http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/cradily
[Overview]
<p>Cradily is a quirky-looking plant, but behind that grin are some hidden surprises. The first things you'll notice are some amazing defensive stats, a good support movepool, and Suction Cups. Furthermore, Suction Cups allows Cradily to set up without the worry of being phazed, while Storm Drain grants it an immunity to Water-type moves. A combination of Recover, Stealth Rock, Stockpile, and Curse make Cradily a unique Pokemon in the NU tier, and a great team supporter at that. Cradily's Speed looks horrible at a glance, but thanks to Curse, that isn't a problem. Unfortunately, there aren't any Pokemon that summon permanent sandstorm in NU, which means Cradily loses out on a Special Defense boost. Cradily's typing is a mixed bag. On one hand, with Storm Drain, it has a nifty immunity to common Water-type moves; however, on the other, it's weak to Ice-, Fighting-, and Steel-type moves, all of which are prevalent in the NU tier. All in all, despite these shortcomings, Cradily is a formidable wall in NU, and it shouldn't be taken lightly.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Toxic / Energy Ball
move 3: Recover
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cradily's excellent typing means it's only plagued by four weaknesses, while its ability, Storm Drain, grants it a nifty immunity to Water-type moves. Furthermore, access to Recover gives Cradily a reliable means to restore its health, making it near-impossible to KO. The idea is to switch into a resisted attack and proceed with Stealth Rock; afterwards, Cradily can stall the opponent with Toxic, hit them with an attacking move, or restore its health with Recover. Energy Ball gives Cradily a reliable STAB move to play with, whilst Hidden Power Fire deals with pesky Steel-types that ruin Cradily's fun, as well as any Grass-types that attempt to set up on Cradily. Hidden Power Rock is an option to hit Flying-types, and also receives a STAB boost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximizing Cradily's Defense is more beneficial in NU, as there are no permanent sandstorm summoners. The added Defense helps Cradily take on physical threats, such as Cacturne, Rapidash, and Zebstrika, while its great defensive typing means it can take on the majority of special threats with little investment. A physically based set, using an Impish nature and a combination of Earthquake or Rock Slide, is optional but viable; a mixed set can also be used with a Relaxed nature. Feel free to mix and match moves to suit your own team, but make sure you choose carefully, as Cradily becomes set-up bait if it has poor coverage.</p>
<p>Pokemon that can switch into Cradily's weaknesses increase its survivability, and are strongly recommended. Alomomola can switch into Ice- and Steel-type moves aimed at Cradily, and in return, Cradily can switch into Grass- and Electric-type moves. Altaria can switch into Fighting- and Bug-types moves, but unfortunately, it shares a nasty Ice-type weakness with Cradily. Ghost-types also make great teammates; not only do they block Rapid Spin, but they have an immunity to Fighting-type moves, which Cradily is weak to. Haunter and Misdreavus are both valuable Ghost-types to have on your team, and they both pose a decent offensive threat. A cleric or status absorber is helpful, making Pokemon such as Heal Bell Lickilicky and Misdreavus great teammates. Altaria can support its teammates with Heal Bell, and it has Natural Cure to remove status upon switching.</p>
[SET]
name: Mono-Attacker
move 1: Curse
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Rock Slide / Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Suction Cups
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to its good defenses, lack of weaknesses, and Suction Cups ability, Cradily makes an excellent boosting tank. Switch into a weak or resisted attack, raise Cradily's stats until its HP is low, then Rest off any damage accumulated. Rest and Sleep Talk ensure Cradily is a menace to KO, and turn it into a formidable status absorber as well. The final move is down to personal preference; Rock Slide leaves Cradily vulnerable to Steel-, Grass-, and bulky Water-types, while Seed Bomb leaves it walled by Fire- and Steel-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are fairly obvious; maximum Special Defense investment gives Cradily the ability to take on special attackers while it sets up with Curse, while maximum HP EVs help it survive powerful hits. Both Stone Edge and Earthquake are viable in the last slot, but Stone Edge's PP is very low, and Earthquake leaves Cradily walled by Flying-types and Levitate users. If you prefer a more offensive set, a spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def can be used with an Adamant nature, another coverage move over Sleep Talk, and a Chesto Berry.</p>
<p>Thanks to this set's ability to stall, support from Toxic Spikes is greatly appreciated. Both Garbodor and Whirlipede can set up Toxic Spikes, and thanks to their typing, they resist Bug- and Fighting-type attacks. Rock Slide is preferred in the last slot if you choose Toxic Spikes as it can deal damage to Poison-types that come to absorb them. Pokemon that can switch into Cradily's weaknesses are helpful teammates as well. Haunter can switch into Fighting- and Bug-type moves, while Hypno can take on Fighting-types and support Cradily with Wish. Furthermore, a cleric makes an excellent teammate as it can wake Cradily up if it is forced out after Resting.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge / Seed Bomb
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cradily is primarily a defensive Pokemon, but thanks to its above average bulk, it can pull off a decent Swords Dance set. After a Swords Dance boost, Cradily's Attack is raised to deadly sweeping levels, and its decent type coverage means that it's difficult to switch into. The idea is to set up on a switch or weak attack and proceed to decimate the opponent with STAB moves. Stone Edge and Seed Bomb both provide reliable STAB; Seed Bomb hits bulky Water-types super effectively, while Stone Edge deals with Flying-types that are immune to Earthquake. Earthquake provides additional coverage against Steel-types, and it has great synergy with Stone Edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is tailored to dish out as much damage as possible, while maintaining Cradily's decent bulk. It's pointless investing in Cradily's Speed, as without any boosts, it isn't going to outrun very much. If you're using Cradily as a Baton Pass receiver, a spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe can be used, but make sure you're passing it some Speed, as it's a very slow Pokemon. In terms of its ability, Cradily can make use of both Storm Drain and Suction Cups. Suction Cups enables Cradily to set up without being phazed, while Storm Drain gives Cradily an immunity to moves such as Scald, and allows it to set up on mono-attacking Alomomola. Stockpile is an option if you want a more defensive take on the set, while Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if you prefer higher Accuracy. Finally, Toxic is an option if you'd like to cripple bulkier Pokemon in the tier, such as Alomomola.</p>
<p>Support from entry hazards increase Cradily's sweeping potential, making Pokemon such as Garbodor and Whirlipede great teammates. Pokemon that can switch into Cradily's weaknesses will help it survive longer; Cryogonal can switch into Ice-type moves and provide Rapid Spin support, while Altaria can switch into Bug- and Fighting-type moves and provide Heal Bell support. Finally, being burned is a major thorn in Cradily's side, so Pokemon that can switch into status moves, remove them, or block them completely are helpful. Misdreavus and Altaria can support Cradily with Heal Bell, Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp, and RestTalkers can rid themselves of status with ease.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Cradily's movepool matches its quirky appearance, containing some pretty unique options for a Grass-type. Gastro Acid is a nifty move to negate an opponent's ability, most notably Levitate Weezing and Hustle Zweilous. Confuse Ray is an unreliable move, but it can provide extra turns to set up, and has a decent chance to damage the opponent. Substitute can be used alongside Toxic or Swords Dance, providing safety from status, and an easier time setting up. Choice items can be used to raise Cradily's attacking stats, but with such a poor Speed stat, only Choice Band and Choice Specs are viable. Mirror Coat can be a nasty surprise for special attackers, but it requires perfect prediction to use. Tickle is a side-splitting option to soften up physical attackers, and it also means that Cradily's physical attacks will do more damage. Wring Out is fairly unreliable, but it has the chance to KO the opponent, or in more literal terms, knock it out of the ring. Cradily's decent defensive stats make it an ideal Sunny Day abuser, but unfortunately, its Speed is nothing to write home about. If you're feeling foolish, daring, or both, you may be tempted to try out a Rock Polish set, but note that Cradily is as slow as a snail—it's rooted to the ground, need I say more?</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Cradily isn't difficult to counter, provided it hasn't set up multiple boosts. Fighting-types, such as Sawk and Throh, take little damage from Rock-type attacks and threaten Cradily with their STAB moves. Almost any Fighting-type attack in general will take a chunk out of Cradily, so fire off Close Combat and Focus Blast to your heart's content. Most Grass-types can take on Cradily; Tangela can switch into Grass- and Ground-type moves and put Cradily to sleep, while Leafeon can use its high Defense to set up Swords Dance or cripple Cradily with Yawn. Weezing can take anything Cradily can throw at it, and a combination of Will-O-Wisp and Haze will spell doom for it. Torterra is an interesting choice as it resists Rock- and Grass-type moves, and it can play an offensive role with Swords Dance or Rock Polish. Anything with a good Defense stat can take on Cradily; just watch out for Curse variants, who can set up in your face, and Toxic, which cripples Pokemon without a recovery move. Altaria can switch into Ground- and Grass-type moves, it doesn't mind being statused, thanks to Natural Cure, and it has access to Haze and Heal Bell to remove stat boosts and support its teammates, respectively. Amoonguss can erase Cradily's stat boosts, it resists Grass-type moves, and it has access to Spore to shut down Cradily. Cradily relies on recovery and set-up moves, making Taunt an ideal way to shut it down. Alternatively, Cradily is screwed over by poison or burn status, while Tricking it a Choice item will render it useless.</p>
