Thorough New Moon Weather Analysis

New Moon is unique to Insurgence and a great weather overall. So, before analyzing the weather, let me get into the effects of New Moon:

  • Boosts Ghost and Dark type moves by 35%
  • Decreases Fairy moves by 25%
  • Allows Lunar Cannon, Phantom Force and Shadow Force to be used in 1 turn.
  • Activates Absolution, Forecast, Heliophobia, Shadow Dance and Supercell.
  • Under New Moon, Absolution increase the users SpA by 50%, but it looses 1/8 of its HP each turn, exactly like Solar Power does.
  • Forecast change Castform’s form.
  • Under New Moon, Heliophobia restores 1/8 of the max HP but remove 1/8 of max HP under harsh sunlight.
  • Shadow Dance double the user’s speed under New Moon.
  • Supercell increase the user’s SpA by 50% under New Moon or Rain and change Mega Delta Typhlosion’s form.
  • Recude the healing of Synthesis and Morning Sun by 1/3
  • Increase the healing of Moonlight by 1/3
  • Reduce the power of Solar Beam by 70%
  • Increase the power of Surf by 50%
  • Weather Ball turn Dark Type and double its power.
  • Hone Claw does a 2 stage boost instead of 1 stage.
  • Geomancy’s boost are halved.
  • Nightmare does 1/2 of the target’s max HP instead of 1/4.
  • Bad Dream does 1/4 of the target’s max HP instead of 1/8.
  • Pressure drops the PP by 3 instead of 2.
  • Flash decrease accuracy by 2 stages instead of 1.
  • Illuminate the users increase evasion by 1.25x.
  • Fairy Aura does not works under New Moon, even if Aura Break is active.
  • Dark Aura boost the power of Dark Types moves by 5/3 instead of 4/3.
  • If Aura Break is active, their damage is multiplied by 3/5 instead of 3/4
  • Light Screen and Reflect makes the attack cause 4/10x of their damages in single and 8/15x in doubles.

The best mega evolution overall is Mega Delta Typhlosion. Supercell boosts Mega D. Typho’s special attack to insane levels, and allows it to to be the primary sweeper in New Moon.
typho

Mega D. Typhlosion

Delta Typhlosion @ Mega D. Typhlosionite
Ability: Motor Drive (Supercell)
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

  • Thunderbolt
  • Flash Cannon
  • Dark Pulse / Energy Ball
  • Volt Switch
    Set Notes: Ideally, you’re going to use Thunderbolt to sweep the team, though other moves work also. Volt Switch if a Pokemon comes in that knows a ground attack as it is easily 0HKO’ed with one.

The second best mega evolution in New Moon is Mega Shiftry. Shadow Dance allows Shiftry to outspeed all unboosted Pomemon under New Moon.
shif

Mega Shiftry

Shiftry @ Shiftrinite
Ability: Pickpocket (Shadow Dance)
Modest Nature
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

  • Fake Out
  • Lunar Cannon
  • Leaf Storm
  • Hurricane
    Set Notes: Mega D. Shiftry has great offenses and outspeeds everything in New Moon. It could also possibly run Nasty Plot, but its typing isn’t great and its defenses are very frail. It also gets Defog which is great.

Another viable mega evolution in New Moon is Mega Delta Charizard. It has Dark Aura as its original ability, then gets Noctem, which is great as a primary/secondary weather setter.
char

Mega D. Charizard

Delta Charizard @ D.Charizardite
Ability: Dark Aura
Timid Nature
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
-Shadow Ball
-Draco Meteor
-Hidden Power Fighting/Slugde Bomb/Will-O-Wisp
-Flamethrower/Ice Beam/Will-O-Wisp
Set Notes: Credit to @PeterHolmes74 for this set. All I did was change ability to Dark Aura as it goes to 5/3 for dark attacks in New Moon (does this stack with Fairy Aura, im not sure…). Shadow Ball and Draco Meteor are the main moves, after a Draco Meteor you could possibly use Will-O-Wisp to cripple sucker punch users, or switch into a sweeper (like D. Roserade or D. Volcarona).

Another mega evo that I think is viable in New Moon is Mega D. Milotic. It gets Absolution which boosts its Special Attack by 1.5x in New Moon. Can be an absolute monster and has great stats overall.
milo

Mega D. Milotic

Delta Milotic @ Delta Milotite
Ability: Cursed Body
Bold Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Def

  • Shadow Ball
  • Ice Beam / Aura Sphere
  • Will-O-Wisp
  • Recover
    Set Notes: Once New Moon is set up, D. Milotic with Absolution can do crazy damage. Also, its great with Will-O-Wisp and Recover as status. Calm Mind could also be used on this set.

The last mega evolution that is viable in OU is Mega Spiritomb. With Noctem then Hone Claws, its phenomenal. I will be analyzing regular Spiritomb here as well, because it serves as the primary wheather setter for New Moon.
noctem
spir

Regular Spiritomb

Spiritomb @ Dark Rock
Ability: Noctem
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature

  • Knock Off / Pursuit / Sucker Punch
  • Will-O-Wisp / Hypnosis
  • Memento
  • Shadow Sneak / Nightmare
    Set Notes: Set weather, use knock off to get rid of leftovers, pursuit if u need to handle switches, will-o-wisp for physical attackers but I would honestly prefer a hypnosis/nightmare set because of Nightmare’s buff in new moon.
Mega Spiritomb

Spiritomb @ Spiritombite
Ability: Noctem
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Def

  • Knock Off / Sucker Punch / Pursuit
  • Shadow Sneak / Will-O-Wisp
  • Brick Break
  • Memento
    Set Notes: Personally, I don’t love this set. However, it is definitely viable on New Moon teams.

Now, let’s go into Pokemon that thrive under New Moon.

First, and most obvious, I am thinking of Delta Roserade. It gets Shadow Dance, and it has a great special attack stat meaning it outspeeds almost everything in New Moon. Now, let’s get to the set.
rose

Delta Roserade

Delta Roserade @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shadow Dance
Modest Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe

  • Lunar Cannon
  • Moonblast
  • Thunderbolt
  • Heat Wave / Lovely Kiss
    Set Notes: This basically hits everything. Another possible set is Limber with Moonlight, but I don’t recommend it as it functions better as a special attacker.

Now, I decided to analyze the other Shadow Dance pokemon, Delta Electrivire. It is a great physical attacker with a decent movepool. I have two movesets.
ele

Delta Electrivire

Delta Electrivire @ Choice Band
Ability: Shadow Dance
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

  • Stone Edge
  • Dragon Claw / Outrage
  • Earthquake
  • Crunch / Knock Off
    Set Notes: Attack stat coupled with band and shadow dance is great.

Another set idea: Hone Claws in New Moon would give D. Electrivire a swords dance boost with increased accuracy as well. You could use a focus sash, then use Stone Edge, Dynamic Punch, and Crunch or Earthquake. Becomes an impressive sweeper with Hone Claws, but risky overall.

Another great Pokemon in OU that only gets better in New Moon is Keldeo. Water/Fighting is a great type and Surf gets a 50% boost.
icon647

Keldeo

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
Timid Nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

  • Surf
  • Secret Sword
  • Icy Wind
  • Focus Blast / HP Electric
    Set Notes: Pretty good overall. A scarf set could also be used in New Moon.

Another fantastic Pokemon with or without New Moon is Armor Delta Volcarona. It gets Absolution, which is an amazing ability due to its high special attack stat and good speed tier. It also can act defensively.
volca

Delta Volcarona

Delta Volcarona @ Armor D. Volcarona
Ability: Absolution
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe

  • Lunar Cannon
  • Corrode / Sludge Wave
  • Earth Power
  • Defog / Thunderbolt /
    Set Notes: Basically just a sweeper set. Lunar Cannon is your go to, can be switched in to most attacks to use Defog.

Also: Levitate could also be used as a better defogger but I really prefer this set.

Next, let’s use another pokemon with Armor. Tyranitar is a great Pokemon, and even has viability under New Moon. Let’s get into it.
tyr

Tyranitar

Tyranitar @ Tyranitar Armor
Ability: Unnerve
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Def

  • Hone Claws
  • Crunch
  • Stone Edge
  • Dynamic Punch
    Set Notes: Pretty interesting Pokemon, though it is hard to set up. Although it functions better in Sand Stream, this also works surprisingly well.

Last but not least of what I’ll analyze, Delta Darmanitan. This typing is optimal for New Moon, and it has a great offensive attack and decent speed.
darm

Delta Darmanitan

D. Darmanitan @ Choice Band
Ability: Wonder Skin
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe

  • Phantom Force / Shadow Claw
  • Knock Off
  • Superpower
  • U-turn/Ice Punch
    Set Notes: Can’t come into attacks sadly. But with a band and its massive attack stat as well as stab shadow claw and knock off, its a great pokemon.

Now, I’ll cover some other threats that could function well under New Moon.

  • Any pokemon with Hone Claws (D. Scyther, Durant, D. Toxicroak, etc.) are great

  • D. Amoonguss could always act as a weather setter

  • Mega Absol, Mega D. Lucario, Mega Zoroark, Mega D. Sunflora, etc

  • Bisharp is always great

  • Gengar gets Hex, Will-O-Wisp, Lunar Cannon, Nightmare and Hypnosis

  • Any Pokemon with Moonlight works great in terms of healing (like Clefable, D. Roserade, etc

  • Mew has a variety of diff moves like Roost, Defog, Soft-Boiled, and it’s overall great in all situations

  • Excadrill has Rapid Spin and Hone Claws which could work

  • Sleep and Nightmare spreaders; Amoonguss, Roserade, there are some others

  • Foul Play users are great (D. Charizard especially, its 5/3 modified by 5/3 in Dark Aura

  • Rotom Heat gets Levitate, Volt Switch and is overall a great pivot

  • Latias is great support

  • Talonflame has a great typing and unique ability which could help it

  • There are definitely some other options I’m probably not thinking of, let me know

Now, let’s get into my team. There are multiple other teams that work, but this is what I thought of.

1st, I went with the best New Moon sweeper in the game, Mega D. Typho. Nothing to explain, with Supercell its a beast.

2nd, I went with the best weather setter in New Moon, Spiritomb. Solid defenses and good overall.

3rd, I went with a standard OU pick, Armor D. Volcarona. I used Absolution because its simply fantastic.

4th, I went with another standard OU pick, Keldeo. Great coverage and good mon.

5th, I went with ANOTHER OU threat, Landorus-T. It can set rocks and is a good pivot.

6th, I wanted a physical attacker. I decided to go with D. Blaziken, an amazing attacking pokemon that also has an immunity to ground and a double resistance to fighting which is nice.

Team
  1. Delta Typhlosion @ Mega D. Typhlosionite
    Ability: Motor Drive (Supercell)
    Timid Nature
    EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
  • Thunderbolt
  • Flash Cannon
  • Dark Pulse / Energy Ball
  • Volt Switch
    Set Notes: Pretty easy set up, use Volt Switch if a Pokemon with a ground coverage is in and switch to Landorus/Blaziken
  1. Spiritomb @ Dark Rock
    Ability: Noctem
    EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
    Careful Nature
  • Knock Off / Pursuit / Sucker Punch
  • Will-O-Wisp / Hypnosis
  • Memento
  • Shadow Sneak / Nightmare
    Set Notes: Set weather, use knock off to get rid of leftovers, will-o-wisp for physical attackers but I would honestly prefer a hypnosis/nightmare set because of Nightmare’s buff in new moon.
  1. Delta Volcarona @ Armor D. Volcarona
    Ability: Absolution
    Timid Nature
    EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
  • Lunar Cannon
  • Corrode / Sludge Wave
  • Earth Power
  • Defog / Thunderbolt
    Set Notes: Basically just a sweeper set. Lunar Cannon is your go to, can be switched in to most special attackers. Also can Defog
  1. Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
    Ability: Justified
    Modest Nature
    EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
  • Surf
  • Secret Sword
  • Icy Wind
  • Toxic / Scald
    Set Notes: generally going to want to use Surf but other moves are viable as well.
  1. Landorus-T @ Leftovers
    Ability: Intimidate
    Impish Nature
    EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
  • Earthquake
  • Stealth Rock
  • U-turn
  • Stone Edge
    Set Notes: not much to explain, the standard Landorus-T pivot set.
  1. Delta Blaziken @ Choice Band
    Ability: Gale Wings
    Adamant / Jolly Nature
  • Brave Bird
  • Earthquake
  • U-turn
  • Superpower
    Set Notes: There is a variety of different things D. Blaziken can do, you can exchange it with D. Volcarona and make it your primary Defogger if you want. It also gets Roost and defensive moves if you want to use those

OR

  1. Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
    Ability: Sturdy
    Impish Nature
    EVS: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
  • Spikes
  • Roost
  • Defog
  • Brave Bird

I also have some other sets as well, let me know if you guys would like to see any of them.

1 Like

Great guide KungFu Panda.
You mentioned other sets as well. Would it be possible to see them?
I would be especially interested in a playthrough friendly set that I could use in the later part of the story as soon as I can get access to the HA Spirittomb and D. Typhlosion.