[Overview]
<p>In a throwback to its ADV glory days, Claydol has become an important figure in the RU metagame. No longer is the floating idol a stick in the mud; as the best defensive Rapid Spinner in the tier, Claydol is a viable choice for nearly any team. Its notorious Ground / Psychic typing in combination with the Levitate ability grant Claydol crucial resistances to Rock- and Fighting-type attacks, an immunity to Ground-type attacks, as well as an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Despite this, one must be mindful of a few issues when using Claydol. Its low HP stat and lack of reliable recovery hamper its walling potential significantly, and you will find that it is unable to repeatedly sponge the myriad powerful attacks in RU. In terms of offense, Ground-type STAB is a useful tool to have, but Claydol's offenses are so meagre that it cannot muster much meaningful damage without a super effective hit. Don't let these drawbacks put you off Claydol though; with adequate support, it will excel.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The quintessential Rapid Spinner is Claydol's flagship set. Even if a full set of hazards—Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes—plague its team, Claydol never takes more than 6% upon entry, and promptly blows said hazards away. Proficient as it is at removing entry hazards, the same cannot be said of Claydol's ability to take hits. Due to a low HP stat and few resistances, Claydol is unable to weather the powerful attacks that characterize the RU tier. Standard Life Orb Honchkrow's Brave Bird, for example, blows Claydol's HP bar to bits, dealing an average of 64%. Claydol counters some of the premier hazard deployers with mixed results; Sandslash, Steelix, and Gligar are unable to do anything to it, while Accelgor, Ferroseed, and Scolipede all score a super effective hit and can easily force it out. Ferroseed in particular is as nasty to Claydol as its frightening appearance suggests. Leech Seed drains Claydol's HP, and though Claydol can spin away the spiky seed's Leech Seed and Spikes, Ferroseed will usually come out on top due to Iron Barbs; a pseudo-spinblock, as it were.</p>
<p>Claydol's offensive power is, frankly, quite poor. A Special Attack stat of 70 is abysmal, and Earth Power is too easily walled. The last slot serves to fix these shortcomings; Toxic is the primary option, as it shortens the victim's lifespan considerably, and makes would-be counters think twice about switching in. Ice Beam is the second, which scores super effective hits on Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Gligar, although its damage output may be lacking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread optimizes Claydol's physical bulk, as its respectable Special Defense buffers it against weaker hits, even without investment. Leftovers is usually the only source of recovery Claydol has, and is non-negotiable in almost all cases. If you already have a Stealth Rock user on your team, Claydol has a few other options to fill the free slot. Psychic is Claydol's best coverage against Pokemon immune to Ground-type moves, such as Golbat, Haunter, and Moltres, but is outclassed by the listed moves in most other cases. Refresh is a neat failsafe against status, and can foil Pokemon who rely on Toxic to deal with Claydol, such as Gligar.</p>
<p>Ferroseed is an excellent partner for Claydol. The seed resists the Ghost-, Dark-, Water-, and Grass-type moves that Claydol is susceptible to, while Claydol resists the Fighting-type moves that Ferroseed hates. Between the two, you have access to Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Rapid Spin, which provides a consolidated entry hazard platform and a formidable defensive support core. If Claydol has a free moveslot, Protect can be used as a surprising boost to its longevity; by catching unfavorable switch-ins with Leech Seed, Ferroseed can pass Leech Seed recovery to Claydol, which can be abused with Protect. Moltres complements this ensemble surprisingly well, patching up the Fire-, Ice-, and Bug-type weaknesses that they might struggle with, and providing some much needed firepower. The firebird's weaknesses are covered, and Stealth Rock can be spun away easily.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Ice Beam / Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is a radically different take on Claydol, and is a surprisingly effective one. Trick is the crux of the set, providing Claydol with an excellent response to its counters. Tricking an Eviolite away from Ferroseed or Roselia, for example, will compromise their defenses considerably, making it much more difficult for them to lay entry hazards. Your choice of item is based on what you want Claydol to do; with a Timid nature and a Choice Scarf, Claydol reaches a top speed of 409, which easily outpaces all non-Choice Scarf Pokemon in RU bar Accelgor. The given EV spread allows Claydol to check a large number of fast threats, such as Archeops, Dugtrio, and Sceptile, while potentially forcing out others. This gives Claydol plenty of opportunities to use Rapid Spin, and even serve as a revenge killer if needed. Be wary, however, that this set does not possess enough power to sweep or OHKO most Pokemon without prior damage.</p>
<p>Choice Specs can be a nasty shock for your unsuspecting opponent. 393 Special Attack accords Claydol unprecedented firepower, and the associated surprise factor may score Claydol a few KOs before your opponent can formulate a response. As a comparison, Earth Power hits slightly harder than Life Orb Galvantula's Bug Buzz, and Ice Beam now 2HKOes most Ice-weak targets with entry hazard support. Shadow Ball is an alternative to Ice Beam, and finds use in dealing with any Ghost-types that may attempt to spinblock Claydol. For example, Rotom, which would otherwise trouble the mud idol, is cleanly OHKOed. This powerful variant of Claydol pairs well with offensive hazard layers, such as Accelgor and Scolipede. Magneton can get rid of Ferroseed, which pesters Claydol relentlessly with Leech Seed, Iron Barbs, and Seed Bomb.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature for Choice Claydol are not set in stone; Choice Scarf sets may run either 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe or 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe. Claydol hits much harder with 252 Special Attack EVs, but sacrifices its bulk somewhat. On the other hand, running 252 HP EVs jeopardizes Claydol's offensive capabilities, making this spread less viable. Choice Specs sets should opt for 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA to maximize bulk and power, as Speed is not as important. If you do desire more Speed, an alternate spread of 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe allows Claydol to outrun standard Gligar and OHKO with Ice Beam, a measure that prevents the flying scorpion from poisoning Claydol with Toxic. Other spreads are viable as well, and Choice Claydol can be customized to fit onto your team however you want. As a final note, one must be wary of the repercussions of Tricking away Claydol's Choice item. Claydol can easily become dead weight in these scenarios, and Trick must therefore be used wisely.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Rapid Spin / Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Not surprisingly, Claydol can successfully pull off a dual screens set. Although it has to relinquish Stealth Rock and perhaps its coverage move, this variant is possibly a better dedicated support platform than the classic set. Behind dual screens, almost any Pokemon can take a hit, and with Rapid Spin support thrown into the deal, nothing could better aid your sweepers. Earth Power as the sole attacking move isn't as big a problem as it would be on other sets, as Claydol's job is to set up screens and get out. While Rapid Spin is an excellent move, and this set can run Stealth Rock like any other, Explosion is an interesting option that has potential applications for dual screening duties. As a particularly rattling alternative to switching, Explosion can get your next Pokemon onto the field fast, safe, and armed with four turns of screen time. It must be said, however, that Explosion should never be used on dual screens Claydol for the damage output. Explosion and Selfdestruct no longer halve the target's Defense, and when used by a weaker Pokemon like Claydol, will deal depressingly low amounts of damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>You might be wondering why Light Clay has not been mentioned. Dual screens Claydol can utilize the item, but the longevity Leftovers provides is even more useful, as Claydol can still use Rapid Spin effectively. If you choose to run Explosion, Light Clay is your item, but Leftovers lets Claydol stick around longer. As far as dual screen recipients go, Lilligant is one of the best; the cute flower can abuse its newfound bulk to attain several Quiver Dances, and any damage it takes while boosting is handily restored by Giga Drain.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>One of Claydol's main obstacles is its lack of a reliable recovery move. RestTalk is a usable solution that is often eschewed due to its erratic nature and selfish moveslot hogging. While Rest does boost Claydol's longevity to newfound levels, a sleeping Claydol is prone to Taunt, could be used as setup fodder, and Sleep Talk could pick the wrong move at crucial times. Earthquake is a possible alternative to Earth Power, and can be run alongside Ice Beam while using a Speed-reducing nature. A physical STAB move can be useful for the Pokemon that can tank Earth Power, such as Calm Mind Entei. Finally, Claydol's crowded moveslots can accommodate a weather inducing move—Rain Dance or Sunny Day—to support Chlorophyll and Swift Swim Pokemon, but Claydol usually has better things to do.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Claydol has difficulty walling Pokemon that can land a super effective hit on it, such as Crawdaunt, Honchkrow, and Durant. Exceptionally powerful attackers—Medicham for example—can break through it with little trouble. Ferroseed is an excellent check to Claydol, as it takes negligible damage from Claydol's attacks, punishes Rapid Spin with its Iron Barbs, and can scare the floating doll away with Seed Bomb and Leech Seed. Outside of Toxic, Claydol struggles to deal with spinblockers as they usually run Shadow Ball and Will-O-Wisp, both of which endanger Claydol. Mandibuzz is an extremely sound response to almost every Claydol variant. Taunt restricts Claydol to using its pitiful attacking moves; Mandibuzz is immune to both of Claydol's STAB moves and shrugs off Ice Beam without a second thought.</p>
