Klinklang @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Substitute
Role: Physical Sweeper / Late game cleaner
What it does: Klinklang is the sole holder of Shift Gear (bar smeargle ofc!), and with excellent bulk, great typing, and good stats all around, it can make good use of the move. After a Shift Gear boost, Klinklang reaches 492 Attack and 510 Speed, this coupled with its other Substitute breaking signature move, Gear Grind makes Klinklang rather hard to stop later in the game. When Klinklang first comes into the match, the first thing you will probably do is set up a Substitute. With a mono steel typing and Klinklang's solid natural bulk, many opponents will struggle to break the substitute in one hit, giving Klinklang a free chance to set up a Shift Gear or two. A +1 / +2 Klinklang behind a substitute is one of the scariest things an offensive team can possibly face. Substitute can also be used to Life Orb stall a pokemon into KO range, or block status. Gear Grind is Klinklang's only worthwile STAB attack, but with an effective 100 base power, and the ability to break substitutes, its all Klinklang really needs. Return hits most of the things Gear Grind cant, and gives the set of gears acceptable coverage for sweeping, wild charge can also be used, but the recoil is really annoying.
Good Teammates: Klinklang can be devastating in the right hands, but it needs significant amounts of support to get past its counters. When a Pokemon's checks need to be removed from the battle, Gothitelle is always there to save the day! Gothitelle can switch in on and defeat many of klinklang's counters with its choice specs set. Including but not limited to: Steelix, Poliwrath, Slowking and Quagsire. Klinklang also appreciates entry hazard support to ease its sweep and weaken one of its main checks, Entei. Smeargle is the best spiker in the tier, and can easily get stealth rock and a layer of spikes up against the majority of teams. Other spikers include accelgor, scolipede, crustle, omastar, and qwilfish.
What counters it: When it comes to countering Klinklang, nothing is better than Steelix. Steelix takes a pittance from anything klinklang can possibly throw at it due to its unholy bulk and resistances to steel, normal, and electric-type moves. Steelix can also use roar to phaze klinklang out of the match, taking all of its boosts with it. Magneton can trap Klinklang, and take nearly nothing from any of its coverage moves, 2hkoing Klinklang with tbolt in return. Poliwrath, Slowking, and Quagsire also counter klinklang very well, only fearing a wild charge or hidden power grass, respectively. Entei can check Klinklang as well, being able to take even a +2 return and KO klinklang in return with flare blitz.
Any Additional Info: Klinklang is terrible, Banded stoutland fire fang literally 2hkos it - TLC