[OVERVIEW]
Mr. Mime is the best Psychic-type in RBY NU. Its excellent Speed, STAB Psychic, and lack of weaknesses let it work as a lead, wallbreaker, or cleaner, and most teams will have issues checking it with anything other than their own Mr. Mime. Thunder Wave and Thunderbolt grant it the utility and coverage to take on almost any foe, especially given the prevalence of fast foes as well as Water- and Flying-types. It also makes an excellent revenge killer, as few foes outpace it and it is difficult to switch into. Mr. Mime easily beats Blastoise and Venomoth one-on-one, ruins Charizard with Thunder Wave and heavy damage, and even scares Clefable with a critical hit or Special drop. Every single team benefits from Mr. Mime's damage output and Thunder Wave support, so it should never go unused.
That said, Mr. Mime has several weaknesses, including its horrendous physical bulk, vulnerability to Seismic Toss, and difficulty breaking past NU's other Psychic-type, Exeggcute. Many Pokemon, such as Kabutops, Moltres, and Golem, 2HKO Mr. Mime, so it becomes incredibly vulnerable once paralyzed, and Seismic Toss 3HKOes it. Since Mr. Mime is so difficult to check, teams lacking Exeggcute will usually send their own Mr. Mime to trade Thunder Wave, ensuring that at least an ally can finish it off. Clefable, Electrode, and rare niche picks like Porygon, Abra, and Drowzee can also force this trade or force it out. Additionally, while Mr. Mime's Speed is nothing to scoff at, it's still a bit slower than Raticate, Charizard, and Ninetales, so they can beat it one-on-one.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Thunder Wave
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Psychic 2HKOes Venomoth and Nidoking—its 33% Special drop chance and Mr. Mime's 17.6% critical hit chance often allow it to 2HKO or 3HKO even bulky foes. It's also a spammable option that dents almost any foe, and it puts Charizard and Blastoise in range of a 2HKO from Thunderbolt or a potential OHKO after a critical hit or Special drop. Thunderbolt covers the tier's many Water- and Flying-types, 3HKOing bulkier ones like Blastoise and Charizard and 2HKOing the frailer Kabutops and Kingler. Seismic Toss primarily covers opposing Mr. Mime, 3HKOing it, but it also 3HKOes Abra and 4HKOes Exeggcute. Thunder Wave shuts down fast sweepers and wallbreakers like Charizard and Mr. Mime and maintains a Speed advantage against slower Thunder Wave users; with a Psychic drop reapplying the Speed drop, even paralyzed Charizard, Moltres, and Ninetales become slower than paralyzed Mr. Mime.
Mr. Mime makes an excellent mid-game wallbreaker or late-game cleaner. In both roles, it benefits from allies that can help to remove Thunder Wave users so it can simply attack without fear of paralysis. Wigglytuff can weaken Clefable, Exeggcute shuts down opposing Mr. Mime, and Raticate is a fearsome wallbreaker that can revenge kill Clefable and Mr. Mime effectively. Nidoking benefits heavily from any paralysis Mr. Mime manages to spread, letting it revenge kill opposing Mr. Mime, Charizard, and Raticate. As a wallbreaker, Mr. Mime can help clear the way for teammates like Charizard, Moltres, and Seadra to sweep by removing troublesome Water-types and Thunder Wave users. Defensively, it has difficulty with powerful physical attackers like Golem, so bulky allies like Blastoise and Kingler can help protect it.
Mr. Mime is often used as a lead, threatening opposing leads with paralysis and preventing frustrating scenarios like an early Charizard sweep. In this role, it may sometimes opt to take paralysis and switch out, returning later to blockade Venomoth's sleep attempts and retaliate with Thunder Wave or a powerful attack. This is somewhat risky, so lead Mr. Mime heavily appreciates slower, hard-hitting allies like Golem and Kabutops for opposing leads like Charizard and Mr. Mime; in return, it can protect them from Venomoth putting them to sleep in retaliation. However, usually lead Mr. Mime will stay in, use Thunder Wave, and simply attack until it is KOed, enabling a teammate to revenge kill or letting Venomoth attempt Sleep Powder. In this role, it needs very little support, and the rest of the team can simply focus on enabling Charizard or another sweeper. Mr. Mime is somewhat unhappy to see Venomoth as the opposing lead, as Venomoth may win the Speed tie, and Mr. Mime can only OHKO it with a critical hit. Overall, Venomoth is favored to land Sleep Powder in this matchup, removing a major threat, but Mr. Mime has a chance to simply obliterate it or dodge Sleep Powder and gain a massive advantage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mr. Mime lacks many other options. Counter is the main option of note, as this turns its physical frailty into a dubious boon, sending back strong attacks like Slash, Super Fang, and Body Slam for massive damage and dealing 70% to opposing Mr. Mime after Seismic Toss. This has several problems though; it is difficult to fit, usually replacing Seismic Toss, and Counter + Thunderbolt fails to KO Mr. Mime. Using Counter on Super Fang cannot KO Raticate, which is also faster and could use Body Slam instead. Slash seems like a good opportunity for Counter, but Charizard may use Fire Blast and often does not run Slash in the first place, while Kabutops is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt and only rarely OHKOed by Counter. Barrier can be used as a tricky move to take Hyper Beam from slower foes like Clefable, Kabutops, and Kingler, but this is very prediction-reliant and many foes have ways around it, such as strong special attacks; it also costs a moveslot that Mr. Mime really cannot afford. Attempting to set it up in advance is fairly pointless, as the opponent can exploit missing coverage once they see it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Exeggcute's viability hinges on its ability to reliably check Mr. Mime. It's at worst 4HKOed barring critical hits and Special drops, and it threatens sleep and paralysis in return. It can potentially use Explosion to allow a threat like Charizard in freely. Rare options like Drowzee and Abra absorb Mr. Mime's attacks well and threaten status and a 3HKO with Seismic Toss; Drowzee fares better due to its superior bulk, but Abra is capable of hamstringing and chipping Mr. Mime as well. Mr. Mime commonly checks itself as well, coming in after a KO to paralyze and trade hits.
**Paralysis**: Once Mr. Mime is paralyzed, Pokemon like Golem, Kabutops, Nidoking, and Kingler can crush it. Even special attackers like Blastoise and Seadra handily beat a paralyzed Mr. Mime, and it struggles to switch in against anything but Venomoth. However, its ability to block sleep is very valuable and provides an early-game opportunity to land more damage or paralysis.
**Clefable**: Clefable is bulky enough to duel Mr. Mime, but a single Special drop vastly worsens this matchup. Thunder Wave permanently reduces Mr. Mime's threat, or Clefable can opt to 3HKO it with Body Slam and potentially paralyze it along the way. Hyper Beam sets fare relatively well against Mr. Mime, often KOing it after Body Slam.
**Revenge Killers**: Mr. Mime lacks recovery and often takes heavy damage in early- to mid-game fights, leaving it vulnerable to revenge killers like Charizard, Ninetales, and Raticate. Raticate is especially difficult to switch into, but all of these Pokemon also keep Venomoth out, preserving momentum regardless of whether Mr. Mime stays or switches out. Electrode, Fearow, and the rare Arcanine are also effective revenge killers and can beat Mr. Mime one-on-one if necessary.
**Golem**: Golem is a very tenuous check to Mr. Mime, relying on finding free entry against an Electric-type move. It 2HKOes Mr. Mime with Earthquake, but Mr. Mime 2HKOes Golem given an immediate Special drop or one critical hit, so the odds actually favor Mr. Mime if it is unparalyzed. However, paralysis makes Golem a much safer check, and Explosion OHKOes Mr. Mime, a generally advantageous trade for the Golem user.
**Moltres**: Moltres Speed ties Mr. Mime and 2HKOes it, while Thunderbolt only 3HKOes it 47% of the time before accounting for critical hits. Moltres can therefore tenuously revenge kill Mr. Mime or, after checks like Kabutops and Golem are removed, take paralysis to set up Agility, defeat Mr. Mime, and proceed to deal heavy damage. This is risky, however, as paralysis reduces Fire Blast's already shaky consistency.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Previous version by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pac.520967/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/may.236353/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nicole7735.593847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adeleine.517429/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cryogyro.331519/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Mr. Mime is the best Psychic-type in RBY NU. Its excellent Speed, STAB Psychic, and lack of weaknesses let it work as a lead, wallbreaker, or cleaner, and most teams will have issues checking it with anything other than their own Mr. Mime. Thunder Wave and Thunderbolt grant it the utility and coverage to take on almost any foe, especially given the prevalence of fast foes as well as Water- and Flying-types. It also makes an excellent revenge killer, as few foes outpace it and it is difficult to switch into. Mr. Mime easily beats Blastoise and Venomoth one-on-one, ruins Charizard with Thunder Wave and heavy damage, and even scares Clefable with a critical hit or Special drop. Every single team benefits from Mr. Mime's damage output and Thunder Wave support, so it should never go unused.
That said, Mr. Mime has several weaknesses, including its horrendous physical bulk, vulnerability to Seismic Toss, and difficulty breaking past NU's other Psychic-type, Exeggcute. Many Pokemon, such as Kabutops, Moltres, and Golem, 2HKO Mr. Mime, so it becomes incredibly vulnerable once paralyzed, and Seismic Toss 3HKOes it. Since Mr. Mime is so difficult to check, teams lacking Exeggcute will usually send their own Mr. Mime to trade Thunder Wave, ensuring that at least an ally can finish it off. Clefable, Electrode, and rare niche picks like Porygon, Abra, and Drowzee can also force this trade or force it out. Additionally, while Mr. Mime's Speed is nothing to scoff at, it's still a bit slower than Raticate, Charizard, and Ninetales, so they can beat it one-on-one.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Thunder Wave
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Psychic 2HKOes Venomoth and Nidoking—its 33% Special drop chance and Mr. Mime's 17.6% critical hit chance often allow it to 2HKO or 3HKO even bulky foes. It's also a spammable option that dents almost any foe, and it puts Charizard and Blastoise in range of a 2HKO from Thunderbolt or a potential OHKO after a critical hit or Special drop. Thunderbolt covers the tier's many Water- and Flying-types, 3HKOing bulkier ones like Blastoise and Charizard and 2HKOing the frailer Kabutops and Kingler. Seismic Toss primarily covers opposing Mr. Mime, 3HKOing it, but it also 3HKOes Abra and 4HKOes Exeggcute. Thunder Wave shuts down fast sweepers and wallbreakers like Charizard and Mr. Mime and maintains a Speed advantage against slower Thunder Wave users; with a Psychic drop reapplying the Speed drop, even paralyzed Charizard, Moltres, and Ninetales become slower than paralyzed Mr. Mime.
Mr. Mime makes an excellent mid-game wallbreaker or late-game cleaner. In both roles, it benefits from allies that can help to remove Thunder Wave users so it can simply attack without fear of paralysis. Wigglytuff can weaken Clefable, Exeggcute shuts down opposing Mr. Mime, and Raticate is a fearsome wallbreaker that can revenge kill Clefable and Mr. Mime effectively. Nidoking benefits heavily from any paralysis Mr. Mime manages to spread, letting it revenge kill opposing Mr. Mime, Charizard, and Raticate. As a wallbreaker, Mr. Mime can help clear the way for teammates like Charizard, Moltres, and Seadra to sweep by removing troublesome Water-types and Thunder Wave users. Defensively, it has difficulty with powerful physical attackers like Golem, so bulky allies like Blastoise and Kingler can help protect it.
Mr. Mime is often used as a lead, threatening opposing leads with paralysis and preventing frustrating scenarios like an early Charizard sweep. In this role, it may sometimes opt to take paralysis and switch out, returning later to blockade Venomoth's sleep attempts and retaliate with Thunder Wave or a powerful attack. This is somewhat risky, so lead Mr. Mime heavily appreciates slower, hard-hitting allies like Golem and Kabutops for opposing leads like Charizard and Mr. Mime; in return, it can protect them from Venomoth putting them to sleep in retaliation. However, usually lead Mr. Mime will stay in, use Thunder Wave, and simply attack until it is KOed, enabling a teammate to revenge kill or letting Venomoth attempt Sleep Powder. In this role, it needs very little support, and the rest of the team can simply focus on enabling Charizard or another sweeper. Mr. Mime is somewhat unhappy to see Venomoth as the opposing lead, as Venomoth may win the Speed tie, and Mr. Mime can only OHKO it with a critical hit. Overall, Venomoth is favored to land Sleep Powder in this matchup, removing a major threat, but Mr. Mime has a chance to simply obliterate it or dodge Sleep Powder and gain a massive advantage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mr. Mime lacks many other options. Counter is the main option of note, as this turns its physical frailty into a dubious boon, sending back strong attacks like Slash, Super Fang, and Body Slam for massive damage and dealing 70% to opposing Mr. Mime after Seismic Toss. This has several problems though; it is difficult to fit, usually replacing Seismic Toss, and Counter + Thunderbolt fails to KO Mr. Mime. Using Counter on Super Fang cannot KO Raticate, which is also faster and could use Body Slam instead. Slash seems like a good opportunity for Counter, but Charizard may use Fire Blast and often does not run Slash in the first place, while Kabutops is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt and only rarely OHKOed by Counter. Barrier can be used as a tricky move to take Hyper Beam from slower foes like Clefable, Kabutops, and Kingler, but this is very prediction-reliant and many foes have ways around it, such as strong special attacks; it also costs a moveslot that Mr. Mime really cannot afford. Attempting to set it up in advance is fairly pointless, as the opponent can exploit missing coverage once they see it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Exeggcute's viability hinges on its ability to reliably check Mr. Mime. It's at worst 4HKOed barring critical hits and Special drops, and it threatens sleep and paralysis in return. It can potentially use Explosion to allow a threat like Charizard in freely. Rare options like Drowzee and Abra absorb Mr. Mime's attacks well and threaten status and a 3HKO with Seismic Toss; Drowzee fares better due to its superior bulk, but Abra is capable of hamstringing and chipping Mr. Mime as well. Mr. Mime commonly checks itself as well, coming in after a KO to paralyze and trade hits.
**Paralysis**: Once Mr. Mime is paralyzed, Pokemon like Golem, Kabutops, Nidoking, and Kingler can crush it. Even special attackers like Blastoise and Seadra handily beat a paralyzed Mr. Mime, and it struggles to switch in against anything but Venomoth. However, its ability to block sleep is very valuable and provides an early-game opportunity to land more damage or paralysis.
**Clefable**: Clefable is bulky enough to duel Mr. Mime, but a single Special drop vastly worsens this matchup. Thunder Wave permanently reduces Mr. Mime's threat, or Clefable can opt to 3HKO it with Body Slam and potentially paralyze it along the way. Hyper Beam sets fare relatively well against Mr. Mime, often KOing it after Body Slam.
**Revenge Killers**: Mr. Mime lacks recovery and often takes heavy damage in early- to mid-game fights, leaving it vulnerable to revenge killers like Charizard, Ninetales, and Raticate. Raticate is especially difficult to switch into, but all of these Pokemon also keep Venomoth out, preserving momentum regardless of whether Mr. Mime stays or switches out. Electrode, Fearow, and the rare Arcanine are also effective revenge killers and can beat Mr. Mime one-on-one if necessary.
**Golem**: Golem is a very tenuous check to Mr. Mime, relying on finding free entry against an Electric-type move. It 2HKOes Mr. Mime with Earthquake, but Mr. Mime 2HKOes Golem given an immediate Special drop or one critical hit, so the odds actually favor Mr. Mime if it is unparalyzed. However, paralysis makes Golem a much safer check, and Explosion OHKOes Mr. Mime, a generally advantageous trade for the Golem user.
**Moltres**: Moltres Speed ties Mr. Mime and 2HKOes it, while Thunderbolt only 3HKOes it 47% of the time before accounting for critical hits. Moltres can therefore tenuously revenge kill Mr. Mime or, after checks like Kabutops and Golem are removed, take paralysis to set up Agility, defeat Mr. Mime, and proceed to deal heavy damage. This is risky, however, as paralysis reduces Fire Blast's already shaky consistency.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Previous version by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pac.520967/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/may.236353/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nicole7735.593847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adeleine.517429/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cryogyro.331519/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited: