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5th Gen Samurott VS Carracosta (NU Matchup #5)

STARTER OR FOSSIL?


  • Total voters
    26
  • Poll closed .

Ho-Oh

used Sacred Fire!
35,992
Posts
18
Years
  • Age 31
  • Seen Jul 1, 2023
Aaand this week you've got two powerful offensive forces, one that can set up Shell Smash and sweep, while the other can use both physical or special attacks really effectively.

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When comparing the two, I want you to also base it on which you'd use competitively, which do you think has the better chance, which you used in-game, which you like the design-of best, and what strategies you think one could use to beat the other. Each week these polls will continue until all combinations and tiers are used up (each Pokemon compared will be from the same competitive tier). To find out more about tiers, and how you can get the most out of these Pokemon, check out Battle Center. So which do you choose? Don't forget to post in the thread when voting in the poll, either!​
 

curiousnathan

Starry-eyed
7,753
Posts
14
Years
A common advantage Carracosta has over Samurott is its unique typing. Despite the typing however, I'm still inclined to favour Samurott since I trained one in Black 2 and it was a pretty powerful team member.
 
Last edited:
50,218
Posts
13
Years
You knew who I'd obviously pick here didn't ya?

Seriously, I went with Samurott cos apart from being the final evo of my fave Pokemon, it also has the balanced stats and good movepool that abuses it. I trained mine in Black to be a mixed attacker and he helped me win a lot of battles.

Carracosta's 4x Grass weakness just didn't cut it for me.
 

Pinkie-Dawn

Vampire Waifu
9,528
Posts
11
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I have to go with Samurott, since dual types mean nothing if you're only gaining more weaknesses than you should. It's better to have 2 weaknesses than 4-5.
 

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?
12,964
Posts
13
Years
Samurott wins the coolness and competitive battling factors, IMO, because it's a freakin' samurai sea lion and it has a pretty good movepool. Carracosta's defensive typing gives it problems while defending, though it can use Shell Smash to go on the offensive.
 

Cyclone

Eye of the Storm
3,331
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Oct 3, 2016
I chose a Fire starter and the Archen Fossil (later trading for the others of each starters and Fossils, have them all now). I have really only kept them in action enough to evolve for the Pokédex, so I'm going on intuition and what's been said above (plus the fact that he looks so much more bad-ass) in choosing Samurott. My knowledge of Fossils to date is that they tended in other games to also be weaker; I have a harder time fighting with any Fossils as there's usually something around to vanquish them. Almost anything will win over them for me. Aerodactyl might be an exception.

You knew who I'd obviously pick here didn't ya?
You chose Snivy, I'd bet...wait, no?

Cyclone
 

Iceshadow3317

Fictional Writer.
5,648
Posts
13
Years
I went with Samurott. I haven't really used Carracosta much in battles, but my Samurott has saved me a lot in the PWT battles.
 
1,071
Posts
15
Years
Went with Carracosta. When I've trained Samurotts in-game they have always been one of the least significant forces on my team. Competitively, I have swept teams with Carracosta with proper investment in defense and speed. Seriously, Carracosta is such an underrated threat and its weakness to grass is easily made up for.
 

Pinta77

Guest
0
Posts
I'll go with Samurott.

I've never evolved a starter pokemon on black or white all the way. But I finally got a Samurott in a trade at level 90 and it is very good. I have to agree with Pinkie-Dawn that dual type in this case opens the door for weaknesses.
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
My choice here is Samurott. It's one of the few starters that I've had play a major impact on my team throughout the entire game, and it was my best Pokemon on my run of White. I've had very little experience using Carracosta, mostly because I already had Samurott on my team. The little bit I did use of it, I wasn't impressed at it's dual weakness to Grass, and I've never really been a fan of Rock types, so it didn't last long in my party.
 
866
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Jul 16, 2014
Samurott in my opinion is way better.Its got a good movepool and a balanced stat.Also Carracosta's 4x weakness against Grass-types is just a no-no for me.
 

Frostweaver

Ancient + Prehistoric
8,246
Posts
20
Years
I think Samurott fits into most team a lot better. Carracosta really got nothing but smash, and even with the smash it's not super fast either. It's certainly workable and probably more destructive once it got the chance to setup, but Samurott is just the safer pick that fits into more teams.

They're both pretty bleh in design though XD Carracosta's pre-evolution is a lot better in the design department XD
 

Mononoke Hime

viva emptiness
253
Posts
11
Years
In terms of design I prefer samurott, but in terms of battling preferences is a draw between those two.

Carracosta has 4x weakness to grass, but this actually doesn't matter that much when it's role on the team is usually defensive for me. But it can set up Shell Smash and sweep into physical attacks bar Aqua Jet, which's another option, but one that I wouldn't use.
Samurott is more into being a (boosting) mixed attacker, and though it's also bulky it's not as much as carracosta.

To finish with, this depends on which role your team needs the most, and I must say that for me samurott is better because I usually need sweepers more than defensive pokemons, said that I mainly have more defensive than sweepers, so my final choice is samurott.
 

Synerjee

[font=Itim]Atra du evarinya ono varda.[/font]
2,901
Posts
11
Years
Definitely Samurott. I prefer all-rounded (or mostly all-rounded) Pokemon with decent attack and speed. Samurott more or less fits this description whereas Carracosta...oh, my dear Carracosta. It might look cool and awesome and all, but just look at its speed. It's just downright and disappointingly low. What use is huge power and defenses if the owner of that power doesn't have a speed that matches?!...Well, this is what I think.
 

Crystal Noel

RPG Maker VX Ace Scripter
222
Posts
11
Years
Sammurott, mainly because it has less weaknesses than Caracosta (Samurott has Grass and Electric and Caracosta has Electric, Fighting, Ground, and a 4 times weakness to Grass) Although in a case were I would pick Snivy I would go with Caracosta in because I don't like any of the other Water-types introduced in Gen V.
 
77
Posts
11
Years
It seems like everyone is voting for samurott, but I think carracoasta is the better and the way more underrated of the two(for my team at least). Iol, its shellsmash set even made it to The Smog. It is also more versatile(again, IMO) because it can be quite the tank with access to SR, base 108 attack, excellent base 112 defense, and fantastic ability in solid rock. It can also go on the offensive, having access to arguably the best boosting move in shell smash and having a good movepool and better offenses to abuse the movepool. While Samurott is walled by tangela(for physical sets) and ludicolo( for special sets), Carracoasta can run a mixed attacking set easily because of its gigantic attacking stats after a SS and the movepool. Try carracoasta out guys, I promise you it won't disappoint you  :]
 

vaporeon7

My life would suck without you
5,143
Posts
13
Years
It was again, a tough choice for me. Both have been pretty equal in usefulness in-game for me. I also don't mind both of their designs. Samurott got my vote though, because if they went head to head, Samurott could use Grass Knot for huge damage, while Carracosta could try Shell Smash, but Samurott could just finish it off with Aqua Jet then.
 

Rewy

untitled follower
113
Posts
11
Years
Both have their good uses, but if I'd have to pick one over the other, I'd go with Samurott, mainly because Megahorn. It's a decent Mixed set runner. Not terribly fond of the "horn" design on it's head, but otherwise I like the blades it has.

To me Carracosta has always felt too slow for my preferred uses. I dislike having to wait over the opponent. And sometimes it can be suprise-lethal if they pull out a grass move trick card that I wasn't expecting.
 

~*!*~Tatsujin Gosuto~*!*~

Buffalo State College
12,049
Posts
18
Years
Samurott, why? because it's a cool Pokemon and it doesn't have a 4x weakness to grass like Carracosta. Besides I've never used a Carracosta before in my life; just evolve Tiratuga into one and threw it in the PC to never be seen again. Carracosta has more weakness than Samurott anyways and thats not good


:t354:TG
 
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