IG|Nightshade took the time to shed some light on one of Pokkén Tournament’s most powerful moves: Shadow Mewtwo’s Vortex. Performed by using X to cancel his Psywave, this move is considered a counter, pierces other counters, jumps, does good chip, hits the top of the screen vertically, and is safe on block. It’s hard to have a better grab bag of good properties.
As Nightshade demonstrated on his stream recently, however, the move can still be challenged on wakeup by the full cast, so long as you are prepared with the right assist. He spends a good 40 minutes testing various supports and theorizing the effects of each, but some of the most notable examples include:
- Ninetails’ Will O’ Wisp – This arguably underused Disrupt posses invincibility, causes an attack decrease, and breaks the counter property of Vortex.
- Magneton’s Tri Attack – Though the defender’s armor will get pierced by Vortex, Magneton will still shoot Shadow Mewtwo out of the sky, scoring greater damage and two status debuffs.
- Rotom’s Thunder Shock – This fast charging, popular anti-jump disrupt cleanly knocks Shadow Mewtwo out of the air, but provides no defense for the user. There will almost always be a trade that results in both Pokémon crumpling to the floor.
- Magikarp – Vortex cannot stop falling fish.
The versatility that assists provide, combined with the fragile lifebar of Shadow Mewtwo, can mean a lot more risk than many may realize for the edgier Mewtwo.
Sources: Nightshade