[OVERVIEW]
Ghost
=====
* Mimikyu has an important role on Ghost teams as a physical attacker that can reliably set up Swords Dance.
* It has a very useful additional fairy typing that allows it to handle Dark types, such as Hoopa-U. This also allows it to boast a Dragon-type immunity, making it a very good offensive check to Hydreigon.
* Its amazing ability in Disguise guarantees Mimikyu an opportunity to set up Swords Dance.
* It has nearly unresisted STAB coverage and useful STAB priority in Shadow Sneak.
* It is very frail due to a poor HP stat, and is especially vulnerable to physical attacks due to its low Defense.
* It relies heavily on Swords Dance to deal a lot of damage due to its mediocre Attack stat.
* Mimikyu is outsped and pressured by common threats in Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, and Greninja.
* Disguise doesn’t protect Mimikyu from status, which it is already quite vulnerable to. Paralysis and Burn halve its Speed and Attack stats respectively and compromise its sweeping capabilities, while Poison puts it on a timer and makes it harder to preserve for the late-game.
* It is susceptible to being revenge killed due to its below average speed and physical bulk.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance (Ghost)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Shadow Claw
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Disguise
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance is mandatory, as it gives Mimikyu a vital boost in power, and Mimikyu is guaranteed to be able to set up once thanks to Disguise.
* Shadow Sneak is a reliable STAB priority move that allows Mimikyu to revenge kill weakened foes like Mega Metagross as well as OHKO potential threats to its team in Gengar and Mega Alakazam when boosted.
* Play Rough is important for hitting Dark-types, which are often big threats to Ghost-type teams.
* Shadow Claw is a strong STAB Attack that when boosted, helps Mimikyu to break slower yet bulkier targets, such as Jellicent and Mega Venusaur.
* With a Ghostium Z, Mimikyu can use Neverending Nightmare to destroy walls or naturally bulky Pokemon, such as Mega Slowbro and Azumarill.
Set Details
========
* Ghostium Z can be used with Shadow Claw to destroy threats to Mimikyu and its team, such as regular Scizor and Mega Venusaur.
* Alternatively, Life Orb gives Mimikyu’s attacks an important boost in power and allows it to 2HKO threats to Ghost teams in Mega Sableye and Doublade, though Neverending Nightmare can deal with these threats just as easily as well as break through other Pokemon like Azumarill with more success.
* A Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment allows Mimikyu to outspeed threats such as Hoopa-U and Porygon-Z.
* Maximum Attack investment allows Mimikyu to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
* It's best to use Mimikyu late-game because of Swords Dance making it a great cleaner that can pick off weakened threats.
* Mimikyu should never switch into any attack, as its Disguise will deactivate, complicating setup.
* Due to Disguise, Swords Dance should usually be the first move Mimikyu uses when it’s out. However, if it wishes to revenge kill a weakened target or hurt a Pokemon that won’t faint to +2 Shadow Sneak, it can use one of its STAB moves instead.
* It’s very hard for Mimikyu to use Swords Dance after its Disguise has been busted unless it’s forcing a switch or its foe can't heavily damage it.
* Mimikyu’s susceptibility to certain forms of priority and status means you should always be aware of these factors on the opponent’s team when using this set. Specifically, Mimikyu fears Scizor’s Bullet Punch and Talonflame’s Acrobatics.
* Mimikyu should be avoiding status at all costs due to its vulnerability to all forms. Burns severely compromise Mimikyu’s breaking capabilites, while paralysis halves its speed and leaves it outsped by the likes of Magnezone and Excadrill. Poison puts Mimikyu on a timer, which keeps it from being able to sweep as long or well as it’d like to, while sleep completely immobilizes it for a number of turns.
* Mimikyu should be sent out after its checks and counters like Alolan Muk and Skarmory are removed or weakened. This way, Mimikyu can reliably set up without worrying about immediately switching out after using Swords Dance.
* It is best to bring Mimikyu in via pivot support from Decidueye with U-turn or after one of its teammates has fainted in order to preserve Disguise.
* If Mimikyu is in danger of fainting and hasn’t yet used Neverending Nightmare, it can activate its Z-Crystal to deliver one final blow to its opponent and weaken it for Mimikyu's teammates to revenge kill.
* Mimikyu is very weak without boosts, which makes revenge killing hard given unboosted Shadow Sneak’s poor damage output.
Team Options
========
* Alolan Marowak and Chandelure can make use of their additional Fire typing to deal switch into and deal with Steel types such as Mega Metagross and Scizor that give Mimikyu trouble.
* Stealth Rock support from the likes of Alolan Marowak and Golurk can help make Mimikyu’s sweep easier due to the residual damage. Additionally, Alolan Marowak can use its Lightning Rod ability to reliably switch into powerful Electric type attacks such as Tapu Koko’s Wild Charge or Alolan Raichu’s Thunderbolt and use its wallbreaking capabilities to weaken Mimikyu's checks.
* Doublade can switch into Steel-type attacks from the likes of Magearna and Jirachi, as well as switch into powerful physical attacks that Mimikyu hates taking, such as Azumarill’s Play Rough or Scizor’s Bullet Punch. Additionally, it can usually take care of the aforementioned threats and use Swords Dance to help weaken checks that it shares with Mimikyu.
* Mimikyu appreciates Will-O-Wisp support from Sableye and Gourgeist-XL due to its poor physical bulk. Additionally, the former can switch in on steel type attacks reliably.
*Jellicent can use the combination of Toxic and Recover to wear down opposing Pokemon and allow Mimikyu to KO them with more ease.
* Mega Sableye is able to cripple physical attackers that threaten Mimikyu with Will-O-Wisp, as well as use its Magic Bounce ability to bounce back entry hazards.
* Froslass provides Mimikyu with both Spikes and Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp support, which allows it to sweep more easily due to outspeeding paralyzed threats, not having to worry about the attacks of burned Pokemon, and being able to break through Pokemon that have already taken Spikes damage more easily.
* Gengar can use its fantastic special coverage to take out physical walls that Mimikyu can have trouble breaking through, such as Porygon2 and Avalugg.
* Dhelmise and Decidueye can get rid of entry hazards, as Mimikyu’s tanking capabilities are even further compromised by its entry hazard vulnerability. They can also switch into powerful Ground-type attacks that threaten Mimikyu, such as Landorus's Earth Power or Garchomp's Earthquake.
* Mimikyu doesn't often want to switch into any attacks, as Disguise will then be broken. Because of this, pivot support from Decidueye with U-turn is very appreciated.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ghost
------
* Will-O-Wisp can be run to cripple Mimikyu’s switch-ins, though this comes at the expense of losing either Shadow Claw or Shadow Sneak.
* Disguise with a Red Card can be run so that Mimikyu can function as an emergency stop to threatening sweepers, though this takes away from Mimikyu’s power due to the lack of Life Orb or a Z Crystal.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ghost
------
**Mega Scizor and Scizor**: Both Scizor and its Mega Evolution can tank any of Mimikyu’s attacks and retaliate with priority Bullet Punch, which will OHKO after Disguise deactivates.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Heatran are able to tank Mimikyu’s attacks and either threaten it out with super effective STAB attacks or use it as fodder for setting up entry hazards.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to its reliance on setup to even dent some frailer Pokemon, Mimikyu struggles to do much to commonly seen physical or mixed walls in Porygon2 and defensive Landorus-T.
**Toxapex**: Toxapex resists Mimikyu’s most powerful STAB attack in Play Rough and is able to tank even a boosted Neverending Nightmare. Furthermore, its access to Toxic and Recover allows it to recover any damage it’s taken from Mimikyu and effectively stall it out.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to Mimikyu's below average Speed stat, it's outsped and threatened by many commonly seen threats in Greninja, Excadrill in sand, and Alolan Ninetales, and it can’t often do much to these threats due to how weak its Shadow Sneak is.
**Pokemon with Mold Breaker**: Commonly seen Pokemon with the ability Mold Breaker, such as Choice Scarf Excadrill and Mega Gyarados, can nullify the effects of Mimikyu's Disguise ability and severely damage it with their STAB attacks, though Mega Gyarados must be wary of Play Rough.
**Status**: Mimikyu is extremely vulnerable to all forms of status and must take care to avoid it at all costs. Burn will halve its attack, thus heavily compromising its sweeping capabilities, while paralysis will ruin its speed. Sleep and freeze will immobilize Mimikyu, and poison will put it on a timer and shorten its sweep.
Ghost
=====
* Mimikyu has an important role on Ghost teams as a physical attacker that can reliably set up Swords Dance.
* It has a very useful additional fairy typing that allows it to handle Dark types, such as Hoopa-U. This also allows it to boast a Dragon-type immunity, making it a very good offensive check to Hydreigon.
* Its amazing ability in Disguise guarantees Mimikyu an opportunity to set up Swords Dance.
* It has nearly unresisted STAB coverage and useful STAB priority in Shadow Sneak.
* It is very frail due to a poor HP stat, and is especially vulnerable to physical attacks due to its low Defense.
* It relies heavily on Swords Dance to deal a lot of damage due to its mediocre Attack stat.
* Mimikyu is outsped and pressured by common threats in Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, and Greninja.
* Disguise doesn’t protect Mimikyu from status, which it is already quite vulnerable to. Paralysis and Burn halve its Speed and Attack stats respectively and compromise its sweeping capabilities, while Poison puts it on a timer and makes it harder to preserve for the late-game.
* It is susceptible to being revenge killed due to its below average speed and physical bulk.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance (Ghost)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Shadow Claw
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Disguise
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance is mandatory, as it gives Mimikyu a vital boost in power, and Mimikyu is guaranteed to be able to set up once thanks to Disguise.
* Shadow Sneak is a reliable STAB priority move that allows Mimikyu to revenge kill weakened foes like Mega Metagross as well as OHKO potential threats to its team in Gengar and Mega Alakazam when boosted.
* Play Rough is important for hitting Dark-types, which are often big threats to Ghost-type teams.
* Shadow Claw is a strong STAB Attack that when boosted, helps Mimikyu to break slower yet bulkier targets, such as Jellicent and Mega Venusaur.
* With a Ghostium Z, Mimikyu can use Neverending Nightmare to destroy walls or naturally bulky Pokemon, such as Mega Slowbro and Azumarill.
Set Details
========
* Ghostium Z can be used with Shadow Claw to destroy threats to Mimikyu and its team, such as regular Scizor and Mega Venusaur.
* Alternatively, Life Orb gives Mimikyu’s attacks an important boost in power and allows it to 2HKO threats to Ghost teams in Mega Sableye and Doublade, though Neverending Nightmare can deal with these threats just as easily as well as break through other Pokemon like Azumarill with more success.
* A Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment allows Mimikyu to outspeed threats such as Hoopa-U and Porygon-Z.
* Maximum Attack investment allows Mimikyu to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
* It's best to use Mimikyu late-game because of Swords Dance making it a great cleaner that can pick off weakened threats.
* Mimikyu should never switch into any attack, as its Disguise will deactivate, complicating setup.
* Due to Disguise, Swords Dance should usually be the first move Mimikyu uses when it’s out. However, if it wishes to revenge kill a weakened target or hurt a Pokemon that won’t faint to +2 Shadow Sneak, it can use one of its STAB moves instead.
* It’s very hard for Mimikyu to use Swords Dance after its Disguise has been busted unless it’s forcing a switch or its foe can't heavily damage it.
* Mimikyu’s susceptibility to certain forms of priority and status means you should always be aware of these factors on the opponent’s team when using this set. Specifically, Mimikyu fears Scizor’s Bullet Punch and Talonflame’s Acrobatics.
* Mimikyu should be avoiding status at all costs due to its vulnerability to all forms. Burns severely compromise Mimikyu’s breaking capabilites, while paralysis halves its speed and leaves it outsped by the likes of Magnezone and Excadrill. Poison puts Mimikyu on a timer, which keeps it from being able to sweep as long or well as it’d like to, while sleep completely immobilizes it for a number of turns.
* Mimikyu should be sent out after its checks and counters like Alolan Muk and Skarmory are removed or weakened. This way, Mimikyu can reliably set up without worrying about immediately switching out after using Swords Dance.
* It is best to bring Mimikyu in via pivot support from Decidueye with U-turn or after one of its teammates has fainted in order to preserve Disguise.
* If Mimikyu is in danger of fainting and hasn’t yet used Neverending Nightmare, it can activate its Z-Crystal to deliver one final blow to its opponent and weaken it for Mimikyu's teammates to revenge kill.
* Mimikyu is very weak without boosts, which makes revenge killing hard given unboosted Shadow Sneak’s poor damage output.
Team Options
========
* Alolan Marowak and Chandelure can make use of their additional Fire typing to deal switch into and deal with Steel types such as Mega Metagross and Scizor that give Mimikyu trouble.
* Stealth Rock support from the likes of Alolan Marowak and Golurk can help make Mimikyu’s sweep easier due to the residual damage. Additionally, Alolan Marowak can use its Lightning Rod ability to reliably switch into powerful Electric type attacks such as Tapu Koko’s Wild Charge or Alolan Raichu’s Thunderbolt and use its wallbreaking capabilities to weaken Mimikyu's checks.
* Doublade can switch into Steel-type attacks from the likes of Magearna and Jirachi, as well as switch into powerful physical attacks that Mimikyu hates taking, such as Azumarill’s Play Rough or Scizor’s Bullet Punch. Additionally, it can usually take care of the aforementioned threats and use Swords Dance to help weaken checks that it shares with Mimikyu.
* Mimikyu appreciates Will-O-Wisp support from Sableye and Gourgeist-XL due to its poor physical bulk. Additionally, the former can switch in on steel type attacks reliably.
*Jellicent can use the combination of Toxic and Recover to wear down opposing Pokemon and allow Mimikyu to KO them with more ease.
* Mega Sableye is able to cripple physical attackers that threaten Mimikyu with Will-O-Wisp, as well as use its Magic Bounce ability to bounce back entry hazards.
* Froslass provides Mimikyu with both Spikes and Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp support, which allows it to sweep more easily due to outspeeding paralyzed threats, not having to worry about the attacks of burned Pokemon, and being able to break through Pokemon that have already taken Spikes damage more easily.
* Gengar can use its fantastic special coverage to take out physical walls that Mimikyu can have trouble breaking through, such as Porygon2 and Avalugg.
* Dhelmise and Decidueye can get rid of entry hazards, as Mimikyu’s tanking capabilities are even further compromised by its entry hazard vulnerability. They can also switch into powerful Ground-type attacks that threaten Mimikyu, such as Landorus's Earth Power or Garchomp's Earthquake.
* Mimikyu doesn't often want to switch into any attacks, as Disguise will then be broken. Because of this, pivot support from Decidueye with U-turn is very appreciated.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ghost
------
* Will-O-Wisp can be run to cripple Mimikyu’s switch-ins, though this comes at the expense of losing either Shadow Claw or Shadow Sneak.
* Disguise with a Red Card can be run so that Mimikyu can function as an emergency stop to threatening sweepers, though this takes away from Mimikyu’s power due to the lack of Life Orb or a Z Crystal.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ghost
------
**Mega Scizor and Scizor**: Both Scizor and its Mega Evolution can tank any of Mimikyu’s attacks and retaliate with priority Bullet Punch, which will OHKO after Disguise deactivates.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Heatran are able to tank Mimikyu’s attacks and either threaten it out with super effective STAB attacks or use it as fodder for setting up entry hazards.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to its reliance on setup to even dent some frailer Pokemon, Mimikyu struggles to do much to commonly seen physical or mixed walls in Porygon2 and defensive Landorus-T.
**Toxapex**: Toxapex resists Mimikyu’s most powerful STAB attack in Play Rough and is able to tank even a boosted Neverending Nightmare. Furthermore, its access to Toxic and Recover allows it to recover any damage it’s taken from Mimikyu and effectively stall it out.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to Mimikyu's below average Speed stat, it's outsped and threatened by many commonly seen threats in Greninja, Excadrill in sand, and Alolan Ninetales, and it can’t often do much to these threats due to how weak its Shadow Sneak is.
**Pokemon with Mold Breaker**: Commonly seen Pokemon with the ability Mold Breaker, such as Choice Scarf Excadrill and Mega Gyarados, can nullify the effects of Mimikyu's Disguise ability and severely damage it with their STAB attacks, though Mega Gyarados must be wary of Play Rough.
**Status**: Mimikyu is extremely vulnerable to all forms of status and must take care to avoid it at all costs. Burn will halve its attack, thus heavily compromising its sweeping capabilities, while paralysis will ruin its speed. Sleep and freeze will immobilize Mimikyu, and poison will put it on a timer and shorten its sweep.
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