http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/558.shtml
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[Overview]
<p>Meet Crustle, the wee little hermit crab with the typically dubious Nintendo stat spread and typing. Just like many other forgotten Rock-types, it gets high Defense, moderate Attack, low HP and Special Defense, and truly appalling Speed. This stat spread is quite ironic considering that its typing, Bug / Rock, is terrific offensively but sincerely poor defensively, having only two resistances, to Normal and Poison. Add this to the fact that it is essentially a clone of Armaldo with higher Defense and lower Attack, and things begin to look fairly bleak. However, thanks to the combination of Crustle's ability, Sturdy, and its access to both Spikes and Stealth Rock, it has a niche as a potent support Pokemon, which is almost guaranteed to set up entry hazards with the help of Mental Herb or Lum Berry for Taunt and sleep moves, respectively. Its dual STAB moves also help out here, as they allow Crustle to deal super effective damage to a number of common Taunt users, such as Thundurus, Deoxys-S, and Whimsicott, as well as both Espeon and Xatu. Crustle also has access to a number of powerful boosting moves and a useful offensive movepool, making it a decent offensive threat.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Mental Herb / Lum Berry
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Crustle is one of only three Pokemon in the game (the others being Skarmory and Forretress) to get the combination of Sturdy + Spikes, and of the three is by far the most offensively threatening. It has access to excellent dual STAB moves that, when combined, hit a wide array of Pokemon for super effective damage, coming off an acceptable base 95 Attack stat. The basic idea behind the set is to first lay down either Stealth Rock or Spikes as your opponent attacks, surviving the attack thanks to your Sturdy ability, which means that in combination with Lum Berry or Mental Herb, no matter what the opponent does, it cannot stop Crustle from laying down Stealth Rock or at least one layer of Spikes.</p>
<p>However, there are several ways in which Crustle can be prevented from setting up. If you are using Mental Herb, opposing Pokemon can potentially stop it should they have a sleep-inducing move, and if running Lum Berry, many Pokemon can stop Crustle from setting up by using Taunt, which is where Crustle's impressive STAB combination comes in. Stone Edge can OHKO 4 HP Thundurus and 252 HP Xatu, while X-Scissor OHKOes Espeon and does upwards of 85% to 248 HP Whimsicott and Deoxys-S, though it is unable to OHKO either. Rock Blast is an acceptable alternative to Stone Edge if you want to capitalize on its ability to break Focus Sashes; however, you would need to get at least 4 hits in order to be able to OHKO Xatu or Thundurus without any fuss.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are fairly straightforward. Maximum Attack is essential to make the most of Crustle's biggest advantage over similar Skarmory and Forretress sets: its impressive offensive presence. After this, 60 Speed EVs are advised to outrun Relaxed Swampert and the majority of other defensive threats, making it easier to stack Spikes on them. The leftover EVs are placed in HP to allow Crustle to take attacks more easily, which helps against both offensive and defensive threats. However, if you want, there are a number of other Speed benchmarks that you can aim for if you are unduly worried about being outsped by bulky threats - 84 Speed EVs outruns minimum Speed base 55s such as Machamp and Blissey, and 204 Speed allows you to outrun defensive Metagross and Scizor. Mental Herb or Lum Berry is advised in order to prevent Crustle from being immobilised by Taunt or sleep, respectively; however, if you are not worried about either of them, then Leftovers is a useful alternative, as it helps bulk up Crustle and increases its staying power.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates, you will want to pair Crustle with those who can take as great an advantage from the entry hazards as possible. The best examples are shufflers and set-up sweepers. For example, in the former category Roar Suicune, Whirlwind Skarmory, and Dragon Tail Salamence can sit around and shuffle the opponent, thereby racking up residual damage and weakening the foe's team, heightening the effect of the residual damage. This extra residual damage plays directly into the hands of set-up sweepers, all of whom appreciate extra damage on the opponent's team to make their sweep easier. Swords Dance Excadrill, Rock Polish Terrakion, and Quiver Dance Volcarona are all good options to consider. Lastly, a Ghost-type teammate is vital to prevent your entry hazards from being cleared away by Rapid Spin users. Jellicent and Chandelure are decent options to consider for this.</p>
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Crustle is a proud holder of many useful boosting moves that many physical sweepers would give their left arms for. Swords Dance, Rock Polish, Claw Sharpen, and Curse are all very useful tools for Crustle to use, but the trouble is that Armaldo also gets all of them, and generally does a better job with them as well, thanks to its higher Attack stat. However, Crustle has one last trick up its sleeve that Armaldo doesn't have: access to perhaps the most broken set-up move in the game, Shell Smash, which after one use doubles Crustle's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, at the cost of lowering its Defense and Special Defense by one stage. However, Crustle's natural physical bulk and a Special Defense boost from sandstorm compensate for this somewhat.</p>
<p>Crustle's STAB X-Scissor and Stone Edge form an impressive attacking combination, which, when combined with Earthquake, hits every single Pokemon in the game for at least neutral damage. When backed up by the boost from Shell Smash and Life Orb, this allows Crustle to tear right through unprepared teams. Unlike in other situations, its poor Speed is not enough to hold it back, as after a Shell Smash it hits 378 Speed, which is sufficient to outrun positive-natured base 120 Speed Pokemon, including Alakazam and Dugtrio. Crustle's Sturdy ability is also a big help; even though it may seem counter-productive with Life Orb, if you can get Crustle in without taking any damage, it can at least get off a Shell Smash without any worries about being OHKOed.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As far as the EVs and nature go, Crustle is unlikely to be surviving many super effective assaults, especially after a Shell Smash, meaning that a simple sweeper EV spread is generally the best option. An Adamant nature is advised in order to achieve the maximum damage output possible; however, a Jolly nature is also a useful option to allow Crustle to outrun several key Pokemon, such as positive-natured base 130s. Life Orb is a necessary option for the power it brings, though Expert Belt may be worth a look if you are worried about bulk or want to preserve Sturdy as a failsafe. While Aerial Ace may seem a stupid option on something that clearly needs high-power moves to be an effective sweeper, it can be useful, especially on sandstorm teams, as a way of beating priority revenge killers such as Hitmontop, Breloom, and Conkeldurr, who may attempt to stop a second sweep by Tyranitar or Excadrill later on in the game. This is especially effective on Crustle, as even at -1 Defense, it is not even 2HKOed by an unboosted Mach Punch from any of them. This will allow Crustle to deal some serious damage with Aerial Ace, hopefully defeating them on top of passive damage.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are a useful support tool to help Crustle sweep more easily. Deoxys-S in particular can set up both Spikes and Stealth Rock with ease and prevent the other team from doing the same with Taunt, which is helpful as Crustle is weak to Stealth Rock and will want to preserve its Sturdy ability if it can. To this end, Rapid Spin support from Starmie or Forretress can also be considered, and the latter can also set up all three entry hazards. Tyranitar or Hippowdon is recommended to set up sandstorm, which boosts Crustle's Special Defense and increases passive damage on the opposing team; Crustle itself can be a useful asset on sandstorm teams if it can get set up, as it is one of the few defensive Rock-types that are not weak to both Fighting- and Ground-type attacks. While most sandstorm teams would prefer a more defensive Crustle to make switching easier, hyper-offensive Crustle has its merits as well. For example, Crustle can wear down big threats to its fellow sandstorm sweepers, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Conkeldurr, though it cannot beat any of them outright. This makes it easier for them to sweep the field later in the game. Crustle is also an excellent bait tool, not only for Conkeldurr and Breloom as described above, but also for Pokemon like Scizor, by forcing the opponent to use Bullet Punch to save their team and thus giving Excadrill a free switch.</p>
<p>When not being used on sandstorm teams, there are a number of other prospective partners for Crustle. Bulky Fighting-types, such as Conkeldurr and Machamp, while not being quite as threatening to other Rock-types, are still a massive pain. To take care of them, a Ghost-type such as Jellicent or Chandelure is advised, both of whom can also block Rapid Spin and are able to take on Scizor, who is a huge threat to Crustle. Jellicent in particular can also deal with Water-types such as Azumarill, who are also likely to be an issue. Lastly, bulky Ground- and Rock-types, such as Hippowdon, can be troublesome, as Crustle cannot hit hard enough to break through their sturdy defenses. As previously mentioned, Jellicent can take them on admirably, but lacks the ability to switch in on powerful physical attacks repeatedly. On the other hand, a bulky Grass-type such as Ferrothorn or Celebi could be worth investing in to switch in on and break down these annoyances. Both can also provide Leech Seed and Thunder Wave support for facilitating Crustle's sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Crustle has tons of other excellent boosting moves, namely Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Hone Claws, and Curse, all of which are of great use if you don't want to commit suicide with the Shell Smash set. However, in general, these types of sets are better left to Pokemon such as Armaldo and Rhyperior, with the possible exception of the Curse set; however, even then Tyranitar is generally a more appealing option. In terms of alternative physical attacks, Rock Slide is a more accurate but less powerful alternative to Stone Edge, Aerial Ace can be used as a stronger move against Fighting-types, and Shadow Claw can be useful if you are having trouble with Golurk. On the whole though, just stick with what the sets propose if those specific types of Pokemon don't bother you. Protect can be of use on the Support set if you do not have Leftovers in order to scout and block Fake Out, or you do not want to run two entry hazards.</p>
<p>Crustle also has an intriguing move combination in the form of Block + Spikes, which can allow it to stack layers of Spikes against a weaker opponent such as Ferrothorn or Blissey. Crustle also gets a number of gimmick attacks, which can be fun to spring on your opponents. Flail is very nice in tandem with Sturdy, allowing you to hopefully get off a Swords Dance or Shell Smash as your opponent brings you down to 1HP and then proceed to wreck things, though Crustle is unlikely to last very long. Rock Wrecker is Crustle's strongest STAB attack and is guaranteed to marmalize anything that switches into it; however, it is also guaranteed to lose you Crustle, as the next Pokemon to come in gets a free turn to do whatever it wants. Lastly, Shell Smash also happens to raise your Special Attack stat, and, though quite frankly the last thing you want to be doing is trying to use Crustle as a special sweeper, there are nevertheless some interesting possibilities. For example, Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Forretress, with whom Crustle would otherwise have trouble.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>If Crustle lacks Mental Herb, Taunt users can generally shut it down almost entirely. This can frustrate Crustle's attempts to support the team, though many common Taunt users have the problem of being weak to one of Crustle's STAB attacks. Espeon or Xatu can also irritate Crustle by virtue of their Magic Bounce ability, but again, watch out for Crustle's STAB moves, as they can OHKO both. Generally, a Pokemon such as Heatran would be best placed to stop the entry hazards going up through brute force, since it takes very little from any of Crustle's attacks and can switch in with relative impunity. Another method of dealing with Crustle is to employ a Rapid Spin Starmie or Excadrill, who can first activate Crustle's Sturdy with their respective STAB moves and then knock it out with Rapid Spin, removing both Crustle and its hazards.</p>
<p>Against offensive Crustle, you are unlikely to be hard-pressed to find a reasonable answer, as most defensive types bear the necessary defensive tools required to stop it. Bulky Water-types are high on the list, with Quagsire being one of the best thanks to its resistance to Rock, reliable recovery, and Unaware ability. Azumarill is also fairly bulky and can destroy Crustle with a strong STAB Aqua Jet before it even has a chance to move. Bulky Fighting-types are also worth mentioning, as what they lack in terms of raw defensive power they make up for with resistances to both of Crustle's STAB attacks. Conkeldurr, Machamp, and Hariyama are all noteworthy options. Another type with resistances to both of Crustle's STAB attacks is Steel, though it is also weak to Earthquake. With that in mind, Skarmory and Forretress have extremely high Defense stats and, although they take neutral damage from Rock-type attacks, can take plenty of punishment; Skarmory can even use Crustle as set-up fodder. Scizor is also worth mentioning, as its STAB Technician Bullet Punch is, perhaps, Crustle's biggest fear. Lastly, Pokemon with huge defensive stats in general are more than capable of causing Crustle some problems; these generally boil down to Steel-, Rock-, and Ground-types. Steelix, Rhyperior, and Hippowdon are all worth mentioning here, even if they do not see much use competitively.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Crustle's Dream World ability is Breakable Armor, which increases Speed and lowers Defense every time it is hit by a physical attack. While this may seem useful for sweeping sets, in actuality Shell Smash does a much more reliable job of the same thing, and in just about all other cases Sturdy is a better ability.</p>
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Post-critique changes:
- Changed nature on Shell Smash set
- Small grammar check by Eraddd
- Removed Darkrai and Shaymin-S
- Grammar check 1, thanks to iDunno
- Added English names and changed to new format
- GP Grammar-Prose Check #1, thanks to Ray Jay
- GP Grammar-Prose Check #2, thanks to Aeron Ee1
- Removed Garchomp
