http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/clefable
status: GP 2/2
didn't feel like just writing a skeleton and I don't mind making changes so I just wrote the set. super rough draft anyways.
Xia is supposedly doing a Clefable revamp but the thread is basically dead and he hasn't posted in C&C for ages, so I'm writing this set. also I don't think he had it in his update last I checked.
Bold vs Modest is just preference, I guess, but I find the extra power of Modest is a lot more annoying to face.
---
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Modest
evs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Calm Mind Clefable is one of the most dangerous—and overlooked—threats for defensive teams in UU. Unlike most Calm Mind sweepers, Clefable has solid physical bulk and lacks easily exploitable weaknesses. In addition, Magic Guard grants Clefable an immunity to entry hazard and poison damage, rendering the bulk of a stall team's strategy ineffective. To top it all off, an instant recovery move in Softboiled means that even whittling down Clefable's health through repeated weak attacks is not an option.</p>
<p>Calm Mind and Softboiled form the core of the set, allowing Clefable to set up on weaker attackers while recovering lost health. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are the preferred attacking moves, since together they hit every Pokemon in UU with the exception of Lanturn, Magneton, and Shedinja for at least neutral damage. Lanturn and Magneton are setup bait for Clefable, while Shedinja is rarely seen and easily disposed of with Stealth Rock. In addition, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam provide vital super effective coverage against key threats. Thunderbolt zaps Milotic and its fellow Water-types, while Ice Beam nails Ground- and Grass-types, such as Donphan, Rhyperior, and Venusaur.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Modest nature and 252 Special Attack EVs maximize Clefable's offensive potential. 96 Speed EVs put it at 180 Speed, allowing it to outpace Adamant Rhyperior. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP to capitalize on Clefable's natural bulk. If you're concerned about outpacing Milotic, using 172 Speed EVs beats minimum Speed variants, but adding a few additional EVs may be a good idea since Milotic tend to invest slightly in Speed. Another spread that is very effective can be attained by shifting Clefable's Special Attack EVs into Defense and using a Bold nature. This allows it to set up on a much greater portion of the metagame, but the extra power provided by Modest may be missed—for example, Modest ensures that without a boost, Thunderbolt deals over 50% to Milotic on average, and with a boost, OHKOes Donphan, Rhyperior, and offensive Venusaur. If you choose to use Bold, changing Life Orb to Leftovers is also an option to ease Clefable's setup by providing a source of passive recovery outside of Softboiled's active recovery. Another alternative is to move the EVs in question into Special Defense and use a Calm nature, which makes setting up on powerful special attackers like Life Orb Moltres possible.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Clefable does not have a STAB special attack that it can use. However, there are a few alternatives to the moves suggested. Using Psychic instead of Ice Beam lets Clefable hit Hitmontop super effectively while retaining power against Venusaur. Alternatively, Toxic can be used instead of Thunderbolt to defeat Haze Milotic; in this case, Ice Beam is the preferred attack because there are no Pokemon immune to it.</p>
<p>There aren't many Pokemon who can reliably stop Calm Mind Clefable, especially on defensive teams, which means luring and weakening the few checks that exist can result in an easy sweep. Haze Milotic will erase Clefable's boosts before Clefable can hit it with Thunderbolt. However, Milotic usually loses in the long run, as a paralysis or critical hit will put the odds heavily in Clefable's favor. Stall teams can pair Milotic with Aromatherapy Chansey to PP stall Clefable. To avoid this, weakening Milotic to 50% HP means it won't be able to counter Clefable; if it tries to Haze at that health, Thunderbolt will KO; if it tries to Recover, +1 Thunderbolt will deal far more damage than it can heal. Many Pokemon, including physical Blaziken, Passho Berry Houndoom, and Choice Band Azumarill, can adequately weaken Milotic. However, a cleaner way to get rid of it is with a lure packing Explosion, such as Steelix or Curse Registeel. Keep in mind that using these recklessly may not be successful since they also lure in Omastar and Cloyster seeking to set up Spikes. Explosion lures are also a good way to eliminate Rapid Spin Hitmontop; Regirock is the best such lure due to its high Attack stat, Clear Body, and its ability to outpace defensive Hitmontop. Pokemon with Choice items and Trick can cripple Clefable, but simply switching Clefable out for another Pokemon will neutralize the threat. Additionally, since most Trick users are Ghost- or Psychic-type, a Pursuit user such as Houndoom or Drapion can eliminate them.</p>
<p>Beyond using Pokemon with super effective Fighting-type attacks, the easiest way for offensive teams to deal with Clefable is to have one Pokemon batter Clefable so that it cannot set up and have a second finish it off. Since these attackers rely on their high Speed to hit Clefable first, paralysis support helps Clefable a lot, particularly against special attackers. When Clefable can use Calm Mind before it is hit with a special attack, it can set up against a much larger range of Pokemon.</p>
status: GP 2/2
didn't feel like just writing a skeleton and I don't mind making changes so I just wrote the set. super rough draft anyways.
Xia is supposedly doing a Clefable revamp but the thread is basically dead and he hasn't posted in C&C for ages, so I'm writing this set. also I don't think he had it in his update last I checked.
Bold vs Modest is just preference, I guess, but I find the extra power of Modest is a lot more annoying to face.
- added Leftovers AC
- added Calm AC
- added Psychic AC
- added Toxic AC
- condensed 'counters' and 'how to deal with counters' paragraph into one cause it was getting long
- added paralysis support, but didn't mention "obvious" partners like Uxie because those are universal partners for Clefable
- rephrased comments to make Bold an equal option to Modest
- Magneton
- 96 Speed
- 172 Speed
- added Calm AC
- added Psychic AC
- added Toxic AC
- condensed 'counters' and 'how to deal with counters' paragraph into one cause it was getting long
- added paralysis support, but didn't mention "obvious" partners like Uxie because those are universal partners for Clefable
- rephrased comments to make Bold an equal option to Modest
- Magneton
- 96 Speed
- 172 Speed
---
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Softboiled
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Modest
evs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Calm Mind Clefable is one of the most dangerous—and overlooked—threats for defensive teams in UU. Unlike most Calm Mind sweepers, Clefable has solid physical bulk and lacks easily exploitable weaknesses. In addition, Magic Guard grants Clefable an immunity to entry hazard and poison damage, rendering the bulk of a stall team's strategy ineffective. To top it all off, an instant recovery move in Softboiled means that even whittling down Clefable's health through repeated weak attacks is not an option.</p>
<p>Calm Mind and Softboiled form the core of the set, allowing Clefable to set up on weaker attackers while recovering lost health. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are the preferred attacking moves, since together they hit every Pokemon in UU with the exception of Lanturn, Magneton, and Shedinja for at least neutral damage. Lanturn and Magneton are setup bait for Clefable, while Shedinja is rarely seen and easily disposed of with Stealth Rock. In addition, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam provide vital super effective coverage against key threats. Thunderbolt zaps Milotic and its fellow Water-types, while Ice Beam nails Ground- and Grass-types, such as Donphan, Rhyperior, and Venusaur.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Modest nature and 252 Special Attack EVs maximize Clefable's offensive potential. 96 Speed EVs put it at 180 Speed, allowing it to outpace Adamant Rhyperior. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP to capitalize on Clefable's natural bulk. If you're concerned about outpacing Milotic, using 172 Speed EVs beats minimum Speed variants, but adding a few additional EVs may be a good idea since Milotic tend to invest slightly in Speed. Another spread that is very effective can be attained by shifting Clefable's Special Attack EVs into Defense and using a Bold nature. This allows it to set up on a much greater portion of the metagame, but the extra power provided by Modest may be missed—for example, Modest ensures that without a boost, Thunderbolt deals over 50% to Milotic on average, and with a boost, OHKOes Donphan, Rhyperior, and offensive Venusaur. If you choose to use Bold, changing Life Orb to Leftovers is also an option to ease Clefable's setup by providing a source of passive recovery outside of Softboiled's active recovery. Another alternative is to move the EVs in question into Special Defense and use a Calm nature, which makes setting up on powerful special attackers like Life Orb Moltres possible.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Clefable does not have a STAB special attack that it can use. However, there are a few alternatives to the moves suggested. Using Psychic instead of Ice Beam lets Clefable hit Hitmontop super effectively while retaining power against Venusaur. Alternatively, Toxic can be used instead of Thunderbolt to defeat Haze Milotic; in this case, Ice Beam is the preferred attack because there are no Pokemon immune to it.</p>
<p>There aren't many Pokemon who can reliably stop Calm Mind Clefable, especially on defensive teams, which means luring and weakening the few checks that exist can result in an easy sweep. Haze Milotic will erase Clefable's boosts before Clefable can hit it with Thunderbolt. However, Milotic usually loses in the long run, as a paralysis or critical hit will put the odds heavily in Clefable's favor. Stall teams can pair Milotic with Aromatherapy Chansey to PP stall Clefable. To avoid this, weakening Milotic to 50% HP means it won't be able to counter Clefable; if it tries to Haze at that health, Thunderbolt will KO; if it tries to Recover, +1 Thunderbolt will deal far more damage than it can heal. Many Pokemon, including physical Blaziken, Passho Berry Houndoom, and Choice Band Azumarill, can adequately weaken Milotic. However, a cleaner way to get rid of it is with a lure packing Explosion, such as Steelix or Curse Registeel. Keep in mind that using these recklessly may not be successful since they also lure in Omastar and Cloyster seeking to set up Spikes. Explosion lures are also a good way to eliminate Rapid Spin Hitmontop; Regirock is the best such lure due to its high Attack stat, Clear Body, and its ability to outpace defensive Hitmontop. Pokemon with Choice items and Trick can cripple Clefable, but simply switching Clefable out for another Pokemon will neutralize the threat. Additionally, since most Trick users are Ghost- or Psychic-type, a Pursuit user such as Houndoom or Drapion can eliminate them.</p>
<p>Beyond using Pokemon with super effective Fighting-type attacks, the easiest way for offensive teams to deal with Clefable is to have one Pokemon batter Clefable so that it cannot set up and have a second finish it off. Since these attackers rely on their high Speed to hit Clefable first, paralysis support helps Clefable a lot, particularly against special attackers. When Clefable can use Calm Mind before it is hit with a special attack, it can set up against a much larger range of Pokemon.</p>
