Omastar (Analysis)

Omastar!
139.png

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/139.shtml

QC: (Bloo, PK Gaming, Iconic) GP: (Chou Toshio, jc104)

Status: Written Up! Awaiting GP checks.

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[Overview]

<p>In a generation where Sandstorm has become so dominant, and where the combination of Drizzle and Swift Swim is illegal, Omastar struggles to maintain its momentum as a Swift Swim sweeper. This is compounded by the increased threat of priority from high-Attack Pokémon, like Conkeldurr, who are constantly being used to deal with the more threatening Excadrill. However, not all is lost for Omastar, as the new generation kindly gave it a way for it to boost its stats outside of Rain and become a fearsome sweeper even in Sand: Shell Smash. This powerful move makes the cunning nautilus a lethal threat in just one turn, making it almost impossible to wall with such rapid boosting of speed and power. Of course, Omastar maintains its other niches that differentiate it from Swift Swimmers, such as access to all forms of entry hazards and an excellent Defense stat that lets it take even the most powerful of priority attacks. Although the metagame has shifted out of Omastar's favor, it remains in a good position to pick up the pieces and find a new direction as a deadly setup sweeper.</p>

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the standard sweeper set, and is the only one that is viable in a metagame so hostile to Omastar; a good offense is Omastar's best defense. Shell Smash is the move that makes Omastar worth using, granting it +2 Special Attack and Speed in exchange for -1 Defense and Special Defense. With the given EV spread and after a Shell Smash Omastar has incredible firepower and enough speed to outspeed Scarf Tyranitar and by extension most OU threats, but still has enough physical bulk to take priority attacks in a pinch (at -1, it takes 65.3% - 76.9% from CB Scizor's Bullet Punch, and 61% - 72.7% from Conkeldurr's Mach Punch) The good thing about this set is that it's not dependent on weather to sweep; as long as it's not Sun and Omastar can get a boost, you're golden. However, Swift Swim is still the preferred ability, since Shell Armor isn't doing much for you and being able to abuse the Rain that an opponent's Politoed might bring is definitely worth it.</p>

<p>Surf is your standard STAB option, and with a Life Orb boost and a Shell Smash Omastar can OHKO almost anything that doesn't resist it. It also gains a possible 50% boost from Rain, making it near impossible to wall unless the opponent has a Pokémon with immunity to Water. Hydro Pump is a high-powered alternative, managing to 2HKO Blissey at +2 even without Rain, but its lack of accuracy against other targets is discouraging. Ice Beam lets you hit Grass and Dragon types that resist your onslaught, OHKOing Dragonite through Multi Scale if you have a boost and crippling it if you don't. The last move is dependent on what you want Omastar to beat, and what your teammates can do against the remaining uncovered threats. Hidden Power Fire OHKOes physically defensive Ferrothorn, a threat which is both extremely common and would otherwise force Omastar to switch, whilst 2HKOing specially defensive variants. However, in rain Omastar only manages to 2HKO physically defensive sets, and fails completely against specially defensive ones making it a risky choice to stay in. Here, Hidden Power Grass is more helpful, since it prevents you from being walled by the multitude of Water types in this metagame, hitting defensive threats like Jellicent and Vaporeon for decent damage and stopping them from setting up on you. You should also note that using Hidden Power Fire lowers your Speed IV, so when using Hidden Power Grass you can shift 4EVs from Speed to HP and remain at the same speed tier.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>When using this set in Rain, you get a 50% more powerful Surf and Omastar's Speed is doubled. However, if you don't want to run a rain dance support Pokémon like Thundurus or Tornadus to ensure this, you can run Rain Dance in either the 4th or 1st slot, depending on what you're after. Running it in the fourth slot makes Omastar more self-sustaining, and allows him to remove the opponent's weather if the timing is right. It also provides a more conservative method of boosting Speed, should you not want to lower Omastar's defenses against a specific target. Running Rain Dance in the first slot instead of Shell Smash gives Omastar more coverage, but makes it significantly weaker and walled much more easily, although you still get the rain boost to Surf.</p>

<p>Offensively, Hidden Power Electric can be used to OHKO Gyarados, but it's otherwise inferior to Hidden Power Grass since Gastrodon and Quagsire would set up on you. Hidden Power Rock can be used for secondary STAB, but it synergises poorly with your other attacking moves. If you don't fancy a Hidden Power in the last slot, you can use Stealth Rock, Spikes or Toxic Spikes, which lets you set up on the majority of Water types rather than killing them. This is reasonable if you have something like Ludicolo or Ferrothorn in the wings, although if the latter is true you should probably run Toxic Spikes to avoid redundancy. Hazards synergise with the speed boosts provided by Shell Smash and Rain fairly well, but aren't as viable in Sand due to either low speed or lowered defenses.</p>

<p>Omastar can also run some different items to a degree of success. Using a White Herb allows Omastar to maintain its impressive defensive stats after a Shell Smash, making it less weak to priority attacks. Likewise, using a Lum Berry allows Omastar to set up more comfortably against foes like Blissey, who would be eager to poison or paralyse him. Whilst Omastar loses a significant amount of power when using these items instead of Life Orb, it no longer suffers the recoil that Life Orb inflicts either, giving it more utility and allowing Omastar to sweep for longer when attacking particularly bulky Pokémon, such as Blissey and Chansey.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Earth Power can be used offensively, but it offers fairly redundant coverage with STAB Surf hitting Fire and Rock types harder. Knock Off lets you annoy opponents, especially Chansey who covets her prized Eviolite, but it struggles to find a space on Omastar's already crowded moveset. Icy Wind is interesting as a niche move, but it's largely redundant since Shell Smash is more effective at boosting your speed and Ice Beam is more effective at killing things. Muddy Water can be used as an alternative STAB move, with a chance to lower accuracy but also having lower accuracy itself; it isn't recommended since one miss for Omastar likely means game over, and it doesn't get specific kills like Hydro Pump does. AncientPower is also present for STAB, should you want to pray for a boost above all else. Omastar also has a lot of physical attacking options, such as Waterfall, Rock Blast and Gyro Ball, but lacks the Attack to use them effectively on a mixed set. Haze is also present as a support option, but Omastar is a poor candidate for using it since it lacks recovery and has a lot of exploitable weaknesses.</p>

<p>You can elect to run a 4 Attack LO set if a team mate such as Thundurus sets up Rain Dance, giving you good speed, excellent physical defense, a powerful STAB move and excellent coverage without the drawbacks of Shell Break, although it lacks power in comparison. Slap Choice Specs on Omastar if you want, but it gains few notable KOs. You can also run a full support set with Rain Dance / Stealth Rock / Spikes / Surf, with more HP EVs and a Bold Nature, but this isn't really worth it due to Omastar having so many weaknesses, not to mention the prevalence of Taunt and Magic Coat in this metagame. You could try this in Sandstorm with all three hazards available and +1 SpD to boot, but again this isn't really worth it, and it's actually largely outclassed by Crustle thanks to Sturdy and better typing.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Blissey and Chansey will wall most offensive sets, but they must be wary of Shell Smash since they can't exploit Omastar's lowered defenses. Blissey is 2HKO'd by a +2 Hydro Pump, even out of Rain, so it needs to take down Omastar quickly or at least status it. Specially defensive Ferrothorn can take boosted hits, apart from Hidden Power Fire, and either OHKO with Power Whip or set up hazards or Leech Seed. Ice Beam will 3HKO physically defensive variants, but if it uses Leech Seed this becomes impossible. Jellicent and Vaporeon can also wall Omastar to hell and back, taking nothing from rain-boosted STAB and resisting Ice Beam. Even Hidden Power Grass will fail to 2HKO them without a boost, but Omastar will keep trying to boost so make sure you can kill it before it can kill your Pokémon. Toxicroak can switch in on Omastar's Surf and deal around 70% damage with a Life Orb Vacuum Wave, limiting Omastar's sweeping potential significantly. If Lucario gets in for free, it can threaten an OHKO with a Life Orb Vacuum Wave, but this is less viable due to Lucario's poor bulk. Scarfed Fighting types such as Mienshao also do a good job of taking out a boosted Omastar. Ludicolo makes a good offensive check in Rain, outspeeding it and obviously threatening a KO, whilst 4x resisting Surf and even surviving a +2 Ice Beam.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Dream World Omastar has been released, and has the ability Weak Armor. Whilst this could be abused on a set with Endure and Hazards, it's largely inferior to Swift Swim, with the possibility of you or the opponent setting up rain. Lowering Omastar's Defense also makes it more vulnerable to physical attacks and priority, so ultimately it's not worth it.</p>
 
for the support set, maybe you could make it into a lead? Its the inly UU pokemon that knows SR and Spikes, might wanna try it.
haha, Red Card. You love that item so much dont you ;P
or mayeb you could make two different sets, Support and Lead
why not try a Specs Set? Could do alot of damage in the Rain
 
for the support set, maybe you could make it into a lead? Its the inly UU pokemon that knows SR and Spikes, might wanna try it.
haha, Red Card. You love that item so much dont you ;P
or mayeb you could make two different sets, Support and Lead
why not try a Specs Set? Could do alot of damage in the Rain
I'm gearing this analysis towards wifi, so making a dedicated lead would be a waste of time imo. And yeah, I <3 Red Card. :)

Specs seems a little outclassed by Shell Smash imo, since having just one turn of setup lets you hit harder, move faster, and switch moves. Plus the difference between Life Orb and Choice Specs' power isn't appreciable. I'll mention it in Other Options.
 
Personally, I find Omastar a better rapid spinner than an attacker. With rain dance and spikes as well. Forth slot could be hidden power grass or dark for the nasty ghost pokemon that come up every now and then. Rain dance is for supporting other pokemon in the team.
 
Personally, I find Omastar a better rapid spinner than an attacker. With rain dance and spikes as well. Forth slot could be hidden power grass or dark for the nasty ghost pokemon that come up every now and then. Rain dance is for supporting other pokemon in the team.

Omastar does not, and has not ever, had access to Rapid Spin. Do you mean Cloyster? Also, a neutral STAB Surf, especially one boosted by rain, does more damage than a super effective Hidden Power Dark. Apart from Jellicent, but he's basically a hard counter anyways.
 
This thread makes me feel GREAT :P
Okay, you might wanna mention that Omastar and Parasect work great together because Omastar resists all of Paras weaknesses apart from Rock, and Parasect resists Electric, Fighting and Ground. (And maybe some others, I might have forgotten.)
btw, nice job on your analysis!
 
This thread makes me feel GREAT :P
Okay, you might wanna mention that Omastar and Parasect work great together because Omastar resists all of Paras weaknesses apart from Rock, and Parasect resists Electric, Fighting and Ground. (And maybe some others, I might have forgotten.)
btw, nice job on your analysis!
Agreed however, it's best if Parasect depends on rain summoned by Politoed.
 
Thanks guys, I've mentioned Parasect as a supporter for the Shell Break set since it'll appreciate being able to take a status move, switch and have Parasect aromatherapy, and then come back later.
 
I talked it over with PKGaming and this is what we've decided.
  • Remove the support set altogether; Omastar's typing is simply too poor in this metagame, and it loses to too much.
  • Change Hidden Power Grass to Hidden Power Fire on the Shell Break set. Swampert and Quagsire are rare, and +2 Hydro Pump OHKOs the former anyway. HP Fire on the other hand OHKOs Nattorei and Abomasnow at +2. Be sure to shift 4 HP EVs to Speed to compensate for the 30 Speed IV.
  • Mention that you can use the offensive Shell Break set on the same team as Politoed - all you have to do is use Shell Armor as the ability. +2 Surfs in the rain do a ton of damage to just about everything. However, if you are not using Politoed as a teammate, use Swift Swim as the ability in order to take advantage of opposing rain teams.
  • Add in other options that Omastar can run a Swift Swim set without Shell Break if one of its teammates runs the move Rain Dance (or Omastar itself can run RD, acting like a pseudo-Shell Break without the Defence drops), but that it is usually better off with Shell Break.
 
Hidden Power Grass isn't for Swampert, it's so you can deal damage at all to stuff like Jellicent and Vaporeon, after a Shell Break it'll 2HKO them. But I agree with the rest of your changes, and I'll be sure to implement them later tonight.
 
Good point, but even still, Ferrothorn is more common than Jellicent and Vaporeon. I'd make HP Fire the primary slash followed by HP Grass. Thanks for pointing that out though.
 
I should have also mentioned Politoed, Milotic, Suicune and every other somewhat defensive Water type in the game. Getting in on a weakened Politoed's Drizzle with Swift Swim and then threatening it with HP Grass is pretty worth it. Plus, using Hidden Power Fire in the Rain is an obvious failure. I'm keeping HP Grass in the slot for now.
 
I should have also mentioned Politoed, Milotic, Suicune and every other somewhat defensive Water type in the game. Getting in on a weakened Politoed's Drizzle with Swift Swim and then threatening it with HP Grass is pretty worth it. Plus, using Hidden Power Fire in the Rain is an obvious failure. I'm keeping HP Grass in the slot for now.


And whats stopping you from killing them off before a sweep..... Omastar obviously lures in Ferrothorn with his Water/Rock typing, so being able to blast past it is a great thing. It's much worse to give Ferothorn a free turn then a bulky Water because it can set up with ease on Omastar without HP Fire.
 
Okay, I'm more impressed by Hidden Power Fire now since I've just found out it OHKO's physically defensive Ferrothorn even without a boost. That, and synergy wise Chesto Rest Kingdra can deal with bulky waters thanks to a STAB Outrage, whilst it in turn is walled by Ferrothorn. It's even decent in rain, doing 50-60% to physically defensive sets. However, if you find that the opponent's specially defensive then you're screwed in this case.

I'll slash HP Fire and say that they both have different uses, unless it's found unviable by QC.
 
I think HP Fire should be slashed first, not since Ferrothorn is more common, but simply because it's so much harder to kill. HP Grass is just as valuable in some instances, but Jellicent and Vaporeon are hard countered by so many more Pokemon.

QC Approved 3/3
 
Okay, this is written up and awaiting GP checks! Please let me know if I've missed anything out. I agree about the HP Fire thing and I've put it first.
 
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[Overview]

<p>In a generation where Sandstorm has become so dominant, and where the combination of Drizzle and Swift Swim is illegal, Omastar struggles to maintain its momentum as a Swift Swim sweeper. This is compunded by the the increased threat of priority from high-attack pokémon, like Conkeldurr, who are constantly being used to deal with the more worrying threat of Excadrill. However, not all is lost for Omastar, as 5th gen kindly gave Omastar it a way for it to boost its stats outside of Rain and become a fearsome sweeper even in Sand: Shell Smash. This powerful move makes the cunning nautilus a lethal threat in just one turn, making it almost impossible to wall when it can boost so rapidly. Of course, Omastar maintains his other niches that differentiate him from Swift Swimmers, such as access to all forms of entry hazards and a good enough defense stat to take even the most powerful of priority attacks. Although the metagame has shifted out of Omastar's favor, it remains in a good position to pick up the pieces and find a new direction as a deadly setup sweeper.</p>

[Set]
Name: Shell Smash
Move 1: Shell Smash
Move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
Move 3: Ice Beam
Move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Nature: Modest
Evs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>This is the standard sweeper set, and is the only one that is viable in a metagame so hostile to Omastar; a good offense is Omastar's best defense. Shell Smash is the move that makes Omastar worth using, granting it a +2 in Special Attack and Speed in exchange for a -1 to Defense and Special Defense. With the given EV spread, after a Shell Smash Omastar has incredible firepower and enough speed to outspeed Scarf Tyranitar and by extension most OU threats, but still has enough physical bulk to take priority attacks in a pinch (at -1, it takes 65.3% - 76.9% from CB Scizor's Bullet Punch, and 61% - 72.7% from Conkeldurr's Mach Punch). The good thing about this set is that it's not dependent on weather to sweep; as long as it's not Sun and Omastar can get a boost, you're golden. However, Swift Swim is still the preferred ability, since Shell Armor isn't doing much for you and being able to abuse the Rain that an opponent's Politoed might bring is definitely worth it.</p>

<p>Surf is your standard STAB option, and with a Life Orb boost and a Shell Smash you can OHKO almost anything that doesn't resist you. It also gains a possible 50% boost from Rain, making it near impossible to wall unless the opponent lacks an immunity. Hydro Pump is a high powered alternative, managing to 2HKO Blissey at +2 even without Rain but lacking accuracy against other targets. Ice Beam lets you hit Grass- and Dragon types that resist your onslaught, OHKOing Dragonite through Multi Scale if you have a boost and crippling it if you don't. The last move is dependent on what you want Omastar to beat, and what your teammates can do to whatever it can't beat. Hidden Power Fire OHKOs physically defensive Ferrothorn, a threat which is both extremely common and would otherwise force Omastar to switch, whilst 2HKOing specially defensive variants. However, if Omastar is used with rain support then it only manages to 2HKO physically defensive sets, and fails completely against specially defensive ones making it a risky choice to stay in. Here, Hidden Power Grass is more helpful, since it prevents you from being walled by the myriad of other Water types in 5th gen (needs changing, not sure what the standard is), hitting defensive threats like Jellicent and Vaporeon for decent damage and stopping them from setting up on you. You should also note when that using Hidden Power Fire that it lowers your Speed IV, so switch 4 EVs from HP to Speed to compensate.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>When using this set in Rain, you get a 50% more powerful Surf and your Speed is doubled. However, if you don't want to run a rain dance supporter like Thundurus to ensure this, you can run Rain Dance in either the 4th or 1st slot, depending on what you're after. Running it in the fourth slot makes Omastar more self-sustaining, and allows him to remove the opponent's weather if the timing is right. It also provides a more conservative method of boosting your speed, should you not want to lower your defenses against a specific target. Running Rain Dance in the first slot instead of Shell Smash gives you more coverage, but makes you significantly weaker and walled much more easily, although you still get the STAB boost.</p>

<p>Offensively, Hidden Power Electric can be used to OHKO Gyarados, but it's otherwise inferior to Hidden Power Grass since Gastrodon and Quagsire can now set up on you. Hidden Power Rock can be used for secondary STAB, but it synergises poorly with your other attacking moves. If you don't fancy a Hidden Power in the last slot, you can use Stealth Rock, Spikes or Toxic Spikes which let you set up on the majority of Water types rather than kill them. This is reasonable if you have something like Ludicolo or Ferrothorn as your wingman, although if the latter is true you should probably run Toxic Spikes to avoid redundancy. Hazards synergise with the speed boosts provided by Shell Smash and Rain fairly well, but aren't as viable in Sand due to you either having low speed or lowered defenses.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Earth Power can be used on offensive sets, but it offers fairly redundant coverage with Surf already hitting Fire and Rock types harder. Knock Off lets you annoy opponents, especially Chansey who covets her prized Eviolite, but it struggles to find a space on Omastar's already crowded moveset. Icy Wind is interesting as a niche move, but it's largely redundant since Shell Smash is more effective at boosting your speed and Ice Beam is more effective at killing things. Muddy Water can be used as an alternative STAB, with a chance to lower accuracy but also having low accuracy of its own; it isn't recommended since one miss for Omastar likely means game over, and it doesn't get specific kills like Hydro Pump does. AncientPower is also present for STAB, should you want to pray for a boost above all else. Omastar also has a lot of physical attacking options, such as Waterfall, Rock Blast and Gyro Ball, but lacks the Attack to use them effectively on a mixed set. Haze is also present as a support option, but Omastar is a poor candidate for using it since it lacks recovery and has a lot of exploitable weaknesses.</p>

<p>You can elect to run a 4 Attack LO set if a team mate such as Thundurus sets up Rain Dance, giving you good speed, excellent physical defense, a powerful STAB and excellent coverage without the drawbacks of Shell Break, although it lacks power in comparison. Slap Choice Specs on this if you want, but it gains few notable KOs. You can also run a full support set with Rain Dance / Stealth Rock / Spikes and (probably use a slash here to stay consistent) Surf, with more HP EVs and a Bold Nature, but this isn't really worth it due to Omastar having so many weaknesses, not to mention the prevalence of Taunt and Magic Coat in this metagame. You could try this in Sandstorm with all three hazards available and +1 SpD to boot, but again this isn't really worth it, and it's actually largely outclased by Crustle thanks to Sturdy and better typing.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Blissey and Chansey will wall most offensive sets, but they must be wary of Shell Smash since they can't exploit Omastar's lowered defenses. Blissey is 2HKO'd by a +2 Hydro Pump, even out of Rain, so it needs to take down Omastar quickly or at least status it. Specially defensive Ferrothorn can take boosted hits, apart from Hidden Power Fire, and either OHKO you with Power Whip or set up Spikes, Leech Seed, whatever. Ice Beam will 3HKO physically defensive variants, but if it uses Leech Seed this becomes impossible. Jellicent and Vaporeon can also wall Omastar to hell and back, taking nothing from rain-boosted STAB and resisting Ice Beam. Even Hidden Power Grass will fail to 2HKO them without a boost, but Omastar will keep trying to boost so make sure you can kill it before it can kill you. Toxicroak can switch in on Omastar's Surf and deal around 70% damage with an LO Vacuum Wave, limiting Omastar's sweeping potential significantly. If Lucario gets in for free, it can threaten a OHKO with LO Vacuum Wave, but this is less viable due to Lucario's poor bulk. Scarfed Fighting types such as Mienshao also do a good job at taking out Omastar after it's boosted, and if Blaziken can get in it can Protect on a predicted Surf and outspeed Omastar for a KO. However, it must also be wary of Shell Smash, since it outpaces Speed Boost and can be used whilst you're Protecting. Ludicolo makes a good offensive check in Rain, outspeeding it and obviously threatening a KO, whilst 4x resisting Surf and even surviving a +2 Ice Beam.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Dream World Omastar is unreleased, and has the ability Weak Armor. Whilst this could be abused on a set with Endure and Hazards, it's largely inferior to Swift Swim should you or the opponent get rain up. Lowering Omastar's defense also makes him more vulnerable to physical attacks and priority, so ultimately it's not worth it.</p>
 
Okay, I made all of the above changes and changed a few more things as well. Thanks for your contribution! :)
 
[Overview]

<p>In a generation where Sandstorm has become so dominant, and where the combination of Drizzle and Swift Swim is illegal, Omastar struggles to maintain its momentum as a Swift Swim sweeper. This is compounded by the the increased threat of priority from high-attack Pokémon, like Conkeldurr, who are constantly being used to deal with the more worrysome threat of Excadrill. However, not all is lost for Omastar, as the new generation kindly gave it a way for it to boost its stats outside of Rain and become a fearsome sweeper even in Sand: Shell Smash. This powerful move makes the cunning nautilus a lethal threat in just one turn, making it almost impossible to wall when it can boost so rapidly with its rapid boost of Speed and power. Of course, Omastar maintains itsother niches that differentiate it from Swift Swimmers, such as access to all forms of entry hazards and a good enough fantastic defense stat to that lets it take even the most powerful of priority attacks. Although the metagame has shifted out of Omastar's favor, it remains in a good position to pick up the pieces and find a new direction as a deadly set-up sweeper.</p>

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the standard sweeper set, and is the only one that is viable in a metagame so hostile to Omastar; a good offense is Omastar's best defense. Shell Smash is the move that makes Omastar worth using, granting it a +2 in Special Attack and Speed in exchange for a -1 to Defense and Special Defense. With the given EV spread, after a Shell Smash Omastar has incredible firepower and enough speed to outspeed Scarf Tyranitar, and by extension most OU threats, but still has enough physical bulk to take priority attacks in a pinch (at -1, it takes 65.3% - 76.9% from CB Scizor's Bullet Punch, and 61% - 72.7% from Conkeldurr's Mach Punch). The good thing about this set is that it's not dependent on weather to sweep; as long as it's not Sun and Omastar can get a boost, you're golden. However, Swift Swim is still the preferred ability, since Shell Armor isn't doing much for you and being able to abuse the Rain that an opponent's Politoed might bring is definitely worth it.</p>

<p>Surf is your standard STAB option, and with a Life Orb boost and a Shell Smash you can OHKO almost anything that doesn't resist you. It also gains a possible 50% boost from Rain, making it near impossible to wall unless the opponent has an immune Pokemon. Hydro Pump is a high powered alternative, managing to 2HKO Blissey at +2 even without Rain, but lacking accuracy has a lack of accuracy that makes it unattractive against other targets. Ice Beam lets you hit Grass and Dragon types that resist your onslaught, OHKOing Dragonite through Multi Scale if you have a boost and crippling it if you don't. The last move is dependent on what you want Omastar to beat, and what your teammates can do to whatever it can't beat against the remaining uncovered threats. Hidden Power Fire OHKOes physically defensive Ferrothorn, a threat which is both extremely common and would otherwise force Omastar to switch, whilst 2HKOing specially defensive variants. However, if Omastar is used with rain support then it only manages to 2HKO physically defensive sets, and fails completely against specially defensive ones, making it a risky choice to stay in. Here, Hidden Power Grass is more helpful, since it prevents you from being walled by the multitude of Water-types in this metagame, hitting defensive threats like Jellicent and Vaporeon for decent damage and stopping them from setting up on you. You should also note that using Hidden Power Fire lowers your Speed IV, so switch 4EVs from HP to Speed to compensate.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>When using this set in rain, you get a 50% more powerful Surf and your Speed is doubled. However, if you don't want to run a rain dance supporter Pokemon like Thundurus to ensure this, you can run Rain Dance in either the 4th or 1st slot, depending on what you're after. Running it in the fourth slot makes Omastar more self-sustaining, and allows him to remove the opponent's weather if the timing is right. It also provides a more conservative method of boosting your speed, should you not want to lower your defenses against a specific target. Running Rain Dance in the first slot instead of Shell Smash gives you more coverage, but makes you significantly weaker and walled much more easily, although you still get the rain boost to surf.</p>

<p>Offensively, Hidden Power Electric can be used to OHKO Gyarados, but it's otherwise inferior to Hidden Power Grass since Gastrodon and Quagsire can now set up on you. Hidden Power Rock can be used for secondary STAB, but it synergises poorly with your other attacking moves. If you don't fancy a Hidden Power in the last slot, you can use Stealth Rock, Spikes or Toxic Spikes, which let you set up on the majority of Water-types rather than kill them. This is reasonable if you have something like Ludicolo or Ferrothorn as your wingman in the wings, although if the latter is true you should probably run Toxic Spikes to avoid redundancy. Hazards synergise with the speed boosts provided by Shell Smash and Rain fairly well, but aren't as viable in Sand due to you either having low speed or lowered defenses.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Earth Power can be used on offensive sets offensively, but it offers fairly redundant coverage with Surf already hitting Fire- and Rock-types harder. Knock Off lets you annoy opponents, especially Chansey who covets her prized Eviolite, but it struggles to find a space on Omastar's already crowded moveset. Icy Wind is interesting as a niche move, but it's largely redundant since Shell Smash is more effective at boosting your speed and Ice Beam is more effective at killing things. Muddy Water can be used as an alternative STAB move, with a chance to lower accuracy but also having lower accuracy itself accuracy of its own; it isn't recommended since one miss for Omastar likely means game over, and it doesn't get specific kills like Hydro Pump does. AncientPower is also present for STAB, should you want to pray for a boost above all else. Omastar also has a lot of physical attacking options, such as Waterfall, Rock Blast and Gyro Ball, but lacks the Attack to use them effectively on a mixed set. Haze is also present as a support option, but Omastar is a poor candidate for using it since it lacks recovery and has a lot of exploitable weaknesses.</p>

<p>You can elect to run a 4 Attack LO set if a team mate such as Thundurus sets up Rain Dance, giving you good speed, excellent physical defense, a powerful STAB and excellent coverage without the drawbacks of Shell Break, although it lacks power in comparison. Slap Choice Specs on Omastar if you want, but it gains few notable KOes. You can also run a full support set with Rain Dance / Stealth Rock / Spikes / Surf, with more HP EVs and a Bold Nature, but this isn't really worth it due to Omastar having so many weaknesses, not to mention the prevalence of Taunt and Magic Coat in this metagame. You could try this in Sandstorm with all three hazards available and +1 SpD to boot, but again this isn't really worth it, and it's actually largely outclassed by Crustle thanks to Sturdy and better typing.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Blissey and Chansey will wall most offensive sets, but they must be wary of Shell Smash since they can't exploit Omastar's lowered defenses. Blissey is 2HKO'd by a +2 Hydro Pump, even out of Rain, so it needs to take down Omastar quickly or at least status it. Specially defensive Ferrothorn can take boosted hits, apart from Hidden Power Fire, and either OHKO with Power Whip or set up Spikes, Leech Seed, whatever hazards or Leed Seed. Ice Beam will 3HKO physically defensive variants, but if it uses Leech Seed this becomes impossible. Jellicent and Vaporeon can also wall Omastar to hell and back, taking nothing from rain-boosted STAB and resisting Ice Beam. Even Hidden Power Grass will fail to 2HKO them without a boost, but Omastar will keep trying to boost so make sure you can kill it before it can kill you. Toxicroak can switch in on Omastar's Surf and deal around 70% damage with a Life Orb Vacuum Wave, limiting Omastar's sweeping potential significantly. If Lucario gets in for free, it can threaten a OHKO with a Life Orb Vacuum Wave, but this is less viable due to Lucario's poor bulk. Scarfed Fighting-types such as Mienshao also do a good job at taking out Omastar after it's boosted, and if Blaziken can get in it can Protect on a predicted Surf and outspeed Omastar for a KO. However, it must also be wary of Shell Smash, since it outpaces Speed Boost and can be used whilst you're Protecting. Ludicolo makes a good offensive check in Rain, outspeeding it and obviously threatening a KO, while 4x resisting Surf and even surviving a +2 Ice Beam.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Dream World Omastar is unreleased, and has the ability Weak Armor. While this could be abused on a set with Endure and Hazards, it's largely inferior to Swift Swim, with the possibility of should you or the opponent get rain up. Lowering Omastar's Defense also makes him more vulnerable to physical attacks and priority, so ultimately it's not worth it.</p>

sorry khz, did this when the site was down

contrib_gp.png


GP 1/2
 
I use Omastar as one of my best Special Sweepers on my trick room team
[SET]
name: Omastar Sweep
move 1: Ancient Power
move 2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
item: Choice Specs/Life Orb
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Modest
evs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Def

Ancient Power is ran for STAB rock against anything that can resist the rest and it has shown itself against many a palkia in D/P (plus it's nice to get the stat hack)
 
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