uploaded -tondas
[OVERVIEW]
Carracosta finds its place in the PU metagame as a potent setup sweeper and wallbreaker thanks to its access to Shell Smash, a STAB priority move, respectable offensive presence, and a great physically defensive presence. Its typing, physical bulk, and ability Solid Rock grant Carracosta multiple setup opportunities in front of Normal- and Flying-types in the tier, and its good attacking stats allows it to run a mixed set able to break through a big portion of the tier. Its access to Aqua Jet gives it a niche over the other relevant Shell Smash user in the tier, Omastar, since it allows Carracosta to break through common Choice Scarf users in the tier such as Primeape and Dodrio as well as naturally faster Pokemon, meaning that it's harder to revenge kill than its competition. Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed stat mean that Carracosta is often forced out by many common special attackers such as Victreebel, Alolan Raichu, and Ludicolo if it hasn't managed to set up. This problem is further accentuated by its 4x weakness to Grass and weakness to common types such as Electric and Fighting from the likes of Abomasnow, Eelektross, and Gurdurr. Carracosta also struggles to break through physical walls such as Tangela and Quagsire if it lacks the coverage move to hit them for maximum damage. Furthermove, Carracosta still suffers competition from Shell Smash Omastar, which outclasses it in power and speed.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Hydro Pump / Superpower / Hidden Power Grass
item: Rockium Z / Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Aqua Jet grants Carracosta a STAB priority move that allows it to OHKO or heavily damage a great number of faster Pokemon after a Shell Smash boost such as Alolan Raichu, Choice Scarf Primeape, Aurorus, and Dodrio. Hydro Pump allows Carracosta to threaten physically defensive Pokemon that might not fear Stone Edge or Aqua Jet such as a healthy Mudsdale, Regirock, and Gurdurr. Alternatively, Hidden Power Grass grants Carracosta a way of dealing damage to Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon, while Superpower in conjunction with Fightinium Z gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing large amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock, Ferroseed, and Gastrodon.
Set Details
========
Rockium Z provides Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-Move that's able to OHKO even physically defensive Pokemon such as Qwilfish after a Shell Smash and avoids the risk of Stone Edge potentially missing. Life Orb is an option that allows Carracosta to deal as much consistent damage as possible, notably granting a high chance of OHKOing Choice Scarf Primeape from full health after Stealth Rock damage, as well as OHKOing Alolan Raichu and dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with Hydro Pump. White Herb enables Carracosta to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill for priority move users such as Hitmonchan and Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full health. Solid Rock grants Carracosta additional setup opportunities and leaves it less vulnerable to moves such as Mach Punch. A Naughty nature maximizes Carracosta's Attack while sacrificing its already low Special Defense, allowing it to still be able to utilize both physical and special moves effectively and granting it multiple setup opportunities on many physically oriented Pokemon.
Usage Tips
========
If you're trying to sweep with Carracosta, you should attempt to wear down the opposing team as much as possible for it to clean late-game. This can be done by removing physical walls such as Tangela as well as Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon if Carracosta is lacking the right move to deal damage to them. Bring in Carracosta in on Normal- and Flying-types such as Kangaskhan and Choice-locked Dodrio or weak physical attackers such as defensive Alolan Sandslash and Regirock, allowing it to set up Shell Smash with little to no risk, though Carracosta must be wary of Toxic from the last two. You should attempt to weaken Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Rotom-F so they're in range of +2 Aqua Jet. Carracosta can also attempt to set up Shell Smash early in a match with the intention of wearing down a team or getting rid of a potential threat, offering support to its teammates by removing their checks or counters, though this can cause the loss of a potential late-game wincon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Tangela, Ludicolo, and Victreebel are able to threaten bulky Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types that Carracosta might not be able to break through without prior damage, such as Quagsire, Regirock, and Mudsdale. Entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed, Froslass, and Qwilfish are able to support Carracosta by wearing down opposing teams with Stealth Rock and Spikes and thus putting revenge killers in range of its boosted Aqua Jet. Strong special wallbreakers such as Alolan Raichu, Simisear, and Abomasnow are able to wear down and beat physical walls such as Tangela as well as other physically oriented Pokemon like Regirock and Gurdurr, which might be an issue for Carracosta if it's lacking the right coverage option. Similarly, the aforementioned Tangela as well as Sableye and Oricorio-E are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan, and Primeape. Wallbreakers like Stoutland as well as Knock Off users like Gurdurr are able to cripple bulky physical walls such as Tangela by removing their Eviolite. Hazard removal from the likes of Skuntank, Alolan Sandslash, and Cryogonal is greatly appreciated for keeping Carracosta as healthy as possible. Skuntank also is able to absorb Toxic Spikes, while the other two are able to maintain hazards on the opposing side thanks to Rapid Spin. Their ability to check various Grass-type Pokemon in the tier such as Victreebel is also a great asset that further increases their synergy with Carracosta.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A physically defensive set with Stealth Rock / Scald / Rock Slide / Toxic can be utilized but is often outclassed by the likes of Regirock, which has a better defensive typing and stats, and Omastar, which has a better offensive presence as well as the option of Spikes. A set with Shell Smash / Stone Edge / Aqua Jet / Stealth Rock can be utilized for role compression, as well as giving Carracosta more utility while also bluffing the regular Shell Smash set, allowing it to set Stealth Rock early- to mid-game and secure more potential setup opportunities due to your opponent not expecting Shell Smash. On the downside, giving up a coverage move for Stealth Rock often stops Carracosta from breaking through certain threats. Ice Beam can be used on the standard Shell Smash set to break through Tangela, but this leaves Carracosta walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but is negated after it has taken hazard damage and makes Carracosta even more vulnerable to priority moves such as Mach Punch while giving up the defensive utility of Solid Rock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Pokemon such as Tangela are able to counter most Carracosta sets and easily KO it with Giga Drain. Ferroseed is able to counter Carracosta after a Shell Smash unless it's running Superpower. Other Grass-types such as Victreebel, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow are able to beat Carracosta prior to setup but can lose after a Shell Smash. Choice Scarf Abomasnow can even check Carracosta after setup.
**Water-types**: Quagsire and Gastrodon are able to counter Carracosta if it's lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they still dislike being hit by an All-Out Pummeling. Other Water-types such as defensive Jellicent are able to stop Carracosta from setting up with Taunt due to its higher Speed and beat it one-on-one.
**Fighting-types**: Gurdurr is able to take on Carracosta, as it takes a boosted Hydro Pump from full and is able to recover its health via Drain Punch, which is even more troublesome for non-White Herb sets. Other Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Choice Scarf Primeape are able to check Carracosta, the latter being able to outspeed it after a Shell Smash, though both don't appreciate being hit by a boosted attack and cannot OHKO Carracosta from full health. Life Orb Carracosta even has a chance to OHKO Primeape with +2 Aqua Jet.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Rotom-F, Choice Specs Aurorus, and Alolan Raichu are all able to OHKO Carracosta with their respective coverage moves, though they aren't able to beat it after a Shell Smash.
**Priority Moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank and Kangaskhan are able to damage Carracosta despite its Speed boosts, though the latter can only revenge kill it after it has taken significant amounts of damage. Carracosta can also find ways to play around Sucker Punch via Aqua Jet and Shell Smash. **Priority moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank and Kangaskhan are able to damage Carracosta despite its boosts in Speed, though the latter can only revenge kill it after it has taken significant amounts of damage. Carracosta can also find ways to play around Sucker Punch via Aqua Jet and Shell Smash.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[tondas, 442732], [gum, 434150], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [fireflame479, 231476]]
[OVERVIEW]
Carracosta finds its place in the PU metagame as a potent setup sweeper and wallbreaker thanks to its access to Shell Smash, a STAB priority move, respectable offensive presence, and a great physically defensive presence. Its typing, physical bulk, and ability Solid Rock grant Carracosta multiple setup opportunities in front of Normal- and Flying-types in the tier, and its good attacking stats allows it to run a mixed set able to break through a big portion of the tier. Its access to Aqua Jet gives it a niche over the other relevant Shell Smash user in the tier, Omastar, since it allows Carracosta to break through common Choice Scarf users in the tier such as Primeape and Dodrio as well as naturally faster Pokemon, meaning that it's harder to revenge kill than its competition. Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed stat mean that Carracosta is often forced out by many common special attackers such as Victreebel, Alolan Raichu, and Ludicolo if it hasn't managed to set up. This problem is further accentuated by its 4x weakness to Grass and weakness to common types such as Electric and Fighting from the likes of Abomasnow, Eelektross, and Gurdurr. Carracosta also struggles to break through physical walls such as Tangela and Quagsire if it lacks the coverage move to hit them for maximum damage. Furthermove, Carracosta still suffers competition from Shell Smash Omastar, which outclasses it in power and speed.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Hydro Pump / Superpower / Hidden Power Grass
item: Rockium Z / Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Aqua Jet grants Carracosta a STAB priority move that allows it to OHKO or heavily damage a great number of faster Pokemon after a Shell Smash boost such as Alolan Raichu, Choice Scarf Primeape, Aurorus, and Dodrio. Hydro Pump allows Carracosta to threaten physically defensive Pokemon that might not fear Stone Edge or Aqua Jet such as a healthy Mudsdale, Regirock, and Gurdurr. Alternatively, Hidden Power Grass grants Carracosta a way of dealing damage to Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon, while Superpower in conjunction with Fightinium Z gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing large amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock, Ferroseed, and Gastrodon.
Set Details
========
Rockium Z provides Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-Move that's able to OHKO even physically defensive Pokemon such as Qwilfish after a Shell Smash and avoids the risk of Stone Edge potentially missing. Life Orb is an option that allows Carracosta to deal as much consistent damage as possible, notably granting a high chance of OHKOing Choice Scarf Primeape from full health after Stealth Rock damage, as well as OHKOing Alolan Raichu and dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with Hydro Pump. White Herb enables Carracosta to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill for priority move users such as Hitmonchan and Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full health. Solid Rock grants Carracosta additional setup opportunities and leaves it less vulnerable to moves such as Mach Punch. A Naughty nature maximizes Carracosta's Attack while sacrificing its already low Special Defense, allowing it to still be able to utilize both physical and special moves effectively and granting it multiple setup opportunities on many physically oriented Pokemon.
Usage Tips
========
If you're trying to sweep with Carracosta, you should attempt to wear down the opposing team as much as possible for it to clean late-game. This can be done by removing physical walls such as Tangela as well as Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon if Carracosta is lacking the right move to deal damage to them. Bring in Carracosta in on Normal- and Flying-types such as Kangaskhan and Choice-locked Dodrio or weak physical attackers such as defensive Alolan Sandslash and Regirock, allowing it to set up Shell Smash with little to no risk, though Carracosta must be wary of Toxic from the last two. You should attempt to weaken Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Rotom-F so they're in range of +2 Aqua Jet. Carracosta can also attempt to set up Shell Smash early in a match with the intention of wearing down a team or getting rid of a potential threat, offering support to its teammates by removing their checks or counters, though this can cause the loss of a potential late-game wincon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Tangela, Ludicolo, and Victreebel are able to threaten bulky Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types that Carracosta might not be able to break through without prior damage, such as Quagsire, Regirock, and Mudsdale. Entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed, Froslass, and Qwilfish are able to support Carracosta by wearing down opposing teams with Stealth Rock and Spikes and thus putting revenge killers in range of its boosted Aqua Jet. Strong special wallbreakers such as Alolan Raichu, Simisear, and Abomasnow are able to wear down and beat physical walls such as Tangela as well as other physically oriented Pokemon like Regirock and Gurdurr, which might be an issue for Carracosta if it's lacking the right coverage option. Similarly, the aforementioned Tangela as well as Sableye and Oricorio-E are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan, and Primeape. Wallbreakers like Stoutland as well as Knock Off users like Gurdurr are able to cripple bulky physical walls such as Tangela by removing their Eviolite. Hazard removal from the likes of Skuntank, Alolan Sandslash, and Cryogonal is greatly appreciated for keeping Carracosta as healthy as possible. Skuntank also is able to absorb Toxic Spikes, while the other two are able to maintain hazards on the opposing side thanks to Rapid Spin. Their ability to check various Grass-type Pokemon in the tier such as Victreebel is also a great asset that further increases their synergy with Carracosta.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A physically defensive set with Stealth Rock / Scald / Rock Slide / Toxic can be utilized but is often outclassed by the likes of Regirock, which has a better defensive typing and stats, and Omastar, which has a better offensive presence as well as the option of Spikes. A set with Shell Smash / Stone Edge / Aqua Jet / Stealth Rock can be utilized for role compression, as well as giving Carracosta more utility while also bluffing the regular Shell Smash set, allowing it to set Stealth Rock early- to mid-game and secure more potential setup opportunities due to your opponent not expecting Shell Smash. On the downside, giving up a coverage move for Stealth Rock often stops Carracosta from breaking through certain threats. Ice Beam can be used on the standard Shell Smash set to break through Tangela, but this leaves Carracosta walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but is negated after it has taken hazard damage and makes Carracosta even more vulnerable to priority moves such as Mach Punch while giving up the defensive utility of Solid Rock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Pokemon such as Tangela are able to counter most Carracosta sets and easily KO it with Giga Drain. Ferroseed is able to counter Carracosta after a Shell Smash unless it's running Superpower. Other Grass-types such as Victreebel, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow are able to beat Carracosta prior to setup but can lose after a Shell Smash. Choice Scarf Abomasnow can even check Carracosta after setup.
**Water-types**: Quagsire and Gastrodon are able to counter Carracosta if it's lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they still dislike being hit by an All-Out Pummeling. Other Water-types such as defensive Jellicent are able to stop Carracosta from setting up with Taunt due to its higher Speed and beat it one-on-one.
**Fighting-types**: Gurdurr is able to take on Carracosta, as it takes a boosted Hydro Pump from full and is able to recover its health via Drain Punch, which is even more troublesome for non-White Herb sets. Other Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Choice Scarf Primeape are able to check Carracosta, the latter being able to outspeed it after a Shell Smash, though both don't appreciate being hit by a boosted attack and cannot OHKO Carracosta from full health. Life Orb Carracosta even has a chance to OHKO Primeape with +2 Aqua Jet.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Rotom-F, Choice Specs Aurorus, and Alolan Raichu are all able to OHKO Carracosta with their respective coverage moves, though they aren't able to beat it after a Shell Smash.
**Priority Moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank and Kangaskhan are able to damage Carracosta despite its Speed boosts, though the latter can only revenge kill it after it has taken significant amounts of damage. Carracosta can also find ways to play around Sucker Punch via Aqua Jet and Shell Smash. **Priority moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank and Kangaskhan are able to damage Carracosta despite its boosts in Speed, though the latter can only revenge kill it after it has taken significant amounts of damage. Carracosta can also find ways to play around Sucker Punch via Aqua Jet and Shell Smash.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[tondas, 442732], [gum, 434150], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [fireflame479, 231476]]
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