PU Claydol

[UberSkitty]

uploaded-TONE
Stolen from Frisky Tisky Taskr

One of my earlier pictures :D

[OVERVIEW]

Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing; Ground / Psychic is solid defensively and allows Claydol to serve as a switch-in for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper. It also gives Claydol a notable niche in being both resistant to Stealth Rock and immune to all other entry hazards thanks to Levitate. Finally, its typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan. However, while it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits, especially with its lack of recovery. Its offensive presence is very mediocre, preventing it from picking up many OHKOs such as Earth Power on Skuntank and leaving it as setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant and Calm Mind Clefairy. While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as against common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Furthermore, even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale and Regirock outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user with their better bulk. The same can be said with Rapid Spin users like Hitmonchan and Kabutops due to their better offensive presence.

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Toxic / Stealth Rock
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Claydol's main role is to remove entry hazards, so Rapid spin is crucial. It can also run Stealth Rock, but if another teammate is already running it, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno. Psychic is run in order to 2HKO Gurdurr, while Earth Power 2HKOes Skuntank.

Set Details
========

Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from Skuntank's Crunch or Dark Pulse while also reducing damage from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off. The Speed EVs allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Modest Aurorus.

Usage Tips
========

Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc, but it has to watch out for being worn down. Furthermore, some Pokemon that Claydol can check have other moves that do a lot to it or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam, Manectric's Switcheroo, and Mudsdale's Toxic. However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove entry hazards. If there are hazards on your side of the field, Claydol can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If Claydol isn't running Toxic, it can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch out to a Pursuit trapper or just a better matchup.

Team Options
========

Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock, with the former two also being able to wear down Pokemon like Skuntank and the latter providing a solid switch-in to Jellicent. Conversely, Pokemon that fear being worn down by entry hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them. Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy Stealth Rock being off the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Ludicolo. However, these same Grass-types also make for good teammates, as they can help against Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent. Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities. Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users. All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards and Toxic wearing down the opposing team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity but leaves it with a much worse matchup against Skuntank and gives it a harder time switching into Pokemon like Gurdurr. Wiki Berry serves as a one-time recovery for Claydol, but it has the same problem as Leftovers. Groundium Z can allow Claydol to OHKO Skuntank, KO Regirock after an Earth Power, and still avoid increased damage from Knock Off, but overall, Claydol isn't worth spending the Z-Move slot on. Psyshock can be run over Psychic in order to pick up 2HKOs on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan, but Gurdurr is a much more prevalent target, making Psychic better. Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and spinblockers like Froslass but does little despite being super effective. An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOs on Pokemon like Skuntank,(RC) but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from Claydol's other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super effective STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in but risk being OHKOed by Claydol's Psychic.

**Super Effective Attackers**: Various Pokemon like Ludicolo, Rotom-F, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with their super effective STAB moves with little to no prior damage. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon notably also resist or are immune to Claydol's Earth Power. Even with Claydol's Colbur Berry still intact, Dark-types like Alolan Raticate and Absol beat it one-on-one. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Lilligant, Clefairy, and Spiritomb can use Claydol as setup fodder, with the latter two notably not caring about Toxic. Others like Quagsire and Scyther can also give Claydol a hard time if it isn't running Toxic.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[TJ, 331538], [tondas, 442732], [TONE, 213583]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Fireflame479, 231476]]

 

[TJ]

Stolen from Frisky Tisky Taskr

View attachment 148575One of my earlier pictures :D

[OVERVIEW]

• Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. (idk why this is a point on its own -- it should be merged with the one below.)
• While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing. First of all, Claydol's typing is solid defensively and allows it to serve as switchin for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper.
• Its typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan. (id even mention things like regirock here.)
• Finally, its typing allows Claydol to take little from Stealth Rock while its ability in Levitate makes it immune to all of the other hazards. (maybe add a little more emphasis on the resisting rocks/ being immune to entry hazards thing? that niche is almost unrivaled and makes it easier for claydol to remove hazards compared to other mons that can remove hazards but are weak to rocks)
• While it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits.
• Claydol also lacks recovery, which makes it all the more easy to wear down over time. (you can combine this point with the above one)
• It's offensive presence is very mediocre, restricting it from picking up many OHKOes of super-effective attacks. (give an example of something that it fails to ohko despite being super effective)
• While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. (ludicolo isnt that common, id say its still a bit underrated atm. mention alolan exeggutor instead) (could mention how all of these pokemon can literally set up on it for almost free. lass spikes on it, sensu can use cm, lili can quiver, and eggy can tr)
• Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale (regirock too) outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user, and vise versa with Rapid Spin users like Choice Scarf Kabutops.

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock / Toxic
move 3: Psyshock / Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• If Stealth Rock is unneeded, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon it that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno. (i mean if the opponent has a cuno, sr will probably be needed. pick something else)
• For its Psychic-type STAB move, Claydol is forced to pick between Psyshock and Psychic. Psyshock allows it to pick up the 2HKO on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan while Psychic 2HKOes Pokemon like Gurdurr and Weezing.

Set Details
========

• Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from both Skuntank's Crunch and Dark Pulse while also taking less from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off.
• The Speed EV's allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Aurorus.

Usage Tips
========

• Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc. (maybe expand on this with something like it should not be used recklessly as it lacks reliable recovery/ worn down quickly)
• However, some Pokemon that Claydol can resist have other moves that do a lot or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam and Manectric's Switcheroo. (this point should probably be merged with the first, id also mention things like mudsdale here since they carry toxic.)
• However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove hazards.
• If there are hazards on your side of the field you can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If you aren't running Toxic, you can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch for a better matchup. (yeah, not only spin blockers but any switch-in really)

Team Options
========

• Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock. (roselia also acts as a good switch-in to jellicent, something that claydol hates facing while frosslass and qwil can wear down things like skunk better)
• On the contrary, Pokemon that fear being worn down by hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them. (you could mention how aurorus breaks things for claydol. in return, claydol is a good check to gurdurr which aurorus/ specs jelly dont appreciate)
• Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy no Stealth Rock being on the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant and Ludicolo. (and eggy-a)
• However, these same Grass-types also make for teammates as they can help against another of Claydol's weaknesses in Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent.
• Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities.
• Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users.
• All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards wearing down the opposing team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity in order to take more hits, but gives it a much worse matchup against Skuntank.
• Groundium Z can allow Claydol to pick up the OHKO on Skuntank and KOes Regirock after an Earth Power, but overall Claydol isn't worth taking up the Z-move slot on a team.
• Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and Ghost-types like Froslass, but still does little despite being super-effective.
• An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOes on Pokemon like Skuntank, but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.
• Iapapa Berry

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from its other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super-effective STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in, but at a risk as it is OHKOed by Claydol's Psyshock or Psychic.

**Water-types**:

**Grass-types**:

**Residual Damage**:

**Super-Effective Pokemon**: Pokemon with super-effective STAB moves on Claydol like Ludicolo, Alolan Exeggutor, Rotom-Frost, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with little to no prior damage. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

**Hazard Removal**: Defog and Rapid Spin users like Swanna, Alolan Sandslash, Silvally Fairy, and Kabutops can all remove Claydol's Stealth Rock, essentially canceling out one of its main goal. This is especially if Claydol has already been KOed. id just remove this point tbh

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Nice Work, 1/3.

 

[tondas]

I'm back in business BWAHAHAHA

Stolen from Frisky Tisky Taskr

View attachment 148575One of my earlier pictures :D

[OVERVIEW]

• Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing. First of all, Claydol's typing is solid defensively and allows it to serve as switchin for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper.
• It also gives Claydol a notable niche in being both resistant to Stealth Rock and immune to all other hazards thanks to Levitate.
• Finally, ts (its) typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan.
• While it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits, especially with its lack of recovery.
• It's offensive presence is very mediocre, restricting it from picking up many OHKOes such as Earth Power on Skuntank.
• While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. All of these Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick (this part is awkward to read out, fix this in writeup) for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale and Regirock outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user (how come?), and vise versa with Rapid Spin users like Alolan Sandslash and Kabutops. (same here)

(to add on to the point of its low power I'd mention how claydol is often setup fodder for mons like lilligant, cm clef/tomb, etc.)
(role compression and passivity are both aspects of claydol so maybe bring up how it has difficulty picking between sr and toxic)

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock / Toxic
move 3: Psyshock / Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• If Stealth Rock is already on another teammate, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon it that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno.
• For its Psychic-type STAB move, Claydol is forced (bit of a weird adjective to use here imo) to pick between Psyshock and Psychic. Psyshock allows it to pick up the 2HKO on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan while Psychic 2HKOes Pokemon like Gurdurr and Weezing (RIP).

Set Details
========

• Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from both Skuntank's Crunch and Dark Pulse while also taking less from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off.
• The Speed EV's allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Aurorus (only modest aurorus tho)

Usage Tips
========

• Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc, but has to watch out for being easily worn down.
• Furthermore, some Pokemon that Claydol can resist have other moves that do a lot or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam, Manectric's Switcheroo, and Mudsdale's Toxic.
• However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove hazards.
• If there are hazards on your side of the field you can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If you aren't running Toxic, you can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch into a Pursuit trapper if you have one (or things that threaten them otherwise, lilligant for jelli or lycan for froslass/sensu)

Team Options
========

• Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock, as well as the former two being able to wear down Pokemon like Skuntank and the latter being a solid switchin to Jellicent.
• On the contrary, Pokemon that fear being worn down by hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them.
• Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy no Stealth Rock being on the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Ludicolo.
• However, these same Grass-types also make for teammates as they can help against another of Claydol's weaknesses in Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent.
• Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb (skunk>tomb is more meta relevant) can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities.
• Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users.
• All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards wearing down the opposing team (toxic wears things down too).

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity in order to take more hits, but gives it a much worse matchup against Skuntank (less reliable switch-in to mons with knock as well).
• Wiki Berry serves as a one-time recovery for Claydol, but has the same problem as Leftovers.
• Groundium Z can allow Claydol to pick up the OHKO on Skuntank and KOes Regirock after an Earth Power (knock sponge too), but overall Claydol isn't worth taking up the Z-move slot on a team.
• Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and Ghost-types like Froslass, but still does little despite being super-effective (note that it can 2hko common spinblockers at least).
• An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOes on Pokemon like Skuntank, but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from its other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super-effective STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in, but at a risk as it is OHKOed by Claydol's Psyshock or Psychic. (mention how cm tomb completely exploits claydol)

**Super-Effective Pokemon**: There are various Pokemon with super-effective STAB moves on Claydol like Ludicolo, Alolan Exeggutor, Rotom-Frost, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with little to no prior damage. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon notably also resist or are immune to Claydol's Earth Power. Even with Claydol's Colbur Berry still in hand, Dark-types like Alolan Raticate and Absol still beat Claydol 1v1. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

(setup sweepers here, lilligant and cm clef/sub mes use claydol as setup fodder, without toxic things like scyther and curse quag are rlly annoying)

(e: I know editing qc checks isn't very professional but I agree w/ tj's check with including a residual damage section here, not hazard weak but with its lack of recovery, vulnerability to status and weakness to uturn it struggles to consistently check things without smth like wish support)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

qc 2/3 tho nice job

 

[TONE]

Stolen from Frisky Tisky Taskr

View attachment 148575One of my earlier pictures :D

[OVERVIEW]

Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing. First of all, Claydol's typing is solid defensively and allows it to serve as switchin for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper. It also gives Claydol a notable niche in being both resistant to Stealth Rock and immune to all other hazards thanks to Levitate. Finally, its typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan. However, while it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits, especially with its lack of recovery. It's offensive presence is very mediocre, restricting it from picking up many OHKOes such as Earth Power on Skuntank and leaving it as setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant and Calm Mind Clefairy. While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale and Regirock outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user with their better bulk. Vise versa can be said with Rapid Spin users like Hitmonchan and Kabutops due to their better offensive presences.

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Toxic / Stealth Rock
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

If Stealth Rock is already on another teammate, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon it that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno. Psychic is run in order to 2HKO Gurdurr while Earth Power 2HKOes Skuntank. (at least mention the main reason to run Claydol here.)

Set Details
========

Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from both Skuntank's Crunch and Dark Pulse while also taking less from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off. The Speed EV's allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Modest Aurorus.

Usage Tips
========

Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc, but has to watch out for being easily worn down. Furthermore, some Pokemon that Claydol can resist have other moves that do a lot or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam, Manectric's Switcheroo, and Mudsdale's Toxic. However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove hazards. If there are hazards on your side of the field you can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If you aren't running Toxic, you can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch into a Pursuit trapper or just a better matchup.

Team Options
========

Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock, as well as the former two being able to wear down Pokemon like Skuntank and the latter being a solid switchin to Jellicent. On the contrary, Pokemon that fear being worn down by hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them. Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy no Stealth Rock being on the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Ludicolo. However, these same Grass-types also make for teammates as they can help against another of Claydol's weaknesses in Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent. Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities. Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users. All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards and Toxic wearing down the opposing team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity in order to take more hits, but gives it a much worse matchup against Skuntank and gives it a harder time switching into Pokemon like Gurdurr. Wiki Berry serves as a one-time recovery for Claydol, but has the same problem as Leftovers. Groundium Z can allow Claydol to pick up the OHKO on Skuntank, KOes Regirock after an Earth Power, and still doesn't mind Knock Off as much, but overall Claydol isn't worth taking up the Z-move slot on a team. Psyshock can be run over Psychic in order to pick up 2HKOes on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan, but Gurdurr is a much more prevalent target. Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and spinblockers like Froslass, but still does little despite being super-effective. An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOes on Pokemon like Skuntank, but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from its other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super-effective STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in, but at a risk as it is OHKOed by Claydol's Psychic.

**Super-Effective Pokemon**: There are various Pokemon with super-effective STAB moves on Claydol like Ludicolo, Alolan Exeggutor, Rotom-Frost, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with little to no prior damage. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon notably also resist or are immune to Claydol's Earth Power. Even with Claydol's Colbur Berry still in hand, Dark-types like Alolan Raticate and Absol still beat Claydol 1v1. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

**Setup Sweepers**: Setup Sweepers such as Lilligant, Clefairy, and Spiritomb can use Claydol as setup fodder, with the latter two notably not caring about Toxic. Others like Quagsire and Scyther can also give Claydol a hard time if it isn't running Toxic.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[TJ, 331538], [tondas, 442732], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

QC 3/3.

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing; (SC) First of all, Claydol's typing Ground / Psychic is solid defensively and allows it Claydol to serve as switchin switch-in for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper. It also gives Claydol a notable niche in being both resistant to Stealth Rock and immune to all other entry hazards thanks to Levitate. Finally, its typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan. However, while it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits, especially with its lack of recovery. It's Its offensive presence is very mediocre, restricting preventing it from picking up many OHKOes OHKOs such as Earth Power on Skuntank (or "leaving it unable to OHKO Pokemon such as Skuntank with Earth Power" if you prefer that, lil intrusive change though) and leaving it as setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant and Calm Mind Clefairy. While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as against common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Furthermore, even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale and Regirock outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user with their better bulk. Vise versa The same can be said with Rapid Spin users like Hitmonchan and Kabutops due to their better offensive presences.

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Toxic / Stealth Rock
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Claydol's main role is to remove entry hazards, so Rapid spin is crucial. It can also run Stealth Rock, but if that is already on another teammate is already running it, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon it that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno. Psychic is run in order to 2HKO Gurdurr, (AC) while Earth Power 2HKOes Skuntank.

Set Details
========

Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from both Skuntank's Crunch and or Dark Pulse while also taking less reducing damage from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off. The Speed EV's allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Modest Aurorus.

Usage Tips
========

Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc, but it has to watch out for being easily worn down. Furthermore, some Pokemon that Claydol can resist check have other moves that do a lot to it or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam, Manectric's Switcheroo, and Mudsdale's Toxic. However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove entry hazards. If there are hazards on your side of the field, (AC) you Claydol can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If you aren't Claydol isn't running Toxic, you it can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch into out to a Pursuit trapper or just a better matchup.

Team Options
========

Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock, as well as with the former two also being able to wear down Pokemon like Skuntank and the latter being providing (repetition) a solid switchin switch-in to Jellicent. On the contrary, Conversely, Pokemon that fear being worn down by entry hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them. Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy no Stealth Rock being on off the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Ludicolo. However, these same Grass-types also make for good teammates, (AC) as they can help against another of Claydol's weaknesses in Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent. Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities. Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users. All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards and Toxic wearing down the opposing team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity in order to take more hits, but gives leaves it with (repetition) a much worse matchup against Skuntank and gives it a harder time switching into Pokemon like Gurdurr. Wiki Berry serves as a one-time recovery for Claydol, but it has the same problem as Leftovers. Groundium Z can allow Claydol to pick up the OHKO on Skuntank, KOes KO Regirock after an Earth Power, and still doesn't mind avoid increased damage from Knock Off as much, but overall Claydol isn't worth taking up spending the Z-Move slot on a team. Psyshock can be run over Psychic in order to pick up 2HKOes 2HKOs on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan, but Gurdurr is a much more prevalent target. Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and spinblockers like Froslass (RC) but still does little despite being super effective. (RH) An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOes OHKOs on Pokemon like Skuntank, but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from its Claydol's other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super effective (RH) STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in (RC) but at a risk as it is being OHKOed by Claydol's Psychic.

**Super Effective (RH) Pokemon Attackers**: There are Various Pokemon with super effective-STAB moves on Claydol like Ludicolo, Alolan Exeggutor, Rotom-Frost, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with their super effective STAB moves with little to no prior damage. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon notably also resist or are immune to Claydol's Earth Power. Even with Claydol's Colbur Berry still in hand intact, Dark-types like Alolan Raticate and Absol still beat Claydol 1v1 it one-on-one. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

**Setup Sweepers**: Setup Sweepers such as Lilligant, Clefairy, and Spiritomb can use Claydol as setup fodder, with the latter two notably not caring about Toxic. Others like Quagsire and Scyther can also give Claydol a hard time if it isn't running Toxic.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[TJ, 331538], [tondas, 442732], [TONE, 213583]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[TJ]

poke UberSkitty

 

[Fireflame]

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Claydol has somewhat of a niche in its access to both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. While it's not the only viable Pokemon to get both of these moves, it has other advantages such as its typing; Ground / Psychic is solid defensively and allows Claydol to serve as a switch-in for Pokemon such as Lycanroc and Manectric, notably serving as a Volt Switch stopper. It also gives Claydol a notable niche in being both resistant to Stealth Rock and immune to all other entry hazards thanks to Levitate. Finally, its typing also gives Claydol a good offensive matchup against various hazard setters and removers like Aggron and Hitmonchan. However, while it does have great defensive stats, its HP is pretty bad, giving it a hard time taking too many hits, especially with its lack of recovery. Its offensive presence is very mediocre, preventing it from picking up many OHKOs such as Earth Power on Skuntank and leaving it as setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant and Calm Mind Clefairy. While its typing is good in various ways, it gives Claydol a bad matchup against spinblockers like Froslass and Oricorio-G, as well as against common offensive Pokemon like Lilligant and Ludicolo. Alolan Sandslash is rightfully the more popular pick for a Pokemon with both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. This is because of its better defensive typing that allows it to wall more offensive threats like Aurorus and Lilligant. Furthermore, even if they don't have access to Rapid Spin, Pokemon like Mudsdale and Regirock outclass Claydol as a Stealth Rock user with their better bulk. The same can be said with Rapid Spin users like Hitmonchan and Kabutops due to their better offensive presences presence.

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Toxic / Stealth Rock
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Earth Power
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Claydol's main role is to remove entry hazards, so Rapid spin is crucial. It can also run Stealth Rock, but if another teammate is already running it, Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Pokemon it that take little from Claydol otherwise such as Mesprit and Articuno. Psychic is run in order to 2HKO Gurdurr, while Earth Power 2HKOes Skuntank.

Set Details
========

Colbur Berry allows Claydol to avoid the 2HKO from Skuntank's Crunch or Dark Pulse while also reducing damage from coverage moves like Gurdurr's Knock Off. The Speed EV's EVs allow Claydol to outspeed Jellicent, Aggron, and Modest Aurorus.

Usage Tips
========

Claydol should switch in to take resisted hits from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Lycanroc, but it has to watch out for being worn down. Furthermore, some Pokemon that Claydol can check have other moves that do a lot to it or cripple it, such as Aggron's Heavy Slam, Manectric's Switcheroo, and Mudsdale's Toxic. However, if it does manage to come in, Claydol often forces the foe out and can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or remove entry hazards. If there are hazards on your side of the field, Claydol can lure in spinblockers like Oricorio-G and cripple them with Toxic instead. If Claydol isn't running Toxic, it can still lure the spinblocker but instead double switch out to a Pursuit trapper or just a better matchup.

Team Options
========

Pokemon such as Froslass, Qwilfish, and Roselia can stack Spikes on top of Claydol's Stealth Rock, with the former two also being able to wear down Pokemon like Skuntank and the latter providing a solid switch-in to Jellicent. Conversely, Pokemon that fear being worn down by entry hazards such as Aurorus and Choice Specs Jellicent appreciate Claydol's ability to remove them. Flying-types like Dodrio and Scyther also enjoy Stealth Rock being off the field and can serve as checks to Grass-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Ludicolo. However, these same Grass-types also make for good teammates, as they can help against another of Claydol's weaknesses in Water-types like Omastar and Jellicent. Pursuit users like Stoutland and Spiritomb can trap and deal great damage to Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G and Silvally-Ghost, which greatly limits their spinblocking capabilities. Ghost-types can also spinblock for Claydol, while Primeape helps against Defog users. All of these Pokemon, as well as other offensive threats like Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, also benefit from Claydol's hazards and Toxic wearing down the opposing team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Leftovers gives Claydol better longevity but leaves it with a much worse matchup against Skuntank and gives it a harder time switching into Pokemon like Gurdurr. Wiki Berry serves as a one-time recovery for Claydol, but it has the same problem as Leftovers. Groundium Z can allow Claydol to pick up the OHKO on Skuntank, KO Regirock after an Earth Power, and still avoid increased damage from Knock Off, but overall,(AC) Claydol isn't worth spending the Z-Move slot on. Psyshock can be run over Psychic in order to pick up 2HKOs on Pokemon like Roselia and Hitmonchan, but Gurdurr is a much more prevalent target,(AC) making Psychic better. Shadow Ball supplies coverage for Mesprit and spinblockers like Froslass but does little despite being super effective. An offensive set can be run to pick up more OHKOs on Pokemon like Skuntank,(RC) but otherwise doesn't go well with Claydol's mediocre offensive stats.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Oricorio-G, Silvally-Ghost, and Froslass can all switch in to block Rapid Spin, have little fear from Claydol's other attacks bar Toxic, and can 2HKO Claydol with their super effective STAB attacks. Others like Haunter can switch in but risk being OHKOed by Claydol's Psychic.

**Super Effective Attackers**: Various Pokemon like Ludicolo, Rotom-F, and Abomasnow all OHKO Claydol with their super effective STAB moves with little to no prior damage. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon notably also resist or are immune to Claydol's Earth Power. Even with Claydol's Colbur Berry still intact, Dark-types like Alolan Raticate and Absol beat it one-on-one. Pokemon like Aurorus still OHKO Claydol but take a decent amount of damage in the process.

**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Lilligant, Clefairy, and Spiritomb can use Claydol as setup fodder, with the latter two notably not caring about Toxic. Others like Quagsire and Scyther can also give Claydol a hard time if it isn't running Toxic.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[UberSkitty, 355061]]
- Quality checked by: [[TJ, 331538], [tondas, 442732], [TONE, 213583]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]

GP 2/2