QC Checks: atomicllamas / EonX / Molk
GP Checks: frenzyplant / fleurdyleurse
Overview
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Even though Drapion has average stats, its great typing and great movepool give it a lot of functionality. Its typing gives it four resistances, one weakness, and an immunity. With a great boosting move in Swords Dance, good coverage moves, Knock Off, and a large support movepool, it's not hard to see why Drapion is a threat. However, Drapion's special bulk is poor, meaning it cannot take very many special hits. It is also weak to the very common Ground-type moves. Lastly, it has no form of priority to take on faster Pokemon that could stop a sweep short.
Specially Defensive
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name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Toxic Spikes
move 4: Whirlwind / Poison Jab
ability: Battle Armor
item: Black Sludge
evs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
nature: Careful
Moves
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This set's goal is to stop special attackers such as Meloetta and Cresselia, while also being able to set up Toxic Spikes to cause problems for the opponent. Knock Off is an excellent utility move as well as a reliable STAB move. Taunt stops walls from doing anything, and prevents setup sweepers such as Calm Mind Delphox from setting up. Toxic Spikes is used to whittle down walls and to help teammates have an easier time picking off weakened Pokemon. Whirlwind is used for Pokemon that are setting up and cannot be Taunted, such as Aromatisse, and bulkier walls such as Cresselia that are behind Substitute. Poison Jab can be used to hit Fairies, such as Aromatisse.
Set Details
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The given EV spread and nature gives Drapion good mixed bulk which allows it to check some Grass- and Ghost -types, and all Psychic-types. The 44 Speed EVs are to outspeed max Speed Omastar and Taunt it, and outspeed max Speed Exploud and Knock Off its Choice Specs. Black Sludge is used for a source of steady recovery. The best ability to use is Battle Armor because critical hits are never appreciated and Sniper is not needed on this set. Lastly, the best nature is Careful as it boosts Special Defense and lowers Drapion's least needed stat, Special Attack.
Usage Tips
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Common stall Pokemon that this Drapion set breaks include Roselia, Spiritomb, and Amoonguss. Drapion should set up Toxic Spikes as early as it can. Along with phazing out Pokemon that set up, Whirlwind should be used to spread status from Toxic Spikes. Drapion is a good switch-in to most specially-based Grass-types and all Psychic-types thanks to its typing and bulk, so it's usually safe to switch into them. Be wary of Ground-types, however, and be able to predict switch-ins that may hurt Drapion.
Team Options
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This Drapion works especially well on stall teams, so cleric support from Pokemon such as Alomomola to keep its health up is appreciated. Other good teammates are Pokemon that need walls to be broken before they can sweep, such as Hitmonlee and Delphox. Dugtrio is a good partner to take care of Cobalion, which does not care about Knock Off. Aromatisse handles most physically-based Fighting- and Dark-types for Drapion while providing Wish support, while Slowking handles most of the special attackers Drapion can't beat, such as Clawitzer and Exploud. Physical walls such as Tangrowth and Gligar help with physically-based Pokemon that trouble Drapion, such as Dugtrio and Hitmonlee.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab / Taunt
ability: Battle Armor
item: Lum Berry / Shuca Berry
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Swords Dance boosts Drapion's Attack to very high levels. Knock Off is a powerful and reliable STAB move that hits a large portion of the tier hard. Earthquake has good coverage with Knock Off, hitting Pokemon such as Emboar, Registeel, Cobalion, and Rhyperior for super effective damage. Poison Jab is a secondary STAB move that rounds off Drapion's coverage and hits Virizion, Mega Abomasnow, and Fairy-types super effectively. Lastly, Taunt is to make setting up easier against walls such as Amoonguss. Aqua Tail is an option to easily take out Rhyperior, which is a huge threat.
Set Details
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The EVs give Drapion maximum sweeping potential by maximizing its Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature maximizes Drapion's Speed so that it can outspeed as many Pokemon as possible. Battle Armor will guarantee that Drapion is never struck by critical hits, which can sometimes stop sweeps cold. Lum Berry is used to get rid of status, while Shuca Berry is used to weaken moves from Drapion's only weakness, Ground. Life Orb can be used if you want Drapion to hit really hard, but the recoil is not appreciated.
Usage Tips
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This Drapion likes to set up and tear through teams, so it is preferably used early- or mid-game. The idea of the set is to boost, and then pound through the opposing team. Drapion can set up on common stall Pokemon such as Cresselia and Aromatisse, and, after it sets up, it can begin sweeping. Always predict switch-ins which could hurt Drapion's sweep, such as a Dugtrio coming in on a Swords Dance. The longevity of this set is not the best, so use Drapion wisely and only when it can surely and safely sweep.
Team Options
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Water- and Grass-types function well with Drapion, as they can severely hurt Rhyperior and other Ground-types. Virizion makes an excellent teammate, as it deals with Ground-types especially well, while Drapion can beat troublesome Psychic-types for Virizion. Additionally, any Pokemon that appreciate Doublade gone work well in tandem with Drapion, such as Virizion and Cobalion. Hazard setters such as Registeel and Druddigon work well as they give Drapion more room for sweeps.
Bulky Swords Dance
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name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Earthquake / Aqua Tail
ability: Sniper
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
evs: 160 HP / 96 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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This Drapion is a bulkier variant of the Swords Dance set, and is used mainly for stall breaking. It works especially well against full stall teams, as it can break them down easily. Taunt is used to prevent the use of support moves, allowing Drapion to set up on walls such as Amoonguss and Alomomola. Swords Dance is used to allow Drapion to set up on walls and proceed to tear apart opponents. Knock Off is Drapion's strongest STAB move and removes opponents' items. Earthquake is used for great coverage with Knock Off, hitting Fighting-, Fire-, Rock-, and Steel-types super effectively. Aqua Tail is mainly used so that Drapion isn't completely destroyed by Rhyperior and beats Gligar much faster. Lastly, Poison Jab is a STAB move that can be run to hit Virizion and Aromatisse harder.
Set Details
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Max Speed investment and a Jolly nature are used to outspeed things that would want to set up on Drapion, or outspeed it naturally. 160 HP EVs allow Drapion to survive a Fire Blast from Life Orb Delphox, and the rest of the EVs are poured into Attack. Sniper is used because extra damage on critical hits can really help in breaking walls. Black Sludge is used for steady recovery, but Lum Berry is useful against status users such as Alomomola and can be used if you're scared of status.
Usage Tips
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This Drapion can set up on a most walls, including Amoonguss and Aromatisse. Use Taunt on any wall, or use Swords Dance when you predict that a wall will switch out. Don't set up if the opponent has Pokemon that can outspeed and OHKO Drapion, as they must be eliminated before Drapion can sweep. Any Ground-types should be disposed of before Drapion attempts to sweep, unless Drapion is running Aqua Tail. It is easy to switch into Psychic- and special Grass-types, such as Cresselia, Amoonguss, and Meloetta. Lastly, you must always be wary of switch-ins that may harm Drapion such as Dugtrio, which can trap and KO it.
Team Options
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Toxic Spikes setters such as Roselia and Omastar are great for breaking through walls. For example, Drapion can barely manage a 2HKO on Alomomola; however, with residual damage from Toxic Spikes, it can easily take Alomomola down. Walls such as Registeel and Slowking that wall faster threats that can take down Drapion work especially well. Slowking is also able to beat things like Delphox, Moltres, and Rhyperior, which might otherwise beat Drapion.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Aqua Tail / Night Slash
ability: Sniper
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Knock Off is Drapion's strongest STAB move and removes opponents' items. Poison Jab is a secondary STAB move and has good coverage with Knock Off. Pursuit traps Pokemon that try to switch out; however, it is mainly used for Psychic-types, such as Meloetta and Slowking. Aqua Tail hits Rhyperior exceptionally hard on the switch, so it is very useful. Night Slash is useful in conjunction with Sniper due to its higher critical hit chance in conjunction with Sniper. Critical hits are especially helpful against bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Cresselia.
Set Details
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152 Speed and 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature allow Drapion to hit very hard while still being able to outspeed Jolteon. The ability of choice here is Sniper because extra damage on critical hits is appreciated. Choice Scarf is used to allow Drapion to pick off weakened foes and outrun fast, frail Pokemon such as Jolteon and Dugtrio.
Usage Tips
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Use this Drapion to revenge kill opponents, trap weakened Psychic- and Ghost-types, and clean up late-game. It can't get through most walls unless they're weak to one of Drapion's attacks, so predict them switching in. Try not to switch Drapion directly into attacks, as it doesn't appreciate residual damage.
Team Options
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Wallbreakers such as Hitmonlee and Exploud get through walls that Drapion can't break. Moltres appreciates Slowking's defeat, so it benefits greatly from Drapion. Moltres can also take down Cobalion, which is a threat to Drapion. Omastar also makes for a good teammate as it beats Fletchinder and sets up entry hazards, allowing Drapion to more easily pick Pokemon off. Walls such as Slowking that can take hits for Drapion, as it will be switching in and out often, are useful. Slowking can also beat troublesome Ground-types for Drapion, while Drapion beats Ghost-types for Slowking.
Other Options
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Drapion has a few other options it can utilize, but all of them are really niche and usually aren't worth using. Agility and Swords Dance can form a pseudo-Dragon Dance, but it's difficult to set up. Air Balloon allows Drapion to avoid attacks that target its sole weakness, but it's usually not worth it because it's so easy to break, and Shuca Berry is better for the surprise factor. Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, and Ice Fang all have their uses on Drapion. Fire Fang can be used to beat Steel- and Grass-types, such as Escavalier, Durant, and Amoonguss. Thunder Fang can be used to hit Flying- and Water-types, but it's usually not worth it. Ice Fang is probably the most useful of all, as it hits Gligar, a huge threat to Drapion. Rock Slide is useful for hitting Moltres and other Fire-types, but usually Earthquake or Aqua Tail suffice. Toxic is an option over Toxic Spikes on the defensive set for immediate status. Lastly, Choice Band can be used to allow Drapion to hit exceptionally hard, but it usually isn't as good as a Swords Dance boost.
Checks & Counters
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**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon that can outspeed Drapion, such as Cobalion and Durant, can successfully revenge kill it. They must watch out for Choice Scarf Drapion, but faster Choice Scarf Pokemon can still successfully revenge kill it.
**Ground-types**: Rhyperior, Dugtrio, and Gligar all handle Drapion very well. Rhyperior can tank most hits besides Aqua Tail and KO Drapion with Earthquake, Dugtrio can trap and KO it, and Gligar can take most hits and 2HKO Drapion with Earthquake. However, Gligar should watch out for Knock Off + Aqua Tail, and Dugtrio should watch out for Choice Scarf sets.
**Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers such as Clawitzer, Exploud, and Life Orb Hitmonlee can easily break apart the specially defensive set, but they all fall to the Swords Dance and Choice Scarf variants of Drapion.
**Status**: Status is a great way to take down Drapion that lack Lum Berry. Burns halve its Attack, while paralysis slows it down greatly.
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