Swords Dance is probably one of the best options that Kingler has, being able to double it's great Attack in one turn can be dangerous if not prepared for. Crabhammer is Kingler's only reliable STAB move, although the accuracy is disappointing. Return is your best weapon against most Water-types and Toxicroak that can come in and wall Kingler. Return also provides excellent coverage alongside Crabhammer. X-Scissor is mostly for those annoying Grass-type Pokémon that have a lot of bulk, such as Leafeon. Rock Slide is helpful when it comes to Flying-type Pokémon such as Altaria. Brick Break also has the capability to rid of Reflect and Light Screen, which can come in handy. Superpower can be an options over Brick Break if you want more power, though it's not recommended to run Superpower and Sword Dance in the same set, but is still a viable option if you want a stronger Fighting-type move. The given EVs hits 270 Speed, enough to outrun neutral nature Toxicroak. Life Orb is recommended for the power boost, but Leftovers is still acceptable to get back some HP lost while setting up.
Choice Band Kingler might not be as powerful as the Sword Dance set, but still packs quite a punch. Crabhammer is obvious for STAB. Rock Slide is to deter Mantine and Altaria, which Rock Slide assures an OHKO against both of these Pokémon (assuming you are using a Choice Band). In the final slot you have the option of X-Scissor and Superpower, X-Scissor helps against Grass-type Pokémon that may wall Kingler, while Superpower helps against Steel-types, such as Steelix. You lose a bit of power by dropping Choice Band, but with a Choice Scarf and an Adamant nature, Kingler reaches 362 Speed, enough to outrun Persian. Even with Jolly and max Speed, you can't guarantee you will outrun Electrode, so the only other useful Speed benchmark to hit is 384 (188 EVs, Jolly), which beats Jolly Swellow. Choice Band also has its tricks, as with a Jolly nature and Choice Band, Kingler is able to 2HKO 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix, which can come pretty handy.
Swords Dance if you can and Substitute or Endure down to 1 HP before using Flail. Water and Normal offers great type coverage and a full powered Flail, backed up with Swords Dance, is a potent weapon for sweeping. Substitute vs. Endure is mostly down to preference. Sub gives you protection against status and priority attacks, while Endure is helpful if Kingler has taken damage from Stealth Rock, Spikes, etc. since it can mess up its ability to get down to 1 HP. Other OptionsHyper Cutter is probably the best ability for Kingler, since most of its movesets are offensive based. Shell Armor can be useful when it comes to trying to handle moves such as Night Slash and Stone Edge, which have a high critical hit ratio, and Shell Armor negates critical hits from touching Kingler. Knock Off is a pretty good option if you want some support. Kingler does not have many other options, mostly due to its very limited movepool, and everything vaguely usable has been included in this analysis already. EVsA Jolly nature is recommended for most sets, where 240 EVs generates 270 Speed, enough to outrun Adamant Toxicroak. Adamant nature with 242+ Speed is sufficient to outrun anything slower than Persian and friends if you're using Choice Scarf. Jolly and Choice Band seem to be the most effective combination if you're using the Choice Band set, as it allows you to OHKO Pokémon such as Steelix. Maximum Attack and Speed for Salac/Flail set. If you're using Substitute, make sure your HP is indivisible by four to ensure you can Substitute four times, rather than three. OpinionThe new generation gave Kingler physical STAB in the form of Crabhammer. At last it has something worthwhile to abuse that monstrous Attack with, though the accuracy isn't really the greatest. X-Scissor, Rock Slide, and Brick Break are all helpful and gives Kingler a few toys to play with now. It has adequate Speed and that aforementioned Attack is capable of denting anything in UU. Though its 115 base Defense is somewhat undermined by its poor HP, Kingler will still survive most physical STAB moves with plenty to spare. CountersToxicroak can handle anything barring Return and Flail. Mantine can come in on Crabhammer, X-Scissor or Brick Break and hit Kingler with Toxic, or the occasional Hidden Power Electric or Grass. Quagsire does quite well due to its high Defense and Water Absorb, although it will not enjoy boosted Returns. Meganium and Leafeon can handle most sets that don't include X-Scissor. Altaria's only worry is a boosted Rock Slide or Return. A Kingler without Rock Slide will be walled by Shedinja. Kingler remains vulnerable on the special side, and a neutral STAB attack will severely cripple it, if not KO it. Most sweepers can take advantage of its average Speed too, although few can switch in directly. |
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