[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid
evs: 208 HP / 48 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Substitute gives Mesprit the ability to easily set up Calm Minds against defensive walls without worry of being worn down by status moves and weak attacks.With the given EV spread, it can easily set up Substitutes against defensive Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Lanturn's pivot set, and Xatu's pivot set. Calm Mind allows Mesprit to greatly boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, giving it the ability to break many defensive teams and to break through bulky Pokemon it otherwise cannot. Psyshock is a great STAB move for Mesprit, as it allows it to hit enemy Pokemon on their Defense stat rather than their Special Defense stat. This allows Mesprit to set up Calm Minds alongside, and win against, enemy Mega Audino, ignoring their Special Defense boosts, while also hitting Magmortar, Lanturn, and Hariyama much harder. Ice Beam provides excellent neutral coverage with Psyshock, hitting targets such as Steelix and Skuntank neutrally and getting a near-guaranteed OHKO against Shiftry after a boost. Ice Beam also gives Mesprit a much better matchup against physically bulky Pokemon such as Rhydon, Xatu, Torterra, and Gourgeist-XL. Alternatively, Signal Beam gives more reliability against enemy Psychic-type Calm Mind users, such as Mesprit and Musharna, and hits Shiftry and Malamar for very high damage, even when unboosted. However, running Signal Beam means that Mesprit cannot break through Steelix and has a significantly worse matchup against Pokemon such as Rhydon and Xatu.
Set Details
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Maximizing Speed EVs with a Timid nature allows Mesprit to Speed tie with major threats such as Shiftry and Kabutops, as well as outspeed Jolly Hitmonchan and maximum Speed Modest Magmortar. Leftovers is used here in order to provide Mesprit with passive recovery and allow it to set up more Substitutes. 48 Special Attack EVs give Mesprit a near-guaranteed chance to OHKO Shiftry with Ice Beam after a single Calm Mind boost. If needed, Mesprit can run an alternate spread of 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 Spe, which guarantees a KO on Shiftry after a single Calm Mind boost, although it loses some Leftovers recovery. The remaining EVs are then put into HP, as it makes Mesprit's Substitutes much bulkier and allows it to set up on a larger number of Pokemon in the tier while maximizing Leftovers recovery.
Usage Tips
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Mesprit should be switched into many of the tier's defensive Pokemon, such as Mega Audino, Gastrodon, and Lanturn, and then set up a Substitute, as they often lack a way to break it. After it has a Substitute up, Mesprit can proceed to force out these Pokemon or easily set up Calm Minds on them. Mesprit is also able to force out a large number of the tier's Fighting- and Poison-types, such as Hariyama, Hitmonchan, and Weezing, as they do not appreciate taking a STAB Psyshock, and set up a Substitute or Calm Mind; however, it can often only switch in on a predicted double switch or Fighting-type attack, as it detests losing its Leftovers from a Knock Off, which Fighting-types often carry. Early- and mid-game, it is often better to attack your opponent's Pokemon, rather than trying to set up a Substitute, as it is not immediately apparent that the set used is a Calm Mind one, let alone with Substitute, so you may be able to capitalize on that later on in the game. Proper usage of Substitute allows Mesprit to potentially avoid taking damage from the Sucker Punches of Pokemon such as Skuntank and Shiftry, allowing it much more freedom to play around them. Additionally, it grants Mesprit a buffer to severely mitigate damage from opposing Pursuit users such as Skuntank.
Team Options
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Mesprit is very vulnerable to Dark-type attackers, so it naturally pairs well with Fairy-types such as Mega Audino and Clefairy, as they often take very little damage from attacks such as Knock Off, appreciate Mesprit's ability to take on enemy Poison-types, and benefit from its ability to lure in Steelix and effectively damage it with Ice Beam. Thunder Wave support from Mega Audino, Clefairy, or Miltank helps this Mesprit set tremendously, as it allows it to outspeed a large number of threats such as Floatzel and Archeops and grants it more opportunities to set up Substitutes on many more Pokemon. Wish and Heal Bell support from Mega Audino can also assist this Mesprit set to play more aggressively in the mid-game, giving it more opportunities to switch into status while still being able to set up in the late-game. Fighting-type teammates such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan, and Hariyama can come in on Dark-types, which threaten Mesprit, while Mesprit can easily come in on, threaten out, and set up a Substitute on the Poison-types that wall them. If Mesprit is running Signal Beam, it can even combat enemy Psychic-types, while Ice Beam variants also beat Xatu. As Ice Beam variants of this set struggle to effectively beat enemy Psychic-types, it can often be helpful to pair this Pokemon with Dark-types, which can threaten enemy Psychic- and Ghost-types, both of which can threaten Mesprit and prevent it from sweeping. In return, Mesprit can often set up on Pokemon such as Hariyama, Mega Audino, and Hitmonchan, all of which can often wall Dark-type attackers. Pokemon that lure in defensive Water- and Grass-types, such as Rotom, Samurott, or Barbaracle, are good partners for Mesprit, as it can easily come in on a predicted Grass- or Water-type switch in, and either set up, or fire off an attack for very low risk. Floatzel is especially notable for luring in these Pokemon and can revenge kill many Pokemon that normally outspeed Mesprit, such as Liepard, Tauros, and Archeops.
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