Maskeregen Movesets & Wettbewerbs-Sets

Moves Quiver Dance allows Masquerain to boost its Special Attack and Speed to attempt a sweep. Bug Buzz is Masquerain's most powerful STAB move and allows it to threaten Psychic- and Grass-type Pokemon, such as Grumpig and Gogoat. Air Slash allows Masquerain to threaten Monferno and Roselia, and Ice Beam hits Flying- and Dragon-types such as Jumpluff and Altaria. Hydro Pump is an alternative to threaten Fire- and Ground-types such as Golem, Stunfisk, and Camerupt. Set Details Focus Sash allows Masquerain to survive a single hit at full health and is generally the only way for it to set up. Intimidate can help reduce physical damage done to Masquerain slightly or at least give its teammates an easier time revenge killing the foe once Masquerain has been KOed. Maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature let Masquerain outspeed everything up to and including Jumpluff, while maximum Special Attack investment boosts Masquerain's poor offensive presence as much as possible. Usage Tips Only switch Masquerain in when Stealth Rock is not on the field to keep its Focus Sash intact. Attempt to remove priority users such as Floatzel and Pawniard before sweeping, as they can KO Masquerain regardless of Speed boosts. If possible, attempt to set up on foes such as Vullaby that are weak enough for Masquerain to set up two or three Quiver Dances to outspeed opposing Choice Scarf users, as well as Pokemon that naturally outspeed Masquerain at +1, including Floatzel and Zebstrika. Team Options Entry hazard removers such as Cryogonal and Vibrava can keep Stealth Rock off the field for Masquerain. Probopass can help remove priority users like Pawniard and Metang. Pokemon that can KO Audino such as Stoutland and Monferno are appreciated, as Masquerain cannot do significant damage to it and Audino can lock Masquerain into a single move with Encore.

This set takes a simple goal of setting up as many Quiver Dance boosts as possible so that a teammate can perform a sweep afterwards. The combination of Intimidate, Special Defense boosts from Quiver Dance, and a typing that grants Masquerain some useful resistances gives it the opportunity to set up on most defensive Pokemon; including Alomomola, Tangela, Seismitoad, Misdreavus, and Miltank, as well as on Choice-locked Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon like Golurk and Sawk. It should be taken into account that it will often take a bit of prediction to find opportunities to pull off a successful pass with the general prevalence of Choice Scarf users. Once Masquerain has received enough boosts, then the most urgent thing to do is to pass to a recipient as soon as it can. Baton Pass serves an important role here, as not only does it pass Quiver Dance boosts but making timely use of it can work wonders towards easing prediction and gaining momentum when scouting common switch-ins such as Choice Scarf users or phazers. In terms of attacking, Bug Buzz is useful in the fact that it hits moderately hard after a number of boosts, while also serving as a tool towards bypassing some phazers such as Zweilous and Grumpig. Air Slash serves as a secondary option that can help Masquerain fend off Primeape, while also being able to nab an OHKO on Scolipede after a Quiver Dance boost. It should be taken into account that while attacking isn't particularly important for this set for the most part, running one of these moves does prevent Masquerain from being complete Taunt bait. Roost is one of Masquerain's most vital assets, as it helps increase its longevity mitigate its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, potentially giving it more opportunities to set up later. The displayed EV spread is used to invest as much as possible into bulk while still maintaining the ability to outspeed positive-natured base 95 Pokemon such as Jynx, Primeape, Sawsbuck, and Haunter after a boost. Using 248 HP EVs instead of 252 is vital so that Masquerain has a Stealth Rock number and can switch in twice without fainting. If you care a bit more about outpacing as much as possible after a Quiver Dance boost, you can also forgo the standard option for an EV spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe with a Timid nature, which allows Masquerain to gain the jump on everything up to positive-natured Swoobat after a boost. The bulk that Masquerain receives from the recommended Defense investment when factoring in Intimidate is very beneficial though, and many of the Pokemon this extra Speed helps with are declining in usage. As far as movepool options go, Substitute works as a good alternative to Bug Buzz and Air Slash as it can allow Masquerain to set up more reliably, give it protection from Dragon Tail Lickilicky and status, scout for Choice Scarf Pokemon, and provide its recipient with even more benefits once it's ready to Baton Pass out. One of the main reasons as to why Masquerain typically doesn't find much usage is because of how difficult it is to find a proper place for it on a team; it generally fits best on teams structured around a number of Pokemon that can both take advantage of Quiver Dance boosts and help it gain setup opportunities. Seismitoad is one of the best options for a teammate, as it not only possesses just the right offensive stats and Speed to be threatening after a boost or two but also synergizes well with Masquerain, being able to come in on a variety of Fire-, Rock-, and Electric-type Pokemon that threaten it. Other solid choices for teammates to pass boosts to include Ludicolo, Jynx, Electabuzz, and Haunter. Masquerain also benefits from Pokemon that are able to remove threats that force it out rather quickly, such as Golem and Piloswine, or can phaze it, such as Bastiodon, Lairon, and the like, as they otherwise ruin its strategy. Mold Breaker Sawk is an excellent addition for any team in need of a way to handle this category of threats and comes with the added benefit of being able to take on special walls that might hinder the sweeping potential of Masquerain's most powerful teammates. Special Samurott is a potent partner as well as it is capable of threatening a lot of Pokemon that set up Stealth Rock and can even prevent them from doing so with Taunt. Samurott also makes great use of Quiver Dance boosts and can break through a lot of defensive Pokemon with Taunt. Additionally, Air Balloon Probopass in particular has solid match-ups against most Stealth Rock users, while also providing a slow Volt Switch for Masquerain to come in safely and the ability to trap Steel-type phazers such as Bastiodon and Lairon. It also has nice synergy, being able to switch in on a variety of threats like Swellow and Choice Braviary while Masquerain can come in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Probopass. As a more defensive option, Wartortle can support Masquerain by spinning away Stealth Rock and checking the Rock-type Pokemon that trouble it.

Speed is often an issue that plagues Masquerain. Base 60 Speed is quite low, and because of this, Masquerain cannot normally sweep very well at all. Fortunately, Masquerain can utilize Agility to substantially help its chances of ripping through the opposing team. Even if Masquerain cannot plow through defensive Pokemon due to its low Special Attack, it can still prove to be an excellent member of the team due to its ability to Baton Pass Agility boosts. Agility allows Masquerain to reach a very respectable Speed so it can attempt a sweep. Thanks to Intimidate, it isn't too difficult to use Agility either. Air Slash is for STAB and good coverage, while Hydro Pump complements Air Slash to form an excellent attack combination that hits almost everything in UU neutrally. Roost can be used instead of Hydro Pump if you wish to give Masquerain some longevity, but even with Intimidate, Masquerain isn't that bulky. In the last slot, Baton Pass is recommended since Masquerain will often lack enough power to muscle through Pokemon that wall it, such as Milotic, Registeel, and Chansey, so instead, Masquerain can pass the boosts to a teammate to allow it to sweep. The choice between a Modest and a Timid nature is a tough one. Timid allows Masquerain to outspeed Jolly Torterra before Agility, and Choice Scarf Rotom after Agility. Jolly Torterra is important to outpace because Masquerain can 2HKO it before it can smash Masquerain with Stone Edge. Torterra can also be a pain for Masquerain's desired Baton Pass recipients, namely Aggron and Rhyperior. Outspeeding Choice Scarf Rotom allows Masquerain to Baton Pass the Agility before Rotom can strike Masquerain with a lethal Thunderbolt. However, one shouldn't discount a Modest nature immediately. A Modest nature will provide a much needed power boost for Masquerain's low Special Attack and secures many KOs and 2HKOs that Timid Masquerain would be otherwise unable to obtain. For example, against Arcanine, Hydro Pump from a Modest Masquerain is likely to KO Arcanine after Stealth Rock damage, while Timid will rarely KO. Since Masquerain has both Agility and Baton Pass, any Pokemon that enjoys having +2 Speed is a great partner for it. Rhyperior, Aggron, and Torterra are all powerful and slow behemoths in need of a boost, and therefore make excellent recipients. Conveniently, Masquerain can deal with Donphan, Hitmontop, and opposing Torterra, which all wall Rhyperior and Aggron. Torterra is a good Baton Pass recipient because it can deal with most of the Pokemon that wall Masquerain, such as Registeel, Milotic, and Chansey. It should be noted that it is fairly safe for Masquerain to Baton Pass out of all of these Pokemon except for Milotic, as it can use Ice Beam to nail Torterra as it comes in. Alternatively, a Swords Dance Venusaur can be used to beat out the three aforementioned walls, since it's quite bulky and can hit two of these Pokemon with a super effective attack; however, it is quite prone to Thunder Wave from Registeel and Chansey.

This is the best moveset for Masquerain. It will have to Stun Spore everything in sight. The huge problem with Masquerain is its movepool; it has absolutely no attacks that work off of its Special Attack, its better offense stat. Substitute will probably be the best filler for that annoying last move, but Giga Drain can screw something. It won't do much, and don't expect it to get a KO in the early stages of the game.