Crawdaunt (GP 2/2)

Endorfins

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[Overview]

<p>The sound of Crawdaunt snapping its claws is enough to leave most of the tier crying for mercy. Its powerful, Adaptability-boosted STAB moves have almost unresisted coverage in RU, and hit the majority of physical walls for super effective damage. Crawdaunt can comfortably 2HKO defensive titans such as Cofagrigus, Uxie, and even Steelix! Crawdaunt's Speed is the only thing holding it back from sweeping, but this can easily be remedied with the use of Dragon Dance. With a couple of Attack and Speed boosts under its belt, Crawdaunt can outspeed and OHKO almost everything in the tier. Unfortunately, along with its low Speed, Crawdaunt has rather poor defenses as well, which means that it will likely fall to faster opponents. Crawdaunt's small movepool also makes it extremely predictable. However, it would be foolish to ever dismiss Crawdaunt as a threat; its sky-high Attack stat, powerful STAB combination, and access to Dragon Dance are often all it needs to slice through whole teams.</p>

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Substitute / Superpower
item: Leftovers / Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Adaptability
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While most of the game's most powerful Dragon Dance sweepers are locked away in higher tiers, Crawdaunt can use this excellent boosting move to wreak havoc in RU. Dragon Dance patches up Crawdaunt's normally poor Speed while skyrocketing its excellent Attack stat to jaw-dropping levels. For example, +1 Waterfall OHKOes even Steelix after Stealth Rock. After two Dragon Dance boosts, only the fastest Choice Scarf users and the strongest priority attackers will be able to halt Crawdaunt's rampage. Waterfall and Crunch are Crawdaunt's primary attacks, as both are boosted by STAB and Adaptability, and hit the majority of RU of at least neutral damage. Crawdaunt has little trouble plowing through dedicated physical walls such as Cofagrigus and Steelix with its STAB attacks.</p>

<p>Substitute is the main option in the last slot; it protects Crawdaunt from status, and lets it comfortably set up on defensive Cofagrigus and Ferroseed that lack a Grass-type move. It also shields Crawdaunt from revenge killers and priority users hoping to switch in while Crawdaunt is exposed. Superpower is a viable alternative, as it eliminates one of Crawdaunt's biggest counters, Ferroseed. However, if you choose to run Substitute, then only the rare Bullet Seed or Seed Bomb Ferroseed will be able to stop Crawdaunt from boosting to +6, which makes Superpower largely redundant. Nonetheless, Superpower does give Crawdaunt a stronger hit on Poliwrath, and also takes down Munchlax and Clefable even without any boosts.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature let Crawdaunt beat all base 105 Speed Pokemon after a single Dragon Dance, while maximum Attack investment gives it a lot of power. The choice of item is more flexible: Leftovers is best used in conjunction with Substitute to supplement the HP lost from setting up, while Life Orb is more suitable for sets that choose to run Superpower. Notably, the Life Orb boost guarantees the OHKO on Feraligatr and offensive Drapion after a Dragon Dance. Lum Berry is the final option to let Crawdaunt set up on status moves such as the common Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave. Instead of Waterfall, Crawdaunt can choose to run Crabhammer, which is slightly stronger and has a high critical hit ratio. Unfortunately, its accuracy is subpar, and a miss could easily spell doom for the rather frail Crawdaunt.</p>

<p>Although Crawdaunt is a mighty offensive force, it has trouble taking strong attacks. Ferroseed is a great partner for Crawdaunt as it can soak up Electric- and Grass-type attacks for Crawdaunt, and also set up entry hazards to aid Crawdaunt's sweep. Furthermore, Ferroseed can paralyze faster opponents with Thunder Wave to make Crawdaunt's sweep even easier. Cofagrigus is another great teammate that can take the Fighting- and Bug-type moves that Crawdaunt hates, and spread around Will-O-Wisp, which makes it easier for Crawdaunt to set up.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Adaptability
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Crawdaunt's excellent Attack stat, access to Adaptability, and almost unresisted two-move coverage makes a Choice Band set a terrific option for it. Waterfall, one of Crawdaunt's two STAB attacks, has excellent coverage in the tier, and hits Pokemon such as Steelix and Moltres for super effective damage. With Waterfall and Crunch alone, Crawdaunt can shred through some of the bulkiest walls in the tier, while anything frail is likely to be completely crushed and mutilated. In fact, it has such great power that it can 2HKO frailer Pokemon that resist it, such as Sceptile and Feraligatr. Crunch hits just as hard as Waterfall and scores super effective hits on Cofagrigus, Uxie, and Dusknoir, some of the bulkiest physical walls in the tier. Superpower rounds out Crawdaunt's impeccable coverage by hitting Ferroseed super effectively and hitting Poliwrath for at least neutral damage. However, it should only be used against Ferroseed, Poliwrath, and bulkier Normal-types such as Clefable, as Waterfall and Crunch are generally more powerful. Because Crawdaunt has impeccable coverage in only three moves, it can use Toxic in the last slot to deal with the few bulky walls that it cannot get past, such as Tangrowth and Alomomola. Toxic is also the only way Crawdaunt can effectively damage Poliwrath although the latter can still defeat Crawdaunt if it runs Rest.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band makes this set, as it makes Crawdaunt's attacks almost impossible to wall. While it does have the unfortunate side effect of locking Crawdaunt into only one move, Crawdaunt can normally get away with being Choice-locked as its moves are so powerful that even Pokemon that resist them will be left hurting. The standard EV spread for a physical attacker is used, as investing in Crawdaunt's pitiful defenses would be a waste. An Adamant nature is preferred as Crawdaunt should only need to outspeed walls, and it need the extra power to secure certain KOs, such as the guaranteed 2HKO on Alomomola and Leafeon after Stealth Rock. 252 Speed EVs let Crawdaunt outspeed and 2HKO uninvested Magneton, Mandibuzz, and Aggron. Crabhammer raises Crawdaunt's damage output further, but its poor accuracy is often not worth it as Crawdaunt has enough power already, and common Crawdaunt counters, such as Tangrowth, resist Water-type attacks anyway. Knock Off can replace Toxic as Crawdaunt's utility move of choice; it reduces prediction and can cripple walls dependent on Leftovers or Eviolite. Additionally, Knock Off can OHKO Kadabra and Jynx, and 2HKO Rotom and Cryogonal.</p>

<p>Ferroseed is a great partner for Crawdaunt, as it can set up entry hazards; three layers of Spikes help Crawdaunt obtain 2HKOs on Tangrowth and Poliwrath. Ferroseed can also take Grass- and Electric-type attacks that plague Crawdaunt, as well as provide Thunder Wave and Leech Seed support. Pokemon that struggle to break through common physical walls, such as Klinklang and Scyther, appreciate Crawdaunt's help; Crawdaunt can weaken or remove walls such as Cofagrigus and Steelix to pave the way for a sweep.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Outside of the listed moves, Crawdaunt's movepool is extremely barren and unappealing. Swords Dance is an alternative boosting move that lets Crawdaunt OHKO almost everything in the tier. However, it is mostly outclassed by Dragon Dance, as it does not boost Crawdaunt's pitiful Speed, and the extra Attack boost is normally not required for Crawdaunt to sweep. Crawdaunt's Special Attack stat is terrible, but it can use Ice Beam to surprise Tangrowth. However, Crunch has a chance to 2HKO and has much better coverage across the tier. Crawdaunt can opt to use a Choice Scarf to become a potent revenge killer and late-game sweeper, but it is still relatively slow; even with the Choice Scarf boost, Crawdaunt is outsped by unboosted Galvantula and Sceptile.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The only RU Pokemon that can completely counter Crawdaunt is Poliwrath. More specifically, the RestTalk set can shrug off status and avoid being worn down. It can then proceed to Circle Throw Crawdaunt away, preventing Crawdaunt from accumulating too many boosts. Defensive variants of Tangrowth and Alomomola can also take Crawdaunt on; however, Alomomola can do little back to Crawdaunt if the latter has Substitute, and both can be 2HKOed after damage from Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. Ferroseed can comfortably take Crawdaunt's STAB attacks, but it must be wary of a potential Superpower. It can even choose to run Seed Bomb to avoid letting Substitute Crawdaunt set up on it. Qwilfish is in a similar boat; while it can wall Crawdaunt with a combination of Intimidate and its typing, it can do little back and will eventually fall as it has no reliable recovery. However, in that time, it can set up numerous layers of Spikes and Haze away any boosts Crawdaunt hopes to accrue.</p>

<p>Due to the sheer power of Crawdaunt's attacks, revenge killing it is often an easier task than walling it is. Even after a Dragon Dance, Crawdaunt isn't very fast and can be outsped by most Choice Scarf users and fast sweepers. Choice Scarf variants of Galvantula, Rotom, and Manectric can all outspeed even +2 Crawdaunt and fry it with their STAB Electric-type attacks.</p>
 
lol undulating power, I'm trying hard to imagine that.

Personally I prefer Sub because you always have a chance to catch a Toxic or Wisp and grab a free boost. Also it allows Crawdaunt to scout for revenge killers, it can usually OHKO them, and go for a sweep later. Sub beats the vast majority of Ferroseed anyway, and Superpower isn't really hitting anything else notable. It's needed for Empoleon in UU but not really for anything in RU. Also Tangrowth is an absolute bitch and pretty much made Crawdaunt shit as soon as it dropped...
 

complete legitimacy

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I'm also thinking Substitute > Superpower. Literally the only thing that Superpower hits is Ferroseed, as that and Poliwrath are the only things that resist your STABs, and you lose to Poliwrath regardless. You also beat Ferroseed regardless, but you come out of it with more boosts using Substitute. Although you still lose to Poliwrath, Substitute can prevent you from being phazed by Circle Throw.

Also, mention that Jolly specifically outruns positive-natured base 105s. This is especially huge when you're at +2, since Scarf Manectric can't revenge kill you.
 

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare
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Undulating probably wasn't the right word there :p
Ill change the slashes for Superpower and Sub as not many Ferroseeds run Seed Bomb
Scarf Manectric still outruns +2 Crawdaunt I'm afraid
 
mabye you shouldn't mention SD in the Overview, considering there isn't even a set for it.
Also, be careful with Substitute, since generally if Ferroseed run a Grass-type move it'll be Bullet Seed, not Seed Bomb, since it's main use is breaking the Substitutes of stuff like Golurk and Crawdaunt.
 

Endorfins

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I probably won't mention it as a set but just to emphasis Crawdaunt power
The two Ferroseed I versed had Seed Bomb...
But bullet Seed probably hurts
 

Django

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I would mention Aerial Ace in the last slot on the Choice Band set. It seems pointless but it can put a decent dent into Poliwrath (Guaranteed 3HKO, possible 2HKO with a bit of prior damage). Considering that is the best check to Crawdaunt it probably deserves a mention.
 

Endorfins

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Superpower has the same base Power as Aerial Ace as does Double Edge which is overall much stronger. Knock Off is a much better way of disabling Poliwrath
 

Django

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Superpower won't be muscling through Poliwrath because of the Attack drop. I don't like Double Edge on something which is already so frail but eh. Double Edge or AA deserves a mention on the CB set basically, solely for the fact they hit Poliwrath harder than anything else.
 

Oglemi

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Deslash Knock Off on the CB set, it literally does nothing for Crawdaunt, or any mon for that matter, and Toxic is just so much more useful for Tangrowth, Poliwrath, and Alomomola.

Also mention Qwilfish somewhere as a check/counter, since it can switch in on CB Waterfall like a champ, and Qwilfish can keep Crawdaunt at +0 Attack boosts pretty effectively on the Dragon Dance set by repeatedly switching. The only time Qwilfish doesn't really work against Crawdaunt is if it's running Swords Dance. Crunch is going to where it down eventually though from any set.
 

alexwolf

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mabye you shouldn't mention SD in the Overview, considering there isn't even a set for it.
Also, be careful with Substitute, since generally if Ferroseed run a Grass-type move it'll be Bullet Seed, not Seed Bomb, since it's main use is breaking the Substitutes of stuff like Golurk and Crawdaunt.
Ferroseed never runs Bullet Seed as seen in the moveset statistics, and Seed Bomb is more powerful overall. Bullet Seed can screw you over seriously if it hits only 2 times against Feraligatr or Golurk, since their Sub doesn't break from 2 hits, while it always does from Seed Bomb. So officialy Bullet Seed is useless, as it can't even do the thing it is supposed to reliably, which is break subs.
 
I'm sorry, I was just thinking from the Sharpedo metagame... me and Pearl rain a Bullet Seed Ferroseed, and it tended to outdamage Seed Bomb. iirc it hardly ever only hit twice, and always managed to break Golurk's Subs, thus preventing the Focus Punch. i don't remember if we used a couple Attack EVs or not though, might have been the deciding factor
 
If I'm honest, when I used Ferroseed I also used Bullet Seed too lol with a bit of Attack investment to always break Golurk, Poliwrath and Crawdaunt's subs. I have never met a single Ferroseed that used Bullet Seed though so I always ran Sub on my own Crawdaunt when I used it and it hasn't been a problem.
 

alexwolf

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Btw 140 Atk evs are needed to always break SubPunch Golurk's Subs, and more or less the same for Gatr, and 188 Atk evs to always break SubPunch Poliwrath's Subs.
 
Yeah, there's no way I used that many Attack EVs. Bullet Seed always seemed to hit at least 3 times for me, which was easily enough to break the Sub and cause some damage. But this is quite irrelevant to the Crawdaunt analysis, mabye just a sentence saying that it should be careful of Ferroseed that run Bullet Seed. That ought to be enough
 
Lol Qwilfish literally cannot do anything back to Crawdaunt, as 0 Atk investment Waterfall doesn't break Crawdaunt's Substitutes... So then it can only hope to Taunt it, and then Crawdaunt can simply wear it down with Crunch in the meantime. I'd also give a mention of Choice Scarf in the OO - it might even be worth a set, I've been surprised by Choice Scarf variants on occasion.
 
iirc I used 52 Atk Evs (or around that number) on Ferroseed which gave near enough 100% chance to break Golurk's Subs. Going slightly off topic now but still relevant :P
 

Endorfins

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@ Oglemi and Omicron
Qwilfish doesn't actually stop Crawdaunt but it can lay down a tonne of hazards which sucks so I'll put it in checks and counters
@Bullet Seed vs Seed Bomb debaters
It doesn't really matter, since if Ferroseed has a Grass stab move then Substitute is less useful
 

Oglemi

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Lol Qwilfish literally cannot do anything back to Crawdaunt, as 0 Atk investment Waterfall doesn't break Crawdaunt's Substitutes... So then it can only hope to Taunt it, and then Crawdaunt can simply wear it down with Crunch in the meantime. I'd also give a mention of Choice Scarf in the OO - it might even be worth a set, I've been surprised by Choice Scarf variants on occasion.
I meant Qwilfish with Poison Jab instead of both Spikes and TSpikes. TBH I didn't know running both at the same time was the standard lol, I'd never run both unless I was using a heavy stall team or using it as my only hazard setter for a HO team.

But like I said, Qwilfish isn't too reliable since Crunch will wear it down, but switching around the CB set makes it easier for other teammates to switch in and kill it, especially if it's down to the wire.

EDIT: either that or Qwilfish can run Haze too, so it's not too bad of a check
 
I would mention in the DD set that you'll need to switch out after superpower.
Perhaps sceptile to CC? It outspeeds craw even after a DD (assuming there is EV investment) and has super effective STAB.
Also, on the cb set, what are you outspending with those speed EVs? Not saying it's wrong, just asking.
 

Endorfins

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I would mention in the DD set that you'll need to switch out after superpower.
Perhaps sceptile to CC? It outspeeds craw even after a DD (assuming there is EV investment) and has super effective STAB.
Also, on the cb set, what are you outspending with those speed EVs? Not saying it's wrong, just asking.
The EVs outspeed uninvested Qwilfish among others, I'll probably mention sceptile in CC.
 

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