QC checks: ShakeItUp, Texas Cloverleaf, PK Gaming, Pearl.
GP checks: New World Order, sirndpt
Clefable (Windsong gave it to me)
[Overview]
<p>Clefable, who was one of the most versatile Pokemon in DPP UU, makes a comeback, this time in RU. Clefable possesses respectable special bulk, along with reliable healing and an amazing ability in Magic Guard. She also has great support moves in her arsenal, such as Wish, Heal Bell, and Stealth Rock. All these traits make her a great special wall, Wish passer, cleric, and hazard setter. Magic Guard gives her immunity to any form of passive damage, which greatly hinders any other wall's effectiveness. To top it all off, Clefable has a very wide attacking movepool, allowing her to surprise many checks and counters. She can pack quite a punch, as Magic Guard gives her the ability to use Life Orb and moves such as Double-Edge without any recoil. Finally, when holding a Toxic Orb, Clefable can act as a great status absorber and also use a very powerful Facade.</p>
<p>However as with everything, Clefable has her flaws. The lack of useful resistances—Normal-types only have one immunity, to Ghost-type moves—hurts her, as she often finds it difficult to wall very strong special attacks. Another drawback is her somewhat low physical bulk and weakness to Fighting-type moves, which makes her very vulnerable to strong physical attackers, Fighting-type Pokemon in particular. All in all, Clefable is a great Pokemon who will provide valuable team support throughout the match if you use her correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect / Softboiled
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Heal Bell / Stealth Rock / Encore
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting very nice HP and Special Defense stats, Clefable is capable of walling many strong special attackers in RU, such as Manectric, Rotom-C, and Galvantula. Magic Guard further enhances her walling capabilities, allowing her to avoid damage from entry hazards or damaging status, which trouble many other walls. With a good HP stat, she can pass big 197 HP Wishes, healing many offensive Pokemon almost completely, and most defensive Pokemon for at least half of their HP. Protect is used to scout Choice-locked moves from the likes of Entei, Sceptile, and Manectric, gives Clefable one free turn of Leftovers healing, and most importantly, makes sure that she can reliably heal with Wish. If you prefer having instant recovery and want to avoid giving free turns to your opponent, Softboiled is always an option. Seismic Toss is the attacking move of choice due to its consistent power and Clefable's sub-par offensive stats. Lastly, a support move of your choice can be chosen. Heal Bell makes Clefable a reliable cleric, allowing her to heal her teammates of any troublesome status, Stealth Rock helps any team, and Encore is great for preventing sweepers from setting up against Clefable.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are put into HP and Special Defense to maximize Clefable's special bulk. Leftovers is the best item, as it works very well with Protect and gives her constant passive healing. Magic Guard is by far the best ability, for the reasons mentioned above. If you need a status absorber, Toxic Orb is a viable item on Clefable, as it gives Clefable immunity to status. If you choose to run Toxic Orb, you should consider changing Seismic Toss to Facade, which is more powerful against almost all targets hit neutrally, even with Clefable's low Attack stat. Toxic and Thunder Wave are both viable alternatives for the fourth move to make opposing Pokemon think twice about switching in. You can also run a special attack of your choice in the last slot to cover more threats, since Clefable has a decent Special Attack stat. The most useful of these moves are Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Shadow Ball. Something important to note is that with one of these moves, except Grass Knot, Clefable is no longer completely helpless against offensive Ghost-types with Substitute, such as Rotom and Haunter. Finally, if you decide to use a special move, you might consider using Double-Edge over Seismic Toss, as it offers better coverage alongside said special move.</p>
<p>Clefable loves teammates that can take physical hits for her, especially Fighting-type moves. For this reason, Qwilfish, Claydol, Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, Gligar, and Spiritomb are very good partners; every one of these Pokemon appreciates the Wish support, since all of them bar Gligar lack reliable recovery. A Dark- or Steel-type Pokemon will also be very useful to take care of Ghost-types, such as Cofagrigus and Golurk, who can set up on Clefable. Mandibuzz and Steelix are good choices, as they are immune or resistant to Ghost-type moves and can phaze away their boosts.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Grass Knot / Flamethrower
move 3: Stealth Rock / Wish
move 4: Softboiled / Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set can catch the opponent off guard with its underrated power. With Magic Guard, Clefable can abuse a recoil-free Double-Edge and use Life Orb while still maintaining a great deal of bulk. Double-Edge is the main attraction of this set, 2HKOing many Pokemon in RU. To illustrate, almost all Pokemon that do not resist Double-Edge are OHKOed or 2HKOed. Grass Knot covers most Rock-types, such as Omastar and Kabutops, and even some heavy Steel-types, particularly Steelix and Aggron, while Flamethrower OHKOes or 2HKOes most Steel-types, namely Steelix, Durant, Ferroseed, and Klinklang. Stealth Rock should be chosen if you don't have any other Pokemon to set it up, and Wish can be used for extra healing support. In the last slot, Softboiled pairs well with Stealth Rock to give Clefable instant recovery, while Protect matches well with Wish, allowing Clefable to heal reliably.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and the nature maximize Clefable's Attack, which reaches respectable levels when backed by Life Orb in spite of her base 70 Attack. Combined with the high Base Power of Double-Edge, this makes sure that almost nothing is safe from Clefable. The rest of the EVs are then put into HP to maximize her bulk and Wish passing capabilities. A Brave nature is chosen so that neither Clefable's bulk nor her power is compromised. Magic Guard is chosen as usual to enhance her offensive and defensive potential, granting her immunity to both entry hazards and Life Orb recoil.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Encore can be used to prevent opponents from setting up on Clefable; Heal Bell can be used if your team needs a cleric. Fire Blast is a viable choice in the second slot for the added power, but Flamethrower is preferred due to its greater PP and reliability. Toxic and Thunder Wave are both good options in the last slot to cripple defensive Pokemon such as Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Gligar. Another option is to run Toxic Orb and Facade instead of Life Orb and Double-Edge. This gives Clefable pseudo-status immunity, but she loses quite a bit of power. Finally, Ice Beam is an option in the second slot, mainly to OHKO Gligar after Stealth Rock, but usually the other moves provide better coverage.</p>
<p>Teammates that can switch into Pokemon that resist Clefable's attacks are useful. Good examples are Claydol, Qwilfish, and Moltres, who can switch into Gligar, Dusknoir, and Cofagrigus, respectively. Teammates that can set up Spikes are also appreciated as this set's surprise factor, meaning its ability to hit very hard many of the support set's switch-ins, can cause many switches; Spikes also help Clefable gain some OHKOs and 2HKOs, such as on Gallade, Tangrowth, Lilligant, and Entei with Stealth Rock, and Hitmonchan without it. Qwilfish is the best option, as it has good synergy with Clefable and benefits from Wish greatly, having no reliable healing of its own. Lastly, Clefable can often lure in and eliminate certain walls so one of your Pokemon can sweep. For example, if Clefable carries Ice Beam, Hitmonlee can sweep after Gligar is gone. Similarly, Clefable that pack Grass Knot can lure out and KO Omastar and Kabutops, facilitating a sweep for Entei, while Klinklang appreciates Flamethrower-wielding Clefable's ability to remove Steelix and Ferroseed.</p>
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Brave
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With surprisingly good power and coverage, this set can surprise anyone who thinks that Clefable is a harmless wall. Double-Edge is her nuke, OHKOing and 2HKOing many Pokemon. Additionally, Life Orb and Double-Edge recoil are canceled out by Magic Guard, which gives Clefable a distinct advantage over other wallbreakers. Grass Knot provides coverage against Rock-types that resist Double-Edge, Fire Blast roasts Steel-types, and Softboiled gives Clefable a way to heal and continue to batter your opponent with powerful attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs go into Attack and Special Attack to maximize Clefable's power output, while a Brave nature is chosen to improve the power of Double-Edge without jeopardizing Clefable's bulk. Shadow Ball can be used with a Quiet nature if you want Clefable to have a chance of 2HKOing Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, Uxie, and Qwilfish with the help of entry hazards. Ice Beam is also an option to OHKO Gligar, which walls Clefable otherwise, and is Clefable's best attack against Archeops and Aerodactyl. Finally, Thunderbolt can be used along with a Quiet nature; it maintains coverage against Archeops and Aerodactyl, OHKOes any Feraligatr after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, and OHKOes Qwilfish unconditionally. A Toxic Orb can be used to prevent Clefable from getting burned, and generally lets her act as a status absorber. If you choose Toxic Orb, you should be sure to pick Facade instead of Double-Edge to hit harder. It should be noted, however, that without Life Orb, Clefable's special attacks are much weaker.</p>
<p>As with most wallbreakers, entry hazards are very useful, as they help Clefable score many OHKOs and 2HKOs. Stealth Rock in particular helps Clefable's Double-Edge to OHKO many offensive Pokemon, such as Moltres and Honchkrow. Claydol and Uxie are excellent partners for this reason, as they can set up Stealth Rock and take the Fighting-type attacks aimed at Clefable. Most bulky Ghost-types, particularly Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, trouble this set, as they can take anything but Shadow Ball and set up on Clefable. For this reason, teammates that can deal with bulky Ghost-types, such as Pursuit users and Moltres, are very useful.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes Clefable a formidable bulky sweeper that both hits hard and is difficult to take down thanks to Softboiled and Magic Guard. Calm Mind is the most important move on this set, raising her Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam take the second and third slots because of the almost-unresisted coverage they provide together in RU. The only Pokemon that resist this combination in RU are Magneton and Lanturn, both of which are setup fodder. Finally, Softboiled goes in the last slot to make Clefable nearly impossible to bring down from the special side after a few boosts, prolonging her sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Clefable's Special Attack and HP to provide maximum bulk and firepower, because this set wants to hit hard while at the same time being difficult to take down from the special side. Magic Guard is chosen mainly to prevent Clefable from being stalled out with Toxic; after a couple of boosts, Clefable only fears strong physical attacks. Life Orb is used for the free 30% boost in power to Clefable's attacks, but Leftovers is perfectly viable if you prefer more survivability. A spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature makes Clefable more difficult to bring down from the physical side, but she loses out on a great deal of power. Flamethrower can be used instead of Ice Beam to better deal with Roar Steelix and Steel-types in general. Fire + Electric also offers exceptional neutral coverage in RU, being walled only by Lanturn and Druddigon, the former being set-up bait for Clefable.</p>
<p>As with most Clefable sets, this one fears strong physical attackers, especially Fighting-types such as Gallade, who can easily take any attack with its good special bulk and either KO Clefable outright or set up. As such, teammates that can take on the physical attackers that Clefable attracts, such as Qwilfish, Cofagrigus, and Claydol, are once again appreciated. Calm Mind Psyshock Uxie is also a good counter to Clefable, as it can easily take Clefable's attacks, boost up alongside her, and comfortably 2HKO Clefable at +2, since Psyshock hits Clefable's unboosted Defense. Steelix and specially defensive Drapion counter Uxie by phazing her with Whirlwind, and also provide entry hazards to help Clefable gain the OHKOs and 2HKOs that she needs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Clefable has a very wide movepool full of interesting options. She can run a Belly Drum + Softboiled set with two attacks, most likely Double-Edge and either Drain Punch or Fire Punch, but most of the time, she will be forced out by faster Pokemon that can OHKO her after she uses Belly Drum. A defensive set with Flame Orb and Trick can be utilized to cripple physical attackers eager to switch into Clefable, while making her a good status absorber. Finally, Clefable receives many other support such as Gravity, Knock Off, Light Screen, Cosmic Power, and Sing, as well as the attacking options Body Slam, Focus Blast, Psychic, and Charge Beam, but these moves are usually inferior to the main options. Gravity is generally a gimmick move, Knock Off, Light Screen, Body Slam, Psychic, and Focus Blast are situational, and Sing is inaccurate. Cosmic Power could be used in a set with Charge Beam and Softboiled to boost both Clefable's defenses and Special Attack, making it unkillable after a few boosts without strong physical Fighting-type attacks, but takes too much time to set-up and gets forced out easily.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Any strong physical attacker will force Clefable out. For example, Honchkrow, Gallade, and Hitmonchan can all take hits from her all day long and either set up or outright KO her. However, they must watch out for Thunder Wave, Toxic, or Life Orb Double-Edge. Most Ghost-types, especially bulky ones such as Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, are also good checks, as they are immune to Clefable's primary attacks and can set up on her. Qwilfish and Gligar fare well against every set bar Calm Mind variants, but must avoid Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, respectively. Finally, Ferroseed is a good check that can set up on any Clefable lacking a Fire-type move except the Calm Mind set.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Clefable gets Unaware from Dream World, but Magic Guard is one of the best things Clefable has going for her, as it boosts both her longevity and power. However, Unaware is a viable option on defensive Clefable if your team is struggling with boosting special attackers. Magic Guard is almost always the better choice for offensive sets, though.</p>
GP checks: New World Order, sirndpt
Clefable (Windsong gave it to me)
[Overview]
<p>Clefable, who was one of the most versatile Pokemon in DPP UU, makes a comeback, this time in RU. Clefable possesses respectable special bulk, along with reliable healing and an amazing ability in Magic Guard. She also has great support moves in her arsenal, such as Wish, Heal Bell, and Stealth Rock. All these traits make her a great special wall, Wish passer, cleric, and hazard setter. Magic Guard gives her immunity to any form of passive damage, which greatly hinders any other wall's effectiveness. To top it all off, Clefable has a very wide attacking movepool, allowing her to surprise many checks and counters. She can pack quite a punch, as Magic Guard gives her the ability to use Life Orb and moves such as Double-Edge without any recoil. Finally, when holding a Toxic Orb, Clefable can act as a great status absorber and also use a very powerful Facade.</p>
<p>However as with everything, Clefable has her flaws. The lack of useful resistances—Normal-types only have one immunity, to Ghost-type moves—hurts her, as she often finds it difficult to wall very strong special attacks. Another drawback is her somewhat low physical bulk and weakness to Fighting-type moves, which makes her very vulnerable to strong physical attackers, Fighting-type Pokemon in particular. All in all, Clefable is a great Pokemon who will provide valuable team support throughout the match if you use her correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect / Softboiled
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Heal Bell / Stealth Rock / Encore
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting very nice HP and Special Defense stats, Clefable is capable of walling many strong special attackers in RU, such as Manectric, Rotom-C, and Galvantula. Magic Guard further enhances her walling capabilities, allowing her to avoid damage from entry hazards or damaging status, which trouble many other walls. With a good HP stat, she can pass big 197 HP Wishes, healing many offensive Pokemon almost completely, and most defensive Pokemon for at least half of their HP. Protect is used to scout Choice-locked moves from the likes of Entei, Sceptile, and Manectric, gives Clefable one free turn of Leftovers healing, and most importantly, makes sure that she can reliably heal with Wish. If you prefer having instant recovery and want to avoid giving free turns to your opponent, Softboiled is always an option. Seismic Toss is the attacking move of choice due to its consistent power and Clefable's sub-par offensive stats. Lastly, a support move of your choice can be chosen. Heal Bell makes Clefable a reliable cleric, allowing her to heal her teammates of any troublesome status, Stealth Rock helps any team, and Encore is great for preventing sweepers from setting up against Clefable.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are put into HP and Special Defense to maximize Clefable's special bulk. Leftovers is the best item, as it works very well with Protect and gives her constant passive healing. Magic Guard is by far the best ability, for the reasons mentioned above. If you need a status absorber, Toxic Orb is a viable item on Clefable, as it gives Clefable immunity to status. If you choose to run Toxic Orb, you should consider changing Seismic Toss to Facade, which is more powerful against almost all targets hit neutrally, even with Clefable's low Attack stat. Toxic and Thunder Wave are both viable alternatives for the fourth move to make opposing Pokemon think twice about switching in. You can also run a special attack of your choice in the last slot to cover more threats, since Clefable has a decent Special Attack stat. The most useful of these moves are Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Shadow Ball. Something important to note is that with one of these moves, except Grass Knot, Clefable is no longer completely helpless against offensive Ghost-types with Substitute, such as Rotom and Haunter. Finally, if you decide to use a special move, you might consider using Double-Edge over Seismic Toss, as it offers better coverage alongside said special move.</p>
<p>Clefable loves teammates that can take physical hits for her, especially Fighting-type moves. For this reason, Qwilfish, Claydol, Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, Gligar, and Spiritomb are very good partners; every one of these Pokemon appreciates the Wish support, since all of them bar Gligar lack reliable recovery. A Dark- or Steel-type Pokemon will also be very useful to take care of Ghost-types, such as Cofagrigus and Golurk, who can set up on Clefable. Mandibuzz and Steelix are good choices, as they are immune or resistant to Ghost-type moves and can phaze away their boosts.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Grass Knot / Flamethrower
move 3: Stealth Rock / Wish
move 4: Softboiled / Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set can catch the opponent off guard with its underrated power. With Magic Guard, Clefable can abuse a recoil-free Double-Edge and use Life Orb while still maintaining a great deal of bulk. Double-Edge is the main attraction of this set, 2HKOing many Pokemon in RU. To illustrate, almost all Pokemon that do not resist Double-Edge are OHKOed or 2HKOed. Grass Knot covers most Rock-types, such as Omastar and Kabutops, and even some heavy Steel-types, particularly Steelix and Aggron, while Flamethrower OHKOes or 2HKOes most Steel-types, namely Steelix, Durant, Ferroseed, and Klinklang. Stealth Rock should be chosen if you don't have any other Pokemon to set it up, and Wish can be used for extra healing support. In the last slot, Softboiled pairs well with Stealth Rock to give Clefable instant recovery, while Protect matches well with Wish, allowing Clefable to heal reliably.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and the nature maximize Clefable's Attack, which reaches respectable levels when backed by Life Orb in spite of her base 70 Attack. Combined with the high Base Power of Double-Edge, this makes sure that almost nothing is safe from Clefable. The rest of the EVs are then put into HP to maximize her bulk and Wish passing capabilities. A Brave nature is chosen so that neither Clefable's bulk nor her power is compromised. Magic Guard is chosen as usual to enhance her offensive and defensive potential, granting her immunity to both entry hazards and Life Orb recoil.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Encore can be used to prevent opponents from setting up on Clefable; Heal Bell can be used if your team needs a cleric. Fire Blast is a viable choice in the second slot for the added power, but Flamethrower is preferred due to its greater PP and reliability. Toxic and Thunder Wave are both good options in the last slot to cripple defensive Pokemon such as Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Gligar. Another option is to run Toxic Orb and Facade instead of Life Orb and Double-Edge. This gives Clefable pseudo-status immunity, but she loses quite a bit of power. Finally, Ice Beam is an option in the second slot, mainly to OHKO Gligar after Stealth Rock, but usually the other moves provide better coverage.</p>
<p>Teammates that can switch into Pokemon that resist Clefable's attacks are useful. Good examples are Claydol, Qwilfish, and Moltres, who can switch into Gligar, Dusknoir, and Cofagrigus, respectively. Teammates that can set up Spikes are also appreciated as this set's surprise factor, meaning its ability to hit very hard many of the support set's switch-ins, can cause many switches; Spikes also help Clefable gain some OHKOs and 2HKOs, such as on Gallade, Tangrowth, Lilligant, and Entei with Stealth Rock, and Hitmonchan without it. Qwilfish is the best option, as it has good synergy with Clefable and benefits from Wish greatly, having no reliable healing of its own. Lastly, Clefable can often lure in and eliminate certain walls so one of your Pokemon can sweep. For example, if Clefable carries Ice Beam, Hitmonlee can sweep after Gligar is gone. Similarly, Clefable that pack Grass Knot can lure out and KO Omastar and Kabutops, facilitating a sweep for Entei, while Klinklang appreciates Flamethrower-wielding Clefable's ability to remove Steelix and Ferroseed.</p>
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Brave
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With surprisingly good power and coverage, this set can surprise anyone who thinks that Clefable is a harmless wall. Double-Edge is her nuke, OHKOing and 2HKOing many Pokemon. Additionally, Life Orb and Double-Edge recoil are canceled out by Magic Guard, which gives Clefable a distinct advantage over other wallbreakers. Grass Knot provides coverage against Rock-types that resist Double-Edge, Fire Blast roasts Steel-types, and Softboiled gives Clefable a way to heal and continue to batter your opponent with powerful attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs go into Attack and Special Attack to maximize Clefable's power output, while a Brave nature is chosen to improve the power of Double-Edge without jeopardizing Clefable's bulk. Shadow Ball can be used with a Quiet nature if you want Clefable to have a chance of 2HKOing Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, Uxie, and Qwilfish with the help of entry hazards. Ice Beam is also an option to OHKO Gligar, which walls Clefable otherwise, and is Clefable's best attack against Archeops and Aerodactyl. Finally, Thunderbolt can be used along with a Quiet nature; it maintains coverage against Archeops and Aerodactyl, OHKOes any Feraligatr after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, and OHKOes Qwilfish unconditionally. A Toxic Orb can be used to prevent Clefable from getting burned, and generally lets her act as a status absorber. If you choose Toxic Orb, you should be sure to pick Facade instead of Double-Edge to hit harder. It should be noted, however, that without Life Orb, Clefable's special attacks are much weaker.</p>
<p>As with most wallbreakers, entry hazards are very useful, as they help Clefable score many OHKOs and 2HKOs. Stealth Rock in particular helps Clefable's Double-Edge to OHKO many offensive Pokemon, such as Moltres and Honchkrow. Claydol and Uxie are excellent partners for this reason, as they can set up Stealth Rock and take the Fighting-type attacks aimed at Clefable. Most bulky Ghost-types, particularly Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, trouble this set, as they can take anything but Shadow Ball and set up on Clefable. For this reason, teammates that can deal with bulky Ghost-types, such as Pursuit users and Moltres, are very useful.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes Clefable a formidable bulky sweeper that both hits hard and is difficult to take down thanks to Softboiled and Magic Guard. Calm Mind is the most important move on this set, raising her Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam take the second and third slots because of the almost-unresisted coverage they provide together in RU. The only Pokemon that resist this combination in RU are Magneton and Lanturn, both of which are setup fodder. Finally, Softboiled goes in the last slot to make Clefable nearly impossible to bring down from the special side after a few boosts, prolonging her sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Clefable's Special Attack and HP to provide maximum bulk and firepower, because this set wants to hit hard while at the same time being difficult to take down from the special side. Magic Guard is chosen mainly to prevent Clefable from being stalled out with Toxic; after a couple of boosts, Clefable only fears strong physical attacks. Life Orb is used for the free 30% boost in power to Clefable's attacks, but Leftovers is perfectly viable if you prefer more survivability. A spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature makes Clefable more difficult to bring down from the physical side, but she loses out on a great deal of power. Flamethrower can be used instead of Ice Beam to better deal with Roar Steelix and Steel-types in general. Fire + Electric also offers exceptional neutral coverage in RU, being walled only by Lanturn and Druddigon, the former being set-up bait for Clefable.</p>
<p>As with most Clefable sets, this one fears strong physical attackers, especially Fighting-types such as Gallade, who can easily take any attack with its good special bulk and either KO Clefable outright or set up. As such, teammates that can take on the physical attackers that Clefable attracts, such as Qwilfish, Cofagrigus, and Claydol, are once again appreciated. Calm Mind Psyshock Uxie is also a good counter to Clefable, as it can easily take Clefable's attacks, boost up alongside her, and comfortably 2HKO Clefable at +2, since Psyshock hits Clefable's unboosted Defense. Steelix and specially defensive Drapion counter Uxie by phazing her with Whirlwind, and also provide entry hazards to help Clefable gain the OHKOs and 2HKOs that she needs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Clefable has a very wide movepool full of interesting options. She can run a Belly Drum + Softboiled set with two attacks, most likely Double-Edge and either Drain Punch or Fire Punch, but most of the time, she will be forced out by faster Pokemon that can OHKO her after she uses Belly Drum. A defensive set with Flame Orb and Trick can be utilized to cripple physical attackers eager to switch into Clefable, while making her a good status absorber. Finally, Clefable receives many other support such as Gravity, Knock Off, Light Screen, Cosmic Power, and Sing, as well as the attacking options Body Slam, Focus Blast, Psychic, and Charge Beam, but these moves are usually inferior to the main options. Gravity is generally a gimmick move, Knock Off, Light Screen, Body Slam, Psychic, and Focus Blast are situational, and Sing is inaccurate. Cosmic Power could be used in a set with Charge Beam and Softboiled to boost both Clefable's defenses and Special Attack, making it unkillable after a few boosts without strong physical Fighting-type attacks, but takes too much time to set-up and gets forced out easily.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Any strong physical attacker will force Clefable out. For example, Honchkrow, Gallade, and Hitmonchan can all take hits from her all day long and either set up or outright KO her. However, they must watch out for Thunder Wave, Toxic, or Life Orb Double-Edge. Most Ghost-types, especially bulky ones such as Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, are also good checks, as they are immune to Clefable's primary attacks and can set up on her. Qwilfish and Gligar fare well against every set bar Calm Mind variants, but must avoid Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, respectively. Finally, Ferroseed is a good check that can set up on any Clefable lacking a Fire-type move except the Calm Mind set.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Clefable gets Unaware from Dream World, but Magic Guard is one of the best things Clefable has going for her, as it boosts both her longevity and power. However, Unaware is a viable option on defensive Clefable if your team is struggling with boosting special attackers. Magic Guard is almost always the better choice for offensive sets, though.</p>
