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| #413 |  |
Wormadam | Pokédex Strategy Moves Database | Combee |  |
#415 |
This article gives you ideas of how to use Mothim in battle in the Pokémon Black, Pokémon White and Pokemon B2W2 Games. It lists popular movesets used by competitive battlers, as well as a description on how to use each set to help you understand why the moves were chosen. These popular sets are usually the best to use in battle and so reading this guide will help you in your team building.
Gen 4: OverviewIt fits in well with generally offensively minded NU/UU teams. Stall is a big no-no due to it’s paper defenses. The Choice sets can be thrown onto any team that needs some Bug and Flying attacking power, but if you decide to use the SubSwarm set, be sure to put it on a team with some paralysis support in order to make up for Mothim’s rather poor Speed stat.
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| Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
| Swarm | Modest/Timid | petaya berry / salac berry | 0 | 0 | 4 | 252 | 0 | 252 | |
| There are no current set statistics analysed | |||||||||
This is by far Mothim’s most used set. This set utilizes what keeps this offensive bug from just being another poor quality Pokémon or some kind of low-tier Yanmega: Swarm. Yes, with Swarm and a Petaya Berry boost, this thing becomes an extremely scary Pokémon for your opponent, especially if Mothim’s sub is still intact and your opponent´s team has been weakened or crippled by paralysis. The idea behind this set is incredibly simple: come in on something late game, preferably after another Pokémon of yours has fallen, Substitute down to a Berry and Swarm boost and attempt to sweep. What is really great about this set is that unlike other Bug/Flying-types, Mothim doesn’t care all that much about Stealth Rock! In fact, it just lessens the turns needed to set up!
The moves on this set are pretty self-explanatory, Substitute is to get down to the Berry boost, Bug Buzz is STAB and benefits from Swarm, and Air Slash is secondary STAB. In the last slot, it is really up to you in accordance with what your team needs, but the recommended option is Hidden Power Fighting as it allows Mothim to do some good damage to the Steels that run around NU and UU.
The EVs for this set are also rather straightforward, max Speed and Special Attack to maximize sweeping potential. The 30 HP IVs allow Mothim to get a power boost after a single Substitute and Stealth Rock. It also allows Mothim to get a boost after only 3 substitutes if no Stealth Rock is up.
The Item and Nature of choice really depends on your team. If you can provide paralysis support, then go with Petaya/Modest, but if you would rather just soften up the opponent´s team, then give Salac/Timid a try. When Timid, and after a Salac boost, Mothim can outspeed everything up to the positive natured 115’s in NU, which include the likes of Floatzel who might attempt to stop you. However, the drop in power will be somewhat disappointing. Mothim can still 2HKO some stuff with a Timid nature if it gets the Swarm boost, however.
To illustrate the power of this set, I will provide calcs of various match ups. These calculations are assuming a Petaya boost and a Swarm boost with Modest nature.
| Bug Buzz vs max HP/min Sp Def Grumpig 147.3% - 173.6% (OHKO) |
| Hidden Power [Fighting] vs max HP/168 Sp Def Calm Probopass 70.4% - 83.9% (2HKO) |
| Bug Buzz vs 240 HP/max Sp Def Careful Kecleon 78.5% - 92.5% (33.33% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock damage) |
| Bug Buzz vs Max HP/ 4 Sp Def Calm Regice 39.6% - 46.4% (3HKO) |
| Bug Buzz vs Max HP/ 96 Sp Def Careful Cradily (in sandstorm) 81.4% - 95.7% (58.9% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, always a OHKO if there is no Sandstorm) |
As you can see with some team support, this set can clean up quite nicely late game and can potentially do massive damage to most anything you’ll encounter in NU and UU.
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| Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
| Swarm | Timid | choice specs / choice scarf | 0 | 0 | 4 | 252 | 0 | 252 | |
| There are no current set statistics analysed | |||||||||
This is the basic run-of-the-mill choice set that mostly any Pokémon can run. Fairly simple to use, plays like any other choice set: prediction. Come in on something Mothim resists, hit something, run away.
The moves speak for themselves. Again, we have dual STAB, Shadow Ball to hit Rotom and the last slot is dependent on what your team needs. U-turn deserves a mention because like most Choiced Pokémon, it’s nice to scout your opponent’s team before you lock yourself into a potentially resisted move.
The EVs for this set are once again to maximize offensive capabilities. Leave the last 4 EVs out of its HP. This keepscit odd, allowing Mothim to switch into Stealth Rocks twice. This is extremely useful because it could allow for a Swarm boosted late game clean up. Timid nature is recommended to outspeed as much as possible.
The Item is up to what you need Mothim to do. If you want a revenge killer, go with the Scarf. But the lack of power is generally disappointing, so Specs is recommended.
Both sets are used commonly.
Other OptionsMothim’s move pool is fairly shallow. It’s got some physical moves, but none of them really have enough base power to warrant a set around them. Hidden Power Rock can help if Flying-types are giving you trouble.
As for support options, Mothim has access to Safeguard, which is generally done better by other Pokémon. It also gets Rain Dance which makes Mothim a great lead for NU/UU Rain Dance teams, considering how unexpected it is. It has Roost, but it is generally too frail to make much use of it anyway. However it is worth mentioning that it also gets Protect and Toxic, which with Roost and Substitute can turn Mothim into a fearsome ToxiStaller.
Like most Pokémon, Mothim also gets Swagger if you’re into gimmicks and luck, which might actually prove fun if you get some good flinch hax with Air Slash.
Usual CountersMostly anything with a super effective attack can stop it or at least threaten it. Good Pokémon to switch into it are Steel-types like Probopass, Bastidon and the like as they hardly take damage from the ineffective Flying and Bug-type attacks. And they are 2HKO’ed at worst by the appropriate Hidden Power.
A Rotom can come in on almost any attack and knock out the moth with a super effective STABed Thunderbolt, and Mothim rarely runs Shadow Ball to threaten it.
Very few Mothims bother with Hidden Power Fire, so Articuno can come in on resisted hits nicely with its base 125 Special Defense and put the hurting on Mothim with a STABed super effective Ice Beam.
Charizard also deserves special mention as it only takes a paltry 32% max damage from a +1 Swarm boosted Bug Buzz, and can outspeed and KO Mothim easily; it’s even more dangerous if the Mothim is Choiced, in which case Charizard can come in on the Bug Buzz, take even less damage, and set up a Belly Drum, which can be potentially game breaking.
Sneasel is fast enough to check Mothim if it’s not using a Salac Berry with the SubSwarm set (and the sub has already been broken). Sets with Taunt or priority moves really hamper Mothim’s effectiveness.
If the user has made the mistake of using Mothim before the very late game, one can simply phase it out with Roar/Whirlwind. Stealth Rocks will take their tole, so Mothim will not last long. Should the opposing team also be using damaging weather, Mothim´s sweeping time is also lessened significantly.
OpinionMothim is at first glance the average Bug/Flying-type. But, with the right set, he can fill a niche role in NU/UU teams as a late game sweeper or a somewhat talented Choice item user. However his options are very limited, so don’t expect to get much support use out of him.
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