[OVERVIEW]
Omastar sports an unfortunate weakness to Ground in a metagame with numerous strong Ground-types and lacks the key resistance to Water that other bulky Water-types have. However, what sets it apart is its resistance to Normal and Flying. Granbull is an incredibly powerful threat in GSC UU, and Omastar is the best counter to it by far. Omastar's STAB Surf, solid coverage, and high Special Attack allow it to put a solid dent in almost any foe, an advantage it has over competing Normal-resistant Pokemon such as Magneton, which struggles to hit Ground- and Electric-types hard. However, outside of countering Granbull and Dodrio and checking Scyther without Hidden Power Ground, Omastar's favorable matchups are few and far between, so it can sometimes feel like dead weight if the opponent chooses not to bring them.
[SET]
name: Normal-resistant Special Attacker
move 1: Surf
move 2: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Electric
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Hidden Power Electric
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Omastar's STAB Surf deals massive damage to almost all physical attackers, easily 3HKOing Granbull and coming close enough to a 2HKO that Granbull can find it difficult to perform its usual role of checking Nidoqueen if it takes a Surf. Ice Beam deals a lot of damage to Grass- and Flying-types, 2HKOing Scyther most of the time and sometimes 2HKOing Bellossom after Spikes. Another option is Hidden Power Electric, which hits opposing Water-types that resist Surf quite hard, barring Lanturn and Slowking. Lastly, Omastar enhances its longevity by using Rest, which it can pair with Sleep Talk to remain a threat while asleep and become even harder for Curse Granbull to break, even if it has Lovely Kiss.
Team Options
========
Omastar's weakness to Electric and the pressure it can put on Granbull make Nidoqueen a good partner. The two Pokemon greatly appreciate extra damage from Spikes to help them pressure bulky foes, so Qwilfish makes for another solid choice of teammate. As Omastar is disadvantaged against other bulky Water-types and is afraid of Bellossom, bulky status absorbers such as Hypno, Lanturn, and Ampharos, as well as Pokemon that can cure status like Chansey and Granbull, make for useful teammates. Bellossom and Jumpluff can help out against Ground-types, which can use STAB Earthquake to inflict heavy damage on Omastar along with many Pokemon it is often paired with.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Hydro Pump is an alternative to Surf that offers even more power, potentially 2HKOing Granbull, Kabutops, and Pinsir, but is much riskier due to its lower accuracy and low PP. Dropping Leftovers and running Thief over Rest trades longevity for greater offensive presence by allowing Omastar to permanently deprive a foe of its passive recovery. Omastar can also use Reflect to boost its Defense against Pokemon like Scyther and help out Pokemon like Electabuzz and Mr. Mime, since they fear powerful physical attacks. Omastar can run Haze to allow it to check Baton Pass users such as Scyther and Girafarig, although most Baton Pass users can threaten Omastar, so it is important to time its use for the moment when it is most impactful. Toxic can be used to put some pressure on Pokemon like Chansey, Slowking, and Lanturn and force them to use Rest or use up Heal Bell PP while also threatening offensive Pokemon with permanent status. Ancient Power can be used to give Omastar sweeping potential if it is lucky enough to activate its secondary effect, and it also allows Omastar to 2HKO Scyther.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Water-types**: Lanturn and Slowking are the most difficult Pokemon for Omastar to overcome. Their resistance to Water and high Special Defense prevent Omastar from dealing significant damage to them, and they can target Omastar's low Special Defense with their STAB attacks to quickly knock it out. Other bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Blastoise, and Politoed also have the advantage over Omastar, although unlike Slowking and Lanturn, Hidden Power Electric can 3HKO them after Spikes, so they aren't completely safe against it.
**Electric-types**: Ampharos Speed ties with Omastar, OHKOes with Thunder, and cannot be 3HKOed in return by Omastar's Surf, even after Spikes damage. Ampharos can also set up Light Screen to assist its team in handling a likely Nidoqueen switch as well as Omastar itself. Electabuzz and Magneton pose a similar threat to Omastar offensively, but both take heavy damage from Omastar's STAB attacks, so they cannot safely check it in the long term.
**Grass-types**: Bellossom, Victreebel, and Vileplume can safely counter Omastar that lack Ice Beam, but as the move deals upwards of 40% to them, they must be cautious of being hit by it on the switch, especially if they have been paralyzed beforehand. In return, they can OHKO most of the time with Giga Drain or Hidden Power Grass and can threaten to inflict status should Omastar switch out. Jumpluff can also safely check Omastar that lack Ice Beam, but there is a substantial chance it will be OHKOed by Ice Beam if it is caught by surprise.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers like Mr. Mime, Electabuzz, and Electrode can take a hit or two from Omastar and deal heavy damage in return with their Electric-type attacks. Kadabra, Haunter, and Pikachu also threaten Omastar, but their lack of bulk means that they should avoid switching into Omastar's Surf or Hydro Pump—there is even a small chance of Pikachu being outright OHKOed by the latter.
**Chansey**: Chansey can easily force a stalemate with Omastar, as it takes next to no damage from any of its attacks. If Chansey has Present, it also poses a significant threat to Omastar due to its secondary type being Water. If Chansey has Light Screen, it can also allow a more dangerous teammate to switch in and set up.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Oglemi, 40358]]
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