Mamoswine #473
Type:
Abilities: Oblivious / Snow Cloak / Thick Fat
Base Stats: 110 / 130 / 80 / 70 / 60 / 80
Notable Moves (in no particular order):
Stealth Rock
Icicle Spear
Icicle Crash
Icicle Spear
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Pokebank Moves
Superpower
Knock Off
Endeavor
Analysis:
Since DPP when Mamoswine was introduced, its massive Attack stat, great offensive typing, and access to priority Ice Shard made it a notable threat in both DPP OU and BW OU and players often used it as their go-to "dragonslayer". One of Mamoswine's abilities, Oblivious, also got a buff, allowing Mamoswine to set up Stealth Rock through Taunt. However, though Mamoswine hasn't gotten nerfed, the metagame around it has changed dramatically. The introduction of the new Fairy-type brought Pokemon who were immune to dragonspam attacks such as Outrage and Specs / Scarf Draco Meteor, and have an easy time dealing with the many Dragon-type powerhouses in the tier. Additionally, the Defog buff allows hazards to be removed from the field much easier, making Stealth Rock Mamoswine kind of pointless because it only really is a one shot lead as a Stealth Rock lead.
However, what are some common Mamoswine sets? Let's take a look. These are some of the most popular sets from BW OU that have been transitioned over to XY OU.
Common sets:
Offensive
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant / Jolly
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
The premier dragon slaying set of BW OU, this set comes over to XY to do pretty much the same thing. Mamoswine uses the famed EdgeQuake combo to a great degree of success, hitting popular Pokemon such as Talonflame and Aegislash for super-effective damage. Mamoswine's Dream World ability Thick Fat works to its favor extremely well; It is now neutral to Fire and can hit with Earthquake and Stone Edge super-effectively, as well as doing the same with Ice, which Mamoswine now resists. Ice Shard is probably the reason Mamoswine is such a renowned dragonslayer; it has priority and the STAB it recieves as well as Mamoswine's massive Attack stat can bring down some of OU's most prominent dragons such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp. Of course if Ice Shard just won't cut it, or if Mamoswine is faster or counters the opposition, Icicle Crash is a much more powerful STAB option. Unfortunately, Mamoswine doesn't have access to Superpower for now, so it struggles against the likes of Air Balloon Aegislash and Ferrothorn. Of course, Stealth Rock is still an option for this set, if you wish to keep Mamoswine alive and need a Stealth Rock setter.
Sash Lead
Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Ability: Oblivious / Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant / Jolly
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash / Stone Edge
This set is vastly different from the previous set, aiming to guarantee that Stealth Rock is set on the field right off the bat. This set got a buff this generation with Oblivious now being able to ignore Taunt, allowing Mamoswine to get Stealth Rock up no matter what tries to shut it down. The other moves aim to deal as much of a punch as possible before Mamoswine inevitably goes down. This set struggles a little in the current metagame, with the buff on Defog allowing Flying-types to come in and sweep away your hard work. Nonetheless, this set more or less guarantees that Stealth Rock goes on the field at the beginning of the match, and with the lack of Stealth Rock as a TM this generation (meaning less SR setters), this might be just what many teams need.
Community sets
Tank - by Colby
Mamoswine @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant?
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Roar
- Earthquake
Mixed Attacker - by Garchompi
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive
- Ice Shard
- Freeze Dry
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Relevant calcs:
4 SpA Life Orb Mamoswine Freeze Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 140-166 (46 - 54.6%)
Weakness Policy - by Jaroda
Mamoswine @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant
- Ice Shard
- Freeze Dry
- Earthquake
- Knock Off / Stone Edge / AncientPower
Assault Vest - by Anartya
Mamoswine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Relevant calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Greninja Hydro Pump vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 283-338 (78.1 - 93.3%)
252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Thick Fat Mamoswine: 174-205 (48 - 56.6%)
252+ SpA Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 149-177 (41.1 - 48.8%)
252+ SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 212-251 (58.5 - 69.3%)
Personal Analysis
With most Fairy-types being defensive (i.e. Sylveon, Florges, Clefable), Mamoswine remains one of the premier Dragon checks in the tier while providing a massive amount of offensive pressure. Though the lack of Superpower hurts it slightly, Mamoswine never ceases to deal massive damage with its dual STAB and priority Ice Shard. The Sash Lead is now more reliable with the buff on Oblivious, and even though Defog users make it harder to keep hazards on the field, Stealth Rock is still going to be a must-have move on any team, and the fact that the set guarantees it goes on the field from the start, as well as the fact that Flying-types take SR damage super-effectively anyways, means that this set is still going to be great (maybe even more important PrePokebank with the temporary scarcity of SR setters).
Questions for Discussion
-Is Mamoswine still worth using as a check to Dragon-types over the Fairies?
-Is the Sash Lead still worth using with the lack of Endeavor and the buff on Defog making it easier to remove?
-What are some checks and counters to Mamoswine, old or new?
-Does the lack of Superpower and Endeavor for now affect Mamoswine significantly?
-What else is Mamoswine good for?
-Which set is better?
-Are there any new sets or new roles that Mamoswine can run?
-Has Mamoswine improved since BW OU, or has the metagame changes around it proved to be too much?
-Mamoswine has access to Freeze-Dry. Does this matter?
-Go nuts and come up with your own discussion questions! :D

Type:


Abilities: Oblivious / Snow Cloak / Thick Fat
Base Stats: 110 / 130 / 80 / 70 / 60 / 80
Notable Moves (in no particular order):
Stealth Rock
Icicle Spear
Icicle Crash
Icicle Spear
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Pokebank Moves
Superpower
Knock Off
Endeavor
Analysis:
Since DPP when Mamoswine was introduced, its massive Attack stat, great offensive typing, and access to priority Ice Shard made it a notable threat in both DPP OU and BW OU and players often used it as their go-to "dragonslayer". One of Mamoswine's abilities, Oblivious, also got a buff, allowing Mamoswine to set up Stealth Rock through Taunt. However, though Mamoswine hasn't gotten nerfed, the metagame around it has changed dramatically. The introduction of the new Fairy-type brought Pokemon who were immune to dragonspam attacks such as Outrage and Specs / Scarf Draco Meteor, and have an easy time dealing with the many Dragon-type powerhouses in the tier. Additionally, the Defog buff allows hazards to be removed from the field much easier, making Stealth Rock Mamoswine kind of pointless because it only really is a one shot lead as a Stealth Rock lead.
However, what are some common Mamoswine sets? Let's take a look. These are some of the most popular sets from BW OU that have been transitioned over to XY OU.
Common sets:
Offensive
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant / Jolly
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
The premier dragon slaying set of BW OU, this set comes over to XY to do pretty much the same thing. Mamoswine uses the famed EdgeQuake combo to a great degree of success, hitting popular Pokemon such as Talonflame and Aegislash for super-effective damage. Mamoswine's Dream World ability Thick Fat works to its favor extremely well; It is now neutral to Fire and can hit with Earthquake and Stone Edge super-effectively, as well as doing the same with Ice, which Mamoswine now resists. Ice Shard is probably the reason Mamoswine is such a renowned dragonslayer; it has priority and the STAB it recieves as well as Mamoswine's massive Attack stat can bring down some of OU's most prominent dragons such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp. Of course if Ice Shard just won't cut it, or if Mamoswine is faster or counters the opposition, Icicle Crash is a much more powerful STAB option. Unfortunately, Mamoswine doesn't have access to Superpower for now, so it struggles against the likes of Air Balloon Aegislash and Ferrothorn. Of course, Stealth Rock is still an option for this set, if you wish to keep Mamoswine alive and need a Stealth Rock setter.
Sash Lead
Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Ability: Oblivious / Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant / Jolly
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash / Stone Edge
This set is vastly different from the previous set, aiming to guarantee that Stealth Rock is set on the field right off the bat. This set got a buff this generation with Oblivious now being able to ignore Taunt, allowing Mamoswine to get Stealth Rock up no matter what tries to shut it down. The other moves aim to deal as much of a punch as possible before Mamoswine inevitably goes down. This set struggles a little in the current metagame, with the buff on Defog allowing Flying-types to come in and sweep away your hard work. Nonetheless, this set more or less guarantees that Stealth Rock goes on the field at the beginning of the match, and with the lack of Stealth Rock as a TM this generation (meaning less SR setters), this might be just what many teams need.
Community sets
Tank - by Colby
Mamoswine @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant?
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Roar
- Earthquake
Mixed Attacker - by Garchompi
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive
- Ice Shard
- Freeze Dry
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Relevant calcs:
4 SpA Life Orb Mamoswine Freeze Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 140-166 (46 - 54.6%)
Weakness Policy - by Jaroda
Mamoswine @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant
- Ice Shard
- Freeze Dry
- Earthquake
- Knock Off / Stone Edge / AncientPower
Assault Vest - by Anartya
Mamoswine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Relevant calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Greninja Hydro Pump vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 283-338 (78.1 - 93.3%)
252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Thick Fat Mamoswine: 174-205 (48 - 56.6%)
252+ SpA Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 149-177 (41.1 - 48.8%)
252+ SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Mamoswine: 212-251 (58.5 - 69.3%)
Personal Analysis
With most Fairy-types being defensive (i.e. Sylveon, Florges, Clefable), Mamoswine remains one of the premier Dragon checks in the tier while providing a massive amount of offensive pressure. Though the lack of Superpower hurts it slightly, Mamoswine never ceases to deal massive damage with its dual STAB and priority Ice Shard. The Sash Lead is now more reliable with the buff on Oblivious, and even though Defog users make it harder to keep hazards on the field, Stealth Rock is still going to be a must-have move on any team, and the fact that the set guarantees it goes on the field from the start, as well as the fact that Flying-types take SR damage super-effectively anyways, means that this set is still going to be great (maybe even more important PrePokebank with the temporary scarcity of SR setters).
Questions for Discussion
-Is Mamoswine still worth using as a check to Dragon-types over the Fairies?
-Is the Sash Lead still worth using with the lack of Endeavor and the buff on Defog making it easier to remove?
-What are some checks and counters to Mamoswine, old or new?
-Does the lack of Superpower and Endeavor for now affect Mamoswine significantly?
-What else is Mamoswine good for?
-Which set is better?
-Are there any new sets or new roles that Mamoswine can run?
-Has Mamoswine improved since BW OU, or has the metagame changes around it proved to be too much?
-Mamoswine has access to Freeze-Dry. Does this matter?
-Go nuts and come up with your own discussion questions! :D
Last edited: