Roaring Moon is one of the best setup sweepers in the tier. Since it returned from DLC2 after a ban, it has put the tier in a ringer. Roaring Moon has even been under discussion for a ban. I wanted this thing gone so bad, but the more time has gone on, the better my teambuilding and my plays vs Moon have gotten. For those wondering how to deal with this absurd beast, this guide will give you a decent idea on how to combat Roaring Moon.
View attachment 612838How To Fight The MoonView attachment 612837
Section I: Sets
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Roaring Moon @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
Roaring Moon @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Taunt
Roaring Moon @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dark/Dragon/Ground
EVs: 32 HP / 220 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Outrage
- Iron Head/Earthquake
- U-turn
As you can see, Moon only runs three sets. DD Three Attacks, Taunt DD, and CB. We could eliminate CB because you’ll only find it on Sun and CB is hardly ever brought up when discussing a RM suspect. What you might notice about the DD sets is that it almost always runs Tera Flying. There are very rare instances of it running Tera Steel or Fairy, but Moon often wants Tera Flying Acro to guarantee an OHKO on Physically Defensive Tusk without Spikes. So focus on Tera Flying.
Section II: Checks
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“I check everything, tee hee.”
The reason it is important to talk about the two sets is that the counterplay may vary between them.
DD Three Attacks-Toxic Gliscor
-Ting-Lu (Short-Term)
-Dondozo
-Weavile (Can Switch Into an Unboosted Hit once. Rkills with Shard)
-Dragonite
-Zamazenta (Pre-Tera)
-Mandibuzz
-Balloon Gambit (Short-Term)
-Skarm (Don’t run Speed evs for Gambit. They sometimes run Jolly to outspeed anyways. Your Gambit checking resources are better spent elsewhere)
-Boots Kyurem (64 Def EVs lets you survive a +1 Knock from Moon. Checks Pre-Tera)
-Barb Clef
-Balloon Tran (Can eat a Knock with investment and Wisps it)
DD Taunt
-Dondozo
-Kingambit
-Weavile
-Dragonite
-Zamazenta (Pre-Tera)
-Mandibuzz
-Physically Bulky Garganacl
-Tyranitar
-Raging Bolt
-Tinkaton
-Barb Clef
-Boots Kyu (Pre-Tera)
Section III: Team Composition
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There are certain team compositions that help deal with Moon. Checks are not just in a vacuum, checks are paired with other mons. They can aid in dealing with a certain threat. This is important for dealing with both sets. For example, Gliscor + Gambit is a great way to deal with Roaring Moon. If you see Moon coming in, go Gliscor, and click Toxic or U-Turn. If Moon clicks Taunt, you will know right away that it is safe for Gambit to come in. Toxic also puts Moon on a timer and eases Sucker mindgames once Gambit comes back in.
RH Lando has been one of my favorite ways of handling Moon. Chipping down Moon with Helmet, Status, etc is a great way to deal with it, because Roost is almost never used. Lando can weaken it, and then U-Turn out into a check. RM without that +1 boost is much easier to deal with.
252 Atk Protosynthesis Tera Flying Roaring Moon Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem: 268-316 (68.5 - 80.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Protosynthesis Tera Flying Roaring Moon Earthquake vs. 64 HP / 28 Def Raging Bolt: 312-368 (76.6 - 90.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Kingambit: 254-300 (74.4 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Protosynthesis Tera Flying Roaring Moon Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. +1 104 HP / 252 Def Zamazenta: 236-278 (67.2 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Moon will either click Knock or it will try to DD again. If it DD’s again, you go back into Lando to click U-Turn again. If they click DD again, they’re already taking chip twice, putting it in range of a possible kill.
This means you could pair Lando with any one of the aforementioned checks to cover the Moon MU. My favorite pairing is Lando + Dnite. After rocks and U-Turn, Moon is in range of Ice Spinner or 2 E-Speeds. Yes Weavile Ice Shard deals around 46-55%, but you can put it in that range with certain teammates like Barb Clef, Gliscor, Skarm, etc.
Section IV: Reducing Setup Opportunities
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So, what can Moon safely setup on? Surprisingly little actually. You might think Samurott since it duals resists its STABs, but even resisted, Razor Shell and Ceaseless do a good chunk to its HP. 30% with Jolly Razor. 33% with Adamant. There is also the chance Hamurott is carrying Sacred Sword. It could play Tera mindgames with it, but that is risky since it deals 50% to Tera Flying.
Ogerpon, Gholdengo, and Glowking are also possible candidates. They’re all important Pokemon that Moon can scare off. Gking and Ghold can cripple it with status, but losing them can hurt if you need them to check important threats. Losing Ogerpon though isn’t the end of the world. Ogerpon is mainly a wallbreaker and Moon is a setup sweeper exclusive to HO. Assuming the team doesn’t have a Primarina or other mons that Oger is needed to check, you could sack it to deal chip or force a Tera with Play Rough. When building your team, consider if the team has free entry for Moon. If it does, consider how you’ll deal with it if it sets up.
Is Moon Broken?
Imo, no. Not anymore.
Moon’s weaknesses like its fragility, and its linear gameplan have been shining more in this metagame. Checks like Dtail Dnite, Lando, etc have been seeing higher usage. It is easier to chip Moon down. The direction the teams has been headed towards has seeing gearing towards using blanket checks like Dnitre with an emphasis on offense. It isn’t just full HO, BO builds have been seeing a resurgence. Some of the mons I’ve considered broken in the past like Deo-S, and Kyurem have been adapted towards. They aren’t broken, yet considerably strong. (Deo-S dropped to UU, but still.) I am interested in seeing how the metagame will develop this month and the following months. This may not have been my most polished write-up, but I’ve been interested in making “How to Deal With X” guides since the one for Spikes. I may make more of these in the future. Which Pokemon do you want me to cover how to beat next?In the meantime, here’s Roaring Muppet
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