Creative Movesets in XY NU

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XY has been around for about a year now, and many sets that were innovative at the beginning of the generation have since become standard. Still, as long as people are playing a metagame, they'll continue to come up with new sets to handle top threats or even just to try something new. In the NeverUsed subforum, users often share their innovations so that other people can try them and hopefully expand the metagame. Whether it is due to their effectiveness or their creativity, the following sets stand out as great options for a variety of teams.

Kee Berry Musharna

Sweet Jesus's Kee Berry Musharna is the perfect example of adapting to the metagame. For a slow Psychic-type that sets up, Knock Off is unavoidable, and this set utilizes that knowledge by using a consumable item that helps it to set up more easily. When a Pokémon holding Kee Berry is hit by a physical attack, it eats the berry and gets a single stage boost to its Defense. If the opponent uses Knock Off on Musharna while it is still holding its Kee Berry, although the move will still be fully powered, Musharna will get its Defense boost, which not only makes Musharna's time setting up very easy but can also be passed along to a teammate alongside Calm Mind boosts in order to allow it to sweep the opposing team instead.

Although standard Leftovers Musharna is still perfectly viable in this metagame, Kee Berry is a perfect touch of innovation that could really help Musharna see more usage.

Future Sight Mesprit

Mesprit is an incredibly versatile Pokémon in the XY NU metagame that can function as either an offensive or support Pokémon with tons of different viable choices in its moves, items, and EV spreads. FLCL's Future Sight Mesprit is the perfect example of this. When he first shared this set, many were skeptical of its viability, but Future Sight gives offensive teams a great way to ease prediction and force the opponent into making certain plays. You, as the Mesprit user, can also force opponents into ultimatums by switching into a strong Fighting-type: do I go into my Steel- or Dark-type on the Future Sight and risk being hit by a Fighting-type attack, or do I go into my Poison- or Ghost-type and take a lot of damage from Future Sight? Psychic-types are the only Pokémon that can switch into both, but they risk being hit hard by Knock Off.

As with any Mesprit set, this one is very malleable and can be adjusted to fit your team's needs. If you already have Stealth Rock on another Pokémon, you can use Healing Wish, and you can always replace U-turn for a coverage move such as Energy Ball to hit Seismitoad and Rhydon or Hidden Power Fire to hit Ferroseed.

Special Carracosta

Much like Kee Berry Musharna, Versace Python Cased's special Carracosta is a set that works well because of the nature of the metagame. Although this set saw some usage in BW NU, it wasn't very popular because the physical set had priority to get past faster checks. However, not too many common Pokémon in XY NU can outspeed and OHKO +2 Carracosta. Instead of priority, the most important factor of Carracosta's viability became beating the many common Pokémon in that metagame that resist Water. In a metagame where one of the top threats is Feraligatr, most teams carries one to two dedicated Water resists, and with a special set, Carracosta can beat all of them. Physically defensive Grass-types are everywhere, and Ferroseed and Seismitoad in particular see loads of usage thanks to both the utility they provide and their ability to check many of NU's top threats. This is where Hidden Power comes into play. With Hidden Power Grass, Carracosta can easily break through Seismitoad and other bulky Water-types, and Hidden Power Fire takes out Ferroseed without a problem.

Physical Carracosta is still a fine set, but special Carracosta is stronger in XY NU, a much bulkier and more priority-based metagame than BW NU.

Choice Band Kecleon

NU is a tier in which many obscure Pokémon can shine with the right support and moveset, and my own Choice Band Kecleon set showcases this. While it certainly faces competition from other Normal-types, particularly Kangaskhan, another strong and bulky priority user, what sets Kecleon apart are its access to Trick and the sheer surprise factor of losing a full health offensive Pokémon to an unboosted priority attack. To put its power into perspective, Choice Band Kecleon's Sucker Punch secures a guaranteed OHKO against Zangoose after Stealth Rock damage, while Shadow Sneak has a high chance to OHKO Mismagius even without Stealth Rock damage. What really makes Kecleon viable, though, is its ability to Trick its Choice Band onto common Normal resists, such as Ferroseed and Steelix.

Choice Band Kecleon certainly shouldn't be used as a direct replacement to the more consistent Kangaskhan, but when used on a team where it can help its teammates by crippling their checks and counters, Choice Band Kecleon can really shine.

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