Mew
Although Mew did get every single tutor move from HGSS, its changes were not monumental. However, I think that Mew is still an incredibly important Pokémon to discuss, because of its insane versatility. Now, this is being sorely underutilized. The first thing that you think when you read the word “Mew” is most likely:
1) Baton Pass!!!!!
Or maybe even
2) Lead
However, that’s really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. First, we should take a gander at Mew’s base stats. Like the other “pixies”, Mew has the following stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe. This gives good harmony to Mew’s excellent movepool, as, since it has even (and good!) stats, it can truly make use of just about any (competitive) move that it has. Its balance lends to the versatile playstyle that Mew can and should use efficiently. However, as I have stated above, the Mew that I see are almost always Baton Pass or Lead. Mew is losing the unpredictability that makes it so deadly (in September it was sitting at a piddling #19). Therefore the purpose of this thread is twofold: to raise Mew’s popularity and to bring attention to its sheer unpredictability.
Mew on the Defensive
Although Mew has base 100 / 100 / 100 defenses, it’s not going to want to be switching into many attacks. Unlike Celebi in the OU tier, Mew cannot really stand up to the attacks in Ubers. The Pokémon who use these attacks are much, much stronger than those of OU. Although, if Mew can get Dual Screen support, then it can actually take a hit quite well (what can’t?), and that’s very important for supporting roles.
Mew is a Psychic-type, which hurts much more than it helps it. Psychic-type is one of the most common types in Ubers (its up there with Dragon-type), so many Pokémon pack Ghost- or Dark-type moves for coverage purposes. This means that Mew is going to be potentially taking a lot of super effective hits; the ones that aren’t will be either boosted or STAB, and sometimes both. Also, Psychic-type only resists Fighting-type moves, which are only used by a select few Pokémon (Darkrai, Scizor, Lucario, some Giratina-O, and Mewtwo). These Pokémon either carry a move that is super effective on Mew (in the case of Scizor, Lucario, Darkrai, and Giratina-O), and/or they will be boosting their stats (Mewtwo, Darkrai, Lucario, Giratina-O, and Swords Dance versions of Scizor). Basically, Mew isn’t somebody you want to be a big defender.
Mew on the Offensive
Yet again we see Mew’s 100s here with 100 base Attack and 100 base Special Attack (perks of being a pixie!). We can also see that Mew has Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, Swords Dance, Bulk Up, and Rock Polish, in addition to a plethora of offensive moves. It’s got to be a good attacker right? Well, sort of. By this I mean the following: Mew has the potential to be a good offensive presence, but you must be sure to make sure that its not outclassed.
When making a Mew set that “takes matters into its own hands” and goes on the offensive, don’t try and imitate a sweeper who already exists! For example, don’t try to give Mew Calm Mind and try and outdo Mewtwo, who is basically the King of Calm Mind. In the same vein, don’t try to give Mew Bulk Up and expect it to rival Dialga. With the heavily offensive nature of Ubers, Mew may have problems trying to find its offensive niche. This, however, does not mean that it does not exist. Perhaps it’s a mixed Rock Polish set. Maybe it’s a dual-boosting specially-based sweeper. Mew’s offensive prowess still hasn’t truly been tapped to its whole potential.
Mew in the Supportive Role
Well, if Mew is sub par at being a wall/tank, and only average at offense, what is it good for? The answer is simple: support. Mew’s support movepool is truly unmatched. The only Pokémon who can rival it is Smeargle, who doesn’t have to bulk to be used to its full extent. In its arsenal, it has every status move under the sun (except Spore) and Heal Bell, as well as stat-boosting moves that can be used in conjunction with Baton Pass. By using its status moves, it can help cripple opposing Pokémon who stop your own Pokémon from sweeping. Consider this: the main check for Swords Dance Rayquaza is Choice Scarf Dialga (Gengar isn’t used as often), because it is resistant to ExtremeSpeed and outspeeds Rayquaza’s other moves. Now, if Dialga was paralyzed, things would be much different. Rayquaza would then outrun Dialga, and could take it out with a +2 Dragon Claw. Rayquaza then, with the help of entry hazards (go Forretress!), can sweep your opponent’s team, since many people only pack one Rayquaza check. There are many other ways for status Mew to help out; this was just one example.
Mew can also be a lead and throw down the Stealth Rock that sometimes make sweeps like the above Rayquaza one possible. With the combination of U-turn, Explosion, and Taunt, Mew can deal with many leads by either killing, scouting, or Taunting them. Some leads whom Mew counters are Deoxys, Forretress, and Darkrai.
Of course, one of the biggest ways for Mew to support its teammates is via Baton Passing. It has access to not only each of the moves that give +2, but also Bulk Up and Calm Mind. This makes it the best Baton Passer in the entire game. Gliscor? Not even close. Zapdos? It wishes. Vaporeon? Who’s that? Mew’s Baton Passing ability is totally and utterly unmatched, and with the proper support, it can win games easily.
The Sets
Here I’ll list some of the popular Mew sets, as well as possible ideas for new ones.
Baton Pass
Mew @ Lum Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 190 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
- Baton Pass
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance / Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Truly one of the best sets that Mew can run. Mew’s ability to pass any boost that it wants should not be overlooked. This can easily be the turning point in any game; the point when your sweeper is so powerful that it can (and will) demolish your opponent’s whole team. If everything is right, the set is actually quite simple to use. First, you should Rock Polish. This allows Mew to outspeed many of the Pokémon who will try to come in to counter it or Taunt it. Mew can then Taunt them first. Your Lum Berry can also be used to avoid status. After dealing with the new Pokémon whom your opponent has sent in via Taunt (if necessary), use either Nasty Plot or Swords Dance (depending on whether you’re Passing to either a physical sweeper or special sweeper.
The EVs allow you to outspeed even a +Speed Deoxys-E after a Rock Polish, and, by extention, most of the metagame (as long as they don’t have Choice Scarfs). The rest of the EVs and the nature are to give you as much bulk as possible on the special side (which is the most common type of attack).
Useful teammates:
Dual Screeners – Helps Mew take attacks while setting up boosts and Baton Passing
- Latias, Latios, Mewtwo, Bronzong, Uxie
Special Receivers – Recipients for Nasty Plot + Rock Polish, who will then sweep with excellent coverage (bold = best choice) and bulkiness
- Dialga, Palkia, Mewtwo
Physical Receivers – Recipients for Swords Dance + Rock Polish, who will then sweep with excellent coverage (bold = best choice) and bulkiness
- Groudon, Rayquaza, Garchomp
Entry Hazard Setter – Mew needs entry hazards just to guarantee KOs for the recipient, since you really only have one shot. Generally, this will be the lead, simply because of team size restrictions
- Deoxys-E, Forretress, Groudon
Cleaner – It’s always a good idea to use a “cleaning” sweeper, just in case your main sweeper fails to sweep your opponent’s full team. It should be able to deal significant damage.
- Rayquaza, Mewtwo, Garchomp
Lead
Mew @ Lum Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- U-turn
Mew can also be a very good lead, who can deal with many of the metagame’s common leads. Against Deoxys, it can U-turn out, leaving Deoxys with 1 HP, while you switch in a new Pokémon to finish it off. Mew can also Taunt first, so that Deoxys cannot lay any more entry hazards (watch out for Deoxys’s Taunt though). Against Forretress, Mew can first Taunt, so Forretress cannot put any entry hazards down, and then U-turn out to a sweeper. Against Darkrai, it can use Lum Berry to prevent sleep, and then U-turn it for heavy damage, and switch in a better counter. Against other leads, Mew can set up Stealth Rock and then Explode, giving you an early advantage by taking out one of you opponent’s Pokémon. Mew can also come back later in the game and Explode against another Pokémon who may have set up (for example, Boosting Tank Kyogre, who is OHKOed).
The EVs guarantee OHKOs against bulky Kyogre variants and Lugia (after it has taken Stealth Rock damage). Many other Pokémon who have not invested highly in Defense or who have a resistance to Explosion will be taking heavy damage. The rest of the EVs are to ensure that Mew is bulky.
Useful Teammates:
Offensive Sweepers – Any sweeper benefits from the residual damage of entry hazards. Many sweepers often rely on Stealth Rock damage to secure KOs.
Double Status
Mew @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 36 SpD / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Thunder Wave / Hypnosis
- Will-O-Wisp / Toxic
- U-turn
- Softboiled
Mew can use its OK bulk to spread status about your opponent’s team. Due to the highly offensive nature of the Ubers metagame, Thunder Wave can truly make or break certain strategies. For example, as stated before, by paralyzing a Choice Scarf Dialga, you can open up a Swords Dance Rayquaza sweep. Likewise, by paralyzing a Choice Scarf Palkia, you can open up a Dragon Dance Rayquaza sweep. Hypnosis has pros and cons. On one hand, it completely incapacitates a Pokémon. On the other hand, it can only be used on one Pokémon, and its accuracy is risky; therefore, Thunder Wave is generally a better choice. Will-O-Wisp not only provides for a steady residual damage, but it also cuts your opponent’s Attack, stopping sweeps and potentially stopping counters (Scizor can no longer counter Mewtwo properly if its Attack stat is cut). Toxic can help wear down walls, making it easier for sweepers to break through them. For example, by poisoning Lugia, you can severely hamper its walling ability, which gives Garchomp and Groudon easier times at sweeping.
U-turn allows for Mew to help switch in Pokémon without them taking damage. It also serves as a move to use if Mew gets Taunted. Softboiled keeps Mew healthy so that it can come back and keep inflicting status on Pokémon. The EVs allow you to outspeed neutral natured Lati@s and Lugia, and max speed Rayquaza, while still being bulky.
Useful Teammates:
Pokémon who appreciate checks being paralyzed – Certain checks require Speed to do their jobs. Without these checks, the Pokémon who is normally checked can just blaze through teams.
- Rayquaza, Rock Polish Groudon
Pokémon who appreciate counters/checks being poisoned/burned – by poisoning or burning certain Pokémon, other Pokémon can take advantage of the fact that the counter is taking extra damage per turn, which jeopardizes the counter’s ability to do its job
- Garchomp, Groudon, Mewtwo
Transform
Mew @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Transform
- Trick / Hypnosis
- Light Screen / Reflect
- Explode
This set seems gimmicky but it can actually really work. It derives its effectiveness partially from surprise. You can essentially use your opponent’s own Pokémon against them. The set itself is fairly simple to use. First, come in a Trick your Choice Scarf onto your opponent’s Pokémon, then Transform into the Pokémon. Reflect / Light Screen are mainly filler, and can be used as a way to help your teammates if you are forced to switch out and cannot Transform again. Finally, Explosion is a “last-ditch” attempt to take another Pokémon with you. Make sure, however, to scout your opponent’s team first to see which Pokémon it would be best to Transform into. For example, if you and your opponent both have Dragon Dance Rayquaza, you can essentially have 2 Dragon Dance Rayquaza sweeps, which many teams simply cannot handle.
The EVs are extremely simple. Max Speed allows Mew to outspeed as much as possible, so it can Transform quickly. Max HP is useful because HP is the only stat of Mew’s that Transform does not replace.
Useful Teammates:
- Wobbuffet – One of your opponent’s Pokémon will inevitably end up with a Choice Scarf; Wobbuffet can come in and easily revenge kill them
Note: It’s nearly impossible to provide perfect teammates for this set, because its literally a different Pokémon each battle.
Other Mew Sets
There are, of course, many other Mew sets that are possible. Some of these include
Block Passer – Mew can use Block to trap your opponent and then Baton Pass to another of your Pokémon, sort of like a second Wobbuffet. This is also useful with Hypnosis, as it gives a Pokémon free set-up turns.
Super Fang – Super Fang is an interesting move that automatically halves your opponent’s HP, regardless of Mew’s or your opponent’s EVs or IVs. This could perhaps be used on a stallish set?
That’s a Wrap!
Yeah, so there’s obviously a lot of stuff in this post. Discuss your uses for Mew and how successful it is or isn’t in the current DPP/HGSS metagame. Also, post your Mew sets that perform well. If you haven't tested a set, but still wish to post it, go right ahead, but be sure to mention that it hasn't been tested yet. Thanks, and happy discussing!
