[OVERVIEW]
* Mamoswine stands out in the Battle Spot Singles metagame for its ability to check many relevant threats such as Mega Salamence and Garchomp, which are both 4x weak to its Ice-type STAB moves.
* Its Ground typing allows it to take on Tapu Koko with its Assault Vest set and it differentiates itself from other Assault Vest users thanks to its access to Fissure making it difficult to switch into.
* Mamoswine also boasts an incredibly potent STAB combination in Ice and Ground, making it very hard to take on.
* Despite its impressive offensive prowess, Mamoswine is putty in the hands of bulky Water- and Flying-types like Tapu Fini, Pelipper, and Celesteela, which can all switch in on it and threaten it out with their respective STAB moves.
* Come Pokemon Bank, Mamoswine will gain access to Thick Fat, allowing it to pivot into attacks with increased ease. It will also gain a new Earthquake target in Heatran.
[SET]
name: Focus Sash
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Icicle Spear
item: Focus Sash
ability: Oblivious
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock gradually wears down foes and breaks Focus Sashes, easing up play versus Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Cloyster.
* Earthquake is Mamoswine's main STAB move, dealing super effective damage to Steel- and Poison-types such as Aegislash, Mega Gengar, and Nihilego.
* Ice Shard gives Mamoswine priority against Pokemon that would outspeed it otherwise, helping it take on Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence or even scoring a revenge KO on a weakened foe.
* Icicle Spear is an alternative form of damage output that, while slightly less consistent than Earthquake, enables Mamoswine to break through opposing Focus Sashes as well as Mimikyu's Disguise.
* Fissure is an alternative option to Icicle Spear, providing a guaranteed OHKO against bulkier Pokemon Mamoswine would otherwise struggle with (provided that it hits).
* Roar can also be used over Icicle Spear to phaze setup sweepers such as Mega Scizor, preventing Mamoswine from being complete setup fodder and racking up Stealth Rock damage in the process.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Mamoswine to hit as hard as possible, while maximum investment in Speed helps it outpace as many threats as possible.
* Focus Sash allows Mamoswine to take at least one hit and set up Stealth Rock.
* Oblivious is the most useful ability Mamoswine currently possesses, protecting it from Taunt to guarantee it will be able to set up Stealth Rock.
Usage Tips
========
* Lead with Mamoswine in order to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible, wearing down foes with chip damage and breaking Focus Sashes along the way.
* Focus Sash can also help Mamoswine combat Pokemon it cannot outspeed outright, serving as an effective safety net.
* If need be, attempt to preserve Mamoswine's Focus Sash in order to combat a powerful threat on the opponent's team.
* Make use of Mamoswine's Ground typing in order to switch in on predicted Electric-type moves from Tapu Koko or a Sludge Wave from Nihilego and threaten to KO back with a STAB Earthquake.
* Threaten to revenge kill Dragon-types like Garchomp and Mega Salamence with a STAB Ice Shard after they've sustained a bit of damage. Ice Shard is also capable of picking off Hydreigon from below 50% HP.
Team Options
========
* Setup sweepers benefit from the chip damage provided by Stealth Rock, making them excellent teammates for Mamoswine. Gyarados in particular does a good job of covering Mamoswine's weaknesses before Mega Evolving and Mamoswine in turn protects it from Electric-type moves. Furthermore, if possessing Substitute, Gyarados is able to easily set up versus Celesteela, paving the way to a potential sweep.
* Tapu Koko is a fantastic partner, being able to check many of the Pokemon that give Mamoswine trouble such as Tapu Fini, Pelipper, Celesteela, and Buzzwole.
* Celesteela covers many of Mamoswine's weaknesses and forces switches, often racking up Stealth Rock damage.
* Both Arcanine and Silvally-Fire help to mitigate Mamoswine's vulnerability to certain Steel-types such as Celesteela and Scizor. Alolan Marowak can also combat Steel-types, but must watch out for certain variants of Mega Scizor that run Thief.
* Mega Salamence switches in and sets up on Mega Scizor, one of Mamoswine's best answers, alleviating what would otherwise be a massive headache.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Shard
move 3: Icicle Spear
move 4: Fissure
item: Assault Vest
ability: Snow Cloak
nature: Adamant
evs: 44 HP / 212 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is Mamoswine's strongest STAB move with consistent damage.
* Ice Shard compensates for this set's lack of Speed investment and deals a sizeable chunk of damage to opposing Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence.
* Icicle Spear breaks through Focus Sashes as well as Mimikyu's Disguise, giving Mamoswine the upper hand on Garchomp and the aforementioned Mimikyu.
* Fissure allows Mamoswine to remove bulkier Pokemon such as Porygon2 and makes switching in checks to Mamoswine such as Tapu Fini and Buzzwole much riskier.
Set Details
========
* 44 EVs in HP minimize all forms of residual damage, extending Mamoswine's longevity as much as possible.
* 212 EVs in Attack with an Adamant nature allow Mamoswine to maintain a noticeable offensive presence.
* Maximum Special Defense investment compounds nicely with Assault Vest in order to optimize Mamoswine's special bulk.
Usage Tips
========
* Use Mamoswine's Assault Vest-boosted bulk in order to switch into Pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Nihilego with ease.
* Mamoswine's improved bulk can also aid it in switching into neutral hits from Pokemon like Alolan Ninetales, Porygon2, and Mega Gengar; however, it must be wary of burns from bulky variants of Mega Gengar.
* Attempt to use Fissure in order to remove common Mamoswine switch-ins, most notably Porygon2.
* Use Ice Shard to revenge kill Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and even weakened Hydreigon.
Team Options
========
* Flying-types like Celesteela and Gyarados benefit from Mamoswine's ability to take on Tapu Koko.
* Tapu Koko itself is able to take on Water- and Flying-types as well as Buzzwole, which all bother Mamoswine.
* Fire-types like Arcanine and Silvally as well as Alolan Marowak (though it must be wary of Dark-type coverage) can contest threatening Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Celesteela with their STAB moves.
* Mega Salamence is able to switch into Mega Scizor and easily set up, taking a lot of pressure off Mamoswine, while Mamoswine removes the Porygon2 that can trouble Salamence.
* With its Magnet Pull ability, Magnezone is also able to trap and KO Steel-types that bother Mamoswine, making it a potentially valuable asset.
* Tapu Fini appreciates Mamoswine's ability to switch into Tapu Koko and is able to take on Buzzwole, Gyarados, and possibly Celesteela with the combination of Nature's Madness and Hydro Vortex.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Both Life Orb and Choice Band bolster Mamoswine's power, aiding it in securing an OHKO with Earthquake versus Aegislash and making it much harder to switch into.
* Lum Berry is especially useful when dealing with Ghost-types, protecting Mamoswine from being burned by the likes of Mega Gengar and Mimikyu.
* A physically defensive set can be run with Rocky Helmet in order to discourage contact attackers such as Mega Salamence and Mega Kangaskhan, which dislike taking recoil damage.
* Freeze Dry is 4x super effective against Gyarados and Pelipper, allowing Mamoswine to catch them both off guard on a predicted switch in, but it should never be used directly against either since Mamoswine is threatened by their Water-type STAB moves and Gyarados is able to reduce the amount of damage taken by Mega Evolving. Additionally, Freeze Dry lacks the power of Mamoswine's other moves, making it a rather ineffective lure if not paired with a damage-boosting item like Life Orb.
* Groundium Z can turn Fissure or Earthquake into a 180-(hyphen)Base Power physical nuke capable of inflicting serious damage against unsuspecting foes and safely eliminating Porygon2 once it's fallen under 50% HP.
* Toxic possesses some merit as a safer alternative to wear down Porygon2.
* Choice Scarf coupled with a Jolly nature allows Mamoswine to outspeed typically faster Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko, allowing it to KO them with an Earthquake before they can attack.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Celesteela**: Celesteela doesn't mind taking an Icicle Spear and is immune to both Earthquake and Fissure, making it very hard for Mamoswine to remove.
**Bulky Water-types**: Tapu Fini can come in on Mamoswine and threaten it with a powerful Hydro Vortex as well as take an Earthquake regardless of its defensive investment, allowing it to take out Mamoswine even if it's holding a Focus Sash. Similarly, Pelipper can switch into Mamoswine and take out offensive variants with a single rain-boosted Scald, and defensive Gyarados can also cause Mamoswine problems by being able to easily sponge attacks with its Intimidate ability and deal massive damage in return with a STAB Waterfall. Both make such excellent answers for their immunity to Ground-type moves, guaranteeing their safety won't be compromised by a timely Fissure. While not strictly a bulky Water-type, Cloyster's natural physical bulk and secondary Ice typing mean that Mamoswine can't pick it off with a combination of Earthquake and Ice Shard from high HP, allowing it to Shell Smash against it without fear and OHKO Mamoswine with a +2 Icicle Spear.
**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole resists Earthquake and shrugs off Mamoswine's Ice-type attacks only to bring Mamoswine down to its Focus Sash or possibly KO it with a STAB Superpower. However, since Buzzwole is grounded, it must be wary of a potential Fissure.
**Faster Offensive Steel-types**: Mamoswine fears Kartana like the plague. It's able to KO Mamoswine with either of its STAB moves and its Steel typing decreases its susceptibility to Ice Shard; however, it dislikes taking an Earthquake. Mega Metagross and Mega Lucario are also able to outright KO Mamoswine once its Focus Sash has been broken, but neither should switch directly into it for fear of being hit by a super effective Earthquake.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor deserves a special mention; unlike other Steel-types, it's able to use Mamoswine as setup fodder, safely setting up a Swords Dance before plowing through the rest of Mamoswine's team.
**Post-Bank Threats**: Despite the added versatility Pokemon Bank will inevitably grant Mamoswine, it also brings about new threats to deal with. Among such threats are Cresselia and Rotom-W, which don't mind Icicle Spear much and are both immune to Earthquake and Fissure, making them perfect checks to Mamoswine. In a similar vein, Mega Venusaur doesn't fear any of Mamoswine's Ice-type moves thanks to its ability Thick Fat and is able to take an Earthquake well enough that it can threaten Mamoswine with a STAB Giga Drain.
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