VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 4
The Delta Articles
Written By TheQuantumJumper, Legyro and Phlygone
Intro
Written by Legyro
What is going on everyone?! Welcome to Issue 4 of The Delta Articles! We have a lot of stuff planned for you guys today, including new articles and new changes to some of the articles you know and love! Up first is The Metagame, as per usual, and this time TheQuantumJumper (TQJ) will be going over weather. Following that is the ever useful Pokémon Spotlight, hosted by yours truly, of course; this week we will be going over the equally useful Mew. Afterwards, it’s time get right into battling as we kick off yet another exciting Battle Arcade challenge, run by the one and only Phlygone. Next is the Team Spotlight, in which some different things will be happening there, so make sure to check that out. Finally, before you leave us, be sure to check out the new article made by TQJ, called The PokeNav! Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s hop right in!
The MetaGame: Forecast
Written By TheQuantumJumper
| Yo, champ in the making! It’s the first snow of the year here, so this issue’s topic is especially relevant. In previous generations, weather was a powerful tool that many teams were built around. However, recent nerfs to the Pokémon that set up the weather have lead it to be a significantly smaller aspect of the game. Originally, Pokémon with an ability that caused weather would not have a time limit on the weather that was created, and had to be forcibly removed by the opposing team, creating “weather wars” where players would struggle to keep their weather up and their opponents down. Now, weather only lasts 5 turns regardless of being set up by ability or move, with a few exceptions. |  Castform = Gym Guide |
Harsh Sunlight:
Harsh sunlight is induced by the move Sunny Day or the ability Drought. If the weather setting Pokémon is holding a Heat Rock it will extend the duration to be 8 turns instead of the usual 5. During harsh sunlight, fire type moves hit for 150% damage and water type moves hit for 50% damage. Additionally, several moves are changed. Solarbeam doesn’t require a turn to charge, Growth will raise the user’s attack and special attack two stages, reduces the accuracy of Thunder and Hurricane to 50%, causes Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun to recover ⅔ max HP, and makes Weather Ball fire type and doubles its power. It also activates several abilities: Chlorophyll, Dry Skin, Flower Gift, Forecast, Leaf Guard, and Solar Power. Lastly, Pokémon with Harvest will always successfully harvest their berry and Pokémon cannot be frozen.
Extremely Harsh Sunlight:
Brought upon by Primal Groudon’s ability, Desolate Land. It does not expire until no user of Desolate Land remains in the field or is overwritten by heavy rain or a mysterious air current. Normal weather moves and abilities will fail under these conditions as well. In addition to all the effects of harsh sunlight, water type moves will fail during this weather, though scald and steam eruption will still thaw the user.
Rain:
Rain is induced by the ability Drizzle or the move Rain Dance, and is extended by the item Damp Rock. While in effect, water type moves hit for 150% damage and fire type moves and Solarbeam hit for 50% damage. Rain activates the abilities Dry Skin, Forecast, Hydration, Rain Dish, and Swift Swim. Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP. Weather Ball becomes the water type and is doubled in power, and allows Thunder and Hurricane to bypass accuracy checks.
Heavy Rain:
The counterpart to extremely harsh sunlight, resulting from Primal Kyorge’s ability, Primordial Sea. It remains the weather until no user of Primordial Sea is in the battlefield or overwritten by extremely harsh sunlight or a mysterious air current. In addition to preventing normal weather moves and abilities from working, fire type moves will fail during Heavy Rain, but can still thaw frozen Pokémon that use them.
Sandstorm:
Created by the ability Sand Stream or the cleverly named move, Sandstorm, it can be extended just like other weather conditions by holding a Smooth Rock. At the end of each turn, Pokémon lose 1/16 of their maximum HP unless they are rock, steel, or ground types or have one of the following abilities: Sand Force, Sand Rush, Sand Guard (whose effects are activated), Overcoat, or Magic Guard. Pokémon holding Safety Goggles are also immune to this damage. Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Solarbeam hits for half damage. Finally, Weather Ball becomes the rock type and doubles in power.
Hail:
Hail serves as a counterpart to sandstorm, created by Snow Warning or the move Hail, and is extended when holding an Icy Rock. Like sandstorm, it deals 1/16 of maximum HP to Pokémon, with the immune type being only ice. The abilities Ice Body, Snow Cloak, Magic Guard, and Overcoat or holding safety goggles will prevent this damage as well. Weather Ball becomes the ice type and hits for double damage. During hail, Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Solarbeam hits for half damage. Finally, Blizzard bypasses accuracy checks while hail is active.
Mysterious Air Current:
Created by Mega-Rayquaza’s ability, Delta Stream (which is also the namesake of this website), mysterious air current functions identically to both of the Primal Reversion abilities. Aside from the effects shared by these three abilities, the only other effect is the removal of flying type’s weaknesses.
Notable Interactions:
The abilities Airlock and Cloud Nine will suppress the effects of weather, but will not eliminate them. Castform’s ability, Forecast, allows it to change type and appearance when in hail, rain, or harsh sunlight.
Summary:
So, how can we use weather effectively? Typically, you will want at least one Pokémon that can set the weather you want on your team using an ability. Other Pokémon that can set it using the a move are useful, but being able to switch in to start the weather is incredibly valuable so you don’t have to spend a turn doing it. You’ll also want to make sure you have multiple Pokémon that benefit from the weather in some way from it--you’ll want some of these to be the center of your strategy. Not all of you Pokémon have to directly benefit from it; be sure to cover your weaknesses and be prepared in case you can’t keep the weather out. The more options you have the stronger your team will be!
Harsh sunlight is induced by the move Sunny Day or the ability Drought. If the weather setting Pokémon is holding a Heat Rock it will extend the duration to be 8 turns instead of the usual 5. During harsh sunlight, fire type moves hit for 150% damage and water type moves hit for 50% damage. Additionally, several moves are changed. Solarbeam doesn’t require a turn to charge, Growth will raise the user’s attack and special attack two stages, reduces the accuracy of Thunder and Hurricane to 50%, causes Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun to recover ⅔ max HP, and makes Weather Ball fire type and doubles its power. It also activates several abilities: Chlorophyll, Dry Skin, Flower Gift, Forecast, Leaf Guard, and Solar Power. Lastly, Pokémon with Harvest will always successfully harvest their berry and Pokémon cannot be frozen.
Extremely Harsh Sunlight:
Brought upon by Primal Groudon’s ability, Desolate Land. It does not expire until no user of Desolate Land remains in the field or is overwritten by heavy rain or a mysterious air current. Normal weather moves and abilities will fail under these conditions as well. In addition to all the effects of harsh sunlight, water type moves will fail during this weather, though scald and steam eruption will still thaw the user.
Rain:
Rain is induced by the ability Drizzle or the move Rain Dance, and is extended by the item Damp Rock. While in effect, water type moves hit for 150% damage and fire type moves and Solarbeam hit for 50% damage. Rain activates the abilities Dry Skin, Forecast, Hydration, Rain Dish, and Swift Swim. Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP. Weather Ball becomes the water type and is doubled in power, and allows Thunder and Hurricane to bypass accuracy checks.
Heavy Rain:
The counterpart to extremely harsh sunlight, resulting from Primal Kyorge’s ability, Primordial Sea. It remains the weather until no user of Primordial Sea is in the battlefield or overwritten by extremely harsh sunlight or a mysterious air current. In addition to preventing normal weather moves and abilities from working, fire type moves will fail during Heavy Rain, but can still thaw frozen Pokémon that use them.
Sandstorm:
Created by the ability Sand Stream or the cleverly named move, Sandstorm, it can be extended just like other weather conditions by holding a Smooth Rock. At the end of each turn, Pokémon lose 1/16 of their maximum HP unless they are rock, steel, or ground types or have one of the following abilities: Sand Force, Sand Rush, Sand Guard (whose effects are activated), Overcoat, or Magic Guard. Pokémon holding Safety Goggles are also immune to this damage. Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Solarbeam hits for half damage. Finally, Weather Ball becomes the rock type and doubles in power.
Hail:
Hail serves as a counterpart to sandstorm, created by Snow Warning or the move Hail, and is extended when holding an Icy Rock. Like sandstorm, it deals 1/16 of maximum HP to Pokémon, with the immune type being only ice. The abilities Ice Body, Snow Cloak, Magic Guard, and Overcoat or holding safety goggles will prevent this damage as well. Weather Ball becomes the ice type and hits for double damage. During hail, Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Solarbeam hits for half damage. Finally, Blizzard bypasses accuracy checks while hail is active.
Mysterious Air Current:
Created by Mega-Rayquaza’s ability, Delta Stream (which is also the namesake of this website), mysterious air current functions identically to both of the Primal Reversion abilities. Aside from the effects shared by these three abilities, the only other effect is the removal of flying type’s weaknesses.
Notable Interactions:
The abilities Airlock and Cloud Nine will suppress the effects of weather, but will not eliminate them. Castform’s ability, Forecast, allows it to change type and appearance when in hail, rain, or harsh sunlight.
Summary:
So, how can we use weather effectively? Typically, you will want at least one Pokémon that can set the weather you want on your team using an ability. Other Pokémon that can set it using the a move are useful, but being able to switch in to start the weather is incredibly valuable so you don’t have to spend a turn doing it. You’ll also want to make sure you have multiple Pokémon that benefit from the weather in some way from it--you’ll want some of these to be the center of your strategy. Not all of you Pokémon have to directly benefit from it; be sure to cover your weaknesses and be prepared in case you can’t keep the weather out. The more options you have the stronger your team will be!
Pokemon Spotlight: Mew
Written by Legyro
 Mew in its natural habitat, your dreams. | What is up guys? Today, I have got an awesome Pokémon Spotlight for you guys. I have picked my brain all the way through to bring you guys all of these move sets, which, as you will notice, is quite a lot of sets. The Pokémon in question is our good friend Mew, who shines brightly in the OU tier. I could sit here all day and give a speech on the merits of Mew, but rather than that, let's just hop into the article, shall we? |
Base Stats:
HP: 100
Atk: 100
Def: 100
Sp. Atk: 100
Sp. Def: 100
Speed: 100
Ability:
Synchronize: When a Pokémon with Synchronize is burned, paralyzed, or poisoned by another Pokémon, that Pokémon will be inflicted with the same status condition. Synchronize will not inflict sleep or freeze.
Synchronize will have no effect if the opponent has a type, Ability, or team condition (e.g. Safeguard) that prevents it from being burned, paralyzed, or poisoned. However, Synchronize does affect an opponent behind a substitute.
If a Pokémon with Synchronize has a Berry that cures the status condition it was just inflicted with, Synchronize will activate before the Berry is eaten.
Synopsis:
If you read the preview from last issue, then you would know that I called Mew the “Universal Move User.” In case that doesn’t quite register in your head, that means that Mew can use almost any move in existence. The only moves that Mew cannot learn are signature moves, like Volcarona’s Fiery Dance, or Beedril’s Fell Stinger. However, despite that, I still like to call our good buddy Mew the “Omniuser,” because he’s close enough, am I right? Due to this fact, Mew is very versatile can can run a menagerie of movesets to fit any play style. Half of the magic of playing with a Mew is just coming up with what you will play him as. It is not often that you have a Pokémon that can fill the role of any position on a team and still be viable, and yet Mew can do this. It is also worth mentioning that Mew is a “100s” Pokémon (Pokémon with all stats equalling 100), and is the first of six “100s” Pokémon that we will cover in Pokémon Spotlight.
One thing I would like to mention is that because Mew has 100 base HP, he can get a maximum of 404 HP when fully invested. This is known as the 101 Sub Rule. The 101 Sub Rule means that a Pokémon using the move Substitute will give that Substitute 101 HP. This is because a Sub will take up ¼ of the user’s HP, and 404 divided by 4 is 101. “So, why is this important,” you may ask? The reason this is important is because of moves like Seismic Toss, which deal damage based on the user’s level. Since Pokémon have a maximum level of 100, S-Toss can only do a maximum of 100 damage. If you start to see where I’m going with this, a Pokémon with a “101 Sub” will be able to keep their Sub intact after the first S-Toss, allowing said Pokémon to set-up, status, or do other dangerous things from behind the Sub. This means that Mew can Sub on a Chansey, and set-up for a sweep all over said Chansey. This rule is one of the few reasons why I run some Pokémon with even HP numbers, however this rule can apply to any Pokémon with an HP stat of 100+ and that utilizes Substitute in its move set.
Now, I could go on and on about the awesomeness that is Mew, but wouldn’t you rather just see for yourself? Also, I made sure to add a whole bunch of sets this time just to show you how versatile Mew really is! I hope you enjoy!
Standard Sets:These sets are the norm, what you will normally see throughout your laddering career on Pokémon Showdown, as well as in-game PvP. They work really well with most standard laddering teams and are what make this Pokémon so viable in its tier.
Standard Wallbreaker
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
This is probably the most standard and most common Mew set in the OU metagame at the current time. With nice bulk and a wide range of moves to choose from, it makes an ideal Wallbreaker. Taunt is always a great move to have versus walls because they mostly utilize non-offensive moves, which taunt blocks. Soft-Boiled is a great recovery move for dealing with damage that you might take while dealing with said walls, although you can use Roost if you want, not that it makes too much of a difference. Since we are not invested in physical defence, it is important that we have Will-O-Wisp to cut the attack of any Pokémon that is physically offensive. Rounding off the the set is one of the best moves in the game: Knock Off. Knock Off makes the opponent lose their item, which could mean a loss of power, recovery, defense, or speed for the opponent, and is almost always a favorable outcome for you (Rocky Helmet KOing you is one such outcome that is not favorable). In all, this set is very solid and does its job very well, which is why it is so widely used.
Defog Support
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Soft-Boiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psychic
Another common set on the OU ladder. This set in particular features the ever-important hazard-removal move: Defog. Will-O-Wisp and Soft-Boiled are there for crippling physical attackers and recovering respectively. I put Psychic on here because it’s just a nice STAB move, but if you want to use Knock Off or Psyshock, by all means, go for it. Other than that, this set works the same as the last one, and has the same EVs as the last set as well.
Fun Sets:
These sets are not meant to be serious, however, they can still work with the right play style and teammates. I would suggest not using these to raise your ELO, but rather just to mess around and have fun with. Enjoy!
Note: I prefer to think of these sets as “cool” rather than simply just to mess around with. Mew has so many different things it can do, that some of these sets might actually be good. However, that is for you to find out for yourself.
Suicide Lead Rocker
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Explosion
This set was fun to build, and is very similar the set that is run by Azelf in the OU and UU metagames. Unfortunately, this set works a lot better on the aforementioned Pokémon than it does on Mew, but hey, when you can copy stuff just for the heck of it, why not, am I right? The difference here is that we run Knock Off over Flamethrower and run Jolly Nature over Naive Nature. The strategy here is to taunt any hazard set up Pokémon, set up our own hazards, then Knock Off/Explode all over them. Explosion gets off a nice chunk of damage on anything that doesn’t resist it, possibly killing any threat that thinks it can come in and set up on this Mew. Also, Explosion blocks Rapid Spin/Defog, so that is a good way to stop hazard removal Pokémon too. We have Focus Sash to take any hit guaranteed (unless it’s scald and it burns), so we can set up the all-too-important Stealth Rocks. We run max speed to outspeed as much as possible and max attack to do as much damage as possible when we Explode.
Choice Scarf Surprise
Mew @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
Kind of a fun set. It’s surprising since no one really uses CS Mew, but it might net you a few kills. Psyshock is a good STAB move, Thunderbolt hits things like Starmie and Mandibuzz (both like coming in on Mew), Ice Beam wrecks Garchomp and Lando-T, and U-turn is a nice pivot move for Mew. Knock Off is always a good option for Mew, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast hits things like Ferrothorn and Heracross hard if you want to consider those moves instead. Grass Knot is a nice choice for things like Hippowdon and Swampert, and Low Kick hits Tyranitar and Bisharp pretty Hard as well. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is how underwhelming Mew’s damage is. While 100 base Atk/SpA isn’t terrible, it also doesn’t scream “powerhouse” either. So while Thunderbolt might be a nice move against Mandibuzz, don’t expect it to go beyond a 2HKO at the very most, especially if the Mandibuzz is SpD invested (you might be looking at a 3-5HKO by then). All that aside, I still find this set kinda fun (as stated before), so go ahead and give it a shot if you are brave enough.
A Different Kind of Wallbreaker
Mew @ Expert Belt
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Super Fang
- Brine
- Aura Sphere
This is a cool set I got from my good friend Wrymthem, who is using the ever popular Super Fang + Brine combo. Super Fang is nice against walls as it does a flat 50% of their current health, ignoring their defenses, which can really put a dent in the wall’s ability to do its job. Brine does double damage if the target is at 50% health or less, aka a perfect move to go in conjunction with S-Fang. We also have Psychic (or Psyshock), for some nice STAB, and Aura Sphere for some nice neutral coverage. We also have this Mew hold an Expert Belt so we do more damage on Super Effective hits. Overall, this set is pretty balanced, so if your have an open spot on your team and you need a wallbreaker, this is the set to use.
Sub + Bulk Up
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Knock Off
This is probably my favorite set out of all the the Mew sets we have listed here. This set takes advantage of the “101 Sub” Rule I mentioned earlier to set up a Sub on a wall and then proceed to set up Bulk Ups. If you come in on a Chansey and your opponent decides to foolishly stay in, you can easily set up to +6 Atk/Def and sweep the game from there. We have Drain Punch to recover the health we lose from Subbing, and Knock Off to annoy the opponent. I put max HP and Atk EVs for the Sub Rule and max damage. You will notice I put the last 4 EVs into Speed so we can speed creep uninvested, neutral-natured base 100s, like Sub + T-Wave Jirachi.
Sub + Calm Mind
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
Pretty much the same as the last set, only on the special side. Psyshock and Shadow Ball make almost perfect neutral coverage, with the exception of Dark-types and some others, but otherwise a solid combination. If you want to use other moves like Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, etc, that’s fine too. We have 0 Atk IVs because of Foul Play and Confusion shenanigans.
SD Baton Pass/Nasty Pass
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance/Nasty Plot
- Hypnosis
- Baton Pass
- Knock Off/Psyshock/Aura Sphere
On a personal level, I hate people who use Baton Pass (BP) as a means of winning a game. This is because if they pull it off and sweep, they think they are skilled, and if they are Taunted and fail to get the pass off, they immediately quit and call hax. This is beyond frustrating for me to see, because as a competitive Pokémon player, you should have multiple strategies of winning a game and be able to deal with as many bad situations as possible. So, if you guys plan on using this set, promise me that this will not be your only win condition, please? Pretty please? Ok, cool. Anyway, Mew is probably one of the cooler Baton Passers because he gets almost every single-stat boosting move in the game (ie. Swords Dance, Iron Defense, Nasty Plot, Amnesia, Agility). That means that you can choose whatever stat you want to be passed for your team mate. Before the Baton Pass clause came out, a successful BP practically guaranteed a win, but now with said BP Clause in play, it is now harder to do so (but not impossible). For those who don’t know what the Baton Pass Clause is, click here to find out. You can also use Baton Pass on the Sub + Bulk Up/Sub + CM sets if you would like, as those are both fantastic movesets for BP. Hypnosis is on here so we can put the opponent to sleep and set up safely; and Knock Off is there to do normal things that it usually does.
SD Physical Sweeper
Mew @ Life Orb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Soft-Boiled
A standard sweeping set featuring Swords Dance and Drain Punch. Zen Headbutt is a decent STAB move that hits this hard after +2 and has a chance to flinch, which is always nice. Rounding off the set is Soft-Boiled for recovery, as you will be taking quite a bit of damage from Life Orb recoil. You can also make this a special set with Nasty Plot, Psychic/Psyshock, and Giga Drain if you so choose to, both sets works relatively the same way.
Go Go Power Rangers Transform!
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Transform
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Here is another wonderful set that is absolutely annoying to play against. Transform allows you to become the opposing Pokémon, along with all of its stat changes. That’s nice and all, but you only get half of all the PP that Pokémon has, so you might end up being at a disadvantage. Personally, I don’t ever want to have to depend on my opponent to win a game, but that is just me. The other three move slots are up to you, I just chose Stealth Rock, Taunt, and Soft-Boiled for the standard shenanigans the Mew does otherwise. If you want to see the cancer in action, refer to last weeks Battle Arcade!
Playing Against a Mew:
As stated many times throughout the article, Mew is a wildcard with access to so many moves and combos that it’s hard to have a good Pokémon to counter all the possibilities. However, one thing is certain: for the most part, Mew relies heavily on set-up moves to do what it needs to do; things like Stealth Rocks, Will-O-Wisp, Roost, or boosting moves. An easy way to make Mew much less of a threat is by simply using Taunt on it. Sure, you might feel silly after you Taunt the Choice Scarf set, but perhaps not so much if its the Sub + Bulk Up set or the Baton Pass set. Other than that, the best thing you can do is just adapt to the situation. Look at the enemy team to see what kind of Mew they have; most Mews are used to fill empty spots in teams, so use that as a big hint for what kind of Mew it is.
And with that, I’m going to stop there. Whew! That was a LOT of writing. There are many other sets that I didn’t include, like a Dual Screens Set, a Cleric Set, and a Choice Specs Set, but with all the sets I put out already, I figured you guys would have enough to go on for a while. I hope you guys learned about the magic of Mew today, and that you get out there and use these sets to have some fun on the ladder; or make your own sets, I’m not your daddy. With all of that said, I wish you good luck on your laddering!
HP: 100
Atk: 100
Def: 100
Sp. Atk: 100
Sp. Def: 100
Speed: 100
Ability:
Synchronize: When a Pokémon with Synchronize is burned, paralyzed, or poisoned by another Pokémon, that Pokémon will be inflicted with the same status condition. Synchronize will not inflict sleep or freeze.
Synchronize will have no effect if the opponent has a type, Ability, or team condition (e.g. Safeguard) that prevents it from being burned, paralyzed, or poisoned. However, Synchronize does affect an opponent behind a substitute.
If a Pokémon with Synchronize has a Berry that cures the status condition it was just inflicted with, Synchronize will activate before the Berry is eaten.
Synopsis:
If you read the preview from last issue, then you would know that I called Mew the “Universal Move User.” In case that doesn’t quite register in your head, that means that Mew can use almost any move in existence. The only moves that Mew cannot learn are signature moves, like Volcarona’s Fiery Dance, or Beedril’s Fell Stinger. However, despite that, I still like to call our good buddy Mew the “Omniuser,” because he’s close enough, am I right? Due to this fact, Mew is very versatile can can run a menagerie of movesets to fit any play style. Half of the magic of playing with a Mew is just coming up with what you will play him as. It is not often that you have a Pokémon that can fill the role of any position on a team and still be viable, and yet Mew can do this. It is also worth mentioning that Mew is a “100s” Pokémon (Pokémon with all stats equalling 100), and is the first of six “100s” Pokémon that we will cover in Pokémon Spotlight.
One thing I would like to mention is that because Mew has 100 base HP, he can get a maximum of 404 HP when fully invested. This is known as the 101 Sub Rule. The 101 Sub Rule means that a Pokémon using the move Substitute will give that Substitute 101 HP. This is because a Sub will take up ¼ of the user’s HP, and 404 divided by 4 is 101. “So, why is this important,” you may ask? The reason this is important is because of moves like Seismic Toss, which deal damage based on the user’s level. Since Pokémon have a maximum level of 100, S-Toss can only do a maximum of 100 damage. If you start to see where I’m going with this, a Pokémon with a “101 Sub” will be able to keep their Sub intact after the first S-Toss, allowing said Pokémon to set-up, status, or do other dangerous things from behind the Sub. This means that Mew can Sub on a Chansey, and set-up for a sweep all over said Chansey. This rule is one of the few reasons why I run some Pokémon with even HP numbers, however this rule can apply to any Pokémon with an HP stat of 100+ and that utilizes Substitute in its move set.
Now, I could go on and on about the awesomeness that is Mew, but wouldn’t you rather just see for yourself? Also, I made sure to add a whole bunch of sets this time just to show you how versatile Mew really is! I hope you enjoy!
Standard Sets:These sets are the norm, what you will normally see throughout your laddering career on Pokémon Showdown, as well as in-game PvP. They work really well with most standard laddering teams and are what make this Pokémon so viable in its tier.
Standard Wallbreaker
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
This is probably the most standard and most common Mew set in the OU metagame at the current time. With nice bulk and a wide range of moves to choose from, it makes an ideal Wallbreaker. Taunt is always a great move to have versus walls because they mostly utilize non-offensive moves, which taunt blocks. Soft-Boiled is a great recovery move for dealing with damage that you might take while dealing with said walls, although you can use Roost if you want, not that it makes too much of a difference. Since we are not invested in physical defence, it is important that we have Will-O-Wisp to cut the attack of any Pokémon that is physically offensive. Rounding off the the set is one of the best moves in the game: Knock Off. Knock Off makes the opponent lose their item, which could mean a loss of power, recovery, defense, or speed for the opponent, and is almost always a favorable outcome for you (Rocky Helmet KOing you is one such outcome that is not favorable). In all, this set is very solid and does its job very well, which is why it is so widely used.
Defog Support
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Soft-Boiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psychic
Another common set on the OU ladder. This set in particular features the ever-important hazard-removal move: Defog. Will-O-Wisp and Soft-Boiled are there for crippling physical attackers and recovering respectively. I put Psychic on here because it’s just a nice STAB move, but if you want to use Knock Off or Psyshock, by all means, go for it. Other than that, this set works the same as the last one, and has the same EVs as the last set as well.
Fun Sets:
These sets are not meant to be serious, however, they can still work with the right play style and teammates. I would suggest not using these to raise your ELO, but rather just to mess around and have fun with. Enjoy!
Note: I prefer to think of these sets as “cool” rather than simply just to mess around with. Mew has so many different things it can do, that some of these sets might actually be good. However, that is for you to find out for yourself.
Suicide Lead Rocker
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Explosion
This set was fun to build, and is very similar the set that is run by Azelf in the OU and UU metagames. Unfortunately, this set works a lot better on the aforementioned Pokémon than it does on Mew, but hey, when you can copy stuff just for the heck of it, why not, am I right? The difference here is that we run Knock Off over Flamethrower and run Jolly Nature over Naive Nature. The strategy here is to taunt any hazard set up Pokémon, set up our own hazards, then Knock Off/Explode all over them. Explosion gets off a nice chunk of damage on anything that doesn’t resist it, possibly killing any threat that thinks it can come in and set up on this Mew. Also, Explosion blocks Rapid Spin/Defog, so that is a good way to stop hazard removal Pokémon too. We have Focus Sash to take any hit guaranteed (unless it’s scald and it burns), so we can set up the all-too-important Stealth Rocks. We run max speed to outspeed as much as possible and max attack to do as much damage as possible when we Explode.
Choice Scarf Surprise
Mew @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
Kind of a fun set. It’s surprising since no one really uses CS Mew, but it might net you a few kills. Psyshock is a good STAB move, Thunderbolt hits things like Starmie and Mandibuzz (both like coming in on Mew), Ice Beam wrecks Garchomp and Lando-T, and U-turn is a nice pivot move for Mew. Knock Off is always a good option for Mew, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast hits things like Ferrothorn and Heracross hard if you want to consider those moves instead. Grass Knot is a nice choice for things like Hippowdon and Swampert, and Low Kick hits Tyranitar and Bisharp pretty Hard as well. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is how underwhelming Mew’s damage is. While 100 base Atk/SpA isn’t terrible, it also doesn’t scream “powerhouse” either. So while Thunderbolt might be a nice move against Mandibuzz, don’t expect it to go beyond a 2HKO at the very most, especially if the Mandibuzz is SpD invested (you might be looking at a 3-5HKO by then). All that aside, I still find this set kinda fun (as stated before), so go ahead and give it a shot if you are brave enough.
A Different Kind of Wallbreaker
Mew @ Expert Belt
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Super Fang
- Brine
- Aura Sphere
This is a cool set I got from my good friend Wrymthem, who is using the ever popular Super Fang + Brine combo. Super Fang is nice against walls as it does a flat 50% of their current health, ignoring their defenses, which can really put a dent in the wall’s ability to do its job. Brine does double damage if the target is at 50% health or less, aka a perfect move to go in conjunction with S-Fang. We also have Psychic (or Psyshock), for some nice STAB, and Aura Sphere for some nice neutral coverage. We also have this Mew hold an Expert Belt so we do more damage on Super Effective hits. Overall, this set is pretty balanced, so if your have an open spot on your team and you need a wallbreaker, this is the set to use.
Sub + Bulk Up
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Knock Off
This is probably my favorite set out of all the the Mew sets we have listed here. This set takes advantage of the “101 Sub” Rule I mentioned earlier to set up a Sub on a wall and then proceed to set up Bulk Ups. If you come in on a Chansey and your opponent decides to foolishly stay in, you can easily set up to +6 Atk/Def and sweep the game from there. We have Drain Punch to recover the health we lose from Subbing, and Knock Off to annoy the opponent. I put max HP and Atk EVs for the Sub Rule and max damage. You will notice I put the last 4 EVs into Speed so we can speed creep uninvested, neutral-natured base 100s, like Sub + T-Wave Jirachi.
Sub + Calm Mind
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
Pretty much the same as the last set, only on the special side. Psyshock and Shadow Ball make almost perfect neutral coverage, with the exception of Dark-types and some others, but otherwise a solid combination. If you want to use other moves like Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, etc, that’s fine too. We have 0 Atk IVs because of Foul Play and Confusion shenanigans.
SD Baton Pass/Nasty Pass
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance/Nasty Plot
- Hypnosis
- Baton Pass
- Knock Off/Psyshock/Aura Sphere
On a personal level, I hate people who use Baton Pass (BP) as a means of winning a game. This is because if they pull it off and sweep, they think they are skilled, and if they are Taunted and fail to get the pass off, they immediately quit and call hax. This is beyond frustrating for me to see, because as a competitive Pokémon player, you should have multiple strategies of winning a game and be able to deal with as many bad situations as possible. So, if you guys plan on using this set, promise me that this will not be your only win condition, please? Pretty please? Ok, cool. Anyway, Mew is probably one of the cooler Baton Passers because he gets almost every single-stat boosting move in the game (ie. Swords Dance, Iron Defense, Nasty Plot, Amnesia, Agility). That means that you can choose whatever stat you want to be passed for your team mate. Before the Baton Pass clause came out, a successful BP practically guaranteed a win, but now with said BP Clause in play, it is now harder to do so (but not impossible). For those who don’t know what the Baton Pass Clause is, click here to find out. You can also use Baton Pass on the Sub + Bulk Up/Sub + CM sets if you would like, as those are both fantastic movesets for BP. Hypnosis is on here so we can put the opponent to sleep and set up safely; and Knock Off is there to do normal things that it usually does.
SD Physical Sweeper
Mew @ Life Orb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Soft-Boiled
A standard sweeping set featuring Swords Dance and Drain Punch. Zen Headbutt is a decent STAB move that hits this hard after +2 and has a chance to flinch, which is always nice. Rounding off the set is Soft-Boiled for recovery, as you will be taking quite a bit of damage from Life Orb recoil. You can also make this a special set with Nasty Plot, Psychic/Psyshock, and Giga Drain if you so choose to, both sets works relatively the same way.
Go Go Power Rangers Transform!
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Transform
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Here is another wonderful set that is absolutely annoying to play against. Transform allows you to become the opposing Pokémon, along with all of its stat changes. That’s nice and all, but you only get half of all the PP that Pokémon has, so you might end up being at a disadvantage. Personally, I don’t ever want to have to depend on my opponent to win a game, but that is just me. The other three move slots are up to you, I just chose Stealth Rock, Taunt, and Soft-Boiled for the standard shenanigans the Mew does otherwise. If you want to see the cancer in action, refer to last weeks Battle Arcade!
Playing Against a Mew:
As stated many times throughout the article, Mew is a wildcard with access to so many moves and combos that it’s hard to have a good Pokémon to counter all the possibilities. However, one thing is certain: for the most part, Mew relies heavily on set-up moves to do what it needs to do; things like Stealth Rocks, Will-O-Wisp, Roost, or boosting moves. An easy way to make Mew much less of a threat is by simply using Taunt on it. Sure, you might feel silly after you Taunt the Choice Scarf set, but perhaps not so much if its the Sub + Bulk Up set or the Baton Pass set. Other than that, the best thing you can do is just adapt to the situation. Look at the enemy team to see what kind of Mew they have; most Mews are used to fill empty spots in teams, so use that as a big hint for what kind of Mew it is.
And with that, I’m going to stop there. Whew! That was a LOT of writing. There are many other sets that I didn’t include, like a Dual Screens Set, a Cleric Set, and a Choice Specs Set, but with all the sets I put out already, I figured you guys would have enough to go on for a while. I hope you guys learned about the magic of Mew today, and that you get out there and use these sets to have some fun on the ladder; or make your own sets, I’m not your daddy. With all of that said, I wish you good luck on your laddering!
Battle Arcade: Forecast
Written by Phlygone & Legyro
Hey guys! I’m back with another Battle Arcade! Last issues arcade was a little sad as only 1 person did Battle Arcade: K. and it was… our lead author TheQuantumJumper. I am going to keep it simple this week to hopefully get more submissions! And if you have any comments, concerns or even ideas for future Battle Arcades feel free to post them in the forums!
Anyways, let’s get started on the winning Battle Arcade!
# of Battle Arcade Winners: 1
Usernames of the Winners: TheQuantumJumper
Forum Username: TheQuantumJumper
Alternate Username: TheQuantumJumper
Ladder Opponent: Slim Reaper 69
Replay: http://replay.Pokémonshowdown.com/ou-292353236
Anyways, let’s get started on the winning Battle Arcade!
# of Battle Arcade Winners: 1
Usernames of the Winners: TheQuantumJumper
Forum Username: TheQuantumJumper
Alternate Username: TheQuantumJumper
Ladder Opponent: Slim Reaper 69
Replay: http://replay.Pokémonshowdown.com/ou-292353236
Actual Gameplay of Last Issues Battle Arcade
Let’s break it down.
After that, we will put Team Spotlight on an indefinite hiatus until we see an increase user submissions. As it is, we have a new article coming up next, written by our good friend TQJ, and it is super cool; so we will just replace the Team Spotlight with that for now. Thank you to everyone who has submitted their teams for the Team Spotlight thus far.
Before we write a eulogy ourselves, this week’s issue brings you a way to apply your knowledge you gained from the The Metagame: Forecast in Battle Arcade: Forecast!
- Adherence to rules: TheQuantumJumper used Pokémon that started with the letter K and all were named properly.
- Number of submissions: 1, which is below the maximum.
- The quality of the users team: Pretty cool team he has here. He goes full rain team with Kingdra, Kabutops and Keldeo paired with Prankster Rain Dance. He adds a set-up sweeper in Klinklang and a nice utility mon in Krookodile. Overall the team isn’t very well balanced, but the best you could expect from the requirements given.
- The quality of the opponent's team: He has some sweet balance with the Dragon/Fairy/Steel type combination, using some of the best offensive Steel Types in the current meta in Empoleon (special) and Hone Claws Durant (physical), which actually do not share a weakness. Donphan is also a good choice for his team as he doesn’t have a major weakness to Water or Grass. However he does have a decent weakness to Steel, which was thoroughly exploited by Klinklang, and Ice.
- The strength of play from both players: Both players played well, just TheQuantumJumper played the right Pokémon in at the right time. One of my favorite plays was when TheQuantumJumper used a paralyzed Empoleon to bring in Krook, and then later when he brings in Klefki to set up hit rain for Kabutops. After Kabutops took out Durant, Klinklang was then able to set up and sweep the remainder of his team.
After that, we will put Team Spotlight on an indefinite hiatus until we see an increase user submissions. As it is, we have a new article coming up next, written by our good friend TQJ, and it is super cool; so we will just replace the Team Spotlight with that for now. Thank you to everyone who has submitted their teams for the Team Spotlight thus far.
Before we write a eulogy ourselves, this week’s issue brings you a way to apply your knowledge you gained from the The Metagame: Forecast in Battle Arcade: Forecast!
- Specific Rules: You have to follow the following Battle Arcade Specific Rules explicitly. Any violation will not merit a feature.
- You must use weather in some way.
- You have to play a ranked game on the OU ladder.
- You have to win!
- General Rules: You have to play on the ladder in the selected tier. You do not have to be on your main account, I just request that the person you are playing against is a total stranger. Also avoid toxicity in chat/Pokémon names. Any excessive toxicity will not merit a feature. REMEMBER: 3 submission maximum!
- Again, this issue’s Battle Arcade will again be played in OU.
- No issues last time: keep it up!
- Bonus Points: Follow these “extra rules” to get yourself some bonus points in my eyes! Remember, not every week will have bonus points.
- Use Castform on your team.
- Use more weather conditions.
Actual Gameplay of Next Issues Battle Arcade
Remember, abide by these rules closely. Remember the rubric also applies this week:
- Adherence to rules: How closely they followed the Battle Arcade rules.
- Number of submissions: I will only take a maximum of 3 submissions per person.
- The quality of the users team: How well constructed your team is.
- REMEMBER: This time we are requesting that you submit your team with your replays! Therefore more weight will be placed on your team’s synergy with weather and each other
- The quality of the opponent's team: How well constructed their team is.
- The strength of play from both players: How well both players played.
- REMEMBER: You get rewarded by going against good opponents who you outplayed.
- Bonus Points: Get these by following Bonus Criteria
PokeNav
Written by TheQuantumJumper
 | Yo, champ in the making, getting tired of this introduction yet? The PokeNav will be a series of peculiar facts about Pokémon, sometimes competitive and sometimes just intriguing. Either way, I hope you enjoy this new and short section! Since we covered competitive weathers in The Metagame, this is an excellent time to talk about some of the weather’s you won’t be seeing in battle. |
Diamond Dust:
A variation of hail, it is only different aesthetically. It occurs in select locations at specific times in generation IV and onward. For example, in X&Y, it occurs on the player’s birthday in Frost Cavern.
Shadowy Aura:
Created by the move Shadow Sky, it deals 1/16 of non-shadow Pokémon’s HP, and is exclusive to Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. It also doubles Weather Ball’s damage, and changes it into the ??? type.
Fog:
Only having gameplay impact in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum versions, fog is quite possibly the most annoying weather effect. All moves have 6/10 their regular accuracy, Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Weather Ball’s damage is doubled, but remains the normal type. It can be removed by Defog or overwritten, and only occurs naturally. In the overworld it makes navigating difficult (but not impossible).
Other Facts:
There is also a single weather dependent evolution: Sligoo to Goodra at level 50 during rain.
A variation of hail, it is only different aesthetically. It occurs in select locations at specific times in generation IV and onward. For example, in X&Y, it occurs on the player’s birthday in Frost Cavern.
Shadowy Aura:
Created by the move Shadow Sky, it deals 1/16 of non-shadow Pokémon’s HP, and is exclusive to Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. It also doubles Weather Ball’s damage, and changes it into the ??? type.
Fog:
Only having gameplay impact in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum versions, fog is quite possibly the most annoying weather effect. All moves have 6/10 their regular accuracy, Moonlight, Synthesis, and Morning Sun restore ¼ maximum HP, and Weather Ball’s damage is doubled, but remains the normal type. It can be removed by Defog or overwritten, and only occurs naturally. In the overworld it makes navigating difficult (but not impossible).
Other Facts:
There is also a single weather dependent evolution: Sligoo to Goodra at level 50 during rain.
Preview: Issue 5
That is all folks, at least for now! We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of The Delta Articles just as much as we had writing it (we DEFINITELY had fun writing it, right guys?). Make sure to check out the forums to submit your teams and replays for this issue’s user submitted content. Be sure to look forward to next issue, where TheQuantumJumper will educate the masses on the topic of Team Archetypes: Hyper Offensive in The Metagame. In Pokémon Spotlight, Legyro will be continuing his path on the route of “100s” Pokémon, where he will use his lack of creativity to create a guide for you on the wonders of Jirachi. Phlygone will reveal the winners of Battle Arcade, as well as its next category. Stay tuned for more interesting facts in The PokeNav. Also, make sure to tune in to Phlygone’s stream two Wednesdays from now (12/2/15) at 5:30 pm PST/7:30 pm CST for the Delta Articles Showcase. So, until next time, stay tuned and stay excited everyone!
Afterword
Did we miss some information worth mentioning? Is there a typo that we missed? Can we improve on what we have already wrote? You have some cool ideas for future issues? Please let us know by clicking here! Your opinion is important to us, as it helps us give you guys better strategies and info. If it is a typo or an error, please be specific in where it is (which article, which section of the article, etc.) when you post on the forum.
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