[Overview]
<p>At first glance,(comma) Mothim seems to be outclassed by Butterfree and other Quiver Dance users due to its frailty and lack of Sleep Powder, but fortunately for Mothim, its decently high Special Attack and Tinted Lens ability typically make it a good better user of Choice Specs than these Pokemon, though an inferior user of Quiver Dance. Unfortunately, Even so, Mothim's low Speed, 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, and overall frailty makes make it hard for it to stay around for longer than a few turns, so its utility is fairly limited. Finally, while While it can't won't hurt to try Mothim out, you have to keep in mind that it faces a lot of competition as a wallbreaker as from other Pokemon such as Jynx and Charizard,(comma) who can provide other benefits to your team in addition to punching holes in opposing teams can still punch holes in teams while providing multiple other assets to a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Specs
ability: Tinted Lens
nature: Rash
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Bug Buzz and Air Slash are Mothim's strongest STABs STAB options and the combination of the two is unresisted in NU, thanks to Mothim's ability, Tinted Lens ability. Since a the majority of the Pokemon in the tier that use sleep-inducing moves are Grass- and or Bug-type Pokemon, Mothim makes a great user of Sleep Talk as it both resists their STAB attacks and can deal with them damage back with either Air Slash or Bug Buzz,(comma) as appropriate. Finally, U-turn allows Mothim to sustain maintain momentum for its team by pivoting away from against some the special walls that can still take its Choice Specs-boosted attacks, Tinted Lens or not, such as Lickilicky, Audino, and Probopass.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rash is preferred over Modest,(comma) as Mothim's defenses are terrible anyway, and it doesn't want U-turn to be weakened. Choice Specs is used as it boosts Mothim's power, which is really its only redeeming trait, even further while Tinted Lens makes the move lock a trivial matter. Hidden Power Ground is an interesting option over Sleep Talk as it can be used to hit Probopass and Bastiodon, who can otherwise wall Mothim. Due to its crippling Stealth Rock weakness, a spinner,(comma) such as Wartortle, or a teammate who can defeat common entry hazard setters, such as Mold Breaker Sawk, Taunt Samurott, or Bullet Seed Torterra,(comma) helps immensely is an immense help in order to keep Mothim healthy. Spikes support is needed for Mothim to OHKO some Pokemon, such as bulkier Golurk, which makes Garbodor a great partner as it can reliably set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes to support its team and take hits for Mothim in a pinch. Due to Mothim's bad bulk, pivots such as Musharna and Probopass make amazing partners for it as they can easily take any hit for Mothim and spread paralysis to support it, or in Probopass's case, set up Stealth Rock.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mothim receives Quiver Dance, which is a fantastic setup move. Sadly, it is outclassed in this department by both Buterfree Butterfree and Masquerain, who have Sleep Powder and Intimidate,(comma) respectively,(comma) to help them set up. Hidden Power Ice or Water can be used to hit Pokemon such as Altaria or Camerupt,(comma) (respectively) respectively, a little harder, but Mothim's STABs STAB moves are usually enough for its purposes. Giga Drain is a neat move that can be used to recover the moth's health, but in the long run it probably won't help Mothim survive any attacks,(comma) and Grass-type moves don't provide any useful coverage options. Tailwind can boost Mothim's speed Speed as well as and allow Mothim to support the its team, but Mothim's frailty and the short move span duration of the move's effect mean that it is gimmicky at best. There is also the option of a physical set with Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics and U-turn, but Mothim has no way of boosting its average Attack stat. Finally, Swarm can be used to boost Bug Buzz's power when Mothim is at low health, but Tinted Lens is a far better ability in the long run.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Because of its sheer power thanks to Choice Specs and Tinted Lens, Mothim can be a tough Pokemon to switch into. However, checking it is a lot easier due to its many notable flaws. Because of Mothim's average speed Speed and awful defenses, a faster Pokemon such as Jynx, Rotom-A, or Zangoose can outspeed and OHKO Mothim. Keep in mind that these Pokemon are strictly revenge killers, as they cannot switch in to Mothim's attacks. Stealth Rock is a huge thorn in Mothim's side, as it strips away half its HP every time it switches in. Setting and keeping it up can be a problem due to Mothim's teammates preventing it you from doing so, but it helps with controlling Mothim's switch-ins. As for some specific counters, Probopass hard counters Mothim if it doesn't run Hidden Power Ground, and can either OHKO with Power Gem or set up Stealth Rock. Special walls such as Regice and Lickilicky that have high Special Defense stats also counter Mothim, and can either phaze it out or OHKO in Regice's case. Finally, priority moves from Pokemon such as Skuntank and Piloswine can easily OHKO Mothim with some prior damage.</p>