Shellder (Analysis)

Crux

Crux

Banned deucer.
OVERVIEW]

<p>With access to one of the best boosting moves in the game and a superb ability to match, Shellder is a top threat in the Little Cup metagame. Shell Smash transforms Shellder into a dangerous sweeper, reducing its defenses while doubling its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. This, in conjunction with what is effectively two 125 Base Power moves that hit through Substitute, Focus Sash, and Sturdy, makes Shellder a superb addition to any team. Shellder can also run an effective Choice Scarf set, reaching 21 Speed with a Scarf, which allows it to outspeed all unboosted Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame.</p>

<p>Despite its offensive prowess, Shellder does have some glaring weaknesses , the first one being its extreme frailty after using Shell Smash. Any faster Scarf user or one that uses a neutral priority move will revenge kill Shellder with ease. Thankfully, Shellder also has access to priority in the form of Ice Shard, and can utilize Eviolite to rectify its poor Special Defense after a boost.</p>


[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Rock Blast
move 3: Icicle Spear
move 4: Hydro Pump / Ice Shard
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Shellder is extremely difficult to wall after a Shell Smash. In fact, it reaches a prodigious 32 Attack, 22 Special Attack and 28 Speed after a single Shell Smash using the given EV spread. Rock Blast and Icicle Spear are both the equivalent of 125 Base Power attacks , and do enormous damage to anything that doesn't resist them. Additionally, the combination of the two attacks provides decent type coverage. The choice between Hydro Pump and Ice Shard depends on the rest of your team. If you want Shellder to be able to hit Steel- and Rock-types, run Hydro Pump. However, if your team is able to deal with the aforementioned threats, Ice Shard is the superior option.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>In terms of items, Eviolite boosts both of Shellder' s defenses by one stage, giving Shellder more opportunities to set up. After a Shell Smash, due to the effects of Eviolite essentially canceling out the Defense and Special Defense drops, Shellder is still quite bulky. Alternatively, Life Orb can be used if you feel a need for a boost in power, allowing it to net some OHKOs that it ordinarily wouldn't. Oran Berry is also a viable option due to Shellder's frailty. Additionally, Lum Berry could be used to allow Shellder to set up on Pokemon who would otherwise cripple it with status.</p>

<p>Razor Shell can be used in place of Hydro Pump to provide a good physical STAB move . However, Hydro Pump is generally a better choice due to the sheer power it has. The EVs provided give Shellder maximum Speed and Attack, which it needs in order to pull off a sweep.</p>

<p>In terms of teammates, Pokemon such as Houndour and Magnemite are great choices, as they can eliminate Steel-types such as Ferroseed, who trouble Shellder. Stunky does an excellent job at trapping and KOing Frillish, another Pokemon who causes Shellder problems. Pokemon such as Wynaut and Cottonee can use Encore to give Shellder a free turn to set up. Bronzor can set up dual screens, which allow Shellder to set up more easily, while also being able to provide Rain Dance support, which increases the power of Hydro Pump.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Razor Shell / Explosion / Hydro Pump
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 236 Atk / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set attempts to take advantage of Shellder' s powerful multi-hit moves. Shellder can effectively attack and remove powerful, Substitute-abusing threats from a match with its multi-hit attacks. The EVs given allow Shellder to reach 16 Attack and 21 Speed, outspeeding all unboosted Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame. Unfortunately, despite Shellder's niche, it is usually outclassed by Pokemon such as Mienfoo. Rock Blast hits any Pokemon that doesn't resist it hard, and Icicle Spear does the same. The two moves have excellent synergy with each other, hitting a large portion of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Razor Shell hits the Pokemon that resist Rock Blast and Icicle Spear, which include Aron and Bronzor, and provides Shellder with a decent Water-type STAB attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Explosion can be used to let Shellder go out with a bang, doing immense damage to anything that doesn' t resist or is immune to it. Return is also an option, providing good neutral coverage. While it might seem out of place on a Choice Scarf set, Ice Shard allows Shellder to hit faster Choice Scarf users hard and KO threats such as Rock Polish Archen, which would normally outspeed it.</p>

<p>Stunky makes an excellent partner for this set, as it can effectively remove Frillish, a Pokemon who counters it quite effectively. Like the Shell Smash set, this set also benefits from having Steel-types such as Ferroseed that can hinder sweeps removed. This makes Pokemon such as Magnemite and Houndour superb partners.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Surf can be used over Hydro Pump if accuracy is an issue. A special set could possibly be used since Shellder has access to Hydro Pump and Ice Beam, particularly in conjunction with Shell Smash. Shellder could potentially use Payback to hit Ghost-types hard on the switch-in. On that note, Shellder also makes an effective Rapid Spin user, with access to Payback and a neutrality to Stealth Rock.</p>

[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]

<p>Bronzor walls all Shellder that don 't run Hydro Pump or Surf, and can easily set up on it or KO it with Psychic. Priority users, such as Croagunk and Pawniard, can prey on Shellder’s weak defenses (especially after Shell Smash). Pokemon that hit above 28 Speed when holding a Choice Scarf, such as Elekid, can hit Shellder for super effective damage, but have trouble switching in. Slowpoke is also neutral to all of Shellder's attacks and can survive a Rock Blast. However, it can't do much back to Shellder. Frillish walls the Scarf set quite effectively, stopping any sweep it might attempt.</p>

[DREAM WORLD]

<p>Through the Dream World, Shellder gains access to the ability Overcoat. However, this ability is completely outclassed by Skill Link and should never be used as it destroys Shellder's niche.</p>
 
Shell Break is a -1 to both defenses, not a -2. This means that a shellder w/ evo stone after a shell break has the same defenses as a shellder that is not holding an evo stone and didn't use shell break.

I think that explosion should be mentioned on the shell break set as it at the same power level as it was before after +2 attack. I don't mind having explosion on the scarf set, but return seems useless to me. What good coverage does it provide? With shell blade/hydro pump it provides good coverage, but with rock and ice, it provides redundant coverage, getting completely walled by steel-types. I suggest that you remove it and replace it with hydro pump.

You also have naive listed as a nature, which is fine if you're using hydro pump, but it is worthless otherwise. You might want to mention that.
 
Icicle Spear is inferior to Rock Blast IMO. I'd definatly have STAB Hydro Pump over Ice Shard. I think Ice Shard should be slash with Icicle Spear rather than Hydro Pump
 
I think you should provide a link to Shellder's Serebii page(Or a different vastly informative page) and optionally add a sprite/picture on the top of the analysis.

I think Lum Berry is worth a mention in the optional changes for the Shell Break set, because though gimmicky, if you try to set up on a support pokemon that may status you while you try to set up can essentially cripple you, which then Lum can allow you to sweep anyways.

Anyway, I'll give it a little bit more time for other people to comment before I pass a QC, other than that, looks good!
 
Cshadow said:
Is White Herb not worth a mention on the Shell Break set?
Click to expand...

White Herb would only set your defenses back to normal after a Shell Break. Evolution Stone gives you bulk before the Shell Break, making it easier to set-up, and evens out the -1 drop from using Shell Break.
 
Technically, 2/4=1/2=50%.

Is there any merit in slashing Hydro Pump with Icicle Spear? Rock/STAB Water is only resisted by Tessy and Croagunk iirc, and you beat Croagunk with +2 Ice Shard and Evo-stone before he beats you with Vwave+Fake Out. RB/IS/Hpump leaves you priority weak, RB/IS/Ice Shard leaves you walled by steels and Makuhita (gasp), so I'd think it's an acceptable compromise.

Also Slowpoke learns Thunder Wave, right? After crippling it, it can paraflinch it with ZHB. That's good enough for me.

Also, on the Scarf set, it should be Jolly/Naive, because Shell Blade and Explosion are slashed before Hpump, not after.

Payback doesn't hit Ghosts on the switch harder anymore.

Also, Tessy should be in counters. Sure, Icicle Spear, but it's the only steel that resists its STAB and whose own STAB hits it SE back. Magnemite keels over to an Hpump.

Is it worth mentioning a few good hazard setters? Tessy takes grass and electric attacks, while Shellder takes Fire attacks, and Gligar lures Water and Ice attacks to switch on as well. Also, what are the pokemon it needs hazards to kill? And with Evo-stone or Life Orb?
 
Good job on the analysis, Crux. The sets look good, and seeing Shellder's moves, it doesn't look like it can run anything else.

However, I do think you should mention Dual Screens in Team Options, as Shellder loves setting up Shell Break under them. Magnemite may not be a usual candidate of Dual Screens, but it's decent defenses, along with resisting both of Shellder's weaknesses allow it to function well along with Shellder. If Hydro Pump is not used on the Shell Break set, then Shellder gets utterly walled by Steel-types, in which Magnemite can trap them, and hit them hard with a STAB Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire.

Once those changes are edited...
contrib_qc.png


QC Approved: 1/2
 
You should remove all mentions of Explosion IMO, what with it's huge nerf. Other than that it looks pretty good, just this small nitpick to add.
 
Explosion isn't as good as last gen, but its still worth a mention as not everything carries Evo Stone and it can still do decent damage.
 
update with english names and the new analysis format. Also add Gligar as a partner since it can some in on scarfed electric attacks and priority moves aimed for Shellder and set up.
 
<p>Shellder is extremely difficult to wall after a Shell Break. In fact, it reaches a prodigious 32 Attack, 22 Special Attack and 28 Speed after a single Shell Break using the EVs given. Rock Blast and Icicle Spear are both the equivalent of 125 base power attacks and do enormous damage to anything that doesn’t resist them. Additionally, the combination of the two attacks provides decent type coverage. The choice between Hydro Pump and Ice Shard depends on the rest of your team. If you want Shellder to be able to hit Steel and Rock types, run Hydro Pump. However, if your team is able to deal with the aforementioned threats, Ice Shard is the superior option.</p>
Click to expand...

Both Icicle Spear and Rock Blast hit Rock-types neutrally.

You should also say why Ice Shard is good.

Make Jolly the primary option for the scarf set, because Shell Blade and Explosion are slashed before Naive.
 
HP Fire should be mentioned in other options imo. It's nice to not be walled by Ferroseed.
 
Update it with the new Analysis format and make sure Japanese names are converted to English. (ie Eviolite > Evolution Stone)
 
You should probably specify to use Skill Link in the first set. (Seeing as you did in the second set)
 
You might want to mention on the Scarf set that it's horribly walled by Frillish. Three of your moves are resisted (with an immunity to Explosion and Water Body absorbing Razor Shell/Hydro Pump), and I'm not too sure that Rock Blast will 2HKO without some kind of boost.
 
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