Carracosta...

B

BlueEyedSteelix

Steelix Bait
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carracosta.jpg


Carracosta... definitely one of my favorite Pokemon of this generation. I've literally been waiting for a Sea Turtle Pokemon since I started playing the Pokemon games. My question to Pokebeach is: Can Carracosta hold it's own in the competitive metagame?

I don't want to bound this question to a particular tier, but OU is probably what I'll be spending most of my time in. I really, REALLY want to incorporate Carracosta into my competitive team, but I'm not sure how. I have some ideas, but nothing concise.

Abilities should really be a no-brainer for Carracosta. It has plenty of weaknesses that could really screw it over, and having Solid Rock as an option is really necessary to run a good set. It's only issue would then be the infamous {G} type, which is generally manageable (Swampert is a great example of this).

Looking at it's stats and moves, I feel that Carracosta is really polar with it's usability; it can either be a strictly Defense-oriented wall, or an all out Attack-based MACHINE! I want to run a Defense-oriented wall set, so I figure that 252 EVs in both HP and Defense would bring it up to standard, and perhaps 4 EVs in Speed for good measure.

Carracosta's moveset really seems to be it's biggest let down, for wall Carracostas that is. I really have no idea where to go with this, as I don't see Carracosta lending a hand to the team in any sort of battle besides Double/Triple/Rotation with the use of Wide Guard, and I play Singles.

I feel that Scald would be a good move for Carracosta solely because of the Burn possibility, but it's a Special-type attack, and I want Carracosta to be a Physical powerhouse.

Knock-Off has potential on Carracosta, but I want to inflict status or really have a reason to be in.

Please lend me your thoughts on Carracosta. I really feel it does have a potential on my team, I just need to find it.

Thanks! :)

Ooooh... after a little more research, I discovered that Carracosta can learn Toxic. This would be another definitive move for Carracosta (in my opinion) in conjunction with Knock-Off.

Tell me what you think!
 
Carracosta is definitely a powerhouse. Its ability Super Rock halves super-effective attacks, which is helpful against grass types like Serperior and Whimsicott. The only problem is its Speed. If you want a Physical tank than get a Jolly one (+Speed, -Sp. Attack).
 
Carracosta is definitely a powerhouse. Its ability Super Rock halves super-effective attacks, which is helpful against grass types like Serperior and Whimsicott. The only problem is its Speed. If you want a Physical tank than get a Jolly one (+Speed, -Sp. Attack).
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I agree. Here's the set that I'm considering:

Carracosta @ Leftovers
Solid Rock Ability
Impish Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 252 DEF, 4 SPD
Moves:
Knock-Off
Toxic
Waterfall
Stone Edge

I think this set is solid, but I'm sure it has flaws I'm not even seeing. Point them out!
 
Replace Knock-Off with Crunch. Maybe Toxic could be replaced too...Waterfall and Stone Edge are fine though.
 
Replace Knock-Off with Crunch. Maybe Toxic could be replaced too...Waterfall and Stone Edge are fine though.
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I don't see why I would do that... this set is supposed to play a support role. Removing... well, it's support moves is like taking away a computer from a software engineer; it renders that individual completely pointless.
 
That set should work great as a physical tank, but don't bother leaving it in against Special attackers. It just doesn't have the investment. You also might consider replacing Stone Edge, being that it's better for attacker. If you want to go on the offensive with it, you'd be best to run a Shell Break set, probably with a Chople Berry to avoid Super Effective Priority Mach Punches. Just a thought.
 
Solid Rock cuts super effective damage by 1/4, not 1/2. That is pretty important to remember. Grass attacks will still slaughter him.

If you want to use him in a defensive role, he absolutely needs sandstorm support. I'd suggest Hippowdon to avoid adding a second Fighting weakness. The Grass and Water weaknesses can't be helped, but that's what you've got four other teammates for.

Toxic is a must. He's slow, so you could get away with using Rest. Just make sure that if you do, you've got a cleric waiting in the wings ready to heal the status (Celebi could be useful here, as he resists Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Water, and Carracosta takes care of any Fire or Flying attacks coming Celebi's way).

If you want Waterfall, consider Dive. It has the same base power and buys you a turn of invincibility (unless you get hit with Surf, lol). Since Carracosta is so slow, the flinch rate is pretty much useless. That said, Waterfall is good for direct damage, but if you want pure stallyness, Dive is worth a look.

Protect is also worth considering. Good luck.
 
Solid Rock cuts super effective damage by 1/4, not 1/2. That is pretty important to remember. Grass attacks will still slaughter him.

If you want to use him in a defensive role, he absolutely needs sandstorm support. I'd suggest Hippowdon to avoid adding a second Fighting weakness. The Grass and Water weaknesses can't be helped, but that's what you've got four other teammates for.

Toxic is a must. He's slow, so you could get away with using Rest. Just make sure that if you do, you've got a cleric waiting in the wings ready to heal the status (Celebi could be useful here, as he resists Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Water, and Carracosta takes care of any Fire or Flying attacks coming Celebi's way).

If you want Waterfall, consider Dive. It has the same base power and buys you a turn of invincibility (unless you get hit with Surf, lol). Since Carracosta is so slow, the flinch rate is pretty much useless. That said, Waterfall is good for direct damage, but if you want pure stallyness, Dive is worth a look.
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First off, thanks a ton for your input. :)

Alright, from the looks of things, I will be building a Sandstorm team around Carracosta. There have been many new Pokemon I've really wanted to include in a team (ex. Reuniclus, Excadrill) that just didn't fit. I think that creating a Sandstorm team will be a ton of fun and be very effective. I will of course post in on the RMT section once I figure it out.

I want to thank you for mentioning Solid Rock. I wasn't positive if it was 1/4 or 1/2, so thanks for clarifying. Grass will still completely annihilate it, but I can deal with it.

Dive is an excellent idea. I actually forgot that it was part of this generation, so it should work out nicely.

Also, Celebi is a great idea for a wall. I think if I were to have both Hippowdon and Carracosta, a Special Wall Celebi would work, no? I'm not a hacker, so I will use a Celebi I get from the upcoming event to work into this team. Again, great suggestions & thank you. :)
 
Walls should not have seven weaknesses. Defensive Celebi could happen, but don't expect it to be tanking their whole team.
 
Am I mistaken, or can't your opponent simply switch out during the underwater turn of Dive? Also, Sandstorm is a great idea.
 
Yes, the opponent can switch out. Focus Punch and Sky Drop are only moves that the opponent can't switch out of after use.
 
@Shadow Arceus: Yes, but the turn they use switching gives you free Sandstorm and Toxic damage, as well as Leftovers recovery.
 
Doesn't (shouldn't) matter if they switch. If you've got SR/Spikes on the field (which you should), they take that damage as well as sandstorm damage, and any other passive damage you've inflicted on their switch-in, such as poison or burn.
 
Since Tirtouga and Carracosta are my favourite pokemon from this generation, let me add my own input on this.

Carracosta is a great wall. I use him on my sandstorm team, and he's great. The Sp. Def boost helps him stand special hits, and he's already a defensive wall. Here's the set I use on my team:

Carracosta@Leftovers
Solid Rock
4 Hp/252 Def/252 Sp. Def
-Aqua Jet
-Stone Edge
-Knock Off
-Toxic

There you have it. A most effective Carracosta. Knock Off and Toxic help support my team, while Stone Edge does actual damage. Aqua Jet is a great priority move, which helps him pick off that last little bit of HP on pesky pokemon. THe EV spread may look strange, but it works well. The defense boost helps him take physical hits better, while the Sp. def boost helps him survive special attacks. While his HP suffers in conjunction to this, it's better for him in the long run. With the sandstorm boost he can handle any kind of hit.

There you go, my best attempt at a Carracosta set.
 
@ spartan 7: you get it as a fossle in both games or you can get the wing fossle
Carracosta is going to be my surfing pokemon.
 
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