Pokemon of the Week #9: Mamoswine

[Professor Palutena]

After a hiatus of sometime, Pokemon of the Week is back and kicking. With a new metagame being developed, now is the perfect time to learn about something cool.

I'm going to focus this week on: Mamoswine. Mamoswine is the definition of "anti-meta". In a metagame that was filled with lots of Dragon-types, Mamoswine stood firm as one of two OU Ice-types, the other being Cloyster. Access to Ice Shard made it an incredible "catch-all" revenge killer against all of OU's Ice weak Pokemon, which were quite numerous. The Dream World decided that it would give Mamoswine Thick Fat, which is a wonderful ability on its own. The problem? As Thick Fat Mamoswine was an event only Pokemon, it lacked access to the critical Ice Shard, as well as Stealth Rock and Superpower from 4th Gen. Because of the losses with this new ability, Mamoswine never used Thick Fat.

Black and White 2 saw Mamoswine, and thought "Hey, we like this guy's dragon slaying skills. Let's make him better.". So they did. Stealth Rock and Superpower became move tutor moves in Black and White 2, both of which could be learned by out dragon-slaying friend. But wait, there is more. Thick Fat Swinub was also released in a new Dream World area. This was critical as Mamoswine was now able to have Ice Shard alongside its new ability Thick Fat. With the move tutors giving this new mammoth all of its tools from Fourth Gen, Mamoswine is now able to stand tall. It has everything it needs to succeed now. The advent of the Therian Genies further heightens the importance of Mamoswine's Ice Shard. All in all, the world is looking kind for Mamoswine. The metagame has been incredibly kind to it, and it is a Pokemon that you can always count on to get the job done.

So everyone, let's talk about Mamoswine.

 

[Juliacoolo]

"and it is a Pokemon that you can always count on to get the job done."

I wouldn't go that far with it, but it's certainly interesting to see how Mamo does now. We'll certainly be seeing a rise in usage.

 

[Guts]

Whatever Mamoswine can do in OU, I feel it can do just as much, if not more in Ubers. In a meta filled with even more dragons, dual STAB and a Life Orb (or a Choice Band) are all it needs to wreck a lot of the offensive and even defensive threats in the meta. But no matter what tier you use it in, I think Mamoswine can do very well with a limited but effective movepool. I loved using Mamo in Gen 4, and it was actually on the first competitive team I ever made. With so many new tools, I think Mamoswine will have a comfortable spot as a powerhouse after BW2 is released.

 

[One Approved]

Mamoswine is a boss, there is no doubt about it. Aside from Scizor, it's probably the best revenge-killer in the game, with Supereffective priority moves moves able to hit Latios, Latias, Salamence, Dragonite, Haxorus, Virizion, Celebi, Breloom, Tornadus(-T), Thundurus-T, and Landorus(-T). Not only this, but with a Choice Scarf equipped, Mamoswine can also effectively outspeed and KO more threats with Superpower and Earthquake. The meta just released 3 new Flying-types, which has made the metagame heaven for mamoswine. It might die out a bit once the genies die out is usage (lol), but until then mamoswine is just goingt o sit there and pwn the metagame.

 

[R-C]

With, an incredibly high Attack and decent speed mamoswine could be an absolute monster if not handled properly. Their are few pokemon that can switch in to Mamo seeing he has Superpower now. He use to be my SR Lead in 4th Gen on every team, but now he is on my teams for a powerful purpose. I find Mamoswine most effective in Rain/Sun teams. Hitting like a truck can really hurts teams with sand seeing it can take out both sand users with little effort. Ice isn't a very good type, but now if someone had to pick a type to go along with it Ground is a top choice. Thick Fat makes this guy an even better asset to your team taking ice/fire type moves a bit better. My #1 thing I like about him is his speed, it's not slow at all which allows it to hit very hard, ice shard enhances that ability even more. Therefore, Mamoswine is either 2nd best or The best revenge killer in the game and is feared by many and counter by few.

Motto for Mamo: ( I'm doing this now each week )

'' Feared by many , countered by few. ''

- R-C

 

[The Yoshi]

Unfortunately, Scizor still dents this monster with priority BP, and Mamoswine only hits it for neutral damage with Superpower. However, Mamoswine doesn't have too many other counters, and with priority Ice Shard, Thick Fat, and Stealth Rock, it has a lot of nifty tools that make it a nice Pokemon to use in the OU meta game. Also, a bunch of weaknesses including Water, Fire, Fighting, and Grass makes it vulnerable to Rain and Sun teams. However, I see a lot of potential for it.

 

[PG24]

Unfortunately, Scizor still dents this monster with priority BP, and Mamoswine only hits it for neutral damage with Superpower. However, Mamoswine doesn't have too many other counters

Enjoy switching your Scizor in on a STAB Earthquake. That 60%+ of health will not be missed. Those Adamant Choice Band Earthquakes can do up to 78% - 92% of damage; a guaranteed OHKO after two rounds of Stealth Rock damage.

(just pointing out that scizor takes neutral damage from all but Mamoswine's ice moves. also, earthquake has 150 BP after STAB while Superpower only has 120)

Also, a bunch of weaknesses including Water, Fire, Fighting, and Grass makes it vulnerable to Rain and Sun teams. However, I see a lot of potential for it.

Thick Fat

 

[The Yoshi]

Ugh silly me. I think I was trying to say that no Pokemon is perfect, though Mamoswine does have a lot of useful tools that make it a good contender for the OU meta game. I still see a lot of problems preventing it from topping the usage boards, but I suppose it does have a nice chance to get high up there.