Mesprit (UU Revamp)

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http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/pokemon/mesprit/

[OVERVIEW]

With its middling stats in comparison to UU's other Psychic-types, it may appear as if Mesprit has issues standing out from its competitors. Its fellow lake guardian, Uxie, boasts significantly superior bulk, making it far more resilient in a supporting role, whereas Alakazam is significantly stronger and faster, making it appear to be the superior offensive threat. However, it would be foolish to simply write off Mesprit as outclassed, as it has several key perks that differentiate it from these two competitors. Mesprit's higher Special Attack in comparison to Uxie allows it to pressure the opposing team while also providing some of the same support that Uxie would bring, making Mesprit much more suited for teams that want to be aggressive. Moves such as Healing Wish also allow Mesprit to facilitate aggression more easily than Uxie, which seeks to pivot out of dangerous attacks much of the time. Additionally, though Alakazam is stronger and faster, it lacks key coverage moves such as Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, and its lack of bulk means that it can only be used aggressively, whereas Mesprit can pivot into many common Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, providing some much-needed defensive synergy for some teams. Overall, these traits make Mesprit a versatile Pokemon that can fit easily on many teams.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam / Grass Knot
move 4: Thunderbolt / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers
nature: Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Even though Uxie's higher Speed and significantly better bulk may make it seem as if Uxie outclasses Mesprit when it comes to setting up Stealth Rock, it would be a mistake to simply discount Mesprit's ability to set up the valuable entry hazard. Uxie may possess better defenses and Speed, but it also lacks any form of offensive presence due to its pitiful base 75 Special Attack stat. Mesprit, on the other hand, boasts a very respectable base 105 Special Attack stat, which, in tandem with Mesprit's better offensive movepool, allows it to immediately pressure most of the Pokemon commonly used in the lead position, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, Rhyperior, Hippopotas, Cloyster, Kabutops, and other such Pokemon that are weak to Mesprit's incredible coverage. It is important to note that most of these Pokemon are capable of setting up Stealth Rock or other hazards; thus, Mesprit can, thanks to its offensive presence, double as a sort of anti-lead that is capable of preventing the opponent's Stealth Rock or Spikes from being set up while also setting up those valuable hazards for its own team.

Thanks to its respectable bulk and decent Speed, in addition to the fact that Mesprit's offensive presence can often force the opponent to switch plenty of times, Mesprit makes a perfectly viable user of Stealth Rock. The rest of Mesprit's movepool is designed to hit as many Pokemon in the lead position as hard as possible. Psychic is great for doing solid damage to Pokemon that are neutral or resistant to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the fabled BoltBeam coverage, and together they hit most of UU for super effective damage. Alternatively, you may use Grass Knot and U-turn over Ice Beam and Thunderbolt if you want Mesprit to act as more of a scout; after all, Grass Knot still hits most of those hazard-setting leads for heavy damage, and it has the added bonus of cleanly OHKOing Rhyperior and Omastar, which Ice Beam and Thunderbolt cannot do. However, Grass Knot does not have the incredible combined coverage of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, and its overall coverage is rather poor, which means that outside of the lead position, should you opt to use Grass Knot, Mesprit will not have as much mid-game or late-game use. For example, with Ice Beam, Mesprit is able to make a handy check to Rock Polish Torterra, as it is able to take a Life Orb-boosted Wood Hammer after Stealth Rock and retaliate with Ice Beam for an OHKO, which Grass Knot cannot do. Furthermore, with Grass Knot, Mesprit is completely helpless against Drapion and Houndoom, which can easily use the free opportunity to set up.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

With the given Speed EVs, Mesprit outspeeds max Speed Omastar, which would otherwise be able to set up both Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. The remaining EVs are first used to maximize Mesprit's Special Attack stat to make it an offensive threat, before being dumped into HP to help buff Mesprit's respectable bulk. Expert Belt provides the best compromise between power and bulk, and, due to Mesprit's exemplary coverage, it will boost Mesprit's attacks much of the time. Leftovers are certainly an option over Expert Belt should you want Mesprit to have increased longevity, but without Expert Belt, Mesprit often misses out on crucial KOs, which generally makes Leftovers the inferior option.

Should you consider putting Mesprit on your team, it's imperative that you take into account Mesprit's unique advantage over Uxie. Mesprit's key advantages over its fellow lake guardian is naturally its significantly higher offenses, which allow it to prevent entry hazard-laying leads such as Omastar and Cloyster from setting up their cumbersome hazards. Uxie, on the other hand, has significantly higher defenses and better Speed, making it the better choice if you need a reliable user of Stealth Rock throughout the match. Thus, Mesprit generally should be used on more offensively-minded teams, as its ability to prevent entry hazards from being set up ensures that offensive teams will not have to worry about Spikes, and its ability to set up Stealth Rock is also generally appreciated by most teams.

Therefore, as Mesprit should generally be used on offensive teams, Mesprit appreciates offensive partners to take advantage of the immediate offensive presence that Mesprit inflicts upon the opponent right from the get-go. Mesprit also needs teammates to make the leads that it loses to, such as Ambipom, Spiritomb, and Registeel, as well as Dark-, Steel-, and bulky Psychic-types, effectively non-issues. Fighting-types like Blaziken and Hariyama make good partners, as their powerful Fighting-type STAB moves OHKO the likes of Ambipom and Registeel, and these two Fighting-types do not care about Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb due to Blaziken's Fire typing and Hariyama's Guts ability. Dark-types are also great partners, as they form a fantastic Fighting-Psychic-Dark core with Mesprit and its Fighting-type partner, and these Dark-types are able to beat the bulky Psychic-types who are able to wall Mesprit with startling ease.

[SET]
name: Weather Support
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Psychic / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Stealth Rock / Grass Knot / U-turn
move 4: Healing Wish
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
nature: Timid / Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With access to both Rain Dance and Sunny Day as well as utility moves such as Healing Wish and Stealth Rock, Mesprit can be an excellent choice for setting up weather conditions for your team. While Mesprit lacks the sheer bulk of Uxie and is nowhere near as fast as its bulkier competitor, Mesprit separates itself from Uxie through its access to Healing Wish, which allows Mesprit to sacrifice itself after setting up its chosen weather condition to bring a fatally weakened sweeper back to life. Furthermore, even without investment, Mesprit can dole out surprisingly respectable amounts of damage with its STAB moves due to its higher base Attack and Special Attack, while Uxie's damage is pitiful in comparison. The combination of these characteristics means that even though Mesprit may not be as reliable at setting up weather conditions as Uxie, Mesprit can do a lot more than simply set up its desired weather condition through its hard-hitting attacks or Healing Wish, giving it a distinct niche and separating it from its arguably more reliable cousin.

The choice of whether you wish to use a rain team or a sun team will dictate whether you pick Rain Dance or Sunny Day, along with their respective items, Damp Rock and Heat Rock. Either team archetype is a fine place for Mesprit to fit into, as it has many valuable attributes that allow it to serve key roles in either type of team. On rain teams, Mesprit's Psychic typing allows it to act as a Rain Dance user that isn't as vulnerable to Electric- and Grass-type attacks, letting it come in and set up Rain Dance more easily against these types of Pokemon, and using Healing Wish on one of Ludicolo, Kabutops, or Omastar can present a massive problem that opponents will oftentimes have issues dealing with. On the other hand, on sun teams, Mesprit's immunity to Ground-type attacks lets it defensively compliment the Fire-type Pokemon that it will often be paired with. Healing Wish is also especially powerful on these types of teams, as sweepers like Exeggutor and Victreebel become extremely difficult to handle when restored back to full health, and Healing Wish can often give the Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon that are often present in this archetype another opportunity to come in and dish out absurd damage with sun-boosted Fire-type attacks.

Outside of Mesprit's weather-summoning move and Healing Wish, there are a variety of options that can be used in its remaining two slots. Psychic is generally the best option for Mesprit's STAB move due to its higher base power, but should you want a physical attack instead of a special attack, Zen Headbutt is a perfectly acceptable option as well. In its last slot, Mesprit can use the ever-necessary Stealth Rock, as setting up both a weather condition and Stealth Rock with one Pokemon can free up valuable teamslots for Pokemon that can capitalize on the weather condition Mesprit will set up. However, if you feel that it is too difficult to set up both Stealth Rock and a weather condition reliably, or if you have a different Pokemon in mind that can set up Stealth Rock, Mesprit can either use Grass Knot to discourage most hazard setters from setting up their hazards early in the game, or use U-turn to let Mesprit gain some momentum for its team without having to use Healing Wish.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Max HP and Speed investment is the most optimal EV spread in most scenarios, as the ability to sponge hits more easily and outspeed more threats is often crucial in allowing Mesprit to successfully set up its desired weather condition. A more defensive spread can be formed by shifting those Speed EVs into Mesprit's Defense or Special Defense and slapping on a Calm or a Bold nature. This can be used if you want Mesprit to act as more of a pivot, as this will allow it to sponge attacks more easily and potentially be able to come in more often to set up its desired weather condition. However, the loss of speed is often too much of a drawback to make the extra defensive stats worth it, as Mesprit's key benefit over Uxie is its access to Healing Wish. Max Speed investment allows Mesprit to get off a quick Healing Wish while Mesprit is low before an opponent can finish it off far more often than it would be able to without Speed investment, and this play is usually far too strong to pass up. Furthermore, by taking away one of Mesprit's unique advantages in Healing Wish, you are giving yourself far less of a reason to use it over Uxie, as Uxie will always be the superior defensive pivot no matter how much you invest in defensive EVs.

Naturally, the weather condition that Mesprit sets up will determine what partners should be used. If Rain Dance is the weather of choice, typically Water-type Pokemon that possess Swift Swim, such as Ludicolo, Omastar, Kabutops, and Gorebyss all make fantastic partners due to the combination of both a doubled Speed stat and a significantly stronger Water-type STAB move. Alternatively, Electric-type Pokemon that can take advantage of powerful 100% accurate Thunders, such as Manectric, are also great partners, especially due to their access to a Rain-boosted Hidden Power Water to hit the Ground-types that are immune to Thunder. Mesprit works excellently alongside such Pokemon due to its ability to threaten the omnipresent Venusaur with STAB Psychic, whose defensive sets may prove to be tricky to deal with due to its resistance to Water- and Electric-type attacks as well as its respectable bulk. However, if Sunny Day is the weather condition of choice, Pokemon with access to Chlorophyll such as Victreebell and Exeggutor make excellent partners, as the massive speed boost they obtain in the sun allows them to toss around extremely strong Solar Beams that will melt most teams, especially when paired with sun-boosted Hidden Power Fire. Alternatively, some Fire-types, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and Moltres, can take advantage of the sun to launch ridiculously hard hitting Fire-type attacks at the opposing team while also threatening Pokemon resistant to Fire-type attacks with Solar Beam. Mesprit has particular synergy with such Fire-types due to its ability to use Healing Wish to bring them back into the game, as they are easily worn down between Stealth Rock damage and possibly Life Orb recoil.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Trick
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While it might seem strange to use a Pokemon for the sheer purpose of Tricking away its Choice Scarf, doing so is a strong strategy when you put said Pokemon in the lead position. Due to the how valued setting up Stealth Rock early in the game is, a good chunk of UU's leads are slow, bulky Pokemon such as Rhyperior that are heavily crippled by being locked into a single move, especially if said move is Stealth Rock. As these Pokemon are typically slow, they are unable to get much mileage out of the attached Choice Scarf and the loss of their Leftovers makes them significantly easier to wear down. Additionally, by wielding a Choice Scarf, Mesprit can outpace typically faster leads to ensure that Stealth Rock is set up early. Though this set does face some heavy competition from Uxie, which can run almost the exact same set, is significantly bulkier, and can be used later in the match to pivot out of attacks with U-turn, Mesprit's stronger U-turns and Zen Headbutts allow it to actually do damage after it has Tricked away its Choice Scarf. Furthermore, in scenarios where Tricking its Choice Scarf away is suboptimal, Mesprit can use its U-turn and Zen Headbutt to revenge kill certain threats, whereas Uxie cannot due to its lack of power.

Stealth Rock is a large draw of this set, as Mesprit's ability to set up Stealth Rock before it can be Taunted by Mismagius or Ambipom guarantees that it will be successfully set up. Against slower leads, using Trick on the first turn followed by Stealth Rock ensures that slower leads such as Rhyperior or Omastar are left with an essentially useless item that will likely lock them into Stealth Rock if they use the move after Mesprit. Once Stealth Rock has been set up and its Choice Scarf has been Tricked away, the majority of Mesprit's purpose has been served, but the rest of its moveset ensures that it is not entirely useless. U-turn allows Mesprit to take advantage of its respectable natural bulk and act as a decent pivot mid-game, allowing it to scout incoming switches after forcing out Poison- or Fighting-type Pokemon. Zen Headbutt is the STAB move of choice, as it allows Mesprit to run investment into its Attack stat, making U-turn much more of a threat, and it does respectable damage to most threats like Venusaur, allowing Mesprit to act as a emergency revenge-killer if a sweeper is low enough and it still possesses its Choice Scarf.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

As the goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock before Mesprit can be Taunted, running 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature is necessary, as this ensures that Mesprit can outspeed even Electrode, allowing Mesprit to reliably set up the entry hazard every game. At this point, the remaining EVs do not matter too much, as Mesprit's only goals are to use Stealth Rock and Trick, which it only really needs Speed investment to do. Maximum Attack investment is generally the safest option, as it allows Mesprit to at least be somewhat useful offensively beyond Stealth Rock and Trick, as U-turn will be strong enough to break most Substitutes at the very least, but maximum investment into HP is also a viable option to make Mesprit a bit tankier, allowing it to switch into attacks like Rhyperior’s Rock Blast more easily. If this is done, Healing Wish can be used over Zen Headbutt, as Mesprit really won’t be doing much damage anyway and Healing Wish gives Mesprit another use outside of Stealth Rock and Trick. Alternatively, if your team is sorely lacking on specially attacking threats, Mesprit can run a Timid nature and Psychic over Zen Headbutt with maximum Special Attack investment.

Generally, the best partners for this set are sweepers that can take advantage of a defensive wall being Tricked a Choice Scarf to set up. Pokemon such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, and Toxicroak make excellent partners for this reason, as each of these Pokemon can easily set up on a Pokemon locked into a support or resisted STAB move and proceed to apply a ton of pressure to the enemy team. Strong setup sweepers are also excellent partners due to the fact that they tend to lead to more offensive teams, where this Mesprit works much better than an Uxie, which lacks any sort of offensive presence at all. Alternatively, since this Mesprit can lock slow Pokemon into undesirable moves, Dugtrio can also be an excellent partner, as the free switches that can be supplied by these Choice-locked slow Pokemon can allow it to easily trap and KO key targets.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Psychic / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers
nature: Quiet
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

[SET COMMENTS]

While Trick Room is sometimes a difficult strategy to pull off effectively, Mesprit is an excellent user of the move due to its ability to set up the field condition consistently while also being a respectable attacker on its own. This means that, while it is recommended that this set be used on a team with slow attackers that can take advantage of Trick Room, it may also situationally be used on teams that are not specifically built around the field condition, unlike something like Uxie. The goal of this set is simple: set up Trick Room and proceed to smack the opposing team around with Mesprit's strong coverage and STAB Psychic. The combination of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provides excellent coverage and is Mesprit's best option for hitting as much of the tier for super effective damage as possible, while Psychic lets Mesprit hit the Pokemon that are neutral to its coverage moves for more damage. If Mesprit is being used on a pure Trick Room team, U-turn is a respectable option over Psychic to let Mesprit bring in a sweeper safely, but it significantly limits Mesprit's own offensive capabilities. In a similar vein, Healing Wish can be an extremely powerful utility option on Trick Room teams, but it relegates Mesprit to a much more supportive role as it will lack the coverage to threaten most teams effectively.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

The EVs and nature make Mesprit as slow as possible while maximizing its Special Attack and bulk. With a Quiet nature and 0 Speed IVs, Mesprit hits a Speed stat of 148. While this may appear to be quite slow at first glance, Mesprit will actually Speed tie with minimum Speed Torterra, and thus outspeed minimum Speed base 55s and below such as Registeel and Chansey. This is beneficial if U-turn is used in some ways, as it means that once Trick Room is active, Mesprit will take the status move or attack from these defensive Pokemon, thus keeping its fellow sweeper unscathed. However, this does mean that if Mesprit is low on health, these Pokemon may be able to KO Mesprit before it can attack if Trick Room is active, which can be important to keep in mind. While a max Speed spread or a more defensive spread can be used to take advantage of Mesprit's ability to tank hits for its sweepers while switching them in unscathed with U-turn, these spreads are generally outclassed by Uxie unless Healing Wish is used, as Mesprit's strength lies in its ability to dish out damage while setting up Trick Room. However, instead of using a Quiet nature and minimum Speed investment, Mesprit can opt to run a slightly faster spread by using a Modest nature instead and the full 31 Speed IVs, as well as 16 EVs in Speed. This has the benefit of allowing Mesprit to be fairly useful outside of Trick Room against slower teams, as it outspeeds most of UU's relevant defensive Pokemon, allowing it to threaten such teams with its strong coverage and STAB Psychic, while also being slow enough to outspeed almost every relevant offensive threat under Trick Room.

Naturally, as this Mesprit's main role is to set up Trick Room, slow, powerful Pokemon that can do as much damage as possible are great partners. Pokemon such as Aggron, Azumarill, Hariyama, and Torterra are premier examples of this, as these Pokemon are extremely scary when they are able to freely outspeed enemy Pokemon and throw out their powerful STAB moves. These slow physical attackers are particularly good to pair with Mesprit due to Mesprit's inability to get past specially defensive behemoths such as Registeel, Chansey, or Clefable on its own. It should also be noted that Mesprit should generally not be used as the primary Trick Room setter for a dedicated Trick Room team, as although its stats are fairly good, it lacks the staying power to consistently set up Trick Room throughout the match. For this reason, the likes of Porygon2 or Uxie may be useful to provide an additional Trick Room setter to assist Mesprit in setting up the field condition. However, note that due to Mesprit's offensive capabilities, it does not have to be on a dedicated Trick Room team to function, and that using only one or two slow, powerful Pokemon alongside it is perfectly viable.

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Mesprit usually finds itself taking advantage of its more supportive characteristics, as in terms of raw damage output it is easily eclipsed by Alakazam, Mesprit's saving grace as an offensive Pokemon comes from its combination of Calm Mind and respectable stats all around, which distinguishes it from Uxie, which is extremely weak without a few Calm Minds under its belt, and Alakazam, which is far too frail to set up Calm Mind safely without instantly dying to stray attacks. This set overall is extremely versatile as a result and can play a number of different roles depending on what kind of team it is facing. Against slower teams, it can set up a few Calm Minds and pressure opposing defensive Pokemon with boosted Psychics and coverage moves, whereas against more offensive teams, it can afford to simply fire off attacks as necessary to dent opposing threats or even threaten a sweep with a single Calm Mind boost.

Calm Mind plays into Mesprit's strengths very nicely and is key in separating Mesprit from faster, more powerful threats such as Alakazam. Mesprit's bulk and immunity to Ground-type attacks as well as its ability to threaten a myriad of threats make it a fairly easy task to set up a Calm Mind. With a single Calm Mind under its belt, Mesprit is capable of threatening a huge amount of UU's defensive Pokemon. For example, specially defensive Clefable has about a 40% chance of being 2HKOed by a +1 Psychic. The rest of Mesprit's moveset is simply tailored to have the best coverage against the threats that Mesprit is likely to encounter. Psychic, naturally, will always be Mesprit's strongest attack and its best bet against neutral targets, while Thunderbolt will hit most of the Pokemon resistant to Psychic decently hard and strike the likes of Milotic and Slowbro for heavy damage. Hidden Power Ground is Mesprit's best bet against Houndoom and Registeel, which otherwise can take on this set with impunity. However, if support from Pokemon such as Dugtrio is supplied, Ice Beam and Substitute are also reasonable options. Ice Beam hits the likes of Exeggutor and Steelix hard, while Substitute can be used in tandem with Leftovers to provide added safety and the ability to set up Calm Minds against Pokemon that commonly possess status moves like Toxic or Thunder Wave, or allow Mesprit to maneuver around Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Drapion or Spiritomb, more easily.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Naturally, as this set is designed to hit as hard as possible, maximum Special Attack and Speed investment is optimal. With 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature, Mesprit Speed ties with ubiquitous threats such as Venusaur, Altaria, and Kabutops, giving it the chance to potentially outspeed and OHKO these threats in dire situations. Using a Modest nature is generally not a good idea as a result of this if Calm Mind and three attacking moves are run, as the inability to threaten to OHKO these threats is more costly than the slightly higher damage output provided by a Modest nature. However, if Substitute is used over one of Mesprit's coverage moves, using a Modest nature and a more defensive spread is feasible, as the use of Substitute and Leftovers steers Mesprit towards attempting to accrue as many Calm Mind boosts as possible, rather than simply throwing out powerful STAB Psychics and coverage moves from the get-go. However, even on these more defensive spread, significant amounts of Special Attack investment should be used, as spreads that invest too much into Mesprit's defenses risk becoming outclassed by Uxie.

Although this set can hit fairly hard, it has its number of hard counters that entirely prevent Mesprit from doing its job. Notably, specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Registeel are nigh impossible for Mesprit to break through, as are Dark-types such as Spiritomb and Drapion. For this reason, perhaps the best partner to this set has to be Dugtrio, as Dugtrio can reliably remove each of these Pokemon bar Spiritomb thanks to its blistering Speed, Arena Trap, and relatively strong Earthquake. However, if Dugtrio, for whatever reason, is not a good fit, there are some other Pokemon that work well. As usual, Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Blaziken are great partners due to their ability to lay down immense pressure against the likes of Chansey and Registeel while also resisting the common Dark-types moves that are launched at Mesprit. Alternatively, Pokemon that can lure in and weaken these Pokemon, such as Exeggutor, Venusaur, or Mismagius are also excellent partners, as by sacrificing themselves, they can do enough damage to these specially defensive Pokemon or Dark-types that they will be easily cleaned up by Mesprit.

Aside from Pokemon that can fearlessly take on Mesprit's hard counters, Mesprit also appreciates teammates that can lure in Pokemon that it can freely set up on. Typically, these include Fighting-, Poison-, and Ground-types such as Hitmontop, Hariyama, Weezing, Vensaur, and Donphan, or other slow Pokemon that are threatened by Mesprit's coverage, such as Omastar. For this reason, defensive Steel-types such as Registeel and Steelix are excellent partners, as they lure in Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon, are resistant to Mesprit's weaknesses, and provide valuable support through status and Stealth Rock.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Access to a wide range of coverage moves, a solid Speed tier and a respectable Special Attack stat make Mesprit a very solid choice if your team is in need of a revenge killer. By slapping a Choice Scarf onto this pink sprite, Mesprit gains the speed that it needs to successfully revenge kill many dangerous threats in the UU metagame, including the likes of Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, and Dragon Dance Altaria, which may otherwise be difficult to cover in a single teamslot. On top of that, once certain conditions are met, Mesprit can easily mop up the opposing team with its strong STAB Psychic and blistering Speed with a Choice Scarf attached. Additionally, Mesprit's access to strong utility moves in Trick and U-turn give Mesprit enough utility to make itself useful once it has successfully revenge killed the threats that it has been designated to deal with, or if it is being used against a more defensive team that lacks threats that can be easily revenge killed. To top it all off, Mesprit's immunity to Spikes means that it isn't hampered by entry hazards as much of its fellow revenge killers and can easily weave in and out of the match to force out dangerous sweepers.

Psychic is Mesprit's strongest attack, and it is Mesprit's best shot at revenge killing Pokemon that are neutral to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, as well as generally its best shot at occasionally pulling off a successful sweep. Ice Beam provides strong coverage and hits crucial threats such as the aforementioned Rock Polish Torterra and Dragon Dance Altaria, as well as threats such as Sceptile, Exeggutor and Leafeon. Similarly, Thunderbolt allows Mesprit to slay Dragon Dance Feraligatr as well as Moltres and Azumarill. It is also Mesprit's best shot at dealing damage to Houndoom. The choice of Trick or U-turn depends on whether or not your team needs the ability to cripple defensive Pokemon such as Registeel and Chansey, in which case Trick is superior, or if your team has Pokemon that can take advantage of Mesprit's common switch-ins such as Spiritomb, Houndoom, and Drapion, thus making U-turn an excellent choice for gaining momentum. Additionally, Healing Wish is a viable option in the last slot if your team has a powerful sweeper that can take advantage of a second life, but its utility is typically far more limited throughout the game than either Trick or U-turn.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

With a Timid nature and maximum Speed EVs along with its Choice Scarf, Mesprit will hit a Speed stat of 426, which outpaces a large portion of UU, including Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Alakazam, Moltres, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron. However, note that Mesprit's ability to outspeed Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron depends on the opponent's use of a neutral nature on these Pokemon rather than a Speed-boosting nature. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Attack, as with a Timid nature and no power-boosting item such as Life Orb or Expert Belt, Mesprit is actually not that strong, which means it needs all the help it can get.

This set is fairly splashable and can be fit onto most teams quite easily, although it is often more suitable for offensive teams that need a fast Choice Scarf-wielding Pokemon to provide insurance against a wide range of threats. If U-turn is used, pairing Mesprit with Dugtrio or Houndoom can be an excellent option to take advantage of the Spiritomb and Registeel that may attempt to switch into Mesprit. Additionally, Fighting-types such as Blaziken, Toxicroak, and Hariyama can be effective at punishing Dark-types such as Spiritomb, Houndoom, and Drapion from freely switching into Mesprit. If Trick is used, using Mesprit as a lure for walls such as Registeel, Milotic, or Chansey can be useful, as crippling these defensive behemoths can set the stage for other strong special attackers such as Sceptile or Moltres to sweep. Alternatively, Tricking a wall can allow a setup sweeper such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, or Toxicroak to freely set up and pressure the opposing team. Furthermore, as this Mesprit set lacks power, Pokemon that can set up Spikes are appreciated, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, and Cloyster, as they increase the likelihood that Mesprit can sweep through the opposing team while also providing more residual damage to punish switches into Mesprit's U-turn.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Trick
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While Mesprit is mostly seen as a specially offensive threat or a supportive Pokemon, Mesprit can actually be a surprisingly solid physical attacker when equipped with a Choice Band. The combination of surprise value and the utility of a powerful U-turn and Trick make this set a reasonable option for certain teams, especially ones that are looking to bait typical responses to Mesprit, including Dark-types such as Houndoom, Drapion, and Spiritomb, as well as special walls such as Chansey or Clefable, into taking solid damage from Mesprit's Choice Band-boosted U-turns or Zen Headbutts. These factors, in combination with Mesprit's respectable coverage due to its access to Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, and Fire Punch all make this a viable, albeit fairly unorthodox way of using Mesprit. As the captain of a great brigade once said, although it is not Mesprit's finest set, it would be unwise to dismiss it entirely as it is a set Mesprit can still use with some effectiveness.

Thanks to the healthy Attack boost from Choice Band, Zen Headbutt does a startling amount of damage to many of the special walls that commonly want to switch into Mesprit, cleanly 2HKOing Chansey and Clefable on the switch. U-turn acts as solid coverage against Dark-type Pokemon, 3HKOing most Spiritomb and Drapion, and provides a way for Mesprit to scout the composition of the opposing team. Of the other coverage moves that Mesprit has available to it, Fire Punch is its best option due to its ability to solidly dent Registeel and Steelix. Finally, as Mesprit does not have too many other physical options, Trick is the best move it can run in its last slot, as it allows Mesprit to at least cripple physically defensive Pokemon that it has no hopes of denting, such as Slowbro. However, be wary of using Trick with no restraint, as unlike with Tricking a Choice Scarf, Tricking a Choice Band can actually have detrimental effects if given to a Pokemon such as Rhyperior.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Like most Choice Band-wielding Pokemon, maximum Attack and Speed investment is the best EV spread for Mesprit, as it gives it the Speed and power to perform its job effectively. In particular, due to the low Base Power of Mesprit's moves, it desperately needs every single point it can get in Attack, and Mesprit's base 80 Speed puts it right in line with other prominent Pokemon in the DPP UU metagame, including the omnipresent Venusaur, making it far too valuable to pass up. Although an Adamant nature may seem appealing due to just how weak Mesprit is, losing the potential ability to outspeed and OHKO Venusaur is far too much of a tradeoff to make it worthwhile. If Trick is found to be less impactful than desired, Thunder Punch can be run over it so Mesprit can 2HKO physically defensive Milotic most of the time after Stealth Rock, although generally if it is anticipated that Milotic will switch in, Tricking it tends to leave it more useless than simply hitting it hard with Thunder Punch.

Due to the niche nature of this set, specific partners need to be used in order to make this set worthwhile. In particular, teams using this Mesprit set need to use special attackers that appreciate having the likes of Chansey, Clefable, or Registeel severely weakened in order to sweep. Fortunately, there are a decent number of Pokemon that can take advantage of this in UU, including Pokemon such as Life Orb Venusaur, Sceptile, and Mismagius. Without these kinds of Pokemon, Mesprit becomes extremely weak, as its sole purpose is to lure in and cripple these Pokemon to the point where they are no longer capable of handling such strong special attacking Pokemon. However, if there is one other application where this Mesprit can be used somewhat effectively, it would have to be on a team with plenty of other strong Pokemon with U-turn, such as the likes of Swellow and Scyther, in order to create a significant amount of pressure through spamming U-turn. In tandem with hazard support in Spikes and Stealth Rock, Mesprit and its partners can wear down physical walls to the point where they are weak enough to be swept by another strong, physical sweeper.

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

Mesprit's movepool is exceptionally diverse, and while many sets have been covered in this analysis, there are still a few different sets that Mesprit can use. Notably, Mesprit has access to both Light Screen and Reflect, which means that it can feasibly use a dual screens set to facilitate a deadly setup sweeper's sweep. Mesprit's access to Healing Wish also means that if said sweeper is unable to fully tear through the opposing team, Mesprit can simply set up both screens once more and Healing Wish that set up sweeper back to full health, almost guaranteeing a sweep if managed to be pulled off. However, this set in general suffers too much competition from Uxie, as Memento is extremely valuable for safely bringing in a setup sweeper of choice without taking significant prior damage. While Healing Wish is strong, Mesprit must switch out and let its desired sweeper tank damage on the switch in most cases, leaving it much more vulnerable to being KOed from stray priority moves. A mono-attacking Calm Mind set with Rest and Sleep Talk could also be used in certain scenarios, but the prevalence of Dark- and Steel-type Pokemon in the tier makes such an option generally poor, as even after accruing multiple boosts, Mesprit would still be unable to break through common Pokemon such as Registeel and Spiritomb.

Mesprit also has a few different moves and items you can run on the provided sets, but they typically are inferior options. Energy Ball is a usable move if you're scared of facing lighter opponents that Grass Knot cannot touch, such as Lanturn, but the prominence of heavier Pokemon (notably, Grass Knot has 100 Base Power against Milotic) makes Grass Knot typically the better choice. Signal Beam is neat at times to do solid damage to Psychic- or Dark-type Pokemon that may attempt to switch into Mesprit's Psychic, but its low Base Power hinders it. Knock off is an interesting utility option, as removing Leftovers, Life Orb, or Choice items from certain Pokemon can severely hinder their effectiveness, but it's difficult to fit it on most of Mesprit's sets due to its lack of power. If Pursuit is proving too much of an issue, Colbur Berry is a usable option to allow Mesprit to escape Pursuit once, although losing Leftovers or Life Orb is generally a poor trade. Finally, while a bit gimmicky, Charm has some niche applications in weakening the damage that Mesprit will take from Pursuit, forcing some switches, and helping sweepers set up more easily.

Checks and Counters
==========

Due to Mesprit's versatility, it can be somewhat difficult to deal with it, as it can be difficult to know which set it is running. However, there are a few Pokemon that are generally very solid answers to it regardless of its set. Dark-type Pokemon such as Drapion, Houndoom, Absol, and Spiritomb are immune to Mesprit's main attack, can threaten Mesprit with super effective STAB attacks, and threaten Mesprit with Pursuit if it wishes to switch to safety. The presence of these Pokemon on an opponent's team is troubling for Mesprit, as they will force Mesprit's trainer to make some tough predictions to ensure that Mesprit does not get knocked out. While they are unable to switch in as easily as Dark-types, in general Pokemon that can hit Mesprit extremely hard while possessing Pursuit, such as Scyther, Tauros, and Swellow, are also solid options. Mesprit's vulnerability to Pursuit is perhaps its biggest weakness and is easily the best way to ensure that it does not remain a pest throughout the match. By threatening Mesprit with these Pokemon, it can be tricky for Mesprit to successfully set up what it wants without being KOed.

Defensively, strong specially defensive Pokemon such as Registeel, Chansey, Clefable, and Milotic are all reasonably strong answers to Mesprit. While they are hit harder by Trick than offensive Dark-types and Pokemon with Pursuit, they are also able to switch into Mesprit's attacks with impunity and whittle it down with Seismic Toss in the case of the first three, and Surf in the case of Milotic. However, they are unable to deter Mesprit from utilizing its supportive capabilities. To stop Mesprit from using moves such as Stealth Rock, faster Pokemon with Taunt are natural answers. However, Taunt is only particularly useful if it is used to counter a Mesprit lead, as by the time a Pokemon with Taunt is switched into Mesprit, Mesprit will already have taken the free turn to set up whatever it wishes and switch out for free. This being said, an excellent option to deal with pesky Mesprit leads is Taunt Mismagius, as it outspeeds Mesprit and can threaten with it a super effective STAB Shadow Ball while also deterring it from setting up.



I was gonna do some elaborate shoutouts but given that it took me 5 years to get this done it would probably take me 10 to finish the shoutouts, so yea. Still, I'll leave some here for now and maybe I'll update it later.

Shoutouts to Shoddy Battle and the DPP UU ladder for getting me into the Pokemon community into the first place. I still remember back when I was like 11 or something, getting to qualify for the Cresselia and Raikou suspect tests just felt so cool, especially since at the time I was really shy irl (and still am, as anyone who saw my brief cameo at worlds can probably attest to LOL) and feeling like I was actually good at something was a pretty big draw. I kinda wish I had interacted with you all more outside of the ladder lol, but I suppose I ended up doing so anyway through league so lol. Also thanks to the old C&C staff for reading through my shitty 12 year old writing and actually putting that shit online rofl.

Shoutouts to the old gen 5 RU crowd from #rarelyused for makin my main time on Smogon a hella enjoyable experience. #rarelyused was such a great community despite all the random bitchiness lmao, and I'm still sad it's dead, but RIP irc. Special shoutouts to Nails for being literally the greatest friend ever, DittoCrow for doing 99% of the work back when we lead RU together, Double01 for constantly testing my shitty SPL ideas involving dank shit like Subwisp Magmortar, Oglemi for giving me los big dick C&C powers, Molk for growing up soo much over time, Windsong for being the best player to ever grace the stupid tier, Omicron for giving me the chance to be a tier leader in the first place, Pearl for being adorable, Texas for bein reliable, Honko for introducing me to the greatest game ever, RFC, HotNCold for turning #rarelyused into #gaysexadvice all the time, and complete_legitimacy, atomicllamas, and ShakeItUp for the dank memes. Perhaps one day I will get over my irrational hatred for skype, lul...

Thanks Limitless and Kevin Garrett for giving me the chance to play in SPL back in season 4 and 5, my time with the Wolfpack was awesome and I enjoyed every bit of it. Maybe someday I'll stop being addicted to league and come back and play Pokemon again. Who knows, lol. I suspect that if I am ever gonna be relevant in a tier again, it would have to be a tier where there is more Alomomola 1v6 though.

Shoutouts to #dodriobrate, the last living IRC channel. Honestly I was kinda blown away by the fact that you guys were still alive lmao, since I remember playing with you guys back in ye old days of DPP UU but I never really got on IRC to interact with you guys. Playing 5 man norms back in the day was a hella good way to get me away from Pokemon LOL, and even though most of you guys don't play league anymore, it enjoy listening to ur memes. Special shoutouts to hsa whistle and uragg for continuing to int with me and for carrying my shitter Diamond 5 Janna OTP ass.

Sorry if I didn't get you lol, I'm sorta tired rn but I will update this later (maybe in a year who knows).
 
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Oglemi

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Only thing I have is I think Calm Mind should be moved up a couple slots, probably to the second spot; past couple tours I've played and seen it in action it's done really well. Most current team builds have a tough time dealing with it cuz of its decent bulk, power, and speed, and a few of its main checks/counters have kinda dropped off in usage (Houndoom, Drapion, Chansey) due to the rise in Dugtrio, which as you state is also a good partner since it donks Registeel and friends. Tomber is still a butt, but it's relatively easy to work around and can't really continually switch into Mesprit's attacks.

Specs should also probably be in OO.
 
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Honko

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I did it.

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[Overview]

With its middling stats in comparison to UU's other Psychic types, it may appear as if Mesprit has issues standing out from its competitors. Its fellow pixie, Uxie, boasts significantly superior bulk, making it far more resilient in a supporting role, whereas Alakzam is significantly stronger and faster, making it appear to be the superior offensive threat. However, it would be foolish to simply write off Mesprit as outclassed, as it has several key perks that differentiate it from these two competitors. Mesprit's higher Special Attack in comparison to Uxie allows it to pressure the opposing team while also providing some of the same support that Uxie would bring, making Mesprit much more suited for teams that want to be aggressive. This is further complemented by moves such as Healing Wish, which allows Moves such as Healing Wish also allow Mesprit to faciliate facilitate aggression more easily than Uxie, which seeks to pivot out of dangerous attacks much of the time. Additionally, though Alakazam is stronger and faster, it lacks key coverage moves such as Ice Beam and Thunderbolt Thunderbolt, and its lack of bulk means that it can only be used aggressively, whereas Mesprit can pivot into many common Fighting- and Ground-type attacks attacks, providing some much needed much-needed defensive synergy for some teams. Overall, these traits make Mesprit a versatile Pokemon that can fill a variety of roles distinct from its competitors and allow it to fit easily on many teams.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam / Grass Knot
move 4: Thunderbolt / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers
nature: Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Even though Uxie's higher Speed and significantly better bulk may make it seem as if Uxie outclasses Mesprit when it comes to setting up Stealth Rock, it would be a mistake to simply discount Mesprit's ability to set up the valuable entry hazard. Uxie may possess better defenses and Speed, but it also lacks any form of offensive presence due to its pitiful base 75 Special Attack stat. Mesprit, on the other hand, boasts a very respectable base 105 Special Attack stat, which, in tandem with Mesprit's arguably (Comment: not really arguable; Uxie doesn't have any offensive moves over Mesprit ) better offensive movepool, allow it to immediately pressure most of the Pokemon commonly used in the lead position, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, Rhyperior, Hippopotas, Cloyster, Kabutops, and other such Pokemon who are weak to Mesprit's incredible coverage. Important to note is It's important to note that most of these Pokemon are capable of setting up Stealth Rock or other hazards; thus, Mesprit can, thanks its offensive presence, double as a sort of anti-lead that is capable of preventing the opponent's Stealth Rock or Spikes from being set up, while also setting up those valuable rocks for its own team.

Thanks to its respectable bulk and decent Speed, in addition to the fact that Mesprit's offensive presence can often force the opponent to switch plenty of times, Mesprit makes a perfectly viable user of Stealth Rock. Rock, and is able to capitalize on the opponent's switches by setting it up. The rest of Mesprit's movepool is designed to hit as many Pokemon in the lead position as hard as possible. Psychic is Mesprit Mesprit's strongest STAB move, and is great for doing solid damage to Pokemon who are neutral or resistant to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the fabled BoltBeam coverage, and in tandem, together they hit most of UU for super effective damage. Alternatively, you may use Grass Knot and U-turn over Ice Beam and Thunderbolt if you want Mesprit to act as more of a scout; after all, Grass Knot still hits most of those hazard-setting leads for heavy damage, and has the added bonus of cleanly OHKOing Rhyperior and Omastar, which Ice Beam and Thunderbolt cannot do. However, Grass Knot does not have the incredible combined coverage of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, and its overall coverage is rather poor, which means that outside of the lead position, should you opt to use Grass Knot, Mesprit will not have as much mid-game or late-game use. For example, with Ice Beam, Mesprit is able to make a handy check to Rock Polish Torterra, as it is able to take a Life Orb-boosted Wood Hammer after Stealth Rock Rock, and can retaliate with Ice Beam for an OHKO, which Grass Knot cannot do. Furthermore, with Grass Knot, Mesprit is completely helpless against Drapion and Houndoom, who can easily use the free opportunity to set up.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS] (Comment: (new format, fix this everywhere please) )

With the given Speed EVs, Mesprit outspeeds max Speed Omastar, who would otherwise be able to set up both Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. The remaining EVs are first used to maximize Mesprit's Special Attack stat to make it an offensive threat, before being dumped into HP to help buff Mesprit's respectable bulk. Expert Belt is also the item of choice, as it provides the best compromise between power and bulk, and, due to Mesprit's exemplary coverage, it will boost Mesprit's attacks much of the time. However, Leftovers are certainly an option over Expert Belt should you want Mesprit to have increased longevity, but without Expert Belt, Mesprit often misses out on crucial KOs, which generally makes Leftovers the inferior option.

Should you consider putting Mesprit on your team, it's imperative that you take into account Mesprit's unique advantages over Uxie. Mesprit's key advantages advantage over its fellow pixie is naturally its significantly higher offenses, which in particular, allow it to prevent entry hazard-laying leads such as Omastar and Cloyster from setting up their cumbersome hazards. Uxie, on the other hand, is has significantly higher defenses and better Speed, making it the better choice if you need a reliable user of Stealth Rock throughout the match. Thus, Mesprit generally should be used on more offensively minded teams, as its ability to prevent entry hazards from setting up ensures that offensive teams will not have to worry about Spikes, and its ability to set up Stealth Rock is also generally appreciated by most teams.

Therefore, as Mesprit should generally be used on offensive teams, Mesprit appreciates offensive partners to take advantage of the immediate offensive that Mesprit inflicts upon the opponent right from the get-go. Mesprit also needs teammates to make the leads that it loses to, such as Ambipom, Spiritomb, and Registeel, as well as Dark- and Steel-types in general, as well as and bulky Psychic-types Psychic-types, effectively non-issues. Because of this, Fighting-types like Blaziken and Hariyama make good partners, as their powerful Fighting-type STAB moves OHKO the likes of Ambipom and Registeel, and these two Fighting-types do not care about Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb, due to Blaziken's Fire typing and Hariyama's Guts ability. Dark-types are also great partners, as they form a fantastic Fighting-Psychic-Dark core with Mesprit and its Fighting-type partner, and these Dark-types are able to beat the bulky Psychic-types who are able to wall Mesprit with startling ease.

[SET]
name: Weather Support
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Psychic / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Stealth Rock / Grass Knot / U-turn
move 4: Healing Wish
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
nature: Timid / Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With access to both Rain Dance and Sunny Day as well as utility moves such as Healing Wish and Stealth Rock, Mesprit can be an excellent choice for setting up weather conditions for your team. While Mesprit lacks the sheer bulk of Uxie and is nowhere near as fast as its bulkier competitor, Mesprit separates itself from Uxie through its access to Healing Wish, which allows Mesprit to sacrifice itself after setting up its chosen weather condition to bring a fatally low sweeper to life. Furthermore, even without investment, Mesprit can dole out surprisingly respectable amounts of damage with its STAB moves due to its higher base Attack and Special Attack, while Uxie's damage is pitiful in comparison. The combination of these characteristics means that even though Mesprit may not be as reliable at setting up weather conditions as Uxie, Mesprit can do a lot more than simply set up its desired weather condition through its hard-hitting hard hitting attacks or Healing Wish, giving it a distinct niche and separating it from its arguably more reliable cousin.

The choice of whether you wish to use a rain team or a sun team will dictate whether you pick Rain Dance or Sunny Day, along with their respective items, Damp Rock and Heat Rock. Either team archetype is a fine place for Mesprit to fit into, as it has many valuable attributes that allow it to serve key roles in either type of team. On Rain teams, Mesprit's Psychic typing allows it to act as a Rain Dance user that isn't as vulnerable to Electric- and Grass-type attacks, letting it come in and set up Rain Dance more easily against these types of Pokemon, and using Healing Wish on one of Ludicolo, Kabutops, or Omastar can present a massive problem that opponents will oftentimes have issues dealing with. On the other hand, on Sun teams, Mesprit's immunity to Ground-type attacks lets it defensively compliment the Fire-type Pokemon that it will often be paired with. Healing Wish is also especially powerful on these types of teams, as not only are sweepers like Exeggutor and Victreebel extremely difficult to handle when restored back to full health, and Healing Wish will activate before Stealth Rock damage applies, which can often give the Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon that are often present in this archetype another opportunity to come in and one more time to dish out absurd damage with Sunny Day-boosted Fire-type attacks.

Outside of Mesprit's weather-summoning weather condition-inducing move and Healing Wish, there are a variety of options that can be used in its remaining two slots. Psychic is generally the best option for Mesprit's STAB move due to its higher base power, but should you want a physical attack instead of a special attack, Zen Headbutt is a perfectly acceptable option as well. In its last slot, Mesprit can use the ever-necessary Stealth Rock, as setting up both a weather condition and Stealth Rock in one Pokemon can free up valuable teamslots for Pokemon that can capitalize on the weather condition Mesprit will set up. However, if you feel that it is too difficult to set up both Stealth Rock and a weather condition reliably, or if you have a different Pokemon in mind that can set up Stealth Rock, Mesprit can either use Grass Knot to discourage most hazard setters from setting up their hazards early in the game, or use U-turn to let Mesprit gain some momentum for its team without having to use Healing Wish.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Max HP and Speed investment is the most optimal EV spread in most scenarios, as the ability to sponge hits more easily and outspeed more threats is often crucial in allowing Mesprit to successfully set up its desired weather condition. A more defensive spread can be formed by shifting those Speed EVs into Mesprit's Defense or Special Defense, and slapping on a Calm or a Bold nature. This can be used if you want Mesprit to act as more of a pivot, as this will allow it to sponge attacks more easily and potentially be able to come in more often to set up its desired weather condition. However, the loss of speed is often too much of a drawback to make the extra defensive stats worth it, as Mesprit's key benefit over Uxie is its access to Healing Wish. Max Speed investment allows Mesprit to get off a quick Healing Wish while Mesprit is low before an opponent can finish it off far more often than it would be able to without Speed investment, and this play is usually far too strong to pass up. Furthermore, by taking away one of Mesprit's unique advantages part of Mesprit strength in Healing Wish, you are giving yourself far less of a reason to use it over Uxie, as Uxie will always be the superior defensive pivot no matter how much you invest in defensive EVs.

Naturally, the weather condition that Mesprit sets up will determine what partners should be used. If Rain Dance is the weather of choice, typically Water-type Pokemon that possess Swift Swim, such as Ludicolo, Omastar, Kabutops, and Gorebyss all make fantastic partners due to the combination of both a doubled Speed stat as well as a significantly stronger Water-type STAB move. Alternatively, Electric-type Pokemon that can take advantage of powerful 100% accurate Thunders, such as Manectric Manectric, are also great partners, especially due to their access to a Rain-boosted Hidden Power Water to hit the Ground-types that are immune to Thunder. Mesprit works excellently along alongside such Pokemon due to its ability to threaten the omnipresent Venusaur with STAB Psychic, whose defensive sets may prove to be tricky to deal with due to its resistance to Water- and Electric-type attacks as well as its respectable bulk. However, if Sunny Day is the weather condition of choice, Pokemon with access to Chlorophyll such as Victreebell and Exeggutor make excellent partners, as the massive speed boost they obtain in the sun allows them to toss around extremely strong Solarbeams Solar Beams that will melt most teams, especially when paired with sun-boosted Hidden Power Fire. Alternatively, some Fire-types, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and Moltres Moltres, can take advantage of the sun to launch ridiculously hard hitting Fire-type attacks at the opposing team, while also threatening Pokemon resistant to Fire-type attacks with Solarbeam. Solar Beam. Mesprit has particular synergy with such Fire-types due to its ability to use Healing Wish to bring them back into the game if Stealth Rock is on the field and they would be KO'd KOed upon switching into the rocks, in, as the healing from Healing Wish will occur before such Pokemon take damage from Stealth Rock. (Comment: (are you sure that's how Healing Wish works in DPP? I have this vague memory that this was a BW change.) )

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Trick
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While it might seem strange to use a Pokemon for the sheer purpose of Tricking away its Choice Scarf, doing so is a strong strategy when you put said Pokemon in the lead position. (Comment: (and your opponent is Oglemi) ) Due to the how valued setting up Stealth Rock early in the game is, a good chunk of UU's leads are slow, bulky Pokemon such as Rhyperior who are heavily crippled by being locked into a single move, especially if said move is Stealth Rock. As these Pokemon are typically slow, they are unable to get much mileage out of the attached Choice Scarf and the loss of their Leftovers makes them significantly easier to wear down. Additionally, by wielding a Choice Scarf, Mesprit can outpace typically faster leads to ensure that Stealth Rock is set up early. Though this set does face some heavy competition from Uxie, who can run almost the exact same set, is significantly bulkier bulkier, and can be used later in the match to pivot out of attacks with U-turn, Mesprit's stronger U-turns and Zen Headbutts allow it to actually do damage after it has Tricked away its Choice Scarf. Furthermore, in scenarios where Tricking its Choice Scarf away is suboptimal, Mesprit can use its U-turn and Zen Headbutt to revenge kill certain threats, whereas Uxie cannot due to its lack of power.

Stealth Rock is a large draw of this set, as Mesprit's ability to set up Stealth Rock before it can be Taunted by Mismagius or Ambipom guarantees that it will be successfully set up. Against slower leads, using Trick on the first turn followed by Stealth Rock ensures that slower leads such as Rhyperior or Omastar are left with an essentially useless item that will likely lock them into Stealth Rock if they use the move after Mesprit. Once both Stealth Rock has been set up and its Choice Scarf has been Tricked away, the majority of Mesprit's purpose has been served, but the rest of its moveset ensures that it is not entirely useless after Stealth Rock and Trick have been used, or if Mesprit is unable to Trick its scarf away immediately. U-turn allows Mesprit to take advantage of its respectable natural bulk and act as a decent pivot mid-game, allowing it to scout incoming switches after forcing out Poison- or Fighting-type Pokemon. Zen Headbutt is the STAB move of choice, as it allows Mesprit to run investment into its Attack stat, making U-turn much more of a threat, and it does respectable damage to most threats, such as Venusaur, allowing Mesprit to act as a emergency revenge-killer if a sweeper is low enough and it still possesses its Choice Scarf.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

As the goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock before Mesprit can be Taunted, running 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature is necessary, as this ensures that Mesprit can outspeed even Electrode, allowing Mesprit to reliably set up the entry hazard every game. At this point, the remaining EVs do not matter too much, as Mesprit’s only goals are to use Stealth Rock and Trick, which it only really needs Speed to do. Maximum Attack investment is generally the safest option, as it allows Mesprit to at least be somewhat useful offensively beyond Stealth Rock and Trick, as U-turn will be strong enough to break most Substitutes at the very least, but maximum investment into HP is also a viable option to make Mesprit a bit tankier, allowing it to switch into attacks like Rhyperior’s Rock Blast more easily. If this is done, Healing Wish can be used over Zen Headbutt, as Mesprit really won’t be doing much damage anyway and Healing Wish gives Mesprit another use outside of Stealth Rock and Trick. Alternatively, if your team is sorely lacking on specially attacking threats, Mesprit can run a Timid nature and Psychic over Zen Headbutt with maximum Special Attack investment.

Generally, the best partners for this set are sweepers that can take advantage of a defensive wall being Tricked a Choice Scarf to set up. Pokemon such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, and Toxicroak make excellent partners for this reason, as after a single boost, each of these Pokemon can easily set up on a Pokemon locked into a support or resisted STAB move and proceed to apply a ton of pressure to the enemy team. Strong set-up sweepers are also excellent partners due to the fact that they tend to lead to more offensive teams, where this Mesprit works much better on than an Uxie, which lacks any sort of offensive presence at all. Alternatively, since this Mesprit can lock slow Pokemon into undesirable moves, Dugtrio can also be an excellent partner, as the free switches that can be supplied by these Choice-locked slow Pokemon can allow it to easily trap and kill key targets.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Psychic / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers (Comment: (I don't really play UU and have never used this set, but if I did I'm pretty sure I'd use LO) )
nature: Quiet
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

[SET COMMENTS]

While Trick Room is sometimes a difficult strategy to pull off effectively, Mesprit is an excellent user of the move due to its ability to set up the field condition consistently while also being a respectable attacker on its own. This means that that, while it is recommended that this set be used on a team with slow attackers that can take advantage of Trick Room, it may also situationally be used on teams that are not specifically built around the field condition, unlike something like Uxie. The goal of this set is simple: set up Trick Room, and proceed to smack the opponent around with Mesprit's strong coverage and STAB Psychic. The combination of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provides excellent coverage and is Mesprit's best option for hitting as much of the tier for super effective damage as possible, while Psychic lets Mesprit hit the Pokemon that are neutral to its coverage moves for more damage. If Mesprit is being used on a pure Trick Room team, U-turn is a respectable option over Psychic to let Mesprit bring in a sweeper safely, but it significantly limits Mesprit's own offensive capabilities. In a similar vein, Healing Wish can be an extremely powerful utility option on Trick Room teams, but it relegates Mesprit to a much more supportive role as it will lack the coverage to threaten most teams effectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs and nature make Mesprit as slow as possible while maximizing its Special Attack and bulk. With a Quiet nature and 0 Spe IVs, Mesprit hits a Speed stat of 148. While this may appear to be quite slow at first glance, this Speed stat is actually not really that low. Mesprit will actually speed tie with minimum Speed Torterra, and thus outspeed minimum Speed base 55s and below such as Registeel and Chansey. This is beneficial if U-turn is used in some ways, as it means that once Trick Room is active, Mesprit will take the status move or attack from these defensive Pokemon, thus keeping its fellow sweeper unscathed. However, this does mean that if Mesprit is is low on health, these Pokemon may be able to KO Mesprit before it can attack if Trick Room is active, which can be important to keep in mind. While a max Speed spread or a more defensive spread can be used to take advantage of Mesprit's ability to tank hits for its sweepers while switching them in unscathed with U-turn, these spreads are generally outclassed by Uxie unless Healing Wish is used, as Mesprit's strength lies in its ability to dish out damage while setting up Trick Room. However, instead of using a Quiet nature and minimum Speed investment, Mesprit can opt to run a slightly faster spread by using a Modest nature instead and the full 31 Speed IVs, as well as 16 EVs in Speed. This has the benefit of allowing Mesprit to be fairly useful outside of Trick Room against slower teams, as it outspeeds most of UU's relevant defensive Pokemon, allowing it to threaten such teams with its strong coverage and STAB Psychic, while also being slow enough to outspeed almost every relevant offensive threat under Trick Room.

Naturally, as this Mesprit's main role is to set up Trick Room, slow, powerful Pokemon that can do as much damage as possible are great partners. Pokemon such as Aggron, Azumarill, Hariyama, and Torterra are premier examples of this, as these Pokemon are extremely scary when they are able to freely outspeed enemy Pokemon and throw out their powerful STAB moves. These slow physical attackers are particularly good to pair with Mesprit due to Mesprit’s inability to get past specially defensive behemoths such as Registeel, Chansey, or Clefable on its own. It should also be noted that Mesprit should generally not be used as the primary Trick Room setter for a dedicated Trick Room team, as although its stats are fairly good, it lacks the staying power to consistently set up Trick Room throughout the match. For this reason, the likes of Porygon2 or Uxie may be useful to provide an additional Trick Room setter to assist Mesprit in setting up the field condition. However, note that due to Mesprit’s offensive capabilities, it does not have to be on a dedicated Trick Room team to function, and that using only one or two slow, powerful Pokemon alongside it is perfectly viable.

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Mesprit usually finds itself taking advantage of its more supportive characteristics, as in terms of raw damage output it is easily eclipsed by Alakazam, Mesprit's saving grace as an offensive Pokemon comes from its combination of Calm Mind and respectable stats all around, which distinguishes it from Uxie, who is extremely weak without a few Calm Minds under its belt, and Alakazam, who is far too frail to set up Calm Mind safely without instantly dying to stray attacks. This set overall is extremely versatile as a result and can play a number of different roles depending on what kind of team it is facing. Against slower teams, it can set up a few Calm Minds and pressure opposing defensive Pokemon with boosted STAB Psychics and coverage moves, whereas against more offensive teams, it can afford to simply fire off attacks as neccessary to dent opposing threats or even threaten a sweep with a single Calm Mind boost.

Calm Mind plays into Mesprit's strengths very nicely and is key in separating Mesprit from faster, more powerful threats such as Alakazam. Mesprit’s bulk and immunity to Ground-type attacks, as well its ability to threaten a myriad of threats makes it a fairly easy task to set up a Calm Mind. With a single Calm Mind under its belt, Mesprit is capable of threatening a huge amount of UU’s defensive Pokemon. For example, specially defensive Clefable has about a 40% chance of being 2HKOed by a +1 Psychic. The rest of Mesprit’s moveset is simply tailored to have the best coverage against the threats that Mesprit is likely to encounter. Psychic, naturally, naturally , will always be Mesprit’s strongest attack and its best bet against neutral targets, while Thunderbolt will hit most of the Pokemon resistant to Psychic decently hard, as well as striking the likes of Milotic and Slowbro for heavy damage. Hidden Power Ground is Mesprit’s best bet against Houndoom and Registeel, who otherwise can take on this set with impunity. However, if support from Pokemon such as Dugtrio is supplied, Ice Beam and Substitute are also reasonable options. Ice Beam hits the likes of Exeggutor and Steelix hard, while Substitute can be used in tandem with Leftovers to provide added safety and the ability to set up Calm Minds against Pokemon that commonly possess status moves like Toxic or Thunder Wave, or allow Mesprit to maneuver around Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Drapion or Spiritomb more easily.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Naturally, as this set is designed to hit as hard as possible, maximum Special Attack and Speed investment is optimal. With 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature, Mesprit speed-ties with ubiquitous threats such as Venusaur, Altaria, and Kabutops, giving it the chance to potentially outspeed and OHKO these threats in dire situations. Using a Modest nature is generally not a good idea as a result of this if Calm Mind and three attacking moves are run, as the inability to threaten to OHKO these threats is more costly than the slightly higher damage output provided by a Modest nature. However, if Substitute is used over one of Mesprit’s coverage moves, using a Modest nature and a more defensive spread is feasible, as the use of Substitute and Leftovers steers Mesprit towards attempting to accrue as many Calm Mind boosts as possible, rather than simply throwing out powerful STAB Psychics and coverage moves from the get-go. However, even on these more defensive spread, significant amounts of Special Attack investment should be used, as spreads that invest too much into Mesprit’s defenses risk becoming outclassed by Uxie.

Although this set can hit fairly hard, it has its number of hard counters that entirely prevent Mesprit from doing its job. Notably, specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Registeel are nigh impossible for Mesprit to break through, as are Dark-types such as Spiritomb and Drapion. For this reason, perhaps the best partner to this set has to be Dugtrio, as Dugtrio can reliably remove each of these Pokemon bar Spiritomb thanks to its blistering Speed, Arena Trap, and relatively strong Earthquake. However, if Dugtrio, for whatever reason, is not a good fit, there are some other Pokemon that work well. As usual, Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Blaziken are great partners due to their ability to lay down immense pressure against the likes of Chansey and Registeel while also resisting the common Dark-types moves that are launched at Mesprit. Alternatively, Pokemon that can lure in and weaken these Pokemon, such as Exeggutor, Venusaur, or Mismagius are also excellent partners, as by sacrificing themselves, they can do enough damage to these specially defensive Pokemon or Dark-types that they will be easily cleaned up by Mesprit.

Aside from Pokemon who can fearlessly take on Mesprit’s hard counters, Mesprit also appreciates Pokemon that can lure in Pokemon which it can freely set up on. Typically, these include Fighting-, Poison-, and Ground-types such as Hitmontop, Hariyama, Weezing, Vensaur, and Donphan, or other slow Pokemon that are threatened by Mesprit's coverage, such as Omastar. For this reason, defensive Steel-types, Steel-types such as Registeel and Steelix are excellent partners, as they lure in Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon, are resistant to Mesprit's weaknesses, and provide valuable support through status and Stealth Rock.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Access to a wide range of coverage moves, a solid speed tier and a respectable Special Attack stat make Mesprit a very solid choice if your team is in need of a revenge killer. By slapping a Choice Scarf onto this pink pixie, Mesprit gains the speed that it needs to successfully revenge kill many dangerous threats in the UU metagame, including the likes of Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, and Dragon Dance Altaria, who may otherwise be difficult to cover in a single teamslot, teamslot. and On top of that, once certain conditions are met, Mesprit can easily mop up the opposing team with its strong STAB Psychic and blistering Speed with a Choice Scarf attached. Additionally, Mesprit's access to strong utility moves in Trick and U-turn give Mesprit enough utility to make itself useful once it has successfully revenge-killed the threats that it has been designated to deal with, or if it is being used against a more defensive team that lacks threats that can be easily revenge-killed. To top it all off, Mesprit's immunity to Spikes means that it isn't hampered by entry hazards as much of its fellow revenge-killers, and can easily weave in and out of the match to force out dangerous sweepers.

Psychic is Mesprit's strongest attack, and it is Mesprit's best shot at revenge-killing Pokemon that are neutral to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, as well as generally its best shot at occasionally pulling off a successful sweep. Ice Beam provides strong coverage and hits crucial threats such as the aforementioend Rock Polish Torterra and Dragon Dance Altaria, as well as threats such as Sceptile, Exeggutor and Leafeon. Similarly Thunderbolt allows Mesprit to slay Dragon Dance Feraligatr, as well as Moltres and Azumarill. It is also Mesprit's best shot at dealing damage to Houndoom. The choice of Trick or U-turn depends on whether or not your team needs the ability to cripple defensive Pokemon such as Registeel and Chansey thus making Chansey, in which case Trick is superior, or if your team has Pokemon that can take advantage of the Pokemon that will commonly switch into Mesprit Mesprit's common switch-ins such as Spiritomb, Houndoom and Drapion, thus making U-turn an excellent choice for gaining momentum. Additionally, Healing Wish is a viable option in the last slot if your team has a powerful sweeper that can take advantage of a second life, but its utility is typically far more limited throughout the game than either Trick or U-turn.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With a Timid nature and maximum Speed EVs along with its Choice Scarf, Mesprit will hit a Speed stat of 426, which outpaces a large portion of UU, including Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Alakazam, Moltres, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron. However, be careful to note that Mesprit's ability to outspeed Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron depends on the opponent's use of a neutral nature on these Pokemon rather than a Speed-boosting nature. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Attack, as with a Timid nature and no power-boosting item such as Life Orb or Expert Belt, Mesprit is actually not that strong, which means it needs all the help it can get.

This set is fairly splashable and in general it can be fit onto most teams quite easily, although it is often more suitable for offensive teams that need a fast Choice Scarf-wielding Pokemon to provide insurance against a wide range of threats. If U-turn is used, pairing Mesprit with Dugtrio or Houndoom can be an excellent option to take advantage of the Spiritombs and Registeels Spiritomb and Registeel that may attempt to switch into Mesprit. Additionally, Fighting-types such as Blaziken, Toxicroak or Toxicroak, and Hariyama can be effective at punishing Dark-types such as the aforementioned (Comment: FUCK aforementioned ) Spiritomb, as well as Houndoom Houndoom, and Drapion from freely switching into Mesprit. If Trick is used, using Mesprit as a lure for walls such as Registeel, Milotic, or Chansey can be useful, as crippling these defensive behemoths can set the stage for other strong special attackers, attackers such as Sceptile or Moltres to sweep. Alternatively, Tricking a wall can allow a set up sweeper such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, or Toxicroak to freely set up and pressure the opposing team. Furthermore, as this Mesprit set lacks power, Pokemon that can set up Spikes are appreciated, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, and Cloyster, as they increase the likeliness that Mesprit can sweep through the opposing team, while also providing more residual damage to punish switches into Mesprit’s U-turn.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Trick
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While Mesprit is mostly seen as a specially offensive threat or a supportive Pokemon, Mesprit can actually be a surprisingly solid physical attacker when equipped with a Choice Band. (Comment: (and your opponent is Oglemi) ) The combination of surprise value and the utility of a powerful U-turn and Trick make this set a reasonable option for certain teams, especially ones that are looking to bait typical responses to Mesprit, including Dark-types such as Houndoom, Drapion, and Spiritomb, as well as special walls such as Chansey or Clefable Clefable, into taking solid damage from Mesprit’s Choice Band-boosted U-turns or Zen Headbutts. These factors, in combo with Mesprit’s respectable coverage due to its access to Ice Punch, ThunderPunch Thunder Punch Thunder Punch and Fire Punch all make this a viable, albeit fairly unorthodox way of using Mesprit. As the captain of a great brigade once said, although it is not Mesprit’s finest set, it would be unwise to dismiss it entirely as it is a set Mesprit can still use with some effectiveness.

Thanks to the healthy Attack boost from Choice Band, Zen Headbutt does a startling amount of damage to many of the special walls that commonly want to switch into Mesprit, cleanly 2HKOing Chansey and Clefable on the switch. U-turn acts as solid coverage against Dark-type Pokemon, 3HKOing most Spiritomb and Drapion, and provides a way for Mesprit to scout the composition of the opposing team. Of the other coverage moves that Mesprit has available to it, Fire Punch is its best option due to its ability to solidly dent Registeel and Steelix. Finally, as Mesprit does not have too many other physical options, Trick is the best move it can run in its last slot, as it allows Mesprit to at least cripple physically defensive Pokemon that it has no hopes of denting, such as Slowbro. However, be wary of using Trick with no restraint, as unlike with Tricking a Choice Scarf, Tricking a Choice Band can actually have detrimental effects if given to a Pokemon such as Rhyperior.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Like most Choice Band-wielding Pokemon, maximum Attack and Speed investment is the best EV spread for Mesprit, as it gives it the Speed and power to perform its job effectively. In particular, due to the low base power of Mesprit’s moves, it desperately needs every single point it can get in Attack, and Mesprit’s base 80 Speed puts it right in line with other prominent Pokemon in the DPP UU metagame, including the omnipresent Venusaur, making it far too valuable to pass up. Although an Adamant nature may seem appealing due to just how weak Mesprit is, losing the potential ability to outspeed and OHKO Venusaur is far too much of a tradeoff to make it worthwhile. If Trick is found to be less impactful than desired, ThunderPunch Thunder Punch can be run over it so Mesprit can 2HKO physically defensive Milotic most of the time after Stealth Rock, although generally if it is anticipated that Milotic will switch in, Tricking it tends to leave it more useless than simply hitting it hard with ThunderPunch Thunder Punch.

Due to the niche nature of this set, specific partners need to be used in order to make this set worthwhile. In particular, teams using this Mesprit set need to use special attackers than appreciate having the likes of Chansey, Clefable, or Registeel severely weakened in order to sweep. Fortunately, there are a decent number of Pokemon that can take advantage of this in UU, including Pokemon such as Life Orb Venusaur, Sceptile, and Mismagius. Without these kinds of Pokemon, Mesprit becomes extremely weak, as its sole purpose is to lure in and cripple these Pokemon to the point where they are no longer capable of handling such strong special attacking Pokemon. However, if there is one other application where this Mesprit can be used somewhat effectively, it would have to be on a team with plenty of other strong Pokemon with U-turn, such as the likes of Swellow and Scyther, in order to create a significant amount of pressure through spamming U-turn. In tandem with hazard support in Spikes and Stealth Rock, Mesprit and its partners can wear down physical walls to the point where they are weak enough to be swept by another strong, physical sweeper.

[Other Options] (Comment: fix this part to work with the new format too )

Mesprit's movepool is exceptionally diverse, and while many sets have been covered in this analysis, there are still a few different sets that Mesprit can use. Notably, Mesprit has access to both Light Screen and Reflect, which means that it can feasibly use a Dual Screens set to facilitate a deadly set-up sweeper's sweep. Mesprit's access to Healing Wish also means that if said sweeper is unable to fully tear through the opposing team, Mesprit can simply set up both screens once more and Healing Wish that set up sweeper back to full health, almost guaranteeing a sweep if managed to pull off. However, this set in general suffers too much competition from Uxie, as Memento is extremely valuable for safely bringing in a set up sweeper of choice without taking significant prior damage. While Healing Wish is strong, Mesprit must switch out and let its desired sweeper tank damage on the switch in most cases, leaving it much more vulnerable to being KO'd from stray priority moves. A mono-attacking Calm Mind set with Rest and Sleep Talk could also be used in certain scenarios, but the prevalence of Dark- and Steel-type Pokemon in the tier makes such an option generally poor, as even after accruing multiple boosts, Mesprit would still be unable to break through common Pokemon such as Registeel and Spiritomb.

Mesprit also has a few different moves and items you can run on the provided sets, but they typically are inferior options. Energy Ball is a usable move if you're scared of facing lighter opponents that Grass Knot cannot touch, such as Lanturn, but the prominence of heavier Pokemon (notably, Grass Knot has 100 base power against Milotic) makes Grass Knot typically the better choice. Signal Beam is neat at times to do solid damage to Psychic- or Dark-type Pokemon who may attempt to switch into Mesprit's Psychic, but its low base power hinders it. Knock off is an interesting utility option, as removing Leftovers, Life Orb, or Choice items from certain Pokemon can severely hinder their effectiveness, but it’s difficult to fit it on most of Mesprit's sets due to its lack of power. If Pursuit is proving too much of an issue, Colbur Berry is a usable option to allow Mesprit to escape Pursuit once, although losing Leftovers or Life Orb is generally a poor trade. Finally, while a bit gimmicky, Charm has some niche applications in weakening the damage that Mesprit will take from Pursuit, forcing some switches, and helping sweepers set up more easily.

[Checks and Counters] (Comment: new format )

Due to Mesprit's versatility, it can be somewhat difficult to deal with it as it can be difficult to know which set it is running. However, there are a few Pokemon that are generally very solid answers to it regardless of its set. Dark-type Pokemon such as Drapion, Houndoom, Absol, and Spiritomb are immune to Mesprit's main attack, can threaten Mesprit with super effective STAB attacks and threaten Mesprit with Pursuit if it wishes to switch to safety. The presence of these Pokemon on an opponent's team is troubling for Mesprit, as they will force Mesprit's trainer to make some tough predictions to ensure that Mesprit does not get knocked out. While they are unable to switch in as easily as Dark-types, in general Pokemon that can hit Mesprit extremely hard while possessing Pursuit, such as Scyther, Tauros, and Swellow are also solid options. Mesprit's vulnerability to Pursuit is perhaps its biggest weakness, and is easily the best way to ensure that it does not remain a pest throughout the match. By threatening Mesprit with these Pokemon, it can be tricky for Mesprit to successfully set up what it wants without being KO'd KOed.

Defensively, strong specially defensive Pokemon such as Registeel, Chansey, Clefable, and Milotic are all reasonably strong answers to Mesprit. While they are hit harder by Trick than offensive Dark-types and Pokemon with Pursuit, they are also able to switch into Mesprit's attacks with impunity and whittle it down with Seismic Toss in the case of the first three, and Surf in the case of Milotic. However, they are unable to deter Mesprit from utilizing its supportive capabilities. To stop Mesprit from using moves such as Stealth Rock, faster Pokemon with Taunt are natural answers. However, Taunt is only particularly useful if it is used to counter a Mesprit lead, as by the time a Pokemon with Taunt is switched into Mesprit, Mesprit will already have taken the free turn to set up whatever it wishes and switch out for free. This being said, an excellent option to deal with pesky Mesprit leads is Taunt Mismagius, as it outspeeds Mesprit and can threaten with it a super effective STAB Shadow Ball while also detering it from setting up.


Nostalgia Stamp 1/2

Nice analysis, bro. Make sure you remove all those <p> tags though, this isn't 2010 anymore.

SilentVerse
 

GMars

It's ya boy GEEEEEEEEMARS
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
For what it's worth, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie aren't actually all pixies, their names come from a combination of pixies, sprites, and elves and loose forms of pronouns - Uxie is loosely a combination of You and Pixie, Mesprit is loosely Me and Sprite, and Azelf is loosely Us and Elf.
(AH, AC) = Add Hyphen, Add Comma
(RH, RC, RS) = Remove Hyphen, Remove Comma, Remove Space
(Apostrophe)
= I changed an apostrophe from a slanted one to a straight one
[OVERVIEW]

With its middling stats in comparison to UU's other Psychic-types, (AH) it may appear as if Mesprit has issues standing out from its competitors. Its fellow pixie lake guardian, Uxie, boasts significantly superior bulk, making it far more resilient in a supporting role, whereas Alakzam Alakazam is significantly stronger and faster, making it appear to be the superior offensive threat. However, it would be foolish to simply write off Mesprit as outclassed, as it has several key perks that differentiate it from these two competitors. Mesprit's higher Special Attack in comparison to Uxie allows it to pressure the opposing team while also providing some of the same support that Uxie would bring, making Mesprit much more suited for teams that want to be aggressive. Moves such as Healing Wish also allow Mesprit to facilitate aggression more easily than Uxie, which seeks to pivot out of dangerous attacks much of the time. Additionally, though Alakazam is stronger and faster, it lacks key coverage moves such as Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, and its lack of bulk means that it can only be used aggressively, whereas Mesprit can pivot into many common Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, providing some much-needed defensive synergy for some teams. Overall, these traits make Mesprit a versatile Pokemon that can fit easily on many teams.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Ice Beam / Grass Knot
move 4: Thunderbolt / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers
nature: Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Even though Uxie's higher Speed and significantly better bulk may make it seem as if Uxie outclasses Mesprit when it comes to setting up Stealth Rock, it would be a mistake to simply discount Mesprit's ability to set up the valuable entry hazard. Uxie may possess better defenses and Speed, but it also lacks any form of offensive presence due to its pitiful base 75 Special Attack stat. Mesprit, on the other hand, boasts a very respectable base 105 Special Attack stat, which, in tandem with Mesprit's better offensive movepool, allows it to immediately pressure most of the Pokemon commonly used in the lead position, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, Rhyperior, Hippopotas, Cloyster, Kabutops, and other such Pokemon who that are weak to Mesprit's incredible coverage. It is important to note that most of these Pokemon are capable of setting up Stealth Rock or other hazards; thus, Mesprit can, thanks to its offensive presence, double as a sort of anti-lead that is capable of preventing the opponent's Stealth Rock or Spikes from being set up, (RC) while also setting up those valuable rocks hazards for its own team.

Thanks to its respectable bulk and decent Speed, in addition to the fact that Mesprit's offensive presence can often force the opponent to switch plenty of times, Mesprit makes a perfectly viable user of Stealth Rock. The rest of Mesprit's movepool is designed to hit as many Pokemon in the lead position as hard as possible. Psychic is Mesprit's strongest STAB move, and is great for doing solid damage to Pokemon who that are neutral or resistant to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the fabled BoltBeam coverage, and together they hit most of UU for super effective damage. Alternatively, you may use Grass Knot and U-turn over Ice Beam and Thunderbolt if you want Mesprit to act as more of a scout; after all, Grass Knot still hits most of those hazard-setting leads for heavy damage, and it has the added bonus of cleanly OHKOing Rhyperior and Omastar, which Ice Beam and Thunderbolt cannot do. However, Grass Knot does not have the incredible combined coverage of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, and its overall coverage is rather poor, which means that outside of the lead position, should you opt to use Grass Knot, Mesprit will not have as much mid-game or late-game use. For example, with Ice Beam, Mesprit is able to make a handy check to Rock Polish Torterra, as it is able to take a Life Orb-boosted Wood Hammer after Stealth Rock and retaliate with Ice Beam for an OHKO, which Grass Knot cannot do. Furthermore, with Grass Knot, Mesprit is completely helpless against Drapion and Houndoom, who which can easily use the free opportunity to set up.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

With the given Speed EVs, Mesprit outspeeds max Speed Omastar, who which would otherwise be able to set up both Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. The remaining EVs are first used to maximize Mesprit's Special Attack stat to make it an offensive threat, before being dumped into HP to help buff Mesprit's respectable bulk. Expert Belt is also the item of choice, as it provides the best compromise between power and bulk, and, due to Mesprit's exemplary coverage, it will boost Mesprit's attacks much of the time. Leftovers are certainly an option over Expert Belt should you want Mesprit to have increased longevity, but without Expert Belt, Mesprit often misses out on crucial KOs, which generally makes Leftovers the inferior option.

Should you consider putting Mesprit on your team, it's imperative that you take into account Mesprit's unique advantage over Uxie. Mesprit's key advantages over its fellow pixie lake guardian (Or 'Legendary trio member' if you don't want to be repetitive) is naturally its significantly higher offenses, which allow it to prevent entry hazard-laying leads such as Omastar and Cloyster from setting up their cumbersome hazards. Uxie, on the other hand, has significantly higher defenses and better Speed, making it the better choice if you need a reliable user of Stealth Rock throughout the match. Thus, Mesprit generally should be used on more offensively-minded (AH) teams, as its ability to prevent entry hazards from setting being set up ensures that offensive teams will not have to worry about Spikes, and its ability to set up Stealth Rock is also generally appreciated by most teams.

Therefore, as Mesprit should generally be used on offensive teams, Mesprit appreciates offensive partners to take advantage of the immediate offensive presence that Mesprit inflicts upon the opponent right from the get-go. Mesprit also needs teammates to make the leads that it loses to, such as Ambipom, Spiritomb, and Registeel, as well as Dark-, (AC) and Steel-, (AC) types and bulky Psychic-types, effectively non-issues. Fighting-types like Blaziken and Hariyama make good partners, as their powerful Fighting-type STAB moves OHKO the likes of Ambipom and Registeel, and these two Fighting-types do not care about Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb, (RC) due to Blaziken's Fire typing and Hariyama's Guts ability. Dark-types are also great partners, as they form a fantastic Fighting-Psychic-Dark core with Mesprit and its Fighting-type partner, and these Dark-types are able to beat the bulky Psychic-types who are able to wall Mesprit with startling ease.

[SET]
name: Weather Support
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Psychic / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Stealth Rock / Grass Knot / U-turn
move 4: Healing Wish
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
nature: Timid / Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With access to both Rain Dance and Sunny Day as well as utility moves such as Healing Wish and Stealth Rock, Mesprit can be an excellent choice for setting up weather conditions for your team. While Mesprit lacks the sheer bulk of Uxie and is nowhere near as fast as its bulkier competitor, Mesprit separates itself from Uxie through its access to Healing Wish, which allows Mesprit to sacrifice itself after setting up its chosen weather condition to bring a fatally low weakened sweeper back to life. Furthermore, even without investment, Mesprit can dole out surprisingly respectable amounts of damage with its STAB moves due to its higher base Attack and Special Attack, while Uxie's damage is pitiful in comparison. The combination of these characteristics means that even though Mesprit may not be as reliable at setting up weather conditions as Uxie, Mesprit can do a lot more than simply set up its desired weather condition through its hard-hitting attacks or Healing Wish, giving it a distinct niche and separating it from its arguably more reliable cousin.

The choice of whether you wish to use a rain team or a sun team will dictate whether you pick Rain Dance or Sunny Day, along with their respective items, Damp Rock and Heat Rock. Either team archetype is a fine place for Mesprit to fit into, as it has many valuable attributes that allow it to serve key roles in either type of team. On Rain rain teams, Mesprit's Psychic typing allows it to act as a Rain Dance user that isn't as vulnerable to Electric- and Grass-type attacks, letting it come in and set up Rain Dance more easily against these types of Pokemon, and using Healing Wish on one of Ludicolo, Kabutops, or Omastar can present a massive problem that opponents will oftentimes have issues dealing with. On the other hand, on Sun sun teams, Mesprit's immunity to Ground-type attacks lets it defensively compliment the Fire-type Pokemon that it will often be paired with. Healing Wish is also especially powerful on these types of teams, as sweepers like Exeggutor and Victreebel become extremely difficult to handle when restored back to full health, and Healing Wish can often give the Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon that are often present in this archetype another opportunity to come in and dish out absurd damage with Sunny Day sun-boosted Fire-type attacks.

Outside of Mesprit's weather-summoning move and Healing Wish, there are a variety of options that can be used in its remaining two slots. Psychic is generally the best option for Mesprit's STAB move due to its higher base power, but should you want a physical attack instead of a special attack, Zen Headbutt is a perfectly acceptable option as well. In its last slot, Mesprit can use the ever-necessary Stealth Rock, as setting up both a weather condition and Stealth Rock in with one Pokemon can free up valuable teamslots for Pokemon that can capitalize on the weather condition Mesprit will set up. However, if you feel that it is too difficult to set up both Stealth Rock and a weather condition reliably, or if you have a different Pokemon in mind that can set up Stealth Rock, Mesprit can either use Grass Knot to discourage most hazard setters from setting up their hazards early in the game, or use U-turn to let Mesprit gain some momentum for its team without having to use Healing Wish.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Max HP and Speed investment is the most optimal EV spread in most scenarios, as the ability to sponge hits more easily and outspeed more threats is often crucial in allowing Mesprit to successfully set up its desired weather condition. A more defensive spread can be formed by shifting those Speed EVs into Mesprit's Defense or Special Defense, (RC) and slapping on a Calm or a Bold nature. This can be used if you want Mesprit to act as more of a pivot, as this will allow it to sponge attacks more easily and potentially be able to come in more often to set up its desired weather condition. However, the loss of speed is often too much of a drawback to make the extra defensive stats worth it, as Mesprit's key benefit over Uxie is its access to Healing Wish. Max Speed investment allows Mesprit to get off a quick Healing Wish while Mesprit is low before an opponent can finish it off far more often than it would be able to without Speed investment, and this play is usually far too strong to pass up. Furthermore, by taking away one of Mesprit's unique advantages in Healing Wish, you are giving yourself far less of a reason to use it over Uxie, as Uxie will always be the superior defensive pivot no matter how much you invest in defensive EVs.

Naturally, the weather condition that Mesprit sets up will determine what partners should be used. If Rain Dance is the weather of choice, typically Water-type Pokemon that possess Swift Swim, such as Ludicolo, Omastar, Kabutops, and Gorebyss all make fantastic partners due to the combination of both a doubled Speed stat as well as and a significantly stronger Water-type STAB move. Alternatively, Electric-type Pokemon that can take advantage of powerful 100% accurate Thunders, such as Manectric, are also great partners, especially due to their access to a Rain-boosted Hidden Power Water to hit the Ground-types that are immune to Thunder. Mesprit works excellently alongside such Pokemon due to its ability to threaten the omnipresent Venusaur with STAB Psychic, whose defensive sets may prove to be tricky to deal with due to its resistance to Water- and Electric-type attacks as well as its respectable bulk. However, if Sunny Day is the weather condition of choice, Pokemon with access to Chlorophyll such as Victreebell and Exeggutor make excellent partners, as the massive speed boost they obtain in the sun allows them to toss around extremely strong Solar Beams that will melt most teams, especially when paired with sun-boosted Hidden Power Fire. Alternatively, some Fire-types, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and Moltres, can take advantage of the sun to launch ridiculously hard hitting Fire-type attacks at the opposing team, (RC) while also threatening Pokemon resistant to Fire-type attacks with Solar Beam. Mesprit has particular synergy with such Fire-types due to its ability to use Healing Wish to bring them back into the game, as they are easily worn down between Stealth Rock damage and possibly Life Orb recoil.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Trick
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While it might seem strange to use a Pokemon for the sheer purpose of Tricking away its Choice Scarf, doing so is a strong strategy when you put said Pokemon in the lead position. Due to the how valued setting up Stealth Rock early in the game is, a good chunk of UU's leads are slow, bulky Pokemon such as Rhyperior who that are heavily crippled by being locked into a single move, especially if said move is Stealth Rock. As these Pokemon are typically slow, they are unable to get much mileage out of the attached Choice Scarf and the loss of their Leftovers makes them significantly easier to wear down. Additionally, by wielding a Choice Scarf, Mesprit can outpace typically faster leads to ensure that Stealth Rock is set up early. Though this set does face some heavy competition from Uxie, who which can run almost the exact same set, is significantly bulkier, and can be used later in the match to pivot out of attacks with U-turn, Mesprit's stronger U-turns and Zen Headbutts allow it to actually do damage after it has Tricked away its Choice Scarf. Furthermore, in scenarios where Tricking its Choice Scarf away is suboptimal, Mesprit can use its U-turn and Zen Headbutt to revenge kill certain threats, whereas Uxie cannot due to its lack of power.

Stealth Rock is a large draw of this set, as Mesprit's ability to set up Stealth Rock before it can be Taunted by Mismagius or Ambipom guarantees that it will be successfully set up. Against slower leads, using Trick on the first turn followed by Stealth Rock ensures that slower leads such as Rhyperior or Omastar are left with an essentially useless item that will likely lock them into Stealth Rock if they use the move after Mesprit. Once Stealth Rock has been set up and its Choice Scarf has been Tricked away, the majority of Mesprit's purpose has been served, but the rest of its moveset ensures that it is not entirely useless. U-turn allows Mesprit to take advantage of its respectable natural bulk and act as a decent pivot mid-game, allowing it to scout incoming switches after forcing out Poison- or Fighting-type Pokemon. Zen Headbutt is the STAB move of choice, as it allows Mesprit to run investment into its Attack stat, making U-turn much more of a threat, and it does respectable damage to most threats, (RC) such as like Venusaur, allowing Mesprit to act as a emergency revenge-killer if a sweeper is low enough and it still possesses its Choice Scarf.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

As the goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock before Mesprit can be Taunted, running 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature is necessary, as this ensures that Mesprit can outspeed even Electrode, allowing Mesprit to reliably set up the entry hazard every game. At this point, the remaining EVs do not matter too much, as Mesprit's (changed slanted apostrophe to ') only goals are to use Stealth Rock and Trick, which it only really needs Speed investment to do. Maximum Attack investment is generally the safest option, as it allows Mesprit to at least be somewhat useful offensively beyond Stealth Rock and Trick, as U-turn will be strong enough to break most Substitutes at the very least, but maximum investment into HP is also a viable option to make Mesprit a bit tankier, allowing it to switch into attacks like Rhyperior’s Rock Blast more easily. If this is done, Healing Wish can be used over Zen Headbutt, as Mesprit really won’t be doing much damage anyway and Healing Wish gives Mesprit another use outside of Stealth Rock and Trick. Alternatively, if your team is sorely lacking on specially attacking threats, Mesprit can run a Timid nature and Psychic over Zen Headbutt with maximum Special Attack investment.

Generally, the best partners for this set are sweepers that can take advantage of a defensive wall being Tricked a Choice Scarf to set up. Pokemon such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, and Toxicroak make excellent partners for this reason, as after a single boost, each of these Pokemon can easily set up on a Pokemon locked into a support or resisted STAB move and proceed to apply a ton of pressure to the enemy team. Strong setup (RH) sweepers are also excellent partners due to the fact that they tend to lead to more offensive teams, where this Mesprit works much better than an Uxie, which lacks any sort of offensive presence at all. Alternatively, since this Mesprit can lock slow Pokemon into undesirable moves, Dugtrio can also be an excellent partner, as the free switches that can be supplied by these Choice-locked slow Pokemon can allow it to easily trap and kill KO key targets.

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Psychic / U-turn
item: Expert Belt / Leftovers
nature: Quiet
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

[SET COMMENTS]

While Trick Room is sometimes a difficult strategy to pull off effectively, Mesprit is an excellent user of the move due to its ability to set up the field condition consistently while also being a respectable attacker on its own. This means that, while it is recommended that this set be used on a team with slow attackers that can take advantage of Trick Room, it may also situationally be used on teams that are not specifically built around the field condition, unlike something like Uxie. The goal of this set is simple: set up Trick Room, (RC) and proceed to smack the opponent opposing team around with Mesprit's strong coverage and STAB Psychic. The combination of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provides excellent coverage and is Mesprit's best option for hitting as much of the tier for super effective damage as possible, while Psychic lets Mesprit hit the Pokemon that are neutral to its coverage moves for more damage. If Mesprit is being used on a pure Trick Room team, U-turn is a respectable option over Psychic to let Mesprit bring in a sweeper safely, but it significantly limits Mesprit's own offensive capabilities. In a similar vein, Healing Wish can be an extremely powerful utility option on Trick Room teams, but it relegates Mesprit to a much more supportive role as it will lack the coverage to threaten most teams effectively.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

The EVs and nature make Mesprit as slow as possible while maximizing its Special Attack and bulk. With a Quiet nature and 0 Speed IVs, Mesprit hits a Speed stat of 148. While this may appear to be quite slow at first glance, this Speed stat is actually not really that low. Mesprit will actually Speed tie with minimum Speed Torterra, and thus outspeed minimum Speed base 55s and below such as Registeel and Chansey. This is beneficial if U-turn is used in some ways, as it means that once Trick Room is active, Mesprit will take the status move or attack from these defensive Pokemon, thus keeping its fellow sweeper unscathed. However, this does mean that if Mesprit is is low on health, these Pokemon may be able to KO Mesprit before it can attack if Trick Room is active, which can be important to keep in mind. While a max Speed spread or a more defensive spread can be used to take advantage of Mesprit's ability to tank hits for its sweepers while switching them in unscathed with U-turn, these spreads are generally outclassed by Uxie unless Healing Wish is used, as Mesprit's strength lies in its ability to dish out damage while setting up Trick Room. However, instead of using a Quiet nature and minimum Speed investment, Mesprit can opt to run a slightly faster spread by using a Modest nature instead and the full 31 Speed IVs, as well as 16 EVs in Speed. This has the benefit of allowing Mesprit to be fairly useful outside of Trick Room against slower teams, as it outspeeds most of UU's relevant defensive Pokemon, allowing it to threaten such teams with its strong coverage and STAB Psychic, while also being slow enough to outspeed almost every relevant offensive threat under Trick Room.

Naturally, as this Mesprit's main role is to set up Trick Room, slow, powerful Pokemon that can do as much damage as possible are great partners. Pokemon such as Aggron, Azumarill, Hariyama, and Torterra are premier examples of this, as these Pokemon are extremely scary when they are able to freely outspeed enemy Pokemon and throw out their powerful STAB moves. These slow physical attackers are particularly good to pair with Mesprit due to Mesprit's (Apostrophe) inability to get past specially defensive behemoths such as Registeel, Chansey, or Clefable on its own. It should also be noted that Mesprit should generally not be used as the primary Trick Room setter for a dedicated Trick Room team, as although its stats are fairly good, it lacks the staying power to consistently set up Trick Room throughout the match. For this reason, the likes of Porygon2 or Uxie may be useful to provide an additional Trick Room setter to assist Mesprit in setting up the field condition. However, note that due to Mesprit's (Apostrophe) offensive capabilities, it does not have to be on a dedicated Trick Room team to function, and that using only one or two slow, powerful Pokemon alongside it is perfectly viable.

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Mesprit usually finds itself taking advantage of its more supportive characteristics, as in terms of raw damage output it is easily eclipsed by Alakazam, Mesprit's saving grace as an offensive Pokemon comes from its combination of Calm Mind and respectable stats all around, which distinguishes it from Uxie, who which is extremely weak without a few Calm Minds under its belt, and Alakazam, who which is far too frail to set up Calm Mind safely without instantly dying to stray attacks. This set overall is extremely versatile as a result and can play a number of different roles depending on what kind of team it is facing. Against slower teams, it can set up a few Calm Minds and pressure opposing defensive Pokemon with boosted STAB Psychics and coverage moves, whereas against more offensive teams, it can afford to simply fire off attacks as neccessary necessary to dent opposing threats or even threaten a sweep with a single Calm Mind boost.

Calm Mind plays into Mesprit's strengths very nicely and is key in separating Mesprit from faster, more powerful threats such as Alakazam. Mesprit's (Apostrophe) bulk and immunity to Ground-type attacks, (RC) as well as its ability to threaten a myriad of threats makes make it a fairly easy task to set up a Calm Mind. With a single Calm Mind under its belt, Mesprit is capable of threatening a huge amount of UU's (Apostrophe) defensive Pokemon. For example, specially defensive Clefable has about a 40% chance of being 2HKOed by a +1 Psychic. The rest of Mesprit's (Apostrophe) moveset is simply tailored to have the best coverage against the threats that Mesprit is likely to encounter. Psychic, naturally, will always be Mesprit's (Apostrophe) strongest attack and its best bet against neutral targets, while Thunderbolt will hit most of the Pokemon resistant to Psychic decently hard, as well as striking and strike the likes of Milotic and Slowbro for heavy damage. Hidden Power Ground is Mesprit's (Apostrophe) best bet against Houndoom and Registeel, who which otherwise can take on this set with impunity. However, if support from Pokemon such as Dugtrio is supplied, Ice Beam and Substitute are also reasonable options. Ice Beam hits the likes of Exeggutor and Steelix hard, while Substitute can be used in tandem with Leftovers to provide added safety and the ability to set up Calm Minds against Pokemon that commonly possess status moves like Toxic or Thunder Wave, or allow Mesprit to maneuver around Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Drapion or Spiritomb, (AC) more easily.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Naturally, as this set is designed to hit as hard as possible, maximum Special Attack and Speed investment is optimal. With 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature, Mesprit Speed ties (RH) with ubiquitous threats such as Venusaur, Altaria, and Kabutops, giving it the chance to potentially outspeed and OHKO these threats in dire situations. Using a Modest nature is generally not a good idea as a result of this if Calm Mind and three attacking moves are run, as the inability to threaten to OHKO these threats is more costly than the slightly higher damage output provided by a Modest nature. However, if Substitute is used over one of Mesprit's (Apostrophe) coverage moves, using a Modest nature and a more defensive spread is feasible, as the use of Substitute and Leftovers steers Mesprit towards attempting to accrue as many Calm Mind boosts as possible, rather than simply throwing out powerful STAB Psychics and coverage moves from the get-go. However, even on these more defensive spread, significant amounts of Special Attack investment should be used, as spreads that invest too much into Mesprit's (Apostrophe) defenses risk becoming outclassed by Uxie.

Although this set can hit fairly hard, it has its number of hard counters that entirely prevent Mesprit from doing its job. Notably, specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Registeel are nigh impossible for Mesprit to break through, as are Dark-types such as Spiritomb and Drapion. For this reason, perhaps the best partner to this set has to be Dugtrio, as Dugtrio can reliably remove each of these Pokemon bar Spiritomb thanks to its blistering Speed, Arena Trap, and relatively strong Earthquake. However, if Dugtrio, for whatever reason, is not a good fit, there are some other Pokemon that work well. As usual, Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Blaziken are great partners due to their ability to lay down immense pressure against the likes of Chansey and Registeel while also resisting the common Dark-types moves that are launched at Mesprit. Alternatively, Pokemon that can lure in and weaken these Pokemon, such as Exeggutor, Venusaur, or Mismagius are also excellent partners, as by sacrificing themselves, they can do enough damage to these specially defensive Pokemon or Dark-types that they will be easily cleaned up by Mesprit.

Aside from Pokemon who that can fearlessly take on Mesprit's (Apostrophe) hard counters, Mesprit also appreciates Pokemon teammates that can lure in Pokemon which that it can freely set up on. Typically, these include Fighting-, Poison-, and Ground-types such as Hitmontop, Hariyama, Weezing, Vensaur, and Donphan, or other slow Pokemon that are threatened by Mesprit's coverage, such as Omastar. For this reason, defensive Steel-types such as Registeel and Steelix are excellent partners, as they lure in Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon, are resistant to Mesprit's weaknesses, and provide valuable support through status and Stealth Rock.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Access to a wide range of coverage moves, a solid Speed tier, (AC) and a respectable Special Attack stat make Mesprit a very solid choice if your team is in need of a revenge killer. By slapping a Choice Scarf onto this pink pixie sprite, Mesprit gains the speed that it needs to successfully revenge kill many dangerous threats in the UU metagame, including the likes of Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, and Dragon Dance Altaria, who which may otherwise be difficult to cover in a single teamslot. On top of that, once certain conditions are met, Mesprit can easily mop up the opposing team with its strong STAB Psychic and blistering Speed with a Choice Scarf attached. Additionally, Mesprit's access to strong utility moves in Trick and U-turn give Mesprit enough utility to make itself useful once it has successfully revenge killed (RH) the threats that it has been designated to deal with, or if it is being used against a more defensive team that lacks threats that can be easily revenge killed. (RH) To top it all off, Mesprit's immunity to Spikes means that it isn't hampered by entry hazards as much of its fellow revenge killers, (RH, RC) and can easily weave in and out of the match to force out dangerous sweepers.

Psychic is Mesprit's strongest attack, and it is Mesprit's best shot at revenge killing (RH) Pokemon that are neutral to Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, as well as generally its best shot at occasionally pulling off a successful sweep. Ice Beam provides strong coverage and hits crucial threats such as the aforementioend aforementioned Rock Polish Torterra and Dragon Dance Altaria, as well as threats such as Sceptile, Exeggutor and Leafeon. Similarly, (AC) Thunderbolt allows Mesprit to slay Dragon Dance Feraligatr, (RC) as well as Moltres and Azumarill. It is also Mesprit's best shot at dealing damage to Houndoom. The choice of Trick or U-turn depends on whether or not your team needs the ability to cripple defensive Pokemon such as Registeel and Chansey, in which case Trick is superior, or if your team has Pokemon that can take advantage of Mesprit's common switch-ins such as Spiritomb, Houndoom, (AC) and Drapion, thus making U-turn an excellent choice for gaining momentum. Additionally, Healing Wish is a viable option in the last slot if your team has a powerful sweeper that can take advantage of a second life, but its utility is typically far more limited throughout the game than either Trick or U-turn.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

With a Timid nature and maximum Speed EVs along with its Choice Scarf, Mesprit will hit a Speed stat of 426, which outpaces a large portion of UU, including Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Alakazam, Moltres, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron. However, be careful to note that Mesprit's ability to outspeed Rock Polish Torterra, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Rock Polish Aggron depends on the opponent's use of a neutral nature on these Pokemon rather than a Speed-boosting nature. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Attack, as with a Timid nature and no power-boosting item such as Life Orb or Expert Belt, Mesprit is actually not that strong, which means it needs all the help it can get.

This set is fairly splashable and can be fit onto most teams quite easily, although it is often more suitable for offensive teams that need a fast Choice Scarf-wielding Pokemon to provide insurance against a wide range of threats. If U-turn is used, pairing Mesprit with Dugtrio or Houndoom can be an excellent option to take advantage of the Spiritomb and Registeel that may attempt to switch into Mesprit. Additionally, Fighting-types such as Blaziken, Toxicroak, and Hariyama can be effective at punishing Dark-types such as Spiritomb, Houndoom, and Drapion from freely switching into Mesprit. If Trick is used, using Mesprit as a lure for walls such as Registeel, Milotic, or Chansey can be useful, as crippling these defensive behemoths can set the stage for other strong special attackers such as Sceptile or Moltres to sweep. Alternatively, Tricking a wall can allow a setup (RH) sweeper such as Rock Polish Torterra, Rock Polish Aggron, or Toxicroak to freely set up and pressure the opposing team. Furthermore, as this Mesprit set lacks power, Pokemon that can set up Spikes are appreciated, such as Omastar, Qwilfish, and Cloyster, as they increase the likeliness likelihood that Mesprit can sweep through the opposing team, (RC) while also providing more residual damage to punish switches into Mesprit's (Apostrophe) U-turn.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Trick
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
ability: Levitate
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While Mesprit is mostly seen as a specially offensive threat or a supportive Pokemon, Mesprit can actually be a surprisingly solid physical attacker when equipped with a Choice Band. The combination of surprise value and the utility of a powerful U-turn and Trick make this set a reasonable option for certain teams, especially ones that are looking to bait typical responses to Mesprit, including Dark-types such as Houndoom, Drapion, and Spiritomb, as well as special walls such as Chansey or Clefable, into taking solid damage from Mesprit's (Apostrophe) Choice Band-boosted U-turns or Zen Headbutts. These factors, in combo combination with Mesprit's (Apostrophe) respectable coverage due to its access to Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, (AC) and Fire Punch all make this a viable, albeit fairly unorthodox way of using Mesprit. As the captain of a great brigade once said, although it is not Mesprit's (Apostrophe) finest set, it would be unwise to dismiss it entirely as it is a set Mesprit can still use with some effectiveness.

Thanks to the healthy Attack boost from Choice Band, Zen Headbutt does a startling amount of damage to many of the special walls that commonly want to switch into Mesprit, cleanly 2HKOing Chansey and Clefable on the switch. U-turn acts as solid coverage against Dark-type Pokemon, 3HKOing most Spiritomb and Drapion, and provides a way for Mesprit to scout the composition of the opposing team. Of the other coverage moves that Mesprit has available to it, Fire Punch is its best option due to its ability to solidly dent Registeel and Steelix. Finally, as Mesprit does not have too many other physical options, Trick is the best move it can run in its last slot, as it allows Mesprit to at least cripple physically defensive Pokemon that it has no hopes of denting, such as Slowbro. However, be wary of using Trick with no restraint, as unlike with Tricking a Choice Scarf, Tricking a Choice Band can actually have detrimental effects if given to a Pokemon such as Rhyperior.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Like most Choice Band-wielding Pokemon, maximum Attack and Speed investment is the best EV spread for Mesprit, as it gives it the Speed and power to perform its job effectively. In particular, due to the low base power Base Power of Mesprit's (Apostrophe) moves, it desperately needs every single point it can get in Attack, and Mesprit's (Apostrophe) base 80 Speed puts it right in line with other prominent Pokemon in the DPP UU metagame, including the omnipresent Venusaur, making it far too valuable to pass up. Although an Adamant nature may seem appealing due to just how weak Mesprit is, losing the potential ability to outspeed and OHKO Venusaur is far too much of a tradeoff to make it worthwhile. If Trick is found to be less impactful than desired, Thunder Punch can be run over it so Mesprit can 2HKO physically defensive Milotic most of the time after Stealth Rock, although generally if it is anticipated that Milotic will switch in, Tricking it tends to leave it more useless than simply hitting it hard with Thunder Punch.

Due to the niche nature of this set, specific partners need to be used in order to make this set worthwhile. In particular, teams using this Mesprit set need to use special attackers than that appreciate having the likes of Chansey, Clefable, or Registeel severely weakened in order to sweep. Fortunately, there are a decent number of Pokemon that can take advantage of this in UU, including Pokemon such as Life Orb Venusaur, Sceptile, and Mismagius. Without these kinds of Pokemon, Mesprit becomes extremely weak, as its sole purpose is to lure in and cripple these Pokemon to the point where they are no longer capable of handling such strong special attacking Pokemon. However, if there is one other application where this Mesprit can be used somewhat effectively, it would have to be on a team with plenty of other strong Pokemon with U-turn, such as the likes of Swellow and Scyther, in order to create a significant amount of pressure through spamming U-turn. In tandem with hazard support in Spikes and Stealth Rock, Mesprit and its partners can wear down physical walls to the point where they are weak enough to be swept by another strong, physical sweeper.

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

Mesprit's movepool is exceptionally diverse, and while many sets have been covered in this analysis, there are still a few different sets that Mesprit can use. Notably, Mesprit has access to both Light Screen and Reflect, which means that it can feasibly use a Dual Screens dual screens set to facilitate a deadly setup (RH) sweeper's sweep. Mesprit's access to Healing Wish also means that if said sweeper is unable to fully tear through the opposing team, Mesprit can simply set up both screens once more and Healing Wish that set up sweeper back to full health, almost guaranteeing a sweep if managed to be pulled off. However, this set in general suffers too much competition from Uxie, as Memento is extremely valuable for safely bringing in a setup (RS) sweeper of choice without taking significant prior damage. While Healing Wish is strong, Mesprit must switch out and let its desired sweeper tank damage on the switch in most cases, leaving it much more vulnerable to being KO'd KOed from stray priority moves. A mono-attacking Calm Mind set with Rest and Sleep Talk could also be used in certain scenarios, but the prevalence of Dark- and Steel-type Pokemon in the tier makes such an option generally poor, as even after accruing multiple boosts, Mesprit would still be unable to break through common Pokemon such as Registeel and Spiritomb.

Mesprit also has a few different moves and items you can run on the provided sets, but they typically are inferior options. Energy Ball is a usable move if you're scared of facing lighter opponents that Grass Knot cannot touch, such as Lanturn, but the prominence of heavier Pokemon (notably, Grass Knot has 100 base power Base Power against Milotic) makes Grass Knot typically the better choice. Signal Beam is neat at times to do solid damage to Psychic- or Dark-type Pokemon who that may attempt to switch into Mesprit's Psychic, but its low base power Base Power hinders it. Knock off is an interesting utility option, as removing Leftovers, Life Orb, or Choice items from certain Pokemon can severely hinder their effectiveness, but it's (Apostrophe) difficult to fit it on most of Mesprit's sets due to its lack of power. If Pursuit is proving too much of an issue, Colbur Berry is a usable option to allow Mesprit to escape Pursuit once, although losing Leftovers or Life Orb is generally a poor trade. Finally, while a bit gimmicky, Charm has some niche applications in weakening the damage that Mesprit will take from Pursuit, forcing some switches, and helping sweepers set up more easily.

Checks and Counters
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<p>Due to Mesprit's versatility, it can be somewhat difficult to deal with it, (AC) as it can be difficult to know which set it is running. However, there are a few Pokemon that are generally very solid answers to it regardless of its set. Dark-type Pokemon such as Drapion, Houndoom, Absol, and Spiritomb are immune to Mesprit's main attack, can threaten Mesprit with super effective STAB attacks, (AC) and threaten Mesprit with Pursuit if it wishes to switch to safety. The presence of these Pokemon on an opponent's team is troubling for Mesprit, as they will force Mesprit's trainer to make some tough predictions to ensure that Mesprit does not get knocked out. While they are unable to switch in as easily as Dark-types, in general Pokemon that can hit Mesprit extremely hard while possessing Pursuit, such as Scyther, Tauros, and Swellow, (AC) are also solid options. Mesprit's vulnerability to Pursuit is perhaps its biggest weakness, (RC) and is easily the best way to ensure that it does not remain a pest throughout the match. By threatening Mesprit with these Pokemon, it can be tricky for Mesprit to successfully set up what it wants without being KOed.

Defensively, strong specially defensive Pokemon such as Registeel, Chansey, Clefable, and Milotic are all reasonably strong answers to Mesprit. While they are hit harder by Trick than offensive Dark-types and Pokemon with Pursuit, they are also able to switch into Mesprit's attacks with impunity and whittle it down with Seismic Toss in the case of the first three, and Surf in the case of Milotic. However, they are unable to deter Mesprit from utilizing its supportive capabilities. To stop Mesprit from using moves such as Stealth Rock, faster Pokemon with Taunt are natural answers. However, Taunt is only particularly useful if it is used to counter a Mesprit lead, as by the time a Pokemon with Taunt is switched into Mesprit, Mesprit will already have taken the free turn to set up whatever it wishes and switch out for free. This being said, an excellent option to deal with pesky Mesprit leads is Taunt Mismagius, as it outspeeds Mesprit and can threaten with it a super effective STAB Shadow Ball while also detering deterring it from setting up.

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