Shellder (Analysis)'

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Deck Knight

Blast Off At The Speed Of Light! That's Right!
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Shellder got a wonderful new toy from HGSS. Viewer beware, you're in for a scare!

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Status: Surf as primary slash on Scarf set, Grammar edits.

UPDATE 02/21/2010: Concise'd


http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/shellder

[Overview]
<p>Shellder has a unique role as one of the few Pokemon that does not fear facing a Pokemon hiding behind a Substitute. Its unique ability Skill Link provides extreme value in Little Cup because of the low HP. 5 HP is a significant loss for any Pokemon, especially when combined with entry hazards, weather, and other field effects. Shellder has gone unappreciated for a long time, but it now has the tools to be a legitimate threat instead of yet another bench-warming Water-type.</p>

<p>Substitute can be a game-changing move, allowing free setup turns and protection from status. Amazingly, it can do so even while carrying a Choice Scarf, an item synonymous with easing prediction for opponents, especially those employing Substitute. Shellder therefore has a unique niche that can suit the needs of many teams. When played to its formidable strengths, Shellder shines brightly.</p>

[SET]
name: Scarf Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Surf / Explosion / Return
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 236 Atk / 196 Spe /

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Scarf Shellder takes advantage of Shellder's niche of powerful multi-hit attacks. It removes many of the Substitute-abusing threats in the metagame, breaking through their Subs and preventing them from setting up something else or attacking.</p>

<p>With Skill Link, Rock Blast has an effective 125 Base Power, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Because damage for Little Cup falls into ranges, the damage output is more consistent and with five critical hit checks instead of one, it has higher damage potential. Rock Blast and Skill Link were built for each other, and Shellder's 65 Base Attack makes decent use of it.</p>

<p>Icicle Spear may seem redundant, but it possesses two qualities Rock Blast does not: 100% accuracy and the ability to hit bulky Ground-types. SubGligar is helpless before Icicle Spear. Icicle Spear is dangerous for the same reason Rock Blast is, though its perfect accuracy means that it is guaranteed to do at least 5 damage. This is generally 20-25% of any given Little Cup Pokemon's HP, and many of the higher HP Pokemon are weak to Ice. Essentially, even if a Pokemon resists Icicle Spear it will still lose at least 5 HP. Any opposing Pokemon that switches in with 10 or less HP will be 2HKO'd. Ice Shard rounds out Shellder's capabilities with a priority move. It can hit before the Sucker Punch of other Pokemon without a speed boost, and can put a stop to a Gligar sweep. Shellder's high Defense means it can also take most priority attacks and survive easily.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Your last move depends on personal preference. Shellder has extremely poor options for physical Water STAB, and even if it received Waterfall, Rock Blast would still have more technical power. Surf is thus the most consistent option, and has the added benefit of hitting the more physically defensive Rock Polish Pokemon very hard. Explosion ravages anything it strikes for an easy KO on anything that doesn't resist, Return provides a consistent and accurate offensive option.</p>

[SET]
name: SubSpin Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Rapid Spin
move 4: Ice Shard / Surf
item: Oran Berry
ability: Skill Link
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Shellder has excellent physical defense, reaching a sizable 17 even with little investment. This set utilizes that defensive ability as a support/offense hybrid.</p>

<p>Essentially you want to use the threat posed by Scarf Shellder to set up a Sub, then either hide behind it to Rapid Spin away entry hazards or go on the offensive. Rock Blast is backed by an impressive 17 Attack, securing a guaranteed OHKO on Elekid.</p>

<p>Ice Shard lets you clean up opponents that survive Rock Blast at minimal risk to Shellder, and also makes up for the lacking speed. Lack of STAB hurts the damage, but nothing is immune to Ice Shard and Shellder lacks the weaknesses associated with Ice typing. Surf lacks priority, but produces more stable damage and lets Shellder address common Stealth Rock users like Bronzor more effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>It is difficult to find a time to Rapid Spin in Little Cup. Shellder's advantages are a strong physical defense and the ability to mitigate opponents who use predicted Rapid Spin turns to set up a Substitute. Rapid Spin is incredibly valuable on teams that employ multiple Pokemon with Focus Sash, and gives that little extra bulk to defensive Pokemon that may allow them to survive an opponent's attack.</p>

[Team Options]
<p>Shellder operates best with passive damage on the field, so choosing a Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock is key to success. Turtwig resists Grass and Electric-type attacks and can set up Stealth Rock for Shellder. Snover also resists Shellder's weaknesses and sets up permanent Hail. Shellder's poor special defense makes it pair well with Munchlax, who sponges special attacks effortlessly and can use Earthquake and Fire Punch on opposing Electric and Grass-types, respectively.</p>

<p>Croagunk is a large nuisance for Shellder, with a Rock resistance and the ability to use Special priority. Diglett can trap and defeat Croagunk fairly easily, but bulkier Ground types like Hippopotas can also be used. Shellder resists Ice Shard and Aqua Jet, and with its excellent defense it can support these Ground-types quite well. Ghost types with Will-o-Wisp can also put a damper on Croagunk and are worthy of consideration.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Payback is probably the most viable of Shellder's Other Options, and would probably see the best use on the Substitute set over Rapid Spin, if Stealth Rock doesn't bother you. Shellder is pretty slow so you'll usually get the boosted 100 power, but with such abysmal Special Defense, Shellder really needs to hide behind a Sub to hit Ghost-types with it. </p>

<p>Shellder has Clamp and Dive for physical Water STAB, but the former suffers from low power and accuracy and the latter gives the opponent a free turn of set-up. Free set-up turns present crucial opportunities for opponents in Little Cup, so Dive is not advised.</p>

<p>Battle Armor is never advised. Defense is generally poor in Little Cup and Skill Link Rock Blast provides a massive offensive edge. Shell Armor is Shellder's primary ability, so be aware that you must change it if you are using a simulator.</p>

[EVs]
<p>Shellder needs 196 Speed EVs and a boosting nature to reach 21 Speed on the Choice Scarf set. Then maximize Attack ,and place the remaining EVs in either HP and Defense (36 Each) or Special Defense (76). On Bulky sets, maximize Shellder's poor HP, then focus on Attack. With high-powered attacks and priority, Shellder is nearly the definition of Bulky Offense.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Shellder has terrible special defense, so almost anything faster that can launch Thunderbolt or Energy Ball will cause trouble. Neither Grass nor-Electric types switch in particularly well though, with Rock Blast hitting the generally poor defense of Electric-types and Ice Shard hitting for super-effective damage on Grass-types.</p>

<p>Staryu is an excellent switch-in, with decent defense, resistance to Ice Shard, and access to Thunderbolt. A Croagunk with special attacks should be able to switch in and dispatch Shellder quickly. Bronzor can wall Shellder without Surf completely, and can beat Shellder one-on-one, though Shellder can potentially spin away Bronzor's Stealth Rock. Psychic or Flash Cannon will be needed, however, as bulky Shellder laughs at Gyro Ball and Earthquake. Additionally, Bronzor is one of the few Shellder switch-ins that won't fall to Explosion. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, Aron is also excellent if Shellder lacks Surf, with excellent defense and resistance to Rock Blast and Ice Shard.</p>
 

Dubulous

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[SET]
name: Scarf Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Explosion / Return / Surf
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Skill Link
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 236 Atk / 196 Spe /

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Scarf Shellder is a little bit risky because of Rock Blast's 80% accuracy, but it can deal immense damage very quickly, and it completely annihilates most Sub-Berry Strategies.</p>

<p>With Skill Link, Rock Blast has an effective 125 Base Power, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Because damage for Little Cup generally falls into ranges, the damage output is much more consistent. Also, there arefive critical hit checks instead of one, resulting in a much higher damage potential. Rock Blast and Skill Link were built for each other, and Shellder's 65 Base Attack makes decent use of it.</p>

<p>Icicle Spear may seem redundant, but it possesses two qualities Rock Blast does not: 100% accuracy and the ability to hit bulky Ground-types. SubGligar is helpless against Icicle Spear, as Shellder outspeeds and OHKO's. Icicle Spear is dangerous for the same reason Rock Blast is, though its perfect accuracy means that it is guaranteed to do at least 5 damage. This is generally 20-25% of any given Little Cup Pokémon's HP, and most Pokémon with higher HP are weak to Ice and will take more damage. <deleted> Any opposing pokemon that switches in with 10 or less HP will be 2HKO'd.</p>

<p>Ice Shard rounds out Shellder's capabilities with a priority move. It can hit before the Sucker Punch of other Pokémon without a speed boost, and it can put a stop to a Gligar sweep. Shellder's high Defense means it can also take a Quick Attack if necessary and survive easily.</p>

<p>Your last move depends on personal preference. Shellder has extremely poor options for physical Water STAB, and even if it received Waterfall, Rock Blast would still have more technical power. Explosion ravages anything it strikes for an easy KO on anything that doesn't resist it, and Return provides a consistent and accurate offensive option. You can use a Naive nature with Surf to pick up an extra 2 Special Attack points, but Surf has very limited use alongside Rock Blast, Icicle Spear and Ice Shard. It can be used to hit Aron hard, however.</p>

[SET]
name: SubSpin Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Rapid Spin
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Oran Berry
ability: Skill Link
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Shellder has remarkably good physical defense, reaching a sizable 17 with little investment. This set utilizes that defensive ability to be a decent support/offense hybrid.</p>

<p>Essentially, you want to use the threat posed by Scarf Shellder to set up a Sub, then either hide behind it to spin away Stealth Rock<deleted comma> or go on the offensive. Rock Blast is backed by an impressive 17 Attack here, securing guaranteed OHKO on Elekid.</p>

<p>Ice Shard lets you clean up opponents that survive Rock Blast at minimal risk to Shellder, and also makes up for the lacking speed. Lack of STAB hurts Shellder somewhat, but the ability to use an unresisted priority move in Ice Shard without the defensive drawbacks of Ice-typing allows Shellder to use it to great effect.</p>

[Team Options]
<p>Shellder operates best with passive damage on the field, so choosing Pokémon that can set up Stealth Rock is key to success. Turtwig resists Grass and Electric-type attacks and can set up Stealth Rock for Shellder. Snover also resists Shellder's weaknesses and sets up permanent Hail. Shellder's poor special defense makes it pair well with Munchlax, who sponges special attacks effortlessly and can use Earthquake and Fire Punch on opposing Electric and Grass-types respectively.</p>

<p>Croagunk is a fairly large nuisance for Shellder, with a Rock resistance and the ability to use Special <deleted> Priority. Diglett can trap and defeat Croagunk fairly easily, but bulkier Ground types like <deleted> Hippopotas can also be used. Shellder resists Ice Shard and Aqua Jet, and with its excellent defense it can support these Ground-types quite well. <space> Ghost-types with Will-o-Wisp also can put a damper on Croagunk and are worthy of consideration.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Payback is probably the most viable of Shellder's other options, and would probably see the best use on the Substitute set over Rapid Spin if Stealth Rock doesn't bother you. Shellder is pretty slow, so you'll usually get the boosted 100 power, but with such abysmal Special Defense, Shellder really needs to hide behind a Sub to hit Ghost-types with it. </p>

<p>Shellder has Clamp and Dive for physical Water STAB, but the former suffers from low power and accuracy and the latter gives the opponent a free turn of set-up. Set-up can be detrimental to success in Little Cup, so Dive is not advised.</p>

<p>Battle Armor is never advised. Defense is generally poor in Little Cup and Skill Link Rock Blast provides a massive offensive edge. Battle Armor is Shellder's primary ability, so be aware that you must change it if you are using a simulator.</p>

[EVs]
<p>Shellder needs 196 Speed EVs and a boosting nature to reach 21 Speed on the Choice Scarf set. Attack should also be maximized, with the remianing EVs placed in <deleted> HP and <either> Defense or Special Defense. On Bulky sets, maximize Shellder's poor HP, then focus on Attack. With high-powered attacks and priority, Shellder is nearly the definition of Bulky Offense.</p>

[Opinion]
<p>Shellder has a unique role as one of the few Pokémon that does not fear facing a Pokémon hiding behind a Substitute. Its unique ability, Skill Link, provides extreme value in Little Cup because of the low HP <deleted>. 5<space>HP is a significant loss for any Pokémon, especially when combined with entry hazards, weather, and other field effects. Shellder has been unappreciated for a long time, but it now has the tools to be a legitimate <deleted> force instead of <deleted> another bench-warming Water-type.

<p>Substitute can be a game-changing move, allowing free setup turns and protection from status. Shellder is one of the few Pokémon that can boast indifference to this strategy. Amazingly, it can even do so while carrying a Choice Scarf, an item synonymous with easing prediction for opponents, especially those employing Substitute. Shellder therefore has a unique niche that can suit the needs of many teams. When played to its formidable strengths, Shellder shines brightly.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Shellder has terrible special defense, so almost anything faster that can launch Thunderbolt or Energy Ball will cause trouble. Neither Grass nor-Electric types switch in particularly well though, with Rock Blast hitting the generally poor defense of Electric-types and Ice Shard hitting for super-effective damage on Grass-types.</p>

<p>Staryu is an excellent switch-in, with decent defense, resistance to Ice Shard, and access to Thunderbolt. A Croagunk with special attacks should be able to switch in and dispatch Shellder quickly. Bronzor can wall Shellder completely, and can beat Shellder one-on-one, though Shellder can potentially spin away Bronzor's Stealth Rock. Psychic or Flash Cannon will be needed, however, as bulky Shellder laughs at Gyro Ball. Additionally, Bronzor is one of the few Shellder switch-ins that won't fall to Explosion. <deleted> Aron is also an excellent counter if <deleted> Shellder lacks Surf, with excellent defense and resistance to Rock Blast and Ice Shard.</p>
Hope this helps, I tried not to mess too much with your wording but a few of the sentences were just a little bit awkward.
 

Snorlaxe

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[Overview]
<p>Shellder has a unique role as one of the few Pokemon that does not fear facing a Pokemon hiding behind a Substitute. Its unique ability Skill Link provides extreme value in Little Cup because of the low HP stats found there. 5 HP is a significant loss for any Pokemon, especially when combined with entry hazards, weather, and other residual damage. Shellder has gone unappreciated for a long time, but it now has the tools to be a legitimate threat instead of yet another bench-warming Water-type. [I may consider removing this because it seems biased and you want this concise, but its your call]</p>

<p>Substitute can be a game-changing move, allowing free setup turns and protection from status. Amazingly, it can do so even while carrying a Choice Scarf, an item synonymous with easing prediction for opponents, especially those employing Substitute. Shellder therefore has a unique niche that can suit the needs of many teams. When played to its formidable strengths, Shellder shines brightly. [I actually might remove this entire paragraph if I were you as a lot of it is fluff as well as stuff you previously mentioned]</p>

[SET]
name: Scarf Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Surf / Explosion / Return
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 236 Atk / 196 Spe /

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Shellder takes advantage of Shellder's niche of powerful multi-hit attacks. It removes many of the Substitute-abusing threats in the metagame, breaking through their Substitutes and preventing them from setting up something else or attacking.</p>

<p>With Skill Link, Rock Blast has an effective 125 Base Power, but that doesn't tell the whole story; because damage for Little Cup falls into ranges, the damage output is more consistent and with five critical hit checks instead of one, it has higher damage potential. Rock Blast and Skill Link were built for each other, and Shellder's 65 Base Attack makes decent use of it. [cuttin' down fluff]</p>

<p>Icicle Spear may seem redundant, but it possesses two qualities Rock Blast does not: 100% accuracy and the ability to hit bulky Ground-types. Substitute Gligar is helpless before Icicle Spear. Icicle Spear is dangerous for the same reason Rock Blast is, though its perfect accuracy means that it is guaranteed to do at least 5 damage. This is generally 20-25% of Little Cup Pokemon's HP, and many of the higher HP Pokemon are weak to Ice-type attacks. Essentially, even if a Pokemon resists Icicle Spear it will still lose at least 5 HP. Any opposing Pokemon that switches in with 10 or less HP will be 2HKO'd. Ice Shard rounds out Shellder's capabilities with a priority move. It can hit before the Sucker Punch of other Pokemon without a speed boost, and can put a stop to a Gligar sweep. Shellder's high Defense means it can also take most priority attacks and survive easily.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The last moveslot depends on personal preference. Shellder has extremely poor options for physical Water-type STAB, and even if it received Waterfall, Rock Blast would still have more technical power. Surf is thus the most consistent option, and has the added benefit of hitting the more physically defensive Rock Polish users very hard. Explosion ravages anything it strikes for an easy OHKO on anything that doesn't resist it, Return provides a consistent and accurate offensive option.</p>

[SET]
name: SubSpin Shellder
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Rapid Spin
move 4: Ice Shard / Surf
item: Oran Berry
ability: Skill Link
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Shellder has excellent physical defense, reaching a sizable 17 even with little EV investment. This set utilizes that defensive ability as a support and offensive hybrid.</p>

<p>Essentially you want to use the threat posed by Scarf Shellder to set up a Substitute, then either hide behind it to Rapid Spin away entry hazards or go on the offensive. Rock Blast is backed by an impressive 17 Attack, securing a guaranteed OHKO on Elekid.</p>

<p>Ice Shard lets Shellder clean up opponents that survive Rock Blast at minimal risk to Shellder, and also makes up for the lacking speed. Lack of STAB hurts the damage output, but nothing is immune to Ice Shard and Shellder lacks the weaknesses associated with the Ice-type. Surf lacks priority, but produces more stable damage and lets Shellder address common Stealth Rock users such as Bronzor more effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>It is difficult to find a time to use Rapid Spin in Little Cup. Shellder's advantages are a strong physical defense and the ability to mitigate opponents who use predicted Rapid Spin turns to set up a Substitute. Rapid Spin is incredibly valuable on teams that employ multiple Pokemon with Focus Sash, and gives that little extra bulk to defensive Pokemon that may allow them to survive an opponent's attack.</p>

[Team Options]
<p>Shellder operates best with passive damage on the field, so choosing a Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock is key to success. Turtwig resists Grass- and Electric-type attacks and can set up Stealth Rock for Shellder. Snover also resists Shellder's weaknesses and sets up permanent Hail. Shellder's poor Special Defense makes Munchlax a good partner for Shellder, who sponges specially based attacks effortlessly and can use Earthquake and Fire Punch on opposing Electric- and Grass-types, respectively.</p>

<p>Croagunk is a large nuisance for Shellder, with a Rock-type resistance and the ability to use specially based priority. Diglett can trap and defeat Croagunk fairly easily, but bulkier Ground-types like Hippopotas can also be used. Shellder resists Ice Shard and Aqua Jet, and with its excellent Defense it can support these Ground-types quite well. Ghost types with Will-O-Wisp can also put a damper on Croagunk and are worthy of consideration.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Payback is probably the most viable of Shellder's other options, and would probably see the best use on the Substitute set over Rapid Spin if Stealth Rock doesn't bother you. Shellder is fairly slow so you'll usually get the boosted 100 power, but with such abysmal Special Defense, Shellder really needs to hide behind a Substitute to hit Ghost-types with it. </p>

<p>Shellder has Clamp and Dive for physical Water STAB, but the former suffers from low power and accuracy and the latter gives the opponent a free turn of set up. Free set up turns present crucial opportunities for opponents in Little Cup, so Dive is not advised.</p>

<p>Battle Armor is never advised. Defense is generally poor in Little Cup and Skill Link Rock Blast provides a massive offensive edge. Shell Armor is Shellder's primary ability, so be aware that you must change it if you are using a simulator.</p>

[EVs]
<p>Shellder needs 196 Speed EVs and a boosting nature to reach 21 Speed on the Choice Scarf set. Then maximize Attack, and place the remaining EVs in either HP and Defense (36 Each) or Special Defense (76). On bulky sets, maximize Shellder's poor HP, then focus on Attack. With high-powered attacks and priority, Shellder is nearly the definition of bulky offense.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Shellder has terrible Special Defense, so almost anything faster that can launch Thunderbolt or Energy Ball will cause trouble. Neither Grass- nor Electric-types can switch in particularly well though, with Rock Blast hitting the generally poor defense of Electric-types and Ice Shard hitting for super effective[no hyphen] damage on Grass-types.</p>

<p>Staryu is an excellent switch in, with decent Defense, resistance to Ice Shard, and access to Thunderbolt. A Croagunk with special attacks should be able to switch in and dispatch Shellder quickly. Bronzor can wall Shellder without Surf completely, and can beat Shellder one-on-one, though Shellder can potentially Rapid Spin away Bronzor's Stealth Rock. Psychic or Flash Cannon will be needed, however, as bulky Shellder laughs at Gyro Ball and Earthquake. Additionally, Bronzor is one of the few Shellder switch ins that won't fall to Explosion. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, Aron is also excellent if Shellder lacks Surf, with great[you just used "excellent"] Defense and resistance to Rock Blast and Ice Shard.</p>
 

Dubulous

I look just like Buddy Holly.
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Deck Knight has informed me that he is no longer working on this analysis. As such, I am locking this and re-opening it for claim.
 
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