Klefki [QC 2/3]

[Jukain]

just getting this up

Overview
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- really solid utility mon
- typing/bulk gives it lots of opportunities to set up spikes and also lets it check certain common mons, especially xerneas, darkrai, yveltal, latis
- prankster twave lets it serve as an emergency check to common sweepers/faster pokemon like mega sala, mewtwo, etc
- hurt by the overwhelming presence of primal groundon and certain other things like ho-oh, primal kyogre, common fire/ground coverage moves (eq ekiller/rayquaza, fire blast mewtwo, earth power mega diancie) that kinda shut it down

Utility
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name: Utility
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Toxic
ability: Prankster
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful

Moves
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- spikes are useful to punish switches and enhance offensive mons
- twave is instrumental for klefki to achieve the job of checking geoxern/mega sala while serving as a last-ditch method of crippling fast sweepers/pokemon
- play rough is a nice stab move for klefki to get off a bit of damage with, especially useful for mons
- toxic is nice to cripple primal don, primal ogre, ho-oh, and arc ground while allowing klefki to check some variants of cm arc and cripple defogging support arc/gira o
- heal block is an option when trying to wear down defensive threats with hazards espec mons like lugia, support/cm arceus formes, resttalk xern, phys def yvletal, and mega scizor -- also lets it beat goth though this is kinda meh in the current meta

Set Details
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- ev spread (standard) lets it tank hits from xerneas, latis, yveltal more effectively while atk evs let it take out geoxern's sub

Usage Tips
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- it can be important to preserve klefki as a sweeper check if you know the opponent has an important sweeper like geoxern or mega sala that you know you need it to cripple with a pranskter twave
- in a lot of scenarios setting up a spike is the best option given a free turn but you also don't wanna necessarily give primal don/gira o free switch-ins so predicting with a toxic may prove effective depending on the battle situation
- you can play it as a pivot into the likes of xern, yveltal, and latis pretty reliably but you can also use it as a pivot switch into the likes of mega sala/mew2 if you want to get something else in safely or just to pull off a prankster twave. klefki has good typing/resistances and depending on the matchup may not be needed to counter something or cripple a sweeper so playing it like this can prove effective to minimize the impact on the rest of your team

Team Options
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- primal donner and ho-oh checks are the most important teammates, think pokemon like mega sala, primal ogre, rayquaza
- offensive threats to take advantage of spikes eg ho-oh, ekiller, rp primal don

Other Options
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- flash cannon for mega diancie
- foul play, can be combined with magnet rise to deal with sd arc ground kinda
- dual screens

Checks & Counters
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- primal don
- mega gengar (though it dislikes twave)
- ho-oh
- primal ogre
- dialga
- mega diancie w/ ep
- mega scizor
- arc ground
- lando-t/gliscor
- hippo/drill
- ferro (especially with a spinner in the back)
- arc poison w/ willo
- blaziken but it hates twave
- ground/fire coverage moves, including eq ekiller, fire blast mew2, ep mega diancie, eq mega sala

 

[PISTOLERO]

I think Toxic is by far the best option and should not even be slashed, as Gothitelle is complete garbage now and Toxic is invaluable, as it gives you something to flip Primal Groudon switchins off with, as well as a reasonably loose way to check Calm Mind Arceus / etc.

 

[Jukain]

heal block has some use if you're trying to wear down defensive mons with hazards, but i agree that toxic is the better overall option. slashing toxic alone.

 

[Sweep]

Very meh Mewtwo and Mega Salamence check, it can sacrifice itself to paralyze +1 Salamence (fk earthquake) and CM 3 attacks Mewtwo but won't actually win 1-1 and if your opponent has a cleric...

No question that it answers some of the top threats in the metagame...I was hoping this would die of botulism poisoning along with Gothitelle but that certainly didn't happen. Also I agree that Toxic should be slashed alone but Heal Block has uses for Phys Def Yveltal, Lugia, etc.

 

[SparksBlade]

heal block imo could be very useful against stall, and klef is immune to toxic, which is the status stall mostly carries. Worthy of oo i guess

 

[Jukain]

completely forgot about this sorry, this was ready but i never changed the tag

 

[shrang]

I'd move Groundceus up a bit higher to under in counters. Add Lando-T and Gliscor to C&C as well (just under Groundceus and P Donner), as well as Hippowdon and Excadrill under those. Ferrothorn can also go into C&C imo - it can't really stop you using Spikes but it can set up Spikes itself and is overall winning against Klefki.

Add these and I'll approve.

 

[Sweep]

QC 1/3

 

[Jukain]

c&c is just in the order i threw stuff down, the formatting has to be changed when i get to writing this up anyways so the ordering of mons isn't really a concerned

mentioned those mons and this is good for 2/3 whenever shrang

 

[Fireburn]

QC 2/3

 

[Lemonade]

maybe a brief mention of Aromatherapy GeoXern being trouble (but so far still uncommon) since it's probably bulky enough to live whatever mon you bring in to "revenge kill" after Para, heal the Para, and proceed to sweep. I would probably swing this as teammates that can deal good physical damage + maybe a mon with priority so that you don't get swept after Aroma (presumably your other Xern check(s) would be weakened to the point that they can't take a Moonblast, since Aroma has to give up a coverage move, otherwise why would the opponent be trying to sweep xd). In other words, the examples you have are good, but a brief bit about Aroma IMO. Once again, Aroma Xern is still pretty uncommon, but it was used in SPL so it does feel relevant enough.

 

[Inspirited]

Jukain
Are you planning to finish this at all?

 

[Fireburn]

Reassigning