PU Carracosta Revamp

[ishtar]

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]]

 

[tondas]

KellyKafka can I get an update on this?

 

[ishtar]

I should be have this done by late tomorrow night if thats alright, apologies for the delay

 

[tondas]

1/3

[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 Defense stat which, alongside its ability Solid Rock, turns it into a threatening Pokemon both on the offensive and defensive side (I'd cut this sentence off after the respectable defense part since that's covered much better in the second bullet).
• Its typing, physically defensive stat and ability Solid Rock grants Carracosta multiple setup opportunities in front of Normal- and Flying-types in the tier, and its good attacking stats allows it to run mixed sets able to break through a plethora of Pokemon in the tier after a Shell Smash.
• (Note Aqua Jet somewhere since it's another feature that distinguishes it from Omastar which allows it to prevent Pokemon like Scarf Primeape and slower priority users from revenge killing it. You ought to expand the second bullet by putting the inclusion of these attributes and how they give it a niche over Omastar. Something like "good phys bulk with solid rock, mixed offensive stats and priority all give it a solid niche over omastar as a setup sweeper that covers more teams and is harder to revenge kill" would be excellent here)
• Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed means that Carracosta is often forced out by many common Special Attackers such as Victreebel, Raichu-Alola, and Guzzlord if it hasn’t managed to set up. This problem is further reflected 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 breaking through physical walls such as Tangela and Quagsire if it lacks the coverage move to hit them for maximum damage.
• Furthermove, Carracosta suffers competition from Shell Smash Omastar, which outclasses it in offensive power and speed but lacks a priority move which makes it easier to revenge kill.

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Hydro Pump / Hidden Power Grass
item: Rockium Z / White Herb / Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Shell Smash allows Carracosta to boost up its Attack, Special Attack and Speed allowing it to deal great amounts of damage to many Pokémon in the tier.
  [*]Stone Edge is Carracosta's main and strongest STAB move, allowing it to hit most of the tier for neutral or super-effective damage, while its damage output is boosted by the use of the Rockium Z. (this info is already a bit obvious innit)
• Aqua Jet grants Carracosta a STAB priority move which allows it to OHKO or heavily damage a great number of faster Pokémon after a Shell Smash such as Choice Scarf Primeape, Simisear, and Dodrio. (scarf simi is pretty uncommon... alolan raichu or scarf aurorus would be better to mention here)
• Hydro Pump allows Carracosta to threaten physically defensive Pokemon that might not fear the combination of Stone Edge or Aqua Jet such as a healthy Mudsdale, Regirock, and Gurdurr.
• Hidden Power Grass grants Carracosta a way of hitting Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon for maximum damage (I mean you cant rly touch these at all without it so it's more than just maximizing damage).
• Superpower in conjunction with Fightinium-Z gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing big amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock and Gastrodon (specify what moveslot you're putting this in since you're attempting to cover for a hydro pump + hp grass target).

Set Details
========

• Rockium Z grants Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-move that’s able to damage even physically defensive Pokemon such as Gurdurr and defensive Mesprit (gurdurr is kind of a shitty target to mention especially if you have pump. targets that z move ohkoes at +2 that stone edge doesnt would be better to list). while also not having to rely on Stone Edge potentially missing.
• White Herb Carracosta is able to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill it by priority moves such as Mach Punch or by Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full.
• Life Orb is an option that allows Carracosta to deal as much consistent damage as possible, notably allowing it to have a high chance of OHKOing Scarf Primeape from full after Stealth Rock damage (alolan raichu is a cool target too since you dont need sr at all to ohko it at +2) as well as dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with the use of Hydro Pump.
• Its ability Solid Rock is another great asset to Carracosta's physically defensive presence, making it harder to be beaten by Mach Punch users and coverage moves as well as granting it more setup opportunities.
• A Naughty nature maximizes Carracosta's Attack while sacrificing its already low Special Defense, allowing it to still be able to utilize moves both on the physical and special side.
• Maximum Attack and Speed allows it to hit as hard as possible as well as to outspeed base 98 Pokemon after a Shell Smash, notably outspeeding the likes of non-Choice Scarf Primeape, Mesprit and Rotom-Frost. (should also be pretty obvious)

Usage Tips
========

• Bring in Carracosta in on Normal- and Flying-types such as Kangaskhan, and Dodrio, or weak physical attackers such as defensive Sandslash-Alola and Regirock, allowing it to safely Shell Smash with little to no risk (move this below the second bullet as that's establishing when to set up and this is the where. also choice locked dodrio would be a better mention since it obliterates you with +2 fight z).
• 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 in the late-game. This can be done by wearing down physical walls such as Tangela and Sableye, which would otherwise give it trouble (I mean you already yeet the fuck out of sableye with +2 z move or hydro pump even when burned). This should especially be the case if the Carracosta set in use is unable to break through Pokémon such as Quagsire and Gurdurr.
• You should attempt to weaken Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Mesprit so they're in range of a +2 Aqua Jet.
• Carracosta can also attempt to Shell Smash early in a match with the intention of wearing down a team (downsides to this? you do kinda axe your late-game sweeper in order to do this).

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.
• Hazard setters such as Mesprit, Froslass, and Qwilfish are able to support Carracosta by wearing down opposing teams with Stealth Rock and Spikes (what all can you do with this support? you can put more revenge killers in range of priority for example which is nice).
• Strong special wallbreakers such as Guzzlord, Simisear, and Abomasnow are able to wear down and beat physical walls such as Tangela and Jellicent thanks to their great coverage moves (you beat defensive jelli in every situation besides the 1v1, you do like 72 min with +2 regular edge and it's forced to wisp or recover).
• Equally, the aforementioned Tangela and Mesprit as well as Sableye are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan and Primeape. Mesprit is a particularly great partner thanks to its ability to Healing Wish Carracosta, which can become useful if it has been crippled with status or weakened while Sableye deserves a special mention for being able to spin block hazards set against the opposing team (how is sableye a special mention? like I get it can deny rapid spin to keep entry hazards up to support costa but it's not like some catch-all for its checks besides some fighting types. this seems kinda petty but "special mention" is usually reserved for teammates that cover for most threats to this pokemon or are staple partners).
• Hazard removal from the likes of Skuntank, Sandslash-Alola, and Cryogonal is greatly appreciated for keeping Carracosta as healthy as possible. Skuntank is able to absorb Toxic Spikes while the other two are able to Rapid Spin and maintain hazards on the opposing side.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• A physically defensive set with moves such as Steath Rock / Scald / Rock Slide / Toxic with 252 HP /176 Def /80 SpDef and a Relaxed nature can be used (either give this spread context or leave it out) but is often outclassed by the likes of Regirock, which has a better defensive typing and stats, as well as 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 (sr also bluffs shell smash which is a nice bonus since people might play passively around defensive sets), but often stops it from breaking through certain threats because of the lack of a coverage move in the last slot.
• Ice Beam can be used to break through Tangela on the Shell Smash set, but leaves it walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon.
• Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but becomes obsolete after it has taken hazards damage and makes Carracosta even more prone 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 Giga Drain to KO it. Other Grass-types such as Victreebel, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow are able to beat Carracosta prior to setup but can lose after a Shell Smash.

**Water-types**: Quagsire, and Gastrodon are able to counter Carracosta if it’s lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they dislike being hit by a Z-Superpower and the first doesn't appreciate the use of Hydro Pump against it (pump is doing like 43 at most to quag and it just recover stalls). Other Water-types such as defensive Jellicent are able to stop Carracosta from setting up and beat it one on one (note how it can outspeed naughty nature sets and taunt it).

**Fighting-types**: Gurdurr is able to counter Carracosta if it isn’t carrying Hydro Pump (it still has the capacity to live one and retaliate with drain punch which is especially annoying 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 +2 Aqua Jet and don’t OHKO Carracosta from full.

**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Abomasnow, Choice Specs Aurorus, Guzzlord, and Victreebel are all able to OHKO Carracosta with their respective coverage moves but they aren’t able to beat it after a Shell Smash with the exception of Choice Scarf Abomasnow.

**Priority moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank are able to damage Carracosta despite its boosts in Speed (you can still aqua jet chan and skunk if they're chipped enough and skunk is doing a pretty pitiful amount with sucker punch and it risks a 50/50 at that. chan and gurdurr mentions are fine but note that costa needs to be significantly chipped).

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[gum]

[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 Defense stat.
• Its typing, physically defensive stat and ability Solid Rock grants Carracosta multiple setup opportunities in front of Normal- and Flying-types in the tier, and its good attacking stats, which allows it to run a mixed set able to break through a big portion of the tier, gives it a niche over other Shell Smash users (i mean, oma is the only other relevant ssmash user in the tier) in the tier such as Omastar, which lacks Aqua Jet and thus is easier to revenge kill.
• Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed means that Carracosta is often forced out by many common Special Attackers such as Victreebel, Raichu-Alola, and Guzzlord if it hasn’t managed to set up. This problem is further reflected 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 breaking through physical walls such as Tangela and Quagsire if it lacks the coverage move to hit them for maximum damage.
• Furthermove, Carracosta suffers competition from Shell Smash Omastar, which outclasses it in offensive power and speed but lacks a priority move which makes it easier to revenge kill.

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Hydro Pump / Hidden Power Grass
item: Rockium Z / White Herb / Life Orb (life orb before 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 which allows it to OHKO or heavily damage a great number of faster Pokémon (gp stuff but it's Pokemon) after a Shell Smash such as Choice Scarf Primeape, Aurorus, and Dodrio. (i'd also mention a non-scarf mon that naturally outspeeds it. a good example would be simisear)
• Hydro Pump allows Carracosta to threaten physically defensive Pokemon that might not fear the combination of Stone Edge or Aqua Jet such as a healthy Mudsdale, Regirock, and Gurdurr.
• Hidden Power Grass grants Carracosta a way of dealing damage to Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon.
• Superpower in conjunction with Fightinium-Z in the final slot gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing big amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock and Gastrodon.

Set Details
========

• Rockium Z grants Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-move that’s able to OHKO even physically defensive Pokemon such as Qwilfish and defensive Mesprit after a Shell Smash, while also not having to rely on Stone Edge potentially missing.
• White Herb Carracosta is able to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill it by priority moves such as Mach Punch or by Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full.
• Life Orb is an option that allows Carracosta to deal as much consistent damage as possible, notably allowing it to have a high chance of OHKOing Scarf Primeape from full after Stealth Rock damage, to OHKO Alolan Raichu prior to Stealth Rock, as well as dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with the use of Hydro Pump.
• Its ability Solid Rock is another great asset to Carracosta's physically defensive presence, making it harder to be beaten by Mach Punch users and coverage moves as well as granting it more setup opportunities.
• A Naughty nature maximizes Carracosta's Attack while sacrificing its already low Special Defense, allowing it to still be able to utilize moves both on the physical and special side. (while also giving it more setup opportunities)

be sure to change the order of these (lo before white herb)

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 in the late-game. This can be done by wearing down physical walls such as Tangela, (i mean, it's rlly difficult to wear tangela down bc of regenerator + leech seed + giga) which would otherwise give it trouble. This should especially be the case if the Carracosta set in use is unable to break through Pokémon (same thing) such as Quagsire and Gurdurr.
• Bring in Carracosta in on Normal- and Flying-types such as Kangaskhan, and choice locked Dodrio, or weak physical attackers such as defensive Sandslash-Alola (alolan sandslash) and Regirock, allowing it to safely Shell Smash with little to no risk. (mention that it dislikes getting toxic'd
• You should attempt to weaken Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Mesprit so they're in range of a +2 Aqua Jet.
• Carracosta can also attempt to Shell Smash early in a match with the intention of wearing down a team, though this can cause the loss of a potential win-con in the late-game.

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.
• Hazard setters such as Mesprit, 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 Guzzlord, 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 its lacking the right coverage option.
• Equally, the aforementioned Tangela and Mesprit as well as Sableye are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan and Primeape. Mesprit is a particularly great partner thanks to its ability to Healing Wish Carracosta, which can become useful if it has been crippled with status or weakened. (this also allows it to played more aggressively early- to mid-game)(mention pom-pom)
• wallbreakers like stout. also mention koff users like gurdurr; they knock stuff like tangela's eviolite which is rlly appreciated
• Hazard removal from the likes of Skuntank, Sandslash-Alola, and Cryogonal is greatly appreciated for keeping Carracosta as healthy as possible. Skuntank is able to absorb Toxic Spikes while the other two are able to Rapid Spin and maintain hazards on the opposing side. (they also check grass-types)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• A physically defensive set with moves such as Steath 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, as well as 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 Shell Smash set, (the defensive set, as often early- to mid-game u'd use rocks) (also say that this gives it more settup opportunities as ppl wont try to pressure it as much if u reveal rocks) but often stops it from breaking through certain threats because of the lack of a coverage move in the last slot.
• Ice Beam can be used to break through Tangela on the Shell Smash set, but leaves it walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon.
• Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but becomes obsolete after it has taken hazards damage and makes Carracosta even more prone 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 Giga Drain to KO it. Other Grass-types such as Victreebel, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow are able to beat Carracosta prior to setup but can lose after a Shell Smash. (mention that scarf aboma beats it even 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 a Z-Superpower. Other Water-types such as defensive Jellicent are able to stop Carracosta from setting up due to its higher Speed, stop it from setting up via Taunt and beat it one on one.

**Fighting-types**: Gurdurr is able to counter (it's not a counter, id say take on) Carracosta, (as it takes) take a boosted Hydro Pump from full and 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 +2 Aqua Jet and don’t OHKO Carracosta from full. (ape can get ohkoed by lo variants, mention that. also, stone edge does more to chan than aqua jet)

**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Abomasnow, (you already mention aboma, replace with mesprit) Choice Specs Aurorus, Guzzlord, and Victreebel (you also already mention this, replace it with alolachu) are all able to OHKO Carracosta with their respective coverage moves but they aren’t able to beat it after a Shell Smash with the exception of Choice Scarf Abomasnow. (remove)(also mention that a healthy guzz can take on costa if it has used its z-move)

**Priority moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank 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. (mention kanga as well)(also mention that sucker punch can be played around w/ ssmash and aqua jet)


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[tondas, 442732], [gum, 434150], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Good work!! QC 2/3, don't forget to write this up before the third check

 

[MZ]

[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, physically defensive stat and ability Solid Rock grants Carracosta multiple setup opportunities in front of Normal- and Flying-types in the tier, and its good attacking stats, which allows it to run a mixed set able to break through a big portion of the tier, gives it a niche over the other relevant Shell Smash user in the tier, Omastar, which lacks Aqua Jet. this sentence is very confused and run on. it starts about having good setup opportunities, then moves into attacking stats, then goes over competition, then mentions aqua jet. Some of these points can go together but the overall effect is that it never covers how great jet beating a lot of scarfers is and is overall confusing to read, both of which are issues
Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed means that Carracosta is often forced out by many common Special Attackers such as Victreebel, Alolan Raichu, and Guzzlord if it hasn’t managed to set up. This problem is further reflected 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 breaking through physical walls such as Tangela and Quagsire if it lacks the coverage move to hit them for maximum damage. Furthermove, Carracosta suffers competition from Shell Smash Omastar, which outclasses it in offensive power and speed but lacks a priority move which makes it easier to revenge kill.

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Hydro Pump / 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 which allows it to OHKO or heavily damage a great number of faster Pokemon after a Shell Smash such as Alolan Raichu, Choice Scarf Primeape, Aurorus, and Dodrio. Hydro Pump allows Carracosta to threaten physically defensive Pokemon that might not fear the combination of Stone Edge or Aqua Jet such as a healthy Mudsdale, Regirock, and Gurdurr. Hidden Power Grass grants Carracosta a way of dealing damage to Pokemon such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Superpower in conjunction with Fightinium-Z in the final slot gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing big amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock and Gastrodon.

Set Details
========

Rockium Z grants Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-move that’s able to OHKO even physically defensive Pokemon such as Qwilfish and defensive Mesprit after a Shell Smash, while also not having to rely on Stone Edge potentially missing. Life Orb is an option that allows Carracosta to deal as much consistent damage as possible, notably allowing it to have a high chance of OHKOing Scarf Primeape from full after Stealth Rock damage, to OHKO Alolan Raichu prior to Stealth Rock, as well as dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with the use of Hydro Pump. White Herb Carracosta is able to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill it by priority moves such as Mach Punch or by Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full. Its ability Solid Rock is another great asset to Carracosta's physically defensive presence, making it harder to be beaten by Mach Punch users and coverage moves as well as granting it more setup opportunities this is getting a bit long and flowery for set details. A Naughty nature maximizes Carracosta's Attack while sacrificing its already low Special Defense, allowing it to still be able to utilize moves both on the physical and special side, also 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 in the late-game. This can be done by removing physical walls such as Tangela, or Pokemon such as Quagsire if Carracosta is lacking the right move to deal damage to it. 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 safely Shell Smash with little to no risk, though you must be wary of Toxic from the last two.
You should attempt to weaken Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Mesprit so they're in range of a +2 Aqua Jet. Carracosta can also attempt to Shell Smash early in a match with the intention of wearing down a team, though this can cause the loss of a potential win-con in the late-game. i would mention that carracosta can do some early game wallbreaking if needed, if u use it too early it's easy to revenge kill but revenge killing tends to mean it'll get a kill first which might be all u need

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. Hazard setters such as Mesprit, 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 Guzzlord, 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 its lacking the right coverage option. Equally, the aforementioned Tangela and Mesprit as well as Sableye and Oricorio-E are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan and Primeape. Mesprit is a particularly great partner thanks to its ability to Healing Wish Carracosta, which can become useful if it has been crippled with status or weakened which allows you to play more aggresively with it early- to mid-game.
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 is able to absorb Toxic Spikes while the other two are able to Rapid Spin and maintain hazards on the opposing side. Their ability to check various Grass-type Pokemon in the tier such as Victreebel is also a great asset that further increases the synergy of these three with Carracosta.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A physically defensive set with moves such as "moves such as" is an imprecise statement to then be followed by its specific moveset. i cant tell if that critique makes sense but basically that phrase should be changed Steath 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, as well as 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 Shell Smash set, allowing it to set Stealth Rock early- to mid-game, while also granting it more potential setup opportunities due to your opponent not expecting a potential Shell Smash. On the downside, the utilization of Stealth Rock often stops Carracosta from breaking through certain threats because of the lack of a coverage move in the last slot. Ice Beam can be used to break through Tangela on the Shell Smash set, but leaves it walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but becomes obsolete after it has taken hazards damage and makes Carracosta even more prone 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 Giga Drain to KO it. 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 due to its higher Speed with the item.

**Water-types**: Quagsire, and Gastrodon are able to counter Carracosta if it’s lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they still dislike being hit by a Z-Superpower. Other Water-types such as defensive Jellicent are able to stop Carracosta from setting up due to its higher Speed, stop it from setting up via Taunt and beat it one on one.

**Fighting-types**: Gurdurr is able to take on Carracosta take on is kind of a generic line, u should just say counters, 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 +2 boosted attack and dont OHKO Carracosta from full. Carracosta even has a chance to OHKO Primeape with a +2 Aqua Jet if its utilizing a Life Orb.

**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Mesprit, Choice Specs Aurorus, Guzzlord, and Alolan Raichu are all able to OHKO Carracosta with their respective coverage moves but aren’t able to beat it after a Shell Smash with the exception of a healthy Guzzlord if Carracosta has already made use of its Z-move.

**Priority moves**: Priority moves from the aforementioned Gurdurr and Hitmonchan as well as Sucker Punch from the likes of Skuntank, 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], [, ]] me
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

3/3

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

check

[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, physically defensive stat bulk, and ability Solid Rock grants grant Carracosta finds 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 (RC) and Dodrio as well as naturally faster Pokemon, meaning that its it's harder to revenge kill than its competition. Despite this, a low Special Defense stat and a terrible Speed means 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 reflected accentuated by its 4x weakness to Grass and weakness to common types such as Electric and Fighting from the likes of Abomasnow, Eelektross, (AC) and Gurdurr. Carracosta also struggles breaking 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 offensive power and speed but lacks a priority move which makes it easier to revenge kill. (repeat)

[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 which 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 the combination of Stone Edge or Aqua Jet, (AC) 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 (RH) in the final slot gives Carracosta another reliable way of dealing big amounts of damage to Pokemon such as Regirock, Ferroseed, and Gastrodon.

Set Details
========

Rockium Z grants provides Carracosta with a powerful STAB Z-Move that’s able to OHKO even physically defensive Pokemon such as Qwilfish after a Shell Smash, while also not having to rely on 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 allowing it to have granting a high chance of OHKOing Choice Scarf Primeape from full after Stealth Rock damage, to as well as OHKOing Alolan Raichu prior to Stealth Rock, as well as and dealing greater amounts of damage to Gurdurr and Tangela with the use of Hydro Pump. White Herb enables Carracosta is able to maintain its defenses after a Shell Smash, making it harder to revenge kill it by for priority move users (wording consistency) such as Mach Punch (change this to a Pokemon) or by Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full. Its ability Solid Rock is another great asset to grants Carracosta's physically defensive presence, granting it additional setup opportunities and allowing it to be leaves it less threatened 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 moves both on the physical and special side moves effectively, also 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 in the late-game. This can be done by removing physical walls such as Tangela, or as well as Pokemon such as Quagsire if Carracosta is lacking the right move to deal damage to it them. Bring in Carracosta in on Normal- and Flying-types such as Kangaskhan (RC) and Choice-locked (AH) Dodrio (RC) or weak physical attackers such as defensive Alolan Sandslash and Regirock, allowing it to safely set up Shell Smash with little to no risk, though you 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 a +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 win-con in the 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 its it's lacking the right coverage option. Equally, Similarly, the aforementioned Tangela as well as Sableye and Oricorio-E are able to beat Fighting-types such as Gurdurr, Hitmonchan, (AC) 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, (AC) while the other two are able to Rapid Spin and 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 of these three with Carracosta.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A physically defensive set with the moves Stealth Rock, (commas) Scald, Rock Slide, and Toxic can be utilized but is often outclassed by the likes of Regirock, which has a better defensive typing and stats, as well as 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, (is bluffing the right word choice? not sure how this would work) allowing it to set Stealth Rock early- to mid-game, while also granting it and secure more potential setup opportunities due to your opponent not expecting a potential Shell Smash. On the downside, the utilization of giving up a coverage move for Stealth Rock often stops Carracosta from breaking through certain threats because of the lack of a coverage move in the last slot. Ice Beam can be used on the Shell Smash set to break through Tangela on the Shell Smash set, but this leaves it Carracosta walled by other common threats such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Sturdy can be utilized to allow Carracosta to setup more reliably but becomes obsolete is negated after it has taken hazards damage and makes Carracosta even more prone vulnerable to priority moves such as Mach Punch (RC) 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 Giga Drain to KO it with Giga Drain. Ferroseed is able to counter Carracosta after a Shell Smash unless its 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 due to its higher Speed with the item.

**Water-types**: Quagsire (RC) and Gastrodon are able to counter Carracosta if it’s lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they still dislike being hit by an Z-Superpower 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, stop it from setting up via Taunt and beat it one-on-one. (AH)

**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 +2 boosted attack and dontcannot OHKO Carracosta from full. Life Orb Carracosta even has a chance to OHKO Primeape with a +2 Aqua Jet if its utilizing a Life Orb.

**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, (AC) but 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 (RC) and Kangaskhan are able to damage Carracosta despite its boosts in Speed, (AC) 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: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Fireflame]

There were some errors with implementing the previous check, so be sure to carefully implement this one.

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen

Hide

[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,(AC) and ability Solid Rock grant Carracosta finds 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 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 big 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,(RC) 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 prior 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 or and Choice Scarf users such as Primeape from full health. Its ability 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,(RC) also 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,(RC) as (unbold this word) well as Pokemon such as Quagsire (I would add another example here) 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 you 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 a +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-gamewincon 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, (unbold the comma) 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, and Toxic Stealth Rock / Scald / Rock Slide / Toxic (making it consistent with the other set mentioned later) 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,(AC) 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 hazards 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 it's lacking Hidden Power Grass, though they still dislike being hit by an All Out Pummerng 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,(RC) 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 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 a +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 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 boosts in 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.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[tondas, 442732], [gum, 434150], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]

GP 2/2

 

[ishtar]

This is done, tondas!