Elevator Music
63194
http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/croagunk
QC: macle, Aerrow
GP: Oglemi, Aeron Ee1
[Overview]
<p>Despite the many radical changes that occurred over the course of the generation shift, Croagunk's position in the tier remains almost unchanged from the fourth generation. Access to a variety of priority attacks means that Croagunk is one of the better revenge killers, as they allow it to bypass the Speed war that is Little Cup. However, it is limited in terms of other options, as the tier is filled with Fighting-type resists as well as Pokemon that are bulkier than last generation. Overall, Croagunk makes an excellent revenge killer and can be the glue that holds a team together.</p>
[SET]
name: Priority Abuse
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Vacuum Wave
move 3: Sucker Punch / Dark Pulse
move 4: Ice Punch / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Lonely
evs: 188 Atk / 188 SpA / 116 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set allows Croagunk to function as an excellent revenge killer or check to many Pokemon. The moveset is fairly simple: Fake Out and Vacuum Wave combined can KO many threats without giving them a chance to hit back, while the other slots are for coverage. Ice Punch hits Gligar and other Flying-types that resist Vacuum Wave, while Sucker Punch adds more priority and hits Ghost- and Psychic-types. Dry Skin helps to give Croagunk even more opportunities to switch in, and also allows it to be an effective check against offensive Water-types like Carvanha and Choice Scarf Chinchou.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dark Pulse can also be used to help guard Croagunk against Substitute Misdreavus and Encore Wynaut, both of which trouble Croagunk if it runs Sucker Punch. It is recommended to replace Sucker Punch for Dark Pulse, unless for whatever reason Gligar is not a threat to your team.</p>
<p>Other options Croagunk can run in the last two slots include Earthquake, Bullet Punch, and ThunderPunch. Earthquake allows Croagunk to hurt opposing Croagunk and other Poison-types. Bullet Punch adds even more priority to the set, and is another option to help revenge kill Ghost-types like Misdreavus and Gastly. ThunderPunch can be run over Ice Punch to hit Mantyke and other such Pokemon, but it is generally a poor option as Gligar is much more threatening and common. A Lonely nature helps to maximize Croagunk's somewhat average Attack. This works very well to Croagunk's strengths, as the extra Speed is not necessary with all of the priority attacks Croagunk possesses. Croagunk's HP IV should be set to 0 to give Croagunk 19 HP, which means that Life Orb recoil will only be 1 HP.</p.>
<p>Teammates that work well with Croagunk are those that complement its nice typing or help to remove its counters. Misdreavus, Slowpoke, and Frillish all help to keep Gligar, Meditite, and Wynaut at bay. They also appreciate Croagunk's resistances to Grass- and Dark-type attacks, and especially appreciate Croagunk's ability to check Scraggy. Misdreavus also helps to deter opposing Ghost-types, and has Levitate to compensate for Croagunk's weakness to Ground-type attacks. Like all Pokemon, Croagunk likes having entry hazards to help nab some extra KOs. Dwebble and Omanyte are good at laying Spikes and Stealth Rock, and have nice resistances to complement Croagunk's typing. Croagunk can also take Fighting- and Grass-type moves for Omanyte or Water- and Rock-type moves for Dwebble.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Nasty Plot is included in Croagunk's movepool and it might be enticing to use it in an all-special set alongside Vacuum Wave and Croagunk's other special attacks. However, it is fairly underwhelming due the abundance of Fighting-type resistances and immunities in the tier and Croagunk's lack of bulk. Croagunk has access to several strong STAB attacks in the form of Cross Chop and Gunk Shot. However, Cross Chop's 80 accuracy and Gunk Shot's 70 mean that these attacks are too unreliable for Croagunk to use effectively. Croagunk can use Substitute effectively alongside Focus Punch, Bulk Up, or Sucker Punch, however it is pretty strapped for moveslots. Substitute does help to ease prediction, which is nice for Croagunk who can't really afford to predict wrong and allow a free switch. Cheer Up boosts all of Croagunk's attacks and can be used over Fake Out, though it will rarely find the time to set up.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>A trait common in Pokemon which can counter or check Croagunk is an immunity or resistance to Vacuum Wave, coupled with solid attacking stats. Several such counters include Gligar, Mantyke, Misdreavus, Woobat, and Gastly. The latter three must beware Sucker Punch, but this is remedied via the use of Substitute. Bulkier Pokemon can also shrug off the relatively weak priority attacks from Croagunk and hurt it back. Some examples of this include Bronzor, Vullaby, Slowpoke, Munchlax, and Frillish, who can all come in on a weak Fake Out or Vacuum Wave. Slowpoke and Frillish must be careful not to come in on a Dark Pulse, and Vullaby should avoid swapping in on Ice Punch, but they should all still work. In addition, Croagunk is easily trapped and beaten by Pokemon such as Wynaut and Diglett, though Diglett needs to be wary of some of Croagunk's stronger priority moves. Wynaut also needs to be careful, as it will not like taking a super effective Dark Pulse unexpectedly, nor will it enjoy taking a Sucker Punch (which will work if Wynaut uses Counter and Mirror Coat).</p>