Pokémon Drapion

Status
Not open for further replies.
SBphiloz4

SBphiloz4

Drapion_Sprite.gif

Drapion
The Ogre Scorp Pokemon.

EDIT: As of November 11th, updated egg moves and possible movesets.

Pokedex Number - #452
Types - Poison/Dark
Base Stats - 70 HP / 90 Atk / 110 Def / 60 SAtk / 75 SDef / 95 Spe

Abilities
Battle Armor: Opponent’s moves cannot Critical Hit.
Sniper: Power of critical-hit moves multiplied by 2.25X instead of 1.5X.
Keen Eye (Dream World): Opponent cannot lower this Pokémon’s accuracy. The Pokémon ignores evasion boosts of the opponent .

*(Notable moves will be italicized and underlined)*

Level-Up Movepool
Lv1 - Thunder Fang
Lv1 - Ice Fang
Lv1 - Fire Fang
Lv1 - Bite
Lv1 - Poison Sting
Lv1 - Leer
Lv1 - Knock Off
Lv5 - Knock Off
Lv9 - Pin Missile
Lv13 - Acupressure
Lv16 - Pursuit
Lv20 - Bug Bite
Lv23 - Poison Fang
Lv27 - Hone Claws
Lv30 - Venoshock
Lv34 - Toxic Spikes
Lv38 - Night Slash
Lv43 - Scary Face
Lv49 - Crunch
Lv53 - Fell Stinger
Lv57 - Cross Poison

TM & HM Compatibility
TM01 - Hone Claws
TM05 - Roar
TM06 - Toxic
TM09 - Venoshock
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM11 - Sunny Day
TM12 - Taunt
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM21 - Frustration
TM26 - Earthquake
TM27 - Return
TM28 - Dig
TM30 - Shadow Ball
TM31 - Brick Break
TM32 - Double Team
TM36 - Sludge Bomb
TM39 - Rock Tomb
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM46 - Thief
TM48 - Round
TM54 - False Swipe
TM56 - Fling
TM66 - Payback
TM70 - Flash
TM75 - Swords Dance
TM76 - Struggle Bug
TM78 - Bulldoze
TM80 - Rock Slide
TM81 - X-Scissor
TM83 - Infestation
TM84 - Poison Jab
TM87 - Swagger
TM88 - Sleep Talk
TM90 - Substitute
TM94 - Rock Smash
TM95 - Snarl
TM97 - Dark Pulse
TM100 - Confide
HM01 - Cut
HM04 - Strength

Egg Moves (As of Gen 5, may have new ones introduced in Gen 6)
Feint Attack
Screech
Sand-Attack
Slash
Confuse Ray
Whirlwind
Agility
Pursuit
Night Slash
Twineedle
Poison Tail

Notable moves only obtainable from Gen 5 move tutor
Aqua Tail
Iron Tail
Snore (lol)

Drapion has made its triumph return to the metagame with a few chances. Nothing really notable changed from him; he is still one of the best Psychic and Ghost killers in the lower tiers, and that is not changing very soon. He can make a strong and fast wallbreaker, or go a different route as one of the best special walls. However, a few notable changes surround his moves and opponents.

Firstly, and arguably most noteworthy, is that Knock Off got an increase of power to 55BP, which is essentially 82.5BP when STAB is included. This is probably one of the best gifts Drapion can ask for, as this can further aid in help breaking walls that rely on Leftovers for recovery, or support the team in knocking out a key item of the opponent.

Fairy-types have been introduced, and some will likely dwell in the underused tiers with the scorpion. This means Drapion must be more careful in using choice items, as no longer is Crunch going to be the solution to everything. Rather, this makes his second STAB, Poison, very important to eliminate these new threats. Drapion will be needing both his STABs to swiftly break through his opponent.

Unfortunately for offensive sets, Sniper got a nerf, with critical hits only doing 1.5X now. This therefore only increases the damage of critical hits from 1.5X to 2.25X instead of the usual 3X. Drapion's other abilities aren't very suitable, but the nerf shouldn't discourage the use of this Pokemon. Although, it won't be seeing the fields of OU due to its crippling weakness to Ground, and a rather disappointing attack stat compared to other behemoths, overall, Drapion will be very suited for this new battlefield of the underused, better than ever before.

Potential Movesets

[Swords Dance]

Drapion
-Swords Dance
-Knock Off
-Poison Jab/Taunt
-Earthquake/Taunt
Ability: Sniper
Item: Life Orb/Lum Berry/Black Sludge
Nature: Jolly
Evs: 252ATK/252SPE/4DEF

A simple but very effective SD set. This takes advantage of Drapion's many resistances to switch in and set up. Psychic and Ghost-types can do nothing to it thanks to its respectable bulk. +2 Attack Drapion can 2HKO most of the tier alongside its good speed. Knock Off is a very powerful STAB that crushes Psychic and Ghost-types and serves as great utility, while Poison Jab is your secondary STAB that hits defensive Grass-types hard such as Tangrowth, while also hitting the newcomer Fairy-types for super effective damage. Earthquake provides needed coverage for Steel-types, but Taunt is an option to not get crippled by status and shorten the sweep.

Item choice depends on the player. Life Orb is for boosting Drapion's attack, as sometimes base 90 Attack isn't going to cut it. Black Sludge is good for longevity, while Lum Berry protects you from status of what it commonly checks such as Slowking. Knock Off may be used for utility, but Drapion sorely needs all the power it needs to muscle through the opponent's team.

[Trapper]

Drapion
-Pursuit
-Knock Off/Crunch
-Poison Jab
-Earthquake
Ability: Sniper ((Battle Armor))
Item: Life Orb/Choice Band/((Assault Vest))
Nature: Jolly or ((Careful for Assault Vest))
Evs: 252ATK/252SPE/4DEF ((248 HP/212 ATK/48 SP.DEF))


Another set that uses Drapion's key resistances to trap enemy Psychic and Ghost-types, as well as pick off weakened Pokemon. Pursuit is the crux of the set, allowing it to do the role of picking off these opponents. Take Crunch or Knock Off for the second moveslot; either go for power or utility. Unfortunately, Drapion does not get Aqua Tail until the PokeBank is released, so for now, Poison Jab and Earthquake are the go-to coverage moves.

Choice Band might be less favourable due to the presence of Fairy-types, and giving a free set-up for the opponent is not good business. However, if Drapion isn't hitting hard enough with LO for you, Band is the way to go.

An alternate spread of 248 HP/212 ATK/48 SP. DEF with an Assault Vest ensures that Drapion can easily absorb special attacks from the likes of Gengar and Aegislash, while swiftly retaliating with Knock Off or Pursuit. Consider that Drapion can 2HKO or 3HKO these opponents, while they cannot do the same back. Do note that this requires IMMENSE Wish support, as this particular set has no way of recovering lost HP.

[Special Wall]

Drapion
-Knock Off
-Poison Jab
-Taunt/Whirlwind/Toxic Spikes
-Taunt/Whirlwind/Toxic Spikes
Ability: Battle Armor
Item: Black Sludge
Nature: Careful
Evs: 248HP/244SPD/16SPE (might be modified)

My personal favourite Drapion set, this new generation gives it a better chance of being one of the premier special walls of the underused tiers. With key Grass, Psychic, Dark and Ghost resistances, Drapion can easily switch in on deadly sweepers and prevent them from continuing. With the power buff in Knock Off, this makes it a deadly attack even with no attack investment, and also cripple the opponent by removing its item. Poison Jab is a much needed secondary STAB to deal with Grass and Fairy-types. The last two slots are dedicated to further stop the opponent from set-up. With its natural quickness, Drapion can stop slower threats from setting up. Whirlwind is an excellent phazing move, while Toxic Spikes can be appreciated for dedicated stall teams. In the presence of many Poison-types in the tier, and the fact that they will become even more popular should Fairy-types rise, TS is not recommended. Earthquake can be used for coverage should it be needed.

EVs still not set in stone. This Drapion is different that the Assault Vest on in that it can use Taunt and Whirlwind at its disposal to change momentum. It also has a way of passive recovery, but it does come at a cost for being less specially bulky and hurts less.

Personal Opinion

Drapion is one cool Pokemon. It didn't get much, but they were enough to help it become even better at doing its job. Fierce competition arises with Fairy-types and stronger special attackers, but it should be able to hold off its own. Knock Off is probably one of the best gifts it could get. Sure, Sniper may have gotten a slight nerf, but its versatility is what makes it deadly. From being a key wallbreaker, to a trapper, to a special wall, the possibilities are great, even with its slightly barren movepool. Overall, I think Drapion should excel in this new metagame in the underused or rarelyused tiers.

Discussion

What other sets can you guys think of? Is there anything notable I missed? Which set will be the most popular set in the metagame? Can it hold its own against the new Fairy-types, and the Steel and Poison-types that will follow? Discuss.
 
Last edited:
If you're running sniper, you might as well go with Cross Poison for extra crit chance. Of course, crits got nerfed, so it might not work.
Does Sniper still increase crits to 3x, or is it something like 2x?
 
The critical chance for moves with boosted crit rate is apparently much higher this gen. It's most likely to offset the damage nerf. Farfetch'd purportedly has 100% crit rate with Slash when it's equipped with its leak. Have you tested Cross Poison with Scope Lens? It could be viable as a wall breaking set if the chance to crit is high enough.
 
TwoBit said:
The critical chance for moves with boosted crit rate is apparently much higher this gen. It's most likely to offset the damage nerf. Farfetch'd purportedly has 100% crit rate with Slash when it's equipped with its leak. Have you tested Cross Poison with Scope Lens? It could be viable as a wall breaking set if the chance to crit is high enough.
Click to expand...

I'm not the most confident in relying on Scope Lens and critical hits to dish out damage. Although with good luck, it may work. The main problem is that since Gen 4, we were brainwashed not to rely on criticals to do damage, because stuff like LO and Band are much more reliable. X3

I would like to test if critical rates ARE in fact higher with stuff like Night Slash and Cross Poison though.
 
The only one worth using last generation was the Special Wall, and XY wasn't kind to Drapion neither, so he'll probably go to NU this gen. Also, this belongs in the Old Mon's thread.
 
Psylink said:
The only one worth using last generation was the Special Wall, and XY wasn't kind to Drapion neither, so he'll probably go to NU this gen. Also, this belongs in the Old Mon's thread.
Click to expand...

Eh. If he gets the chance to beat off Psychics and Ghosts in the higher tiers, he might still have a shot.

And I apologize for missing this. This may as well be moved to the Old Mon's thread, as really, this guy is pretty much the same. X3
 
how was XY not kind to drapion? it gave him massive buffs if anything. His typing is amazing and the new knock off is great on him considering he can support and dish out damage.
 
For the SD set, Knock Off is preferable to Crunch, because its BP is significantly higher (97.5 if the foe is holding an item) than Crunch, and Drapion's good Speed allows him to get that hit in before many Mons have a chance to use their Type Gem.

I think Drapion also has one of the best defensive typings in the game, being only weak to Ground and having an immunity to Psychic. Combined his impressive defensive bulk and his ability to annihilate the Fairies which will most certainly be littering the lower tiers, Drapion is going to become a premiere UU threat and may even take the throne as the king of the tier's revenge killers, and considering the defensive typing of the tier's premiere physical walls, he can also be an effective wall smasher.

Revenge Killer
Drapion @ Choice Scarf
Sniper/Battle Armor
Adamant | 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide/Pursuit

A 252 Spe Drapion with a Choice Scarf outspeeds anything else in the tier that doesn't have a Scarf itself, which means it can run an Adamant nature to reach a whopping 306 Attack, and Drapion's great bulk and defensive typing allows him to be switched in on many threats. Knock Off has a Base Power of 97.5 if the foe is holding an item that isn't a Mega Stone, allowing Drapion to inflict some serious pain on many targets.

252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Meloetta: 338-398 (98.83 - 116.37%) -- 93.75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Victini: 270-320 (79.17 - 93.84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (OHKO after Stealth Rocks)
252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 120 HP / 0 Def Chandelure: 300-354 (103.09 - 121.64%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Poison Jab and Earthquake are used for coverage. Rock Slide is preferred for the last slot, as it allows Drapion to hit Flying and Ice types super-effectively while Pursuit is going to be able to score any reliable kills on switches unless Stealth Rock is in effect. Both Sniper and Battle Armor will see usage about the same amount of time, though if Frost Breath and Storm Throw's distribution have increased this tier, Battle Armor is obviously preferable.

Wall Smasher
Drapion @ Life Orb
Sniper/Battle Armor
Adamant | 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake/Rock Slide
- Swords Dance

Now that Steel has lost its resistance to Dark-type attacks, Drapion adds Brongzong to the list of UU walls he can STAB for super-effective damage, and with a move of 97.5BP which also removes the foe's Leftovers or Dusclops's Eviolite! You can either switch Drapion in on something he has a type advantage over and score a Swords Dance as your foe switches (preferable), or you can just switch him on the wall itself and Swords Dance in the same turn that he eats a Will-o-Wisp, negating the reduction in Attack from the burn. I'll let the calculations do the rest of the talking.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Drapion (Move 1) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Cofagrigus: 393-463 (123.19 - 145.14%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Drapion (Move 1) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Dusclops: 283-338 (99.64 - 119.01%) -- 93.75% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Drapion (Move 1) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Bronzong: 463-546 (136.98 - 161.53%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Drapion Poison Jab vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Togekiss: 445-525 (119.3 - 140.75%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Drapion (Move 1) vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Slowbro: 484-569 (123.15 - 144.78%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Here are calculations with Burn:

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb burned Drapion (Move 1) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Cofagrigus: 196-231 (61.44 - 72.41%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb burned Drapion (Move 1) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Dusclops: 142-169 (50 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 
Last edited:
I've been using

Drapion@Black Sludge
Sniper
252 HP/252 Atk/4 Sp Def
Adamant
-Knock Off
-Poison Jab
-Earthquake
-Whirlwind

and he's been surprisingly useful. Highlights include living a Garchomp's Earthquake and OHKOing with a crit Knock Off, bit mostly he's fantastic at breaking stall due to his above average speed and Knock Off, which cripples Mons who rely on Leftovers for bulk and Earthquake, which wrecks up Steels like nobody's business. A lot of teams use a Steel-Fairy core (Togekiss and Skarmory, for example, or Florges and Aggron) and Drapion just eats those up. Especially now that Steel doesn't resist Dark! Drapion also loves the prevalence of Ghosts at this point in the new metsgame's development, as it can take on most of them one-on-one. Just off the top of my head, it can check Aegislash and can hard-counter Gengar (Sludge Bomb? Shadow Ball? Eating them up! Focus Miss and Dazzling Gleam are the two coverage moves I see on Gengar most often in wo-Fi play and they do jack to Drapion, who threatens back with Knock Off for non-Mega or EQ for Mega). I think Drapion will be solidly UU with a niche in OU this gen, and it will be great pre-Pokebank as the best abuser of Knock Off until Bisharp gets it back from B2W2.
 
I wonder if Assault Vest would work with the all-attacker set/trapper. Sure, you won't be hitting very hard with Base 90 Attack, but with Knock Off and Pursuit, alongside great resistances to many common special attacks, it seems like a very suitable pivot, wall and utility all in one. One main disadvantage though is that it won't have any source of recovery, so it absolutely needs Wish support. Togekiss can take the Ground attacks aim at Drapion, while it can help back by taking Poison attacks. Although Togekiss usually don't carry Wish...
 
How about a lead with toxic spikes.
This is what I run.
drapion with air balloon
jolly and sniper
-toxic spikes
-poison jab
-taunt
-pursuit

nobody really expects it and gets to survive long enough to do 2 layer spikes.
has 90 speed so its decent to taunt slower pokemon.
 
Kriptini said:
Drapion is going to become a premiere UU threat and may even take the throne as the king of the tier's revenge killers, and considering the defensive typing of the tier's premiere physical walls, he can also be an effective wall smasher.

Revenge Killer
Drapion @ Choice Scarf
Sniper/Battle Armor
Adamant | 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide/Pursuit

A 252 Spe Drapion with a Choice Scarf outspeeds anything else in the tier that doesn't have a Scarf itself, which means it can run an Adamant nature to reach a whopping 306 Attack, and Drapion's great bulk and defensive typing allows him to be switched in on many threats. Knock Off has a Base Power of 97.5 if the foe is holding an item that isn't a Mega Stone, allowing Drapion to inflict some serious pain on many targets.

252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Meloetta: 338-398 (98.83 - 116.37%) -- 93.75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Victini: 270-320 (79.17 - 93.84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (OHKO after Stealth Rocks)
252+ Atk Drapion (Move 1) vs. 120 HP / 0 Def Chandelure: 300-354 (103.09 - 121.64%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Poison Jab and Earthquake are used for coverage. Rock Slide is preferred for the last slot, as it allows Drapion to hit Flying and Ice types super-effectively while Pursuit is going to be able to score any reliable kills on switches unless Stealth Rock is in effect. Both Sniper and Battle Armor will see usage about the same amount of time, though if Frost Breath and Storm Throw's distribution have increased this tier, Battle Armor is obviously preferable.
Click to expand...

There are flaws with this set that I feel need pointing out, if you were intending this for UU. The fact you cannot OHKO heracross (either regular or mega) is a serious flaw in the UU metagame. Base 95 is unfortunately not suitable for adamant either, despite the decline of scarf moxiecross sets, as well as outright losing to scarf darmanitan rather than risking a speed tie.

Additionally, despite being a metagame notorious for having to deal with hazards, I also think poorly on relying on SR being up to achieve your OHKO's as well, as you put unnecessary pressure on yourself to keep hazards off the field. Mega Blastoise is almost certain to centralize UU considering that tier has been crying out for an offensive rapid spinner for the whole of BW, alongside a staggering level of use for garbage mons such as hitmontop and claydol, which does make keeping hazards up a bit more of a chore, though cofagrigus/sableye would mitigate that issue to an extent.

You also lack the power that the scarfers of UU enjoy too, considering the power behind scarf darmanitan's sheer force boosted flare blitz, Victini's V-create, Flygon's impressive STAB combo, or the king of all, reckless HJK from mienshao.

Better sticking to support or perhaps the SD set for UU, but even with SD, you do cop it with a ground weakness when it comes to being revenged.
 
Drapion is my all time favorite Pokemon, so I was happy to try him out on my team. I used him with an Assault Vest, to make him very bulky.

Drapion @ Assualt Vest
Ability: Battle Armor
Evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
-Crunch
-Pursuit
-Poison Jab
-Earthquake

He's fantastic against Fairys, Ghosts (especially Mega-Gengar and Aegislash), and the random Psychic type
 
theoblivinator said:
Drapion is my all time favorite Pokemon, so I was happy to try him out on my team. I used him with an Assault Vest, to make him very bulky.

Drapion @ Assualt Vest
Ability: Battle Armor
Evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
-Crunch
-Pursuit
-Poison Jab
-Earthquake

He's fantastic against Fairys, Ghosts (especially Mega-Gengar and Aegislash), and the random Psychic type
Click to expand...

Looks good! I wonder if you had notable success with that set. Seems good on paper, but I wonder if you can move some Sp. Def over to Attack to be more of an offensive presence, while maintaining its walling capabilities? Also, Wish support seems mandatory on something without recovery.
 
I feel like knock off is this guy's signature move. Sure the damage is meh after the first hit, but if you're offensive that first hit will be way stronger than crunch anyways, and if you're defensive you can just outlast opponents by getting rid of their life orb/leftovers combined with the high effect rate of poison jab. If you can't win a straight up 1v1 you can just switch to something else and take advantage of an item-less opponent. Even Scizor can only go so far without a choice band.
Then again I'm not a competitive guru so maybe I'm overstating it.
 
what I'm thinking
drapion @ assault vest
ability: battle armor
EVs 252 hp 124att 128Sdef 4def
nature: careful
knock off
earthquake
posion jab
pursuit

I have a question that might have been answered before; But what if I'm fighting a mon turned mega then I used knock off. Would it return it too its original form?
 
R3cursi0n said:
what I'm thinking
drapion @ assault vest
ability: battle armor
EVs 252 hp 124att 128Sdef 4def
nature: careful
knock off
earthquake
posion jab
pursuit

I have a question that might have been answered before; But what if I'm fighting a mon turned mega then I used knock off. Would it return it too its original form?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Knock Off cannot remove a Megastone from the opponent. Someone can help me confirm this. Also, move 4 HP EVs to another stat, so your HP is not divisible by four, leaving you one less turn to switch in on SR/Spikes. I'd say 248 HP, 124 ATK, 128 SP DEF (care to explain why?) and 8 SPE (to barely outrun min 95 base speed Pokemon lol).
 
well... one thing that isnt noticed and doesnt really make much of a difference anyway is the "buff" to keen eye. The ability is the same but with defog being thrown around now it could take defogs without losing accuracy. So thats an (outclassed by sniper/battle armor) option for it.
 
ito said:
well... one thing that isnt noticed and doesnt really make much of a difference anyway is the "buff" to keen eye. The ability is the same but with defog being thrown around now it could take defogs without losing accuracy. So thats an (outclassed by sniper/battle armor) option for it.
Click to expand...
Defog doesn't drop accuracy, it drops evasion. Keen Eye does nothing about that, doesn't it?
 
Would this moveset be viable?

Drapion @ Black Sludge
Battle Armor
Careful
252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Spe

Knock Off
Infestation
Toxic
Whirlwind

Can't believe no-one else has really mentioned Infestation, as it's a brilliant move. The intention of this set is to force in something, lock it down and cripple it as much as possible, with the removal of its item and constant wearing down of its health. I was thinking Toxic Spikes at first, but I believe Toxic allows for more versatility and a faster wearing away of health. Anything that resists Toxic can still have its item removed and can be Whirlwinded out. Taunt would be nice somewhere, but it can't really afford to lose one of the other moves.
 
BenY-S said:
Would this moveset be viable?

Drapion @ Black Sludge
Battle Armor
Careful
252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Spe

Knock Off
Infestation
Toxic
Whirlwind

Can't believe no-one else has really mentioned Infestation, as it's a brilliant move. The intention of this set is to force in something, lock it down and cripple it as much as possible, with the removal of its item and constant wearing down of its health. I was thinking Toxic Spikes at first, but I believe Toxic allows for more versatility and a faster wearing away of health. Anything that resists Toxic can still have its item removed and can be Whirlwinded out. Taunt would be nice somewhere, but it can't really afford to lose one of the other moves.
Click to expand...

I'm still trying to tear if Infestation is viable or not, but with lotsa support, it seems good. Again move 4 HP EVs into something else. If you are using T-spikes, especially in UU with the lack of Poison types, you might be able to afford to replace Toxic for Taunt.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top