Cradily becomes a great special wall with Sandstorm support. Not only does it have great all around defenses, but it also has decent typing and a useful ability, meaning that Cradily is able to switch into many of OU's top special threats, such as SpecsMence, Heatran, and Porygon-Z. Rock Slide allows Cradily to deal damage to Salamence, and even with 0 Attack EVs, it still always 2HKOs the fearsome dragon. It also guarantees an OHKO on Yanmega, although Bug Buzz will 2HKO. Recover and Toxic are obvious choices on such a stall-oriented Pokémon, but Confuse Ray may be used over Toxic if you are wary of any Guts user switching in to get an Attack boost. Additionally, Confuse Ray also affects Steel and Poison-types which are immune to Toxic. In the last slot, Earthquake or Stealth Rock may be used, depending on whether or not you already have a Stealth Rock user on your team. Earthquake does a number on Heatran and gives Cradily the great "QuakeSlide" offensive combo but, unless you're hitting your opponent super effectively, Toxic will be your primary method of damage.
Although Cradily does have access to a reliable recovery move, it is completely screwed over by most forms of status, including poison by Toxic Spikes and burn by Will-O-Wisp. This set helps to remedy that by ridding itself of unwanted status with Rest, and then attacking your opponent through the use of Sleep Talk. Something else that makes this set very viable is the fact that Cradily can't be phazed away by Roar or Whirlwind thanks to its ability. That in itself allows you to stay in and stall out your opponent if they have no means to stat up or hit you hard with a STABed, super effective attack, or potentially even set up a sweep with Swords Dance. Toxic may also be used in that slot to keep your opponent's defensive Pokémon on their toes. Earthquake can also be used over Toxic or Swords Dance if you want greater coverage and more immediate means of damage.
Thanks to Cradily's ability, Suction Cups, Cradily cannot be forced out by Roar or Whirlwind making it an ideal candidate for Swords Dance. In a similar manner as other "bulky sweepers", Life Orb may be used here to provide a nice boost to your attack, and it shouldn't hamper you that much as you have Recover to heal off any damage.
Although this set is eerily similar to the first one, it is geared for a different purpose. Protect allows it to scout out your opponent's moves, and then switch to an appropriate counter. Because the best way to do damage to Cradily is through a powerful Fighting move, which are most often used on choiced Pokemon, Cradily can now determine whether or not it can stay in rather than always switch out. It also aids along with the stalling nature of this Pokemon, wasting your opponents PP and possibly HP, while also restoring your own through Leftovers. This set works best alongside Toxic Spikes support to compound residual damage while you are stalling. An advantage this set has over the more common Special Wall set is that it is actually able to beat a MixMence at full HP, although it does require some prediction. Because Brick Break won't do more than 60% to Cradily, you can Recover while he attacks, and then Protect the next turn to gain back the extra HP through Leftovers. Once he has been worn down enough by Sandstorm and Life Orb damage, you can Toxic him while he Roosts, and then continue stalling him out while he slowly succumbs to the poison. Other OptionsCradily's movepool is very sparse, but it does have a few notable support moves that deserve a mention. Tickle lowers your opponent's Attack and Defense by one stage, both reducing the damage you take from a physical attack and increasing the amount of damage you deal in return. Mirror Coat will do a number on any Pokemon that tries to hurt you with a special move. Stockpile can be used to boost your Def and SpD, but because neither of Cradily's attacking stats are anything worth mentioning, it leaves you vulnerable to critical hits and status. Protect isn't only useful on the set by the same name; it can also be used with success on the Special Wall set if you don't need any of the primary options. In terms of attacks, Cradily has few other options than those listed. Body Slam gives you a chance of paralyzing your opponent, and both Grass Knot and Energy Ball are decent STAB attacks on the special side. EVsCradily's EVs are very general, and can be changed depending on your needs. In the Special Wall set, the EVs allow you to survive one Life Orbed Close Combat from Infernape. On the second set, they give you the best overall defenses (376 HP, 319 Def, and 381 SpD), allowing you to take hits from both sides of the spectrum. In the last set, Atk is maxed out, enough speed is provided to beat out minimum speed Swampert, Porygon2, Magnezone, and Weezing, and the rest is poured into HP for good measure. OpinionCradily improved tremendously during the shift from Advance to DP. Thanks to the Special Defense boost given to Rock-types in a Sandstorm, this prehistoric plant has become a good counter to many of today's top special threats, including SpecsMence and Heatran. That isn't nearly enough for it to be top-tier, though; its poor movepool and only-decent typing hold it back from being so much more. CountersBecause Cradily should only be used in Sandstorm (which is most prevalent in OU), it shouldn't be surprising that most of its counters are in fact OU Pokemon. Both Skarmory and Forretress can set up Spikes on Cradily, but both are also beaten by the Swords Dance set. Heracross and Hariyama can come in on Cradily with no regrets and can potentially get a Guts boost by Toxic. Lucario, who 4x resists Rock and is immune to Toxic, can switch in and 2HKO it, with either Close Combat or Aura Sphere. Aside from those specific counters, Steel-types counter Cradily in general. Bronzong resists Rock Slide and is immune to both Toxic and Earthquake, and unless Cradily is running the Swords Dance set it won't be hurting anything much with Earthquake. Metagross can switch in and Meteor Mash Cradily into oblivion, and CM Jirachi can set up on Cradily and Wish away any damage. Likewise, Scizor can switch in and Swords Dance up. However, running the Swords Dance set allows Cradily to beat out many of these counters in the long run. Last, status also counters Cradily. If Cradily is badly poisoned and isn't running the RestTalk set, it becomes death fodder. Being burnt isn't quite as bad, but it still slowly whittles down your health and cuts your already-poor Attack in half. |
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