mewtwo is also vulnerable to Explosion; in RBY, Explosion ends the turn, meaning Mewtwo cannot use Recover on Explosion if it is slower.
Mewtwo's Special stat is so high that stat overflow may be an issue if you are not careful. In RBY, any stat above 1023 will overflow. The game caps stats at 999 for this reason. A Mewtwo at +4 special would have 1218 Special if it was not capped, which would overflow to 196, but due to the cap this is avoided and Mewtwo's Special remains at 999. If Mewtwo uses Amnesia again at +4, it boosts to +5 Special since the game drops Special by 1 if it boosts at 999 special. The problem with overflow arises if Mewtwo's special is dropped while it is at +5. Mewtwo drops to +4 special like normal, but this time there is no stat cap, causing overflow. If Mewtwo boosts again, since the game thinks Mewtwo is below 999 special, it will boost to +6. Overflow most commonly comes into play while two Mewtwo are PP stalling, so it is something to watch out for. The safest way to avoid overflow is to never click Amnesia at +3 or +4 special unless you know the opposing Mewtwo does not have Psychic.
[SET]
name: Assassin
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Blizzard / Fire Blast
move 3: Psychic / Thunderbolt / Amnesia
move 4: Self-Destruct
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set aims to take advantage of Mewtwo's deadly offensive pressure to spread damage and paralysis throughout an opposing team. It can also be used in the lead of offensive teams to start applying offensive pressure from the first turn. The main target of this set is the opposing Mewtwo. Since Mewtwo is typically the best switch-in to itself, this set is very effective at luring the opposing Mewtwo and paralyzing it. Once it paralyzes Mewtwo, it has several options. It can fish for critical hits with Blizzard, doing 40-47%, switch out to a physical attacker such as Mew or Snorlax to pressure the opposing Mewtwo, or just use Self-Destruct and revenge kill it with a teammate like Tauros, effectively removing both Mewtwo from the game. If the opposing Mewtwo also has Thunder Wave, the two Mewtwo will generally trade paralysis. In this case, the most common outcome is that the two Mewtwo simply trade.
Aside form Thunder Wave, the other defining move of this set is Self-Destruct. Self-Destruct synergizes extremely well with Thunder Wave, as it ensures your own Mewtwo is faster than the foe, and switching out in fear of Self-Destruct can allow Mewtwo to force paralysis on other Pokemon. Self-Destruct is used either to force a KO or when Mewtwo is at low HP. Mewtwo's target with Self-Destruct generally depends on what its teammates need the most. If its teammates are Pokemon such as Alakazam, Starmie, or Articuno, it is worth using Self-Destruct to remove an opposing Chansey, for example. The opposing Mewtwo is typically a great Self-Destruct target, removing both from the game.
Blizzard is the most important attacking move for this set. Its higher base power and neutrality against Psychic-types makes it one of Mewtwo's most effective tools at damaging Mewtwo and Mew. A critical hit Blizzard does a minimum of 40.4% to Mewtwo and 56.8% to Mew, which means paralysis any kind of chip damage makes Mewtwo's Blizzard extremely risky to switch into. Blizzard makes Mewtwo more effective at luring in foes since they generally have to be healthy to switch in, allowing Mew to paralyze them once they enter. Blizzard also 2HKOes Zapdos and Exeggutor, and has a 35.9% chance to OHKO Rhydon. Although Blizzard only has 8 PP, this should not be an issue, as this Mewtwo set lacks longevity. Fire Blast sees use in the lead slot in order to beat Jynx, a lead Mewtwo genrally struggles with. If Mewtwo lands a critical hit with Fire Blast, or Jynx misses Lovely Kiss, Mewtwo wins head-to-head. Blizzard is less useful in the lead slot, as the only common lead weak to Blizzard is Zapdos. However, Fire Blast does not have much use in the back, so Blizzard should generally be used there.
Mewtwo's final move for this set is typically one of Psychic, Thunderbolt, or Amnesia. Psychic provides coverage while still helping break through opposing Mewtwo and Mew. Mewtwo can start by using Psychic for Special drops, then use Blizzard for increased damage. Blizzard does 43-51% on Mew at -1 special, meaning it is heavily favored to eventually KO once critical hits and full paralysis are factored in. Psychic also lets Mewtwo re-apply the speed drop from Paralysis. For example, if Mew boosts with Swords Dance while both Mew and Mewtwo are paralyzed, if Mewtwo drops Mew's special with Psychic, Mewtwo is faster again. Psychic is also Mewtwo's best move against the Normal-types of the tier, having a 76.2% chance to 2HKO Tauros before factoring in critical hits and special drops, and a near-guaranteed chance to 3HKO Snorlax. Special drops can also force Chansey out. Alternatively, Mewtwo can use Thunderbolt to break through Starmie and Slowbro. Slowbro in particular is troublesome for Mewtwo lacking Thunderbolt since it can boost with Amnesia, cancelling out Special drops from Psychic, and use Rest to remove paralysis, meaning Mewtwo has to either switch out or use Self-Destruct on Slowbro. Mewtwo can also use Amnesia to become extremely effective at forcing in healthy targets. If the opponent has no Chansey or Ice-resistant Pokemon, then a +2 Blizzard is nearly impossible to switch into safely. If the opposing Mewtwo is still healthy, it is almost always forced in, then Mewtwo can paralyze it and potentially hit it for heavy damage. However, this limits Mewtwo to 8 attacking PP and zero coverage options. If the opponent has a Chansey or Ice-resistant Pokemon, this set is easy to handle. Cloyster in particular walls this set, though it is unlikely your opponent will switch Cloyster in until they know you are mono-Blizzard, as Cloyster is very weak to Mewtwo's coverage options.
Physical attackers, such as Tauros, Snorlax, Rhydon, and Mew are the primary teammates for this set. They are fantastic at exploiting the paralysis Mewtwo spreads. In particular, they benefit from the opposing Mewtwo being paralyzed. Exeggutor is also a great teammate that has Explosion to help Mewtwo punch holes into opposing teams. However, using this Mewtwo set alongside Exeggutor and many Physical attackers makes your team quite weak to Ice-types such as Cloyster and Articuno. This means it is also worth running teammates such as Starmie, Slowbro, and Cloyster to improve these matchups. Since this Mewtwo set lacks longevity, Mew likes to run Soft-Boiled in order for the team to have some defensive stability. Alternatively, you can opt for a completely offensive team, using Mewtwo as one of several explosion users to enable a teammate lategame. Pokemon such as Zapdos, Starmie, Alakazam, and Articuno are great lategame cleaners for this teamstyle. Pokemon with Wrap, such as Victreebel and Dragonite, are also good at taking advantage of Paralysis.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Psychic / Thunderbolt
move 3: Blizzard / Self-Destruct
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set aims to be the defensive and supportive backbone of a team. This set is very good at switching into opposing Mewtwo and forcing paralysis. From there, Mewtwo can switch out to a physical attacker to try to force the opposing Mewtwo out. If the opposing Mewtwo has Amnesia, you should generally switch to a teammate with Self-Destruct or Explosion right after paralyzing it. Even if the opposing Mewtwo switches out to predict the explosion, it is now paralyzed and lost its boosts, making it much easier for teammates to handle.
Psychic is Mewtwo's best move to use against Normal-types, and this set's longevity gives Mewtwo ample opportunity to fish for special drops against foes such as Chansey, Alakazam, and Starmie. These also re-apply the speed drop from Paralysis, allowing Mewtwo to outspeed a Paralyzed Mew that has boosted with Swords Dance. Blizzard is Mewtwo's strongest move against opposing Psychic-types, doing devestating damage to Mew after a special drop. It also 2HKOes Exeggutor and Zapdos. A set consisting of Psychic and Blizzard is typically walled by Slowbro, as it can negate special drops with Amnesia, so Thunderbolt allows Mewtwo to break through Slowbro. However, dropping Psychic makes Mewtwo worse against Normal-types. This set can potentially be setup fodder for opposing Amnesia Mewtwo, so Self-Destruct can be used to break through a boosted Mewtwo, allowing a teammate such as Tauros, Snorlax, or Rhydon to clean up.
This set fits best on physical offensive teams that still appreciate having a defensive backbone. It aims to spread paralysis in the early stages of a game. Due to this set's longevity, it can switch into foes such as Mew, Zapdos, and even Tauros of nessecary. From here, it can paralyze them then force them out, allowing paralysis to spread even further. This set is also an effective Mewtwo switch-in. If the opposing Mewtwo lacks Recover, it can wear it down while keeping itself healthy. The opposing Mewtwo will then typically be forced to use Self-Destruct or switch out. If the opposing Mewtwo has Recover, Mewtwo should switch out to a physical attacker on a predicted recovery turn to force the opposing Mewtwo out. This makes pokemon such as Tauros, Snorlax, and Swords Dance Mew good teammates for this set. Alternatively, Mewtwo can switch to a teammate with Explosion to force the opposing Mewtwo out, making Exeggutor and Cloyster good teammates as well.
[SET]
name: Amnesia
move 1: Amnesia
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Psychic / Thunderbolt
move 4: Recover / Self-Destruct
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
- The traditional set, since I don't use this someone else should prob write this section
[SET]
name: Barrier
move 1: Amnesia
move 2: Barrier
move 3: Recover
move 4: Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Barrier Mewtwo aims to be a lategame win condition. Once Mewtwo sets up both Barrier and Amnesia, it is nearly impossible to KO barring critical hits or freeze. If Mewtwo is paralyzed, it becomes immune to Freeze at the cost of being easier to break through with critical hits. Additionally, Barrier's 48 PP means Mewtwo is heavily favored to win any kind of PP stall war. The main downside to this set is that Mewtwo is limited to one attack, limiting its coverage and attacking PP.
Ice Beam is the most common attacking move for this set. It has no immunities, and hits a good amount of Pokemon, such as Exeggutor, Zapdos, and Rhydon, super effectively. The chance to freeze can let Mewtwo break through checks such as opposing Mewtwo, Chansey, and Slowbro, though Freeze clause means Mewtwo typically can only do this once. The disadvantages of Ice Beam are that it has only 16 PP and is resisted by a good amount of Pokemon, such as Starmie, Slowbro, and Cloyster. All three of them typically run recovery, and Slowbro can counter-boost with Amnesia. Cloyster in particular is nasty due to having a 4x resistance to Ice Beam and a freeze immunity. Good teammates for this set are Pokemon that can lure and defeat Ice-resistant pokemon. Thunderbolt variants of Tauros and Snorlax are capable of luring in Cloyster and Slowbro and defearing them.
Compared to Ice Beam, Thunderbolt has more PP, and very few viable pokemon resist the move. The few that do, such as Exeggutor, typically do not run recovery allowing Mewtwo to break through. However, this set is completely walled by Rhydon, as well as the less common Golem and Sandslash. Therefore, these Ground-types must be scouted for and dealt with before attempting to sweep with this set. This can be done with lures such as Toxic on Zapdos, or simply trading damage with a Pokemon like Snorlax.
There are also Pokemon that give Barrier Mewtwo trouble regardless of its attacking move. Opposing Mewtwo and Chansey can stall it out with their recovery moves, while Tauros has the potential to break through with critical hits. An unlucky critical hit Self-Destruct or Explosion from opposing Mewtwo or Mew can also OHKO Mewtwo.
If the opposing Mew has Swords Dance, Earthquake, and Explosion, it is capable of beating a paralyzed Barrier Mewtwo outright. If Mew boosts to 999 attack as Mewtwo boosts to 999 defense, Mew can use Earthquake to fish for critical hits and full paralysis. Once Mew lands a critical hit Earthquake on a turn where Mewtwo was unable to use Recover, Mew can use Explosion. The critical hit Earthquake followed up by Explosion is heavily favored to KO Mewtwo, doing a minimum of 95.1%. Even if Mewtwo survives, it can easily be revenge killed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flash can be used to drop the opposing Mewtwo's accuracy, often forcing it out regardless of boosts. However, it is unreliable at 70% accuracy, and is often a waste of a moveslot on Mewtwo who already has trouble fitting all the moves it wants. Teammates like Flash Chansey and Kinesis Alakazam are generally more effective in this role. Counter can be used to catch an opposing Tauros, or Snorlax off guard. However, Psychic does enough damage against the Normal-types, so it is hard to fit Counter considering how pressed for move slots Mewtwo already is. If Mewtwo attempts to spread paralysis early game, it will probably get itself paralyzed as well. Mewtwo can run Rest in order to heal off this paralysis in order to also become a lategame threat. Mewtwo's bulk means it generally is able to wake up. However, Recover is a much more consistent recovery tool, and Mewtwo running Rest alongside Recover will lack coverage options.
Mewtwo's base 110 attack means it can dip into its physical movepool as well. Submission has been seen in the past as a means to break past Chansey, having an 86.7% chance to 2HKO and a 59% chance to OHKO with a critical hit. However, Submission's high recoil, low accuracy, and lack of utility outside of the Chansey matchup make it extremely situational. Chansey is less common in Ubers nowadays, and Psychic does just fine breaking through Chansey with Special drops. Body Slam and Hyper Beam have been used as mix-up options for Mewtwo. A critical hit Hyper Beam does a minimum of 57.8% on opposing Mewtwo, and it is relatively safe to fish for due to Mewtwo's bulk. It can also be used in conjunction with Body Slam alongside teammates such as Tail Whip Tauros on more unconventional offensive teams. However, these moves' lack of STAB make them hard to justify on most teams compared to Mewtwo's far superior special options.
Mewtwo sets consisting of three attacks and Explosion have seen some use, most often in the lead slot. This provides Mewtwo with ample coverage, being able to slot Fire Blast for Jynx without sacrificing other coverage options. However, the lack of Thunder Wave becomes very apparent against opposing Mewtwo, as it has no real way to threaten it. Self-Destruct is much less reliable without Thunder Wave.
Defensive Amnesia sets such as Barrier Mewtwo can lower its special to 333 to prevent overflow—a set commonly referred to as "Safetwo". If Safetwo boosts to +5 special and its special is dropped down to +4, it will still have 999 special, preventing overflow. If Safetwo boosts again, it will still only boost to +5, also preventing potential issues from boosting to +6 and overflowing when dropped to +5. This lets Mewtwo safely click Amnesia when PP stalling. However, the drop in Special makes Safetwo extremely weak unboosted, while also doing less and taking more damage from critical hits. For example, Mewtwo's Blizzard does a minimum of 49.3% to Safetwo on a critical hit, while the minimum on regular Mewtwo is 40.4%. Additionally, Safewtwo misses out on a ton of damage tresholds unboosted, such as a 2HKO on Tauros and 3HKO on Snorlax with Psychic. As a result, Safetwo should generally be avoided.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Opposing Mewtwo**: Mewtwo is typically the best check to itself, especially if unparalyzed. Thunder Wave Mewtwo is able to switch into any Mewtwo set and force paralysis, allowing Mewtwo's teammates to pressure it better. Self-Destruct does 51.2% - 61.4% on Mewtwo. After a little bit of chip damage, Mewtwo can use Self-Destruct on opposing paralyzed Mewtwo to get it in range of a physical attacker. If the opposing Mewtwo has Barrier, this strategy is less effective, and Mewtwo sets that can stall are better equipped to deal with Barrier Mewtwo. Amnesia Mewtwo is able to boost on opposing Mewtwo and stall it out, though it threatens little outside of freeze against a Mewtwo with Recover. If an Amnesia Mewtwo with two attacks engages in a PP stall war with Barrier Mewtwo, Barrier Mewtwo is typically favored due to Barrier's greater PP, though two attacks Mewtwo can try to force overflow with Psychic.
**Mew**: Mew is effective at paralyzing and applying physical pressure to Mewtwo. If healthy, it can switch relatively safely into opposing Mewtwo, as Mewtwo requires two critical hits in a row to KO it. From here, it can do a variety of things based on its set. If Mew is carrying Thunder Wave, it can paralyze the opposing Mewtwo. If it lacks Thunder Wave, it is reccomended to have a teammate paralyze Mewtwo before switching Mew in. Once Mewtwo is paralyzed, Mew can either boost with Swords Dance or use Explosion. If the opposing Mewtwo paralyzes Mew, then Mew using Swords Dance will still make it faster due to reapplication, provided Mewtwo did not also boost with Amnesia or drop Mew's special with Psychic. Mew struggles a little more with Barrier Mewtwo. The most consistent Mew set at taking down Barrier Mewtwo is a set consisting of Swords Dance, Thunder Wave, Earthquake, and Explosion. Mew switches in to Mewtwo, paralyzes it, then boosts to +6 attack. It then keeps using Earthquake until it either gets a critical hit or Mewtwo fully paralyzes twice in a row, then uses Explosion. This typically KOs Mewtwo, doing a minimum of 94%, meaning even if Mewtwo survives it will be in range of any followup attack.
**Paralysis**: Paralysis severely hinders Mewtwo both offensively and defensively. It no longer lets Mewtwo take advantage of its blazing speed, and interrupts its deadly offensive onslaught with full paralysis turns. Full paralysis may also prevent Mewtwo from using Recover against foes like Snorlax, making it lose one-on-one. The one instance where Mewtwo may like being paralyzed is with Barrier Mewtwo, as it makes it harder to PP stall due to not burning PP on full paralysis turns, and grants immunity to sleep and freeze. Barrier Mewtwo is also still robust defensively while paralyzed.
**Self-Destruct and Explosion**: The self-KO moves are some of the most consistent ways to KO Mewtwo, especially once it's paralyzed. A self-KO with Self-Destruct or Explosion ends the turn, meaning if Mewtwo is paralyzed, it cannot predict the Explosion with Recover. This means switching a Pokemon like Snorlax into a paralyzed boosted Mewtwo is a win-win scenario for the Snorlax user. Mewtwo either stays in and takes the Self-Destruct, being in KO range for a teammate like Tauros, or switches out and loses all its boosts. Although less effective against Barrier Mewtwo, a series of Self-KO moves can be used in dire situations to take it down. If one of them lands a critical hit, it bypasses the defense boost from Barrier.
**Stat-Lowering Moves**: Pokemon such as Tauros and Rhydon can use Leer to drop Mewtwo's defense, exacerbating its physical weakness and making it easier for teammates force it out. Snorlax's Self-Destruct is guaranteed to KO a -1 Mewtwo, while Exeggutor's Explosion is favored to. Alakazam and Jolteon can run Kinesis and Sand Attack to drop Mewtwo's accuracy, which also generally forces it out. This is especially an effective way of checking Barrier Mewtwo. Mewtwo itself can run Flash on rare occasion to force accuracy drops on the opposing Mewtwo.
**Chansey**: Chansey can switch into Mewtwo, threaten paralysis, and stall out sets lacking Psychic. However, Chansey must be wary of giving Mewtwo free setup turns due to its passivity, and special drops from Psychic will eventually force it out.
**Slowbro**: Mewtwo lacking Thunderbolt is generally walled by Slowbro. Once Slowbro sets up Amnesia, Mewtwo generally cannot break through with special drops from Psychic, letting Slowbro stall it out. However, Slowbro is not a completely safe switch-in, as if it gets paralyzed Mewtwo can break through before setup with the help of critical hits, full paralysis, and special drops from Psychic.
**Ice- and Ground-type Pokemon**: Barrier Mewtwo is limited to one attacking move, most often Ice Beam or Thunderbolt. Based on its choice of attacking move, it will either be walled by Ice-types such as Cloyster and Lapras, or Ground-types such as Rhydon, Golem, and Sandslash. It is important to have teammates that help with these matchups, such as Thunderbolt Tauros to snipe Ice-Types, or Surf Snorlax to snipe Ground-types.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Quality checked by:
Grammar checked by:
Last edited:
