PDA

View Full Version : Claydol Analysis



Elevator Music
10-25-2008, 07:27 PM
OH SNAPS! I DON'T GOT A BLUE NAME! Like I said before, I'm too cool for rules. B)

...Anyways, basically ripping and editing the one from Regi League, which was in turn ripped from Marriland, which I actually wrote. So yeah...

---
http://pokebeach.com/images/gallery/sugimori/344.png

Spinner @ Leftovers
Calm : Levitate
252 HP, 116 SA, 136 SD
- Rapid Spin
- Earth Power
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock / Ice Beam

Claydol makes a decent spinner in OU, and an excellent one in UU due to its Ground typing and Levitate which make it immune to Spikes/Toxic Spikes and resistant to Stealth Rock. Earth Power is its main STAB move, with Psychic being there to hit Gengar and fliers should you not run Ice Beam.

Ice Beam is generally only good in OU for the Dragons. In UU all it hits is Altaria, and some Bulky Grasses which Claydol doesn't want to face anyways. Stealth Rock is more often the better choice. Earthquake can be used over Earth Power, but use Sassy or Relaxed if you do. The only real benefit of using Earthquake is hitting Tyranitar harder and hitting CMRachi harder.

The EVs give you optimal special walling abilities for Clayol. You can feel free to put the extra Special Attack EVs into Defense, but you'll lose the ability to beat pokemon like Infernape and Gengar one-on-one.

Screen Support @ Leftovers / Light Clay
Calm : Levitate
252 HP, 240 DF, 16 SD
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Stealth Rock / Toxic
- Psychic / Toxic

With its bulk and plethora of immunities and resistances, Claydol is an ideal pokemon for setting up Reflect and Light Screen. Being Psychic type, it also threatens most pokemon that would plausibly use Brick Break, bar Scizor. You can really use anything in the last two slots, but the ones listed are usually the best.

Can't Kill Me! @ Leftovers
Bold : Levitate
252 HP, 136 DF, 120 SD
- Cosmic Power
- Rest
- Psychic / Toxic
- Sleep Talk / Toxic / Earth Power

Somewhat of a gimmick set, especially on Claydol who has no form of recovery outside of Rest. Nonetheless, it still has some potential. Cosmic Power raises Claydol's already excellent defenses even higher. Rest is needed for recovery, and it also shields you from Toxic, which would otherwise kill this set. Even with boosted defenses, running Rest without Sleep Talk is risky at best. However, not using Sleep Talk allows you to be walled no matter what you do.

Toxic is Claydol's main form of damage on this set. Unforunately there isn't a move you can pair with it that doesn't leave something immune or resisted to both. Psychic hits Poison types (bar Darpion and Skuntank) who would spoil Toxic, which is as good coverage as you'll get. Steels in general will beat you though.

Earth Power and Psychic actually have fairly good coverage should you choose to run them in tandem, especially with both dishing out Special Defense drops. Bronzong and Skarmory will give you problems, as well as the floating Psychics like Cresselia. However, Skarmory would likely phaze you out anyways, and Bronzong lacks recovery, so its possible if you nab some SpDef drops to beat it.

Another possible but not listed option is to run Rapid Spin as the final move in conjunction with Rest and Sleep Talk. Rapid Spin has 64 PP when maxed out, meaning Claydol has a good shot at stalling at least one pokemon out, especially with Rest and your Defense boosts. You will be even more prone to set up than normal though, so be wary.

I can Calm Mind too! @ Leftovers
Bold : Levitate
252 HP, 98 DF, 52 SP, 108 SA
- Calm Mind
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam / Shadow Ball
- Grass Knot / Rest

Calm Mind Claydol. Earth Power is your STAB. Ice Beam helps you hit the bulky Grasses like Vileplume and Meganium you will run up against, but Shadow Ball hits Grumpig and Hypno. Grass Knot will free you of your troubles with bulky Water types like Gastrodon and Blastoise, though you will lose your recovery and shield against status if you do so.

You outrun the base 80s with the given EVs and can 2HKO both Blastoise and Meganium with Grass Knot/Ice Beam.

Trick Room @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Brave : Levitate
252 HP, 216 AT, 40 DF
- Trick Room
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Ice Beam

Claydol is great at setting up Trick Room. It gets access to Explosion which allows it to send in a Trick Room sweeper free of damage. Both Ground/Rock and Ground/Ice have excellent coverage, so it's up to preference. Ice Beam mainly for use in OU battles where it can help you take on Dragonite and Mence before you blow up, so in UU Stone Edge is reccomended.

Other Options
*Signal Beam* can be used if you hate Celebi. You can spam Ancientpower and hope for a boost, but that's not a very reliable strategy. Power Trick could be used to a degree of success, if only as a gimmick. Claydol gets Charge Beam, but it won't really use it ever. Rock Slide is an option over Stone Edge, but Claydol isn't fast enough to benefit from the flinch and is bulky enough to afford a miss. On the other hand it's too fast to use Gyro Ball well, although it gets it. It gets Rock Polish too, but it won't find itself sweeping. Substitute is a mediocre option as well.

Opinion

If Claydol had 8 moveslots it'd be happy. Sadly, it doesn't. Still, Claydol is a great pokemon that can be customized to do many different things for a team. It is easily one of, if not the best spinner in UU.

Counters

In UU, Bulky Waters love switching in to Claydol. They need to be wary of Toxic if they don't have some way to beat that though. Grasses also tend to beat Claydol one-on-one if it isn't packing Ice Beam.

Claydol won't show its head in OU much, but Pursuiters are a great way to rid yourself of it if it does. Special mention goes to Heracross, who can threaten it with Megahorn or Pursuit as long as it watches out for Psychic. Tyranitar shrugs off Earth Powers but needs to be careful if Claydol has Earthquake. Bulky Waters still work, especially Gyarados who is immune to Claydol's Ground move and Suicune who can easily set up on Claydol. Cresselia also does well. Scizor also shrugs off anything Claydol can really do and set up on it.
---

*Will add Platinum moves soon*

Statigar
10-25-2008, 08:15 PM
Im making you an analyser. Keep em coming!

DaPlayaFlow
10-26-2008, 09:06 AM
Double Screen Support

Claydol @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
252 HP, 136 Def, 120 SpD
Bold / Calm
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Stealth Rock / Toxic
- Psychic / Toxic

Thanks to his bulkiness he should have no trouble setting up both Light Screen and Reflect which will help out any team immensely. Stealth Rock is useful for further team support and Toxic or Psychic should be used as your main form of damage.

mosers15
10-26-2008, 02:23 PM
light clay on the above set^^

Stone_Cold22
10-26-2008, 09:11 PM
Claydol @ Leftovers

Rest
Sleep Talk
Cosmic Power
Rapid Spin


Just a quick contribution, I liek meh some PP stall.

Elevator Music
10-27-2008, 02:56 AM
I'll add in the Screen Support set.

I think I'll just mention Rapid Spin as an option on the Cosmic Power set since ResTalk is an option on it.

Also I'll probably add in some gimmick Trick set and mention Zen Headbutt and Singal Beam in Other Options. And Explosion. And Charge Beam. And Stone Edge/Rock Slide. And maybe Power Trick.

Or I could make a CB set that incorporated the Physical moves above + EQ

EDIT- Gotta go to bed so later.