This Shuckle has a physically defensive potential of 244 HP * 602 Def = 146888, and, in sandstorm, a specially defensive potential of 244 * (508 * 1.5) = 185928. To put this in perspective, Cresselia reaches a maximum special defensive potential of 174936, meaning Shuckle is 185928 / 174936 = 1.063, or 6.3% more specially sturdy than Cresselia. Forretress reaches a maximum defensive potential of 147264, or 147264 / 146888 = 1.0026, or just .3% more defensive than Shuckle. Shuckle is as defensively bulky as Forretress, and more specially bulky than Cresselia, making it arguably the best neutral mixed wall in the game (again, in sandstorm). The EVs are designed to let Shuckle not be 2HKOed by Choice Specs Salamence's Hydro Pump on average, and to not be 3HKOed by Adamant Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage on average. The reason Encore + Toxic + Rest is so effective on Shuckle is that Toxic + Rest allows Shuckle to take on a large majority of Pokemon one on one. The Poison, Steel, Substitute, and Rest + Sleep Talk Pokemon that would defeat the Toxic + Rest strategy are all debilitated by Encore, and essentially become "setup" bait for another sweeper on Shuckle's team. Although the preferred set is Toxic + Rest + Encore + Knock Off, team needs frequently require Shuckle to carry Stealth Rock. In this case, either Toxic or Knock Off can be dropped, and neither is necessarily preferred over the other. While Toxic + Rest allows Shuckle to beat many Pokemon one on one, Knock Off allows Shuckle to remove the strategy of various Pokemon by removing their items. This is especially effective in sandstorm, as Knock Off will remove Leftovers on opposing Pokemon and allow residual damage to build much faster.
Wait till the end of the game, when Shuckle can no longer be phazed because there are no other Pokémon to switch out to, and then start using Acupressure and pray you don’t get hit by a critical hit. Rock Slide is mentioned because Stone Edge will run you out of PP quickly, especially if they have Pressure. And you don’t want to be caught without PP on your last Pokémon.
This set plays extremely similarly to Wobbuffet, except without the innate ability to trap things. You can bring Shuckle in on something that can do nothing to it (a large list of Pokemon in the UU environment), trap the switch-in with Wrap and then Encore their next move. If they use a stat up move, you get a free switch and a free turn to set up with one of your own sweepers. If they use an attack, your next course of action depends on how much damage they do. If you can avoid the 3HKO, then using Bide is preferred as you get basically a free KO. If you can't then switch to an appropriate counter for basically free. It's a win-win situation. Wrap and Encore are no brainers on the set; however there are a few choices for the last two slots. Knock Off is nice to take out opposing stat-uppers' items on your way out. Nothing is sweeter than Encoring a Nasty Plot Ninetales and then Knocking Off its Life Orb as you then switch to your own set up sweeper. Rest allows Shuckle to do its job multiple times, but without Sleep Talk on the set, it requires the support of a cleric to be the most useful. Finally, Bide is merely an option because Shuckle's low HP makes it a bit hard to avoid 4HKOs, even with the low power level of the underused environment. The EVs are tailored to Special Defense in order to avoid 4HKOs against the bulky waters of UU who like to switch in on Shuckle, like Gastrodon and Quagsire. This allows you to Encore their Surf and then kill them with Bide. If you're not going to use Bide on the set, then switch the nature from Careful to Impish and swap out the Def EVs with the SpD EVs. This allows Shuckle to take physical hits better, which are arguably more present in the Underused Metagame. Grip Claw is the preferred item as Wrap may sometimes only have two turns of trap, eliminating the free turn that you would have otherwise gained. However, Leftovers could be subbed in if you prefer added survivability. Other OptionsShuckle can use Power Trick to gain some attacking prowess but the trade off is a horrible defense stat and usually isn't worth bothering with. Shuckle can perform a gimmick Defense Curl and Rollout combination but rarely will you find yourself able to deal sufficient damage with it. EVsAlways max Shuckle’s HP to give it the best defense potential. Then after that, put the remaining EVs into the defenses. As for the defenses of the Encore set, it’s really hard to go wrong here. But here are some optimal choices. If Shuckle is on a Sand Stream team, maximize Defense with Impish nature. You can also balance them out by putting max EVs in one stat while using a boosting nature in the other. (Note that you can go Careful and swap the Defense and Special Defense EVs in the set above.) If necessary, you can overspecialize one stat, but this is not really recommended. OpinionA common misconception about Shuckle is that because of its nonexistent attack power, other Pokémon are free to set up on it to sweep. This is not entirely the case. Shuckle can Encore these stat-up moves, forcing their users to switch out or allow you to bring in another Pokémon to attack. Even if you end up Encoring an attack move, Shuckle still has the godly defenses to take hits, and you can switch out something that resists it. This makes Shuckle very useful to teams that rely on resistances rather than walls. However, make sure that your incoming Pokémon is something that can really resist the move. Shuckle works best with a certain amount of skill and prediction. For example, determining whether or not your opponent will use Substitute is key to determining whether to use Knock Off / Body Slam or Encore next. This determination is something that comes with experience. CountersPretty much anything can switch in on Shuckle (that is, the Encore set), but not everything can switch in without losing something potentially vital. Gengar can switch in on the Body Slams but takes Stealth Rock damages OR gets its item Knocked Off. Steels are also exceptionally great walls but also risk getting paralyzed or losing their items. Scizor and Tyranitar switch in with almost no risk, aside from losing their items, and can punish Shuckle with STAB Steel and Rock moves, respectively. In UU, where Sand Stream is not omnipotent, Gastrodon can switch in and hit it with STAB Water moves and with Sticky Hold its item cannot be Knock Off. |
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