[OVERVIEW]
Krookodile is an excellent physically bulky threat in the 1v1 metagame. Its defensive capabilities allow it to tank and power through a surprising list of common threats, such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Mawile, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X. Alongside this, Krookodile also can tackle opposing stall Pokemon, using the combination of Taunt and Rock Tomb to shut down Pokemon like Type: Null, Jumpluff, defensive Deoxys-S, and Kee Berry Mew. Unfortunately, Krookodile cannot operate as effectively against special attackers and will go down easily if hit by a powerful special attack, falling to the likes of Tapu Lele, Greninja, Meloetta, and Porygon-Z. Additionally, Krookodile is forced to heavily invest in Defense to be viable, leaving its respectable base 92 Speed stat mostly underutilized, and thus it falls prey to faster foes that can take advantage of it before it can react, such as sleep users like Smeargle and Breloom, bulky Flying-type Pokemon like Dragonite, Mega Gyarados before Mega Evolution, and Landorus-T, and faces mind games against faster opposing bulky setup sweepers, like Groundium Z Garchomp and the rare speedy Zygarde.
[SET]
name: Bulky Groundium Z
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Rock Tomb
item: Groundium Z
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 56 Atk / 236 Def / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tectonic Rage is Krookodile's go-to offensive option, blasting away Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Victini. Bulk Up boosts both Krookodile's Attack and Defense by one stage, which is necessary in order to break through bulkier threats such as Zygarde and survive attacks from slower physical threats such as Mega Mawile. Taunt is used not only to shut down PP stall from Pokemon such as Type: Null, Jumpluff, and Deoxys-S but also to prevent setup from Pokemon such as Zygarde and Crustle. Rock Tomb provides much-needed Rock-type coverage as well as speed control, allowing Krookodile to punish Mega Charizard X that choose not to Mega Evolve. It also allows Krookodile to deal chip damage in order to avoid potentially deadly Counters from Sturdy Pokemon such as Donphan, Golem, and Crustle.
Set Details
========
160 HP and 236 Defense EVs allow Krookodile to take a Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick from Jolly Mega Lopunny, as well as Hammer Arm from Mega Metagross, Play Rough from Mega Mawile after Bulk Up, and Overheat from Air Balloon Heatran. 56 Speed EVs allow Krookodile to outspeed base 110 Speed Pokemon after a Speed drop, most notably Mega Metagross, as well as slower Pokemon right off the bat, such as neutral-natured Magearna, Mega Mawile, and bulky Zygarde. 56 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Krookodile to OHKO Mega Lopunny with Tectonic Rage. Intimidate is run to lower the foe's Attack, and it is Krookodile's only viable ability in 1v1, allowing it to better handle physical attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Send Krookodile against physical Pokemon that take neutral or super effective damage from Tectonic Rage, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Mawile. Against most frailer Pokemon or Pokemon that Tectonic Rage hits super effectively, just immediately use Tectonic Rage to knock out the opposing Pokemon. These include Mega Lopunny, Magearna, Aegislash, offensive non-Magnet Rise Mega Metagross, Victini, and Zeraora. Against bulkier physical Pokemon, such as Mega Mawile and bulky non-Magnet Rise Mega Metagross, set up using Bulk Up before unleashing a Tectonic Rage in order to successfully knock them out. Against Pokemon such as Scrafty, Zygarde, Crustle, and Avalugg that can either set up alongside Krookodile with moves such as Bulk Up, Coil, Shell Smash, and Curse or Pokemon that are purely designed to stall a foe, such as Jumpluff and Type: Null, use Taunt immediately, as this will stop their strategy and allow Krookodile to set up with its own Bulk Up and eventually KO them. Faster stall Pokemon with access to Taunt, such as Deoxys-S, will require Krookodile to lower their Speed with Rock Tomb before it can successfully land a Taunt. Against Mega Charizard X, use Rock Tomb turn one, as they may not choose to Mega Evolve immediately. If they do not Mega Evolve turn one, finish them off with Rock Tomb on turn two. If they do Mega Evolve, use Tectonic Rage. Rock Tomb will allow Krookodile to react to Mega Charizard X if they attack, and Mega Charizard X cannot boost its Attack fast enough with Dragon Dance to threaten Krookodile, nor will Will-O-Wisp cut Krookodile's Attack enough to allow Mega Charizard X enough turns to KO Krookodile. While Krookodile may have the advantage against some physical Pokemon that it can hit with it super effectively, such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Mawile, other, more offensive or faster Pokemon, such as Sawk and Mega Blaziken, can overpower Krookodile even after an Intimidate drop, and should be avoided.
Team Options
========
Krookodile's main job is to serve as an overall check to physically offensive powerhouses, besides some exceptionally powerful Grass- and Fighting-type Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Mega Blaziken. This means that Krookodile serves as an excellent partner to Flying-type Pokemon that can shrug off Ice-type damage and beat Pokemon like Greninja and Genesect. Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Choice Scarf Dragonite, Togekiss, and Celesteela fit this role. They also appreciate Krookodile's innate immunity to Electric-type damage from Pokemon such as Magnezone and Zeraora. Krookodile also appreciates other Pokemon that can take care of Grass- and Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Victini, Mega Venusaur, Magearna, and Mega Mawile, which can either tank their attacks or hit them super effectively. In return, Krookodile can deal with their generally poor matchups against stall Pokemon like Deoxys-S and Kee Berry Mew thanks to its access to all of speed control, setup, and Taunt. Krookodile also appreciates Pokemon that can sponge attacks from specially offensive threats such as Greninja and Porygon-Z. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X, Mega Gardevoir, and Kommo-o can all do well against these foes, and in return they appreciate Krookodile's dominance over other physical attackers, such as opposing Mega Charizard X and Choice Band Garchomp. Krookodile also struggles to handle specifically bulky Flying-type Pokemon, such as Gyarados before Mega Evolution, Landorus-T, specially offensive Dragonite, and Steelium Z Celesteela. Therefore, Pokemon with excellent Electric- or Ice-type coverage can be run in order to defend against these Pokemon, such as Zeraora, Choice Specs Magnezone, Hidden Power Fire Greninja, and Icium Z Pheromosa. In exchange, Krookodile deals with the pesky Ground- and Steel-types that would bother its teammates, such as Donphan, Magearna, and specially defensive Mega Mawile.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Krookodile can run a specially defensive spread with 244 HP and 108 Special Defense and a Careful nature in order to survive a Draco Meteor from Naganadel. However, the loss of Defense and Attack investment means that Krookodile now struggles with the Pokemon it used to lure in, such as Mega Lopunny. Krookodile can also choose to run a Choice Scarf set with Earthquake, Superpower, Stone Edge, and Outrage in order to lure and beat common Krookodile answers, such as Mega Charizard Y, Greninja, Porygon-Z, Naganadel, and Latios.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Special Attackers**: While Krookodile is no slouch against physical attackers, it struggles against most, if not all specially attacking Pokemon that it does not OHKO or have attacks it's immune to. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Porygon-Z, Serperior, and Greninja can all outspeed and OHKO Krookodile with relative ease, and Pokemon such as Choice Specs Necrozma and Kommo-o can handle any attack coming their way and easily 2HKO Krookodile.
**Hyper Offensive Super Effective Physical Attackers**: While Krookodile can lure and overpower Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Mawile, other Pokemon such as Kartana, Tapu Bulu, Mega Blaziken, Sawk, and Mega Medicham will not allow Krookodile the same opportunities and can OHKO it with minimal effort.
**Bulky Flying-type Pokemon**: Krookodile, while admittedly carrying Rock Tomb as a semi-coverage option, cannot effectively deal with Flying-type Pokemon that can shrug off Rock Tomb's damage. These include most Dragonite, Gyarados, Celesteela, and Landorus-T.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Alakazam, 276708]]
- Quality checked by: [[lost heros, 316445], [Synonimous, 457703], [Osra, 239997]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Krookodile is an excellent physically bulky threat in the 1v1 metagame. Its defensive capabilities allow it to tank and power through a surprising list of common threats, such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Mawile, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X. Alongside this, Krookodile also can tackle opposing stall Pokemon, using the combination of Taunt and Rock Tomb to shut down Pokemon like Type: Null, Jumpluff, defensive Deoxys-S, and Kee Berry Mew. Unfortunately, Krookodile cannot operate as effectively against special attackers and will go down easily if hit by a powerful special attack, falling to the likes of Tapu Lele, Greninja, Meloetta, and Porygon-Z. Additionally, Krookodile is forced to heavily invest in Defense to be viable, leaving its respectable base 92 Speed stat mostly underutilized, and thus it falls prey to faster foes that can take advantage of it before it can react, such as sleep users like Smeargle and Breloom, bulky Flying-type Pokemon like Dragonite, Mega Gyarados before Mega Evolution, and Landorus-T, and faces mind games against faster opposing bulky setup sweepers, like Groundium Z Garchomp and the rare speedy Zygarde.
[SET]
name: Bulky Groundium Z
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Rock Tomb
item: Groundium Z
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 56 Atk / 236 Def / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tectonic Rage is Krookodile's go-to offensive option, blasting away Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Victini. Bulk Up boosts both Krookodile's Attack and Defense by one stage, which is necessary in order to break through bulkier threats such as Zygarde and survive attacks from slower physical threats such as Mega Mawile. Taunt is used not only to shut down PP stall from Pokemon such as Type: Null, Jumpluff, and Deoxys-S but also to prevent setup from Pokemon such as Zygarde and Crustle. Rock Tomb provides much-needed Rock-type coverage as well as speed control, allowing Krookodile to punish Mega Charizard X that choose not to Mega Evolve. It also allows Krookodile to deal chip damage in order to avoid potentially deadly Counters from Sturdy Pokemon such as Donphan, Golem, and Crustle.
Set Details
========
160 HP and 236 Defense EVs allow Krookodile to take a Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick from Jolly Mega Lopunny, as well as Hammer Arm from Mega Metagross, Play Rough from Mega Mawile after Bulk Up, and Overheat from Air Balloon Heatran. 56 Speed EVs allow Krookodile to outspeed base 110 Speed Pokemon after a Speed drop, most notably Mega Metagross, as well as slower Pokemon right off the bat, such as neutral-natured Magearna, Mega Mawile, and bulky Zygarde. 56 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Krookodile to OHKO Mega Lopunny with Tectonic Rage. Intimidate is run to lower the foe's Attack, and it is Krookodile's only viable ability in 1v1, allowing it to better handle physical attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Send Krookodile against physical Pokemon that take neutral or super effective damage from Tectonic Rage, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Mawile. Against most frailer Pokemon or Pokemon that Tectonic Rage hits super effectively, just immediately use Tectonic Rage to knock out the opposing Pokemon. These include Mega Lopunny, Magearna, Aegislash, offensive non-Magnet Rise Mega Metagross, Victini, and Zeraora. Against bulkier physical Pokemon, such as Mega Mawile and bulky non-Magnet Rise Mega Metagross, set up using Bulk Up before unleashing a Tectonic Rage in order to successfully knock them out. Against Pokemon such as Scrafty, Zygarde, Crustle, and Avalugg that can either set up alongside Krookodile with moves such as Bulk Up, Coil, Shell Smash, and Curse or Pokemon that are purely designed to stall a foe, such as Jumpluff and Type: Null, use Taunt immediately, as this will stop their strategy and allow Krookodile to set up with its own Bulk Up and eventually KO them. Faster stall Pokemon with access to Taunt, such as Deoxys-S, will require Krookodile to lower their Speed with Rock Tomb before it can successfully land a Taunt. Against Mega Charizard X, use Rock Tomb turn one, as they may not choose to Mega Evolve immediately. If they do not Mega Evolve turn one, finish them off with Rock Tomb on turn two. If they do Mega Evolve, use Tectonic Rage. Rock Tomb will allow Krookodile to react to Mega Charizard X if they attack, and Mega Charizard X cannot boost its Attack fast enough with Dragon Dance to threaten Krookodile, nor will Will-O-Wisp cut Krookodile's Attack enough to allow Mega Charizard X enough turns to KO Krookodile. While Krookodile may have the advantage against some physical Pokemon that it can hit with it super effectively, such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Mawile, other, more offensive or faster Pokemon, such as Sawk and Mega Blaziken, can overpower Krookodile even after an Intimidate drop, and should be avoided.
Team Options
========
Krookodile's main job is to serve as an overall check to physically offensive powerhouses, besides some exceptionally powerful Grass- and Fighting-type Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Mega Blaziken. This means that Krookodile serves as an excellent partner to Flying-type Pokemon that can shrug off Ice-type damage and beat Pokemon like Greninja and Genesect. Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Choice Scarf Dragonite, Togekiss, and Celesteela fit this role. They also appreciate Krookodile's innate immunity to Electric-type damage from Pokemon such as Magnezone and Zeraora. Krookodile also appreciates other Pokemon that can take care of Grass- and Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Victini, Mega Venusaur, Magearna, and Mega Mawile, which can either tank their attacks or hit them super effectively. In return, Krookodile can deal with their generally poor matchups against stall Pokemon like Deoxys-S and Kee Berry Mew thanks to its access to all of speed control, setup, and Taunt. Krookodile also appreciates Pokemon that can sponge attacks from specially offensive threats such as Greninja and Porygon-Z. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X, Mega Gardevoir, and Kommo-o can all do well against these foes, and in return they appreciate Krookodile's dominance over other physical attackers, such as opposing Mega Charizard X and Choice Band Garchomp. Krookodile also struggles to handle specifically bulky Flying-type Pokemon, such as Gyarados before Mega Evolution, Landorus-T, specially offensive Dragonite, and Steelium Z Celesteela. Therefore, Pokemon with excellent Electric- or Ice-type coverage can be run in order to defend against these Pokemon, such as Zeraora, Choice Specs Magnezone, Hidden Power Fire Greninja, and Icium Z Pheromosa. In exchange, Krookodile deals with the pesky Ground- and Steel-types that would bother its teammates, such as Donphan, Magearna, and specially defensive Mega Mawile.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Krookodile can run a specially defensive spread with 244 HP and 108 Special Defense and a Careful nature in order to survive a Draco Meteor from Naganadel. However, the loss of Defense and Attack investment means that Krookodile now struggles with the Pokemon it used to lure in, such as Mega Lopunny. Krookodile can also choose to run a Choice Scarf set with Earthquake, Superpower, Stone Edge, and Outrage in order to lure and beat common Krookodile answers, such as Mega Charizard Y, Greninja, Porygon-Z, Naganadel, and Latios.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Special Attackers**: While Krookodile is no slouch against physical attackers, it struggles against most, if not all specially attacking Pokemon that it does not OHKO or have attacks it's immune to. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Porygon-Z, Serperior, and Greninja can all outspeed and OHKO Krookodile with relative ease, and Pokemon such as Choice Specs Necrozma and Kommo-o can handle any attack coming their way and easily 2HKO Krookodile.
**Hyper Offensive Super Effective Physical Attackers**: While Krookodile can lure and overpower Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Mawile, other Pokemon such as Kartana, Tapu Bulu, Mega Blaziken, Sawk, and Mega Medicham will not allow Krookodile the same opportunities and can OHKO it with minimal effort.
**Bulky Flying-type Pokemon**: Krookodile, while admittedly carrying Rock Tomb as a semi-coverage option, cannot effectively deal with Flying-type Pokemon that can shrug off Rock Tomb's damage. These include most Dragonite, Gyarados, Celesteela, and Landorus-T.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Alakazam, 276708]]
- Quality checked by: [[lost heros, 316445], [Synonimous, 457703], [Osra, 239997]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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