Here's my second update of a Pokemon and my second update of a Bug / Flying type, Masquerain. Masquerain deserves an update because:
-Its current analysis hasn't been updated in a long, long time.
-Masquerain wasn't actually that bad of a Pokemon when I tried it. If you could keep Stealth Rock off the field, I found that it could switch in a fair amount of times to Intimidate something and either Baton Pass Agilities / do some damage or Stun Spore something.
-It has a decent amount of switch in opportunities in common Pokemon such as Leafeon, Tangrowth, Hitmontop, Donphan, Scarf Hitmonlee, etc.
Status: 2 / 2 QC Approvals - Finished writing analysis.
2 / 2 GP Checks - Finished!
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/masquerain
Changes:
-Removed Choice Specs set. 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, low speed, and still rather weak, even with Specs. It did have some perks, notably two good attacks to use first (Hydro Pump and Air Slash), and Intimidate to let it switch in easier, but I honestly didn't find Specs that effective. If QC wants it back however, I'll put it back.
-Changed some EVs and stuff.
-Slashed LO on Baton Pass set and renamed it Agility.
-Sets are ordered by usage.
[Overview]
<p>Masquerain looks like yet another generic Bug / Flying Pokemon, but this actually isn't as true as one might think. He distinguishes himself from the other Bug / Flying Pokemon with his somewhat superior special movepool, which includes two attacks that are more commonly seen on Water-types—Hydro Pump and Ice Beam—as well as an excellent ability in Intimidate. Intimidate is very helpful, since it allows Masquerain to switch into a slew of physical moves that he wouldn't be able to handle otherwise, despite Masquerain's bad defenses. Hydro Pump and Air Slash together hit every Pokemon in UU neutrally except for Lanturn. Unfortunately, Masquerain is still a mediocre Pokemon, as his horrendous typing and bad stats hold him back from doing much at all. Being 4x weak to Stealth Rock hinders the usefulness of Intimidate, while his low Speed and Special Attack make his excellent two-move coverage in Hydro Pump and Air Slash not as great as it could be. All in all, Masquerain is a fairly unique Pokemon that, despite horrible, crippling flaws, can be quite useful to your team through proper support.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Air Slash / Bug Buzz
move 3: Hydro Pump / Roost
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Speed is often an issue that plagues Masquerain. Base 60 Speed is quite low, and because of this, Masquerain will not be able to sweep without a way to remedy this issue. Fortunately, Masquerain can utilize Agility for this exact purpose. Even if Masquerain cannot plow through defensive Pokemon due to his low Special Attack, he can still prove to be an excellent member of the team since it can Baton Pass Agility boosts.</p>
<p>Agility allows Masquerain to reach a very respectable Speed so he can finally be able to sweep. Thanks to Intimidate, it isn't too difficult to get an Agility either. Air Slash is for STAB and good coverage, while Hydro Pump complements Air Slash to form an excellent attack combination that hits almost everything in UU neutrally. Roost can be used instead of Hydro Pump if you wish to give Masquerain some longevity, but even with Intimidate, Masquerain isn't that bulky. In the last slot, Baton Pass is recommended since Masquerain will often lack enough power to muscle through Pokemon that wall him, such as Milotic, Registeel, and Chansey, so instead, you can pass the boosts to a teammate to allow him or her to sweep. However, if you decide to use a Life Orb, another attacking move can be used, though Baton Pass is still recommended.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The choice between a Modest and a Timid nature is a tough one. Timid allows Masquerain to outspeed Jolly Torterra before an Agility, and Scarf Rotom after an Agility. Jolly Torterra is important to outspeed since Masquerain can 2HKO him before he can possibly smash Masquerain with Stone Edge. Torterra can also be a pain for Masquerain's desired Baton Pass recipients, namely Aggron and Rhyperior. Outspeeding Scarf Rotom allows Masquerain to Baton Pass the Agility before Rotom can strike Masquerain with a lethal Thunderbolt. However, one shouldn't discount a Modest nature immediately. A Modest nature will provide a much needed power boost for Masquerain's low Special Attack, and also secures many KOs and 2HKOs that a Timid nature wouldn't guarantee. For example, against Arcanine, Hydro Pump from a Modest Masquerain is likely to KO Arcanine after Stealth Rock damage, while Timid will rarely KO.</p>
<p>Since Masquerain has both Agility and Baton Pass, any Pokemon that enjoys having +2 Speed is a great partner for him. Rhyperior, Aggron, and Torterra are all powerful behemoths in need of a boost, and therefore make excellent recipients. Conveniently, Masquerain can deal with Donphan, Hitmontop, and opposing Torterra, which all wall Rhyperior and Aggron. Torterra is a good Baton Pass recipient because he can deal with most of the Pokemon that wall Masquerain, such as Registeel, Milotic, and Chansey. It should be noted that it is fairly safe for Masquerain to Baton Pass out of all of these Pokemon except for Milotic, as she can use Ice Beam to nail Torterra as he comes in. Alternatively, a Swords Dance Venusaur can be used to beat out the three aforementioned walls, since he's quite bulky and can hit two of these Pokemon with a super effective attack. However, he is quite prone to Thunder Wave from Registeel and Chansey.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rapid Spinners, as well as leads that can prevent Stealth Rock, are necessary partners for Masquerain. With Stealth Rock on the field, he basically won't be able to switch into anything, even with Intimidate, so it's important to keep Stealth Rock off the field. Blastoise, Hitmontop, and Donphan are excellent Rapid Spinners, since they all have good type synergy with Masquerain, and all of them have a way to successfully use Rapid Spin. Leads such as Kabutops and Ambipom are good choices to stop Stealth Rock from getting up early in the match.</p>
<p>Speaking of entry hazards, Masquerain appreciates entry hazards of his own. Since Masquerain is so weak, he needs entry hazards to guarantee some KOs and 2HKOs. Unfortunately, there aren't many Spikers in UU, and most of them have mediocre synergy with Masquerain. Out of these options, Omastar is the best, since his 4x weakness to Grass gives Masquerain a good opportunity to switch in, and he can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Stealth Rock has a much wider distribution, so Pokemon such as Registeel and Kabutops can set up Stealth Rock without many problems.</p>
<p>Masquerain is rather weak, so he needs Pokemon that can deal with the specially-defensive Pokemon that wall him. Masquerain's Baton Pass recipients are the obvious choice for this job. Rhyperior and Aggron, for example, can easily rip apart these Pokemon since, generally, pure specially-defensive Pokemon aren't physically bulky. Alternatively, you could pack another team member to deal with the Pokemon that wall Masquerain. For example, Dugtrio can be used to trap and KO Chansey and Registeel, while Grass-types such as Leafeon and Venusaur can KO Milotic.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Masquerain's movepool is quite good, and contains quite a few decent special attacking options that can be used instead of Hydro Pump. Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Ground or Fighting, Ice Beam, and even Blizzard can be used if you wish. However, they don't have nearly as good coverage with Air Slash like Hydro Pump does. Silver Wind or Ominous Wind can be used if you think you can get lucky with their secondary effect, but they are generally too luck based to be used.</p>
<p>Masquerain is capable of using a more defensive set that abuses Stun Spore and Air Slash alongside Roost, but Masquerain is often too frail or too weak to use it effectively. Haze is an interesting option to remove stat boosts, but Masquerain's poor defenses prevent him from countering stat-uppers. Masquerain can use Rain Dance, since his Hydro Pump benefits from the rain, but Masquerain doesn't really have amazing synergy with rain sweepers aside from resisting Grass, and he can't use it well due to his poor defenses.</p>
<p>Finally, Masquerain can use Choice Specs or Choice Scarf to boost either his Special Attack or his Speed. Masquerian becomes quite strong after a Choice Specs boost, and with two very good attacks to spam (Hydro Pump and Air Slash),he can be decent. Sadly, being 4x weak to Stealth Rock, having few good immunities and resistances to switch in on, and a low base Speed stat makes Choice Specs a mediocre option. Choice Scarf can make Masquerain fast enough to outspeed some Pokemon, but it's generally too weak and shares many of the same issues with Choice Specs.</p>
[Counters]
<p>The bane of Masquerain's existence, like every other Pokemon that is 4x weak to Rock, is Stealth Rock. With Stealth Rock chipping off 50% of his health every time he switches in, Masquerain will have little chance of switching in successfully. Keeping Stealth Rock on the field will cause Masquerain to be next to useless on your opponent's team, so Stealth Rock is an excellent tool in stopping Masquerain.</p>
<p>If, for some reason, Stealth Rock is not on the field, Masquerain can prove to be quite a nuisance to your team. To counter Masquerain, any reasonably specially-defensive Pokemon will do, such as Registeel, Chansey, Clefable, and Milotic, as they can withstand Masquerain's attacks well. It is also noteworthy that the first three can set up Stealth Rock to hamper Masquerain, and can use Thunder Wave to nail any potential Baton Pass recipients. However, these Pokemon aren't a guaranteed stop to Masquerain, since he can easily Baton Pass to a Ground-type such as Rhyperior or Torterra to absorb the Thunder Wave, and that Speed-boosted teammate could easily proceed to rip through your team. Because of this scenario, the best counter to Masquerain is Haze Milotic. Haze Milotic doesn't care about Masquerain's weak attacks, and can easily remove any Agility boosts that he tries to Baton Pass.</p>
<p>Bulky Pokemon that use Substitute can be a nuisance to Masquerain. If the Pokemon uses Substitute as he Baton Passes, the Pokemon behind the Substitute can react easily to the Baton Pass recipient. Mismagius and Rotom are good examples of this, as Rotom will often scare Masquerain off with Scarfed Thunderbolt, while Mismagius is fairly bulky, and after a Calm Mind, Masquerain will be hard-pressed to break her Substitutes.</p>
-Its current analysis hasn't been updated in a long, long time.
-Masquerain wasn't actually that bad of a Pokemon when I tried it. If you could keep Stealth Rock off the field, I found that it could switch in a fair amount of times to Intimidate something and either Baton Pass Agilities / do some damage or Stun Spore something.
-It has a decent amount of switch in opportunities in common Pokemon such as Leafeon, Tangrowth, Hitmontop, Donphan, Scarf Hitmonlee, etc.
Status: 2 / 2 QC Approvals - Finished writing analysis.
2 / 2 GP Checks - Finished!
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/masquerain
Changes:
-Removed Choice Specs set. 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, low speed, and still rather weak, even with Specs. It did have some perks, notably two good attacks to use first (Hydro Pump and Air Slash), and Intimidate to let it switch in easier, but I honestly didn't find Specs that effective. If QC wants it back however, I'll put it back.
-Changed some EVs and stuff.
-Slashed LO on Baton Pass set and renamed it Agility.
-Sets are ordered by usage.
[Overview]
<p>Masquerain looks like yet another generic Bug / Flying Pokemon, but this actually isn't as true as one might think. He distinguishes himself from the other Bug / Flying Pokemon with his somewhat superior special movepool, which includes two attacks that are more commonly seen on Water-types—Hydro Pump and Ice Beam—as well as an excellent ability in Intimidate. Intimidate is very helpful, since it allows Masquerain to switch into a slew of physical moves that he wouldn't be able to handle otherwise, despite Masquerain's bad defenses. Hydro Pump and Air Slash together hit every Pokemon in UU neutrally except for Lanturn. Unfortunately, Masquerain is still a mediocre Pokemon, as his horrendous typing and bad stats hold him back from doing much at all. Being 4x weak to Stealth Rock hinders the usefulness of Intimidate, while his low Speed and Special Attack make his excellent two-move coverage in Hydro Pump and Air Slash not as great as it could be. All in all, Masquerain is a fairly unique Pokemon that, despite horrible, crippling flaws, can be quite useful to your team through proper support.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Air Slash / Bug Buzz
move 3: Hydro Pump / Roost
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Intimidate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Speed is often an issue that plagues Masquerain. Base 60 Speed is quite low, and because of this, Masquerain will not be able to sweep without a way to remedy this issue. Fortunately, Masquerain can utilize Agility for this exact purpose. Even if Masquerain cannot plow through defensive Pokemon due to his low Special Attack, he can still prove to be an excellent member of the team since it can Baton Pass Agility boosts.</p>
<p>Agility allows Masquerain to reach a very respectable Speed so he can finally be able to sweep. Thanks to Intimidate, it isn't too difficult to get an Agility either. Air Slash is for STAB and good coverage, while Hydro Pump complements Air Slash to form an excellent attack combination that hits almost everything in UU neutrally. Roost can be used instead of Hydro Pump if you wish to give Masquerain some longevity, but even with Intimidate, Masquerain isn't that bulky. In the last slot, Baton Pass is recommended since Masquerain will often lack enough power to muscle through Pokemon that wall him, such as Milotic, Registeel, and Chansey, so instead, you can pass the boosts to a teammate to allow him or her to sweep. However, if you decide to use a Life Orb, another attacking move can be used, though Baton Pass is still recommended.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The choice between a Modest and a Timid nature is a tough one. Timid allows Masquerain to outspeed Jolly Torterra before an Agility, and Scarf Rotom after an Agility. Jolly Torterra is important to outspeed since Masquerain can 2HKO him before he can possibly smash Masquerain with Stone Edge. Torterra can also be a pain for Masquerain's desired Baton Pass recipients, namely Aggron and Rhyperior. Outspeeding Scarf Rotom allows Masquerain to Baton Pass the Agility before Rotom can strike Masquerain with a lethal Thunderbolt. However, one shouldn't discount a Modest nature immediately. A Modest nature will provide a much needed power boost for Masquerain's low Special Attack, and also secures many KOs and 2HKOs that a Timid nature wouldn't guarantee. For example, against Arcanine, Hydro Pump from a Modest Masquerain is likely to KO Arcanine after Stealth Rock damage, while Timid will rarely KO.</p>
<p>Since Masquerain has both Agility and Baton Pass, any Pokemon that enjoys having +2 Speed is a great partner for him. Rhyperior, Aggron, and Torterra are all powerful behemoths in need of a boost, and therefore make excellent recipients. Conveniently, Masquerain can deal with Donphan, Hitmontop, and opposing Torterra, which all wall Rhyperior and Aggron. Torterra is a good Baton Pass recipient because he can deal with most of the Pokemon that wall Masquerain, such as Registeel, Milotic, and Chansey. It should be noted that it is fairly safe for Masquerain to Baton Pass out of all of these Pokemon except for Milotic, as she can use Ice Beam to nail Torterra as he comes in. Alternatively, a Swords Dance Venusaur can be used to beat out the three aforementioned walls, since he's quite bulky and can hit two of these Pokemon with a super effective attack. However, he is quite prone to Thunder Wave from Registeel and Chansey.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rapid Spinners, as well as leads that can prevent Stealth Rock, are necessary partners for Masquerain. With Stealth Rock on the field, he basically won't be able to switch into anything, even with Intimidate, so it's important to keep Stealth Rock off the field. Blastoise, Hitmontop, and Donphan are excellent Rapid Spinners, since they all have good type synergy with Masquerain, and all of them have a way to successfully use Rapid Spin. Leads such as Kabutops and Ambipom are good choices to stop Stealth Rock from getting up early in the match.</p>
<p>Speaking of entry hazards, Masquerain appreciates entry hazards of his own. Since Masquerain is so weak, he needs entry hazards to guarantee some KOs and 2HKOs. Unfortunately, there aren't many Spikers in UU, and most of them have mediocre synergy with Masquerain. Out of these options, Omastar is the best, since his 4x weakness to Grass gives Masquerain a good opportunity to switch in, and he can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Stealth Rock has a much wider distribution, so Pokemon such as Registeel and Kabutops can set up Stealth Rock without many problems.</p>
<p>Masquerain is rather weak, so he needs Pokemon that can deal with the specially-defensive Pokemon that wall him. Masquerain's Baton Pass recipients are the obvious choice for this job. Rhyperior and Aggron, for example, can easily rip apart these Pokemon since, generally, pure specially-defensive Pokemon aren't physically bulky. Alternatively, you could pack another team member to deal with the Pokemon that wall Masquerain. For example, Dugtrio can be used to trap and KO Chansey and Registeel, while Grass-types such as Leafeon and Venusaur can KO Milotic.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Masquerain's movepool is quite good, and contains quite a few decent special attacking options that can be used instead of Hydro Pump. Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Ground or Fighting, Ice Beam, and even Blizzard can be used if you wish. However, they don't have nearly as good coverage with Air Slash like Hydro Pump does. Silver Wind or Ominous Wind can be used if you think you can get lucky with their secondary effect, but they are generally too luck based to be used.</p>
<p>Masquerain is capable of using a more defensive set that abuses Stun Spore and Air Slash alongside Roost, but Masquerain is often too frail or too weak to use it effectively. Haze is an interesting option to remove stat boosts, but Masquerain's poor defenses prevent him from countering stat-uppers. Masquerain can use Rain Dance, since his Hydro Pump benefits from the rain, but Masquerain doesn't really have amazing synergy with rain sweepers aside from resisting Grass, and he can't use it well due to his poor defenses.</p>
<p>Finally, Masquerain can use Choice Specs or Choice Scarf to boost either his Special Attack or his Speed. Masquerian becomes quite strong after a Choice Specs boost, and with two very good attacks to spam (Hydro Pump and Air Slash),he can be decent. Sadly, being 4x weak to Stealth Rock, having few good immunities and resistances to switch in on, and a low base Speed stat makes Choice Specs a mediocre option. Choice Scarf can make Masquerain fast enough to outspeed some Pokemon, but it's generally too weak and shares many of the same issues with Choice Specs.</p>
[Counters]
<p>The bane of Masquerain's existence, like every other Pokemon that is 4x weak to Rock, is Stealth Rock. With Stealth Rock chipping off 50% of his health every time he switches in, Masquerain will have little chance of switching in successfully. Keeping Stealth Rock on the field will cause Masquerain to be next to useless on your opponent's team, so Stealth Rock is an excellent tool in stopping Masquerain.</p>
<p>If, for some reason, Stealth Rock is not on the field, Masquerain can prove to be quite a nuisance to your team. To counter Masquerain, any reasonably specially-defensive Pokemon will do, such as Registeel, Chansey, Clefable, and Milotic, as they can withstand Masquerain's attacks well. It is also noteworthy that the first three can set up Stealth Rock to hamper Masquerain, and can use Thunder Wave to nail any potential Baton Pass recipients. However, these Pokemon aren't a guaranteed stop to Masquerain, since he can easily Baton Pass to a Ground-type such as Rhyperior or Torterra to absorb the Thunder Wave, and that Speed-boosted teammate could easily proceed to rip through your team. Because of this scenario, the best counter to Masquerain is Haze Milotic. Haze Milotic doesn't care about Masquerain's weak attacks, and can easily remove any Agility boosts that he tries to Baton Pass.</p>
<p>Bulky Pokemon that use Substitute can be a nuisance to Masquerain. If the Pokemon uses Substitute as he Baton Passes, the Pokemon behind the Substitute can react easily to the Baton Pass recipient. Mismagius and Rotom are good examples of this, as Rotom will often scare Masquerain off with Scarfed Thunderbolt, while Mismagius is fairly bulky, and after a Calm Mind, Masquerain will be hard-pressed to break her Substitutes.</p>
