Overview
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- Typing leaves it open to four weaknesses.
- Carries two useful abilities, one of which nullifies water moves.
- 86/97/107 defenses are nothing to scoff at.
- 81 in each attack is not going to let it sweep without boosts.
- 43 speed is very slow, but lets it work well in trick room.
- Access to stealth rock.
- Pretty good movepool, but lack of special attack boosting move.
Wall With Roots
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name: Wall With Roots
move 1: Giga Drain / Ancient Power
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Stockpile
move 4: ingrain
ability: Storm Drain
item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
nature: Calm / Sassy
Moves
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- Toxic offers residual damage while Giga Drain offers recovery and STAB.
- Slot three is stockpile. This lets Cradily boost defense and special defense up to three stages each.
- Finally, we have ingrain. Ingrain allows cradily to recover an additional 6.25% health at the end of each turn. This works in conjunction with the recovery provided by giga drain and leftovers. Ingrain also prevents cradily being forced out (by whirlwind, roar, dragon tail etc.) and losing the stockpile boosts; However, this also prevents Cradily from being switched out willingly, meaning once Ingrain is used, cradily will stay in untill it faints.
- Alternatively, STAB Ancient Power can be used in spite of Giga Drain for the chance of raising all stats, but has lower PP.
Set Details
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- 252 HP for maximum possible staying power
- 252 SpD allows it to survive being OHKO'ed by any non-boosted ice beam in NU.
- Both preferred natures increase special defense, as it is the stat most important to this set. Calm nature should be used unless you are planning on switching cradily in on a trick room.
- Leftovers allow it additional recovery and are especially important when not running giga drain.
- Storm Drain eliminates water type moves while boosting its special attack power.
Usage Tips
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- Cradily's main weakness in this set are steel and poison types, as they are immune to toxic and both resist giga drain. Toxic is essential in this set, because cradily's attacking move will do virtually nothing to a foe that that resists it. make sure any steel or poison types on the other team are taken care of before cradily uses ingrain.
- While Cradily is very specially bulky, switching it in on a supereffective hit is not the best idea, as it needs time to set up.
- Ideally, one would switch cradily in on a water type attack to activate storm drain.
Team Options
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- Team members capable of easily dispatching poison and/or steel types are necessary for this set.
- Another issue is KO'ing Xatu with magic bounce.
- Some pokemon very capable of this are Golurk, Camerupt, and Seismitoed.
- Do not be too openhanded in using Ingrain and trapping yourself.
Bulky Physical Attacker
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name: Bulky Physical Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Seed Bomb / Curse
move 3: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 4: Recover
ability: Storm Drain / Suction Cups
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Att / 8 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
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- Earthquake is a great coverage move that hits many threats supereffectively.
- Seed Bomb is a great STAB move that hits bulky water types, hitting Seismitoad, Whiscash, and Quagsire especially hard.
- Rock Slide and Stone Edge are also a great STAB moves that hits flying types where seed bomb and earthquake can't. Rock slide also has a chance of flinch on the off chance that you'll be going before the opponent.
- Recover is Cradily's main mode of recovery and capitalizes on its higher defensive stats.
- Curse can be used instead of seed bomb to boost both its physical presence and bulk, at the price of its already low speed.
- Keep in mind though, that seed bomb, earthquake, and rock slide or stone edge are a very efficient combination of moves, only resited by three Pokemon.
Set Details
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- 248 HP is to increase its bulk and makes it capable of taking hits.
- 252 Attack is to maximize its damage output
- 8 Special Defense is to make it slightly less susceptible to ice beam and bug buzz.
- The Life orb is to boost its mediocre attack at the cost of some HP, which you can get back with recover. While leftovers can be used for passive recovery, and works better with curse.
- Storm Drain is only there to grant water immunity, as special attack will not be utilized.
- Suction Cups works well with Curse, because it cannot lose its boosts from whirlwind and the like. It also becomes immune to losing its item via trick or knock off.
- Adamant is to increase its attack stat, while decreasing its unnecessary special attack.
Usage Tips
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- Cradily, in this situation, should be switched in on a resisted switch or on a free switch.
- Its sub par attack works well with spikes and stealth rocks, so that it needs less power to KO an opponent.
- Trick Room works well with its low speed.
Team Options
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- Hazard setters such as Ferroseed are appreciated.
- Special attacking flying types are also smart to keep around, to easily take out Virizion, one of Cradily's biggest counters in this set.
- Heal Bell or Aromatherapy users are also helpful to Cradily.
Special Attacker
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name: Special Attacker
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Energy Ball / Giga Drain
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Sludge Bomb
ability: Storm Drain
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Modest
Moves
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- Stealth Rock is the main point of this set. Since Cradily lacks a special attack boosting move, it's best to use stealth rock with a special set.
- Energy Ball is a high power STAB grass move with a chance to lower special defense. Otherwise, you can use giga drain for less power in exchange for recovery.
- Earth power is a great coverage move that hits would-be counters, like steel types, very hard.
- Sludge Bomb is a very convenient move for this set, as it hits fairies supereffectively, but also has a high chance of poisoning the opponent, and is usually not expected.
Set Details
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- Storm Drain boosts special attack one stage and removes water moves from the field.
- Leftovers give Cradily recovery due to the lack of recovery moves in this set.
- The EV spread is to maximize damage output and make Cradily's HP as high as possible.
- The modest nature is there only to increase the special attack stat.
Usage Tips
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- This set is a good lead to get the stealth rocks out, and it can most likely survive enough hits to so some damage.
- Keeping Cradily alive later into the battle allows for the possibility for switching in on a scald and raising special attack.
- Getting a poison off via sludge bomb on an already weakened Pokemon will probably be enough to let team mates finish them off.
Team Options
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- A great teammate for Cradily is a physical attacker weak to water, to bait a scald and activate storm drain upon switch in. Some examples of this are Golurk, Golem, Regirock, Rampardos, etc.
- Another defensive Pokemon to switch out to is also helpful.
Other Options
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Amnesia and Barrier are good options for boosting defenses. Sludge wave is an alternative to sludge bomb.Grass Knot, Bullet Seed, and Solar Beam are also there for grass STAB. Synthesis and Pain Split are also there for recovery; Swords Dance and Rock Polish are there for offensive boosting. Some more "off the wall" options include Confuse Ray, Mirror Coat, Infestation, and Block.
Counters
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**Status**: Toxic and burn (and to a lesser extent, paralysis) are problems for cradily, especially when being used as a wall.
**Entry Hazards**: While Sticky Web is not an issue, Spikes hurt a lot, and Toxic spikes wear down Cradily's HP very quickly.
**Fighting Types**: Most fighting types are physical attackers, and Cradily has a weakness to fighting types, as well as a lower physical defense stat. Additionally, Cradily has access to no moves which counter fighting types, sans hidden power. It is smartest to go up against fighting types with defense boosts.
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