[overview]
Draft order: Round 2
Price range: 16-17 points
Overview: Meowscarada is a great versatile pick that is an excellent enabler for a draft's centerpiece and/or wincons. It has many viable sets, including being a fast pivot with strong STAB U-turn, a late-game cleaner, or serving as support with entry hazards and Taunt. With solid coverage plus its Protean ability, it is great at forcing opposing switches. However, it's relatively frail and struggles to take hits, so it must be brought in safely.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Fast pivot: Meowscarada often uses a Choice Band, Choice Scarf, or Heavy-Duty Boots; its base 123 Speed is a great way to outspeed opposing threats and force them out with its powerful STAB attacks—Flower Trick and Knock Off—and Triple Axel. It can use STAB U-turn with Protean to do lots of damage to switch-ins and position your team well.
* Lead entry hazard setter: Meowscarada can be used to set Spikes or Toxic Spikes at the start of the game. This set is often paired with Taunt, some attacking moves such as Knock Off or U-turn, and a Focus Sash.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Flower Trick, Knock Off, Sucker Punch
* Setup moves: Nasty Plot, Hone Claws
* Utility moves: Taunt, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Substitute, Trick
* Coverage: U-turn, Triple Axel, Thunder Punch, Low Kick, Play Rough, Power Gem, Brick Break, Aura Sphere
Niche Moves
========
* Leaf Storm: Leaf Storm is good against defensive walls that Meowscarada struggles breaking through such as Dondozo. Leaf Storm is most often ran on entry hazard setting or support sets, especially against physically bulky hazard removers like Great Tusk.
* Leech Seed: Leech Seed can be used along with fast Substitute to chip down some of Meowscarada's incoming checks. Fast Substitute with Leech Seed recovery allows it to regain most of its health while weakening the opponent, which cannot switch out or else Meowscarada can get a free Substitute up.
Common Items
========
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Heavy-Duty Boots is a great item for a pivot that frequently switches in. Otherwise, opposing entry hazards would quickly wear it down over time.
* Choice Band: Choice Band gives Meowscarada great wallbreaking or late-game sweeping potential, especially with already strong STAB attacks.
* Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf is useful for outspeeding other Choice Scarf Pokemon or setup sweepers such as Booster Energy Iron Valiant or Battle Bond Greninja.
* Focus Sash: Focus Sash is good for lead sets, allowing them to get extra hazards up or deal extra damage.
* Life Orb / Expert Belt / Black Glasses / Miracle Seed: These damage-boosting items are useful for providing additional damage output, especially if you do not want to get Choice-locked into a specific move. It may be better to run Overgrow instead of Protean on these sets to maintain its STAB Grass and Dark.
Niche Items
========
* Protective Pads: Protective Pads is good against Pokemon with Rough Skin, Static, or other contact-related items and abilities, especially when using Triple Axel. Note that Flower Trick does not make contact. The main downside is not being able to utilize other items, especially Heavy-Duty Boots. They both aim to reduce chip damage, so keep in mind which item is more valuable in a given matchup.
* Choice Specs: Meowscarada has a decent special movepool, so Choice Specs can be used in matchups where Meowscarada's strong special STAB moves and coverage are enough to offset its lower Special Attack stat.
* Leftovers: Leftovers is good for passive recovery, especially on Substitute + Leech Seed builds.
Tera
========
Meowscarada does not benefit from utilizing Tera. Other high-price Pokemon can receive much more value with Tera. Its Protean ability allows it to naturally gain STAB damage for any move, and Tera completely negates the ability. If you do choose to make Meowscarada a Tera Captain, it can utilize Tera Grass and Dark to increase STAB damage or Tera Fire for extra coverage.
Draft Strategy
========
Meowscarada is a great, versatile Pokemon, typically drafted to synergize well with a strong round 1 pick such as Great Tusk or Palafin. It can entry hazard stack to enable late-game sweeping, wallbreak, or pivot for better positioning.
* Special wallbreaker: Meowscarada can be an excellent physically offensive wallbreaker, but it can struggle breaking physical walls. Having a special wallbreaker that it can pivot into keeps you in a strong position, and in teambuilding, it forces the opponent to choose what form of defensive EVs they want to run, or it makes them run mixed. Some good pairings include Raging Bolt, Latios, and Iron Moth.
* Ground-types: Having a Ground-type helps Meowscarada with the types it struggles breaking the most, including Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types. Since Meowscarada can force many switches, it can easily U-turn into the switch-in's counters. Examples include Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B.
* Wincon: Meowscarada is great at helping a wincon do what it needs to do, since it can get them on the field with U-turn, weaken checks with its strong coverage, or even set hazards to enable a sweep. Since Meowscarada isn't reliant on Tera, a solid Tera Captain would be a great option. Examples include Latias, Raging Bolt, and Annihilape.
Checks and Counters
========
* Physically defensive walls: Few Pokemon can comfortably take Meowscarada's hits, but physically bulky Pokemon that can resist its STAB attacks are typically most reliable. Examples include Corviknight, Gouging Fire, and Galarian Weezing.
* U-turn: Any Pokemon with U-turn can easily force Meowscarada out due to its natural 4x weakness and 2x weakness when using Grass- or Dark-type moves. Keep in mind that Meowscarada is one of the fastest Pokemon in the format, however, and will likely U-turn first.
* Contact damage: Since Meowscarada uses U-turn a lot, Rocky Helmet and other forms of contact damage such as Rough Skin can help chip it down. It can easily use Knock Off on Rocky Helmet users, but it should be wary of it regardless.
* Entry hazards: Since Meowscarada often comes in frequently, hazards are a great way to chip it down over time. Many Meowscarada sets will run Heavy-Duty Boots to get around this.
* Priority: Meowscarada's defense struggles to take priority attacks, especially after being chipped from hazards or contact damage. Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch are very threatening, and moves like Bullet Punch and Extreme Speed can do massive damage.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Draft order: Round 2
Price range: 16-17 points
Overview: Meowscarada is a great versatile pick that is an excellent enabler for a draft's centerpiece and/or wincons. It has many viable sets, including being a fast pivot with strong STAB U-turn, a late-game cleaner, or serving as support with entry hazards and Taunt. With solid coverage plus its Protean ability, it is great at forcing opposing switches. However, it's relatively frail and struggles to take hits, so it must be brought in safely.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Fast pivot: Meowscarada often uses a Choice Band, Choice Scarf, or Heavy-Duty Boots; its base 123 Speed is a great way to outspeed opposing threats and force them out with its powerful STAB attacks—Flower Trick and Knock Off—and Triple Axel. It can use STAB U-turn with Protean to do lots of damage to switch-ins and position your team well.
* Lead entry hazard setter: Meowscarada can be used to set Spikes or Toxic Spikes at the start of the game. This set is often paired with Taunt, some attacking moves such as Knock Off or U-turn, and a Focus Sash.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Flower Trick, Knock Off, Sucker Punch
* Setup moves: Nasty Plot, Hone Claws
* Utility moves: Taunt, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Substitute, Trick
* Coverage: U-turn, Triple Axel, Thunder Punch, Low Kick, Play Rough, Power Gem, Brick Break, Aura Sphere
Niche Moves
========
* Leaf Storm: Leaf Storm is good against defensive walls that Meowscarada struggles breaking through such as Dondozo. Leaf Storm is most often ran on entry hazard setting or support sets, especially against physically bulky hazard removers like Great Tusk.
* Leech Seed: Leech Seed can be used along with fast Substitute to chip down some of Meowscarada's incoming checks. Fast Substitute with Leech Seed recovery allows it to regain most of its health while weakening the opponent, which cannot switch out or else Meowscarada can get a free Substitute up.
Common Items
========
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Heavy-Duty Boots is a great item for a pivot that frequently switches in. Otherwise, opposing entry hazards would quickly wear it down over time.
* Choice Band: Choice Band gives Meowscarada great wallbreaking or late-game sweeping potential, especially with already strong STAB attacks.
* Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf is useful for outspeeding other Choice Scarf Pokemon or setup sweepers such as Booster Energy Iron Valiant or Battle Bond Greninja.
* Focus Sash: Focus Sash is good for lead sets, allowing them to get extra hazards up or deal extra damage.
* Life Orb / Expert Belt / Black Glasses / Miracle Seed: These damage-boosting items are useful for providing additional damage output, especially if you do not want to get Choice-locked into a specific move. It may be better to run Overgrow instead of Protean on these sets to maintain its STAB Grass and Dark.
Niche Items
========
* Protective Pads: Protective Pads is good against Pokemon with Rough Skin, Static, or other contact-related items and abilities, especially when using Triple Axel. Note that Flower Trick does not make contact. The main downside is not being able to utilize other items, especially Heavy-Duty Boots. They both aim to reduce chip damage, so keep in mind which item is more valuable in a given matchup.
* Choice Specs: Meowscarada has a decent special movepool, so Choice Specs can be used in matchups where Meowscarada's strong special STAB moves and coverage are enough to offset its lower Special Attack stat.
* Leftovers: Leftovers is good for passive recovery, especially on Substitute + Leech Seed builds.
Tera
========
Meowscarada does not benefit from utilizing Tera. Other high-price Pokemon can receive much more value with Tera. Its Protean ability allows it to naturally gain STAB damage for any move, and Tera completely negates the ability. If you do choose to make Meowscarada a Tera Captain, it can utilize Tera Grass and Dark to increase STAB damage or Tera Fire for extra coverage.
Draft Strategy
========
Meowscarada is a great, versatile Pokemon, typically drafted to synergize well with a strong round 1 pick such as Great Tusk or Palafin. It can entry hazard stack to enable late-game sweeping, wallbreak, or pivot for better positioning.
* Special wallbreaker: Meowscarada can be an excellent physically offensive wallbreaker, but it can struggle breaking physical walls. Having a special wallbreaker that it can pivot into keeps you in a strong position, and in teambuilding, it forces the opponent to choose what form of defensive EVs they want to run, or it makes them run mixed. Some good pairings include Raging Bolt, Latios, and Iron Moth.
* Ground-types: Having a Ground-type helps Meowscarada with the types it struggles breaking the most, including Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types. Since Meowscarada can force many switches, it can easily U-turn into the switch-in's counters. Examples include Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B.
* Wincon: Meowscarada is great at helping a wincon do what it needs to do, since it can get them on the field with U-turn, weaken checks with its strong coverage, or even set hazards to enable a sweep. Since Meowscarada isn't reliant on Tera, a solid Tera Captain would be a great option. Examples include Latias, Raging Bolt, and Annihilape.
Checks and Counters
========
* Physically defensive walls: Few Pokemon can comfortably take Meowscarada's hits, but physically bulky Pokemon that can resist its STAB attacks are typically most reliable. Examples include Corviknight, Gouging Fire, and Galarian Weezing.
* U-turn: Any Pokemon with U-turn can easily force Meowscarada out due to its natural 4x weakness and 2x weakness when using Grass- or Dark-type moves. Keep in mind that Meowscarada is one of the fastest Pokemon in the format, however, and will likely U-turn first.
* Contact damage: Since Meowscarada uses U-turn a lot, Rocky Helmet and other forms of contact damage such as Rough Skin can help chip it down. It can easily use Knock Off on Rocky Helmet users, but it should be wary of it regardless.
* Entry hazards: Since Meowscarada often comes in frequently, hazards are a great way to chip it down over time. Many Meowscarada sets will run Heavy-Duty Boots to get around this.
* Priority: Meowscarada's defense struggles to take priority attacks, especially after being chipped from hazards or contact damage. Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch are very threatening, and moves like Bullet Punch and Extreme Speed can do massive damage.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
