YOU CANNOT ESCAPE.
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Overview
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Shuckle has one reason and one reason only to be used in Ubers: Sticky Web. Shuckle is one of the few viable users of the deadly move, boasting much higher bulk over its faster competitor Smeargle. With solid base 230 Defense and Special Defense and Sturdy, Shuckle cannot be OHKOed in the lead position, allowing it to set up Sticky Web reliably. Sturdy also allows Shuckle to hold Mental Herb to guard against Taunt, and Encore ensures that it will not become setup bait. Unfortunately, Shuckle has non-existent Speed and offensive stats, so setting up Sticky Web is literally the only thing it can do. Overall, Shuckle is only worth using if you are planning on abusing Sticky Web to the fullest, but if you are, it will cause major headaches for an unprepared opponent.
Sticky Web Support
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name: Sticky Web Support
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Encore
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rock Tomb
ability: Sturdy
item: Mental Herb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
nature: Careful
Moves
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Sticky Web is the sole reason to use Shuckle; its bulk and Sturdy make it a reliable user of the move. The rest of Shuckle's moveset is devoted to ensuring it isn't setup bait. Encore is Shuckle's main defense, allowing it to thwart setup attempts from sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas and Swords Dance Arceus. Encore can also lock Defog or Rapid Spin users into the move, allowing Shuckle to lay Sticky Web again and then switch to an appropriate counter or a spinblocker. Toxic punishes common Defog users such as Arceus and Giratina-O for coming in and is Shuckle's primary way of dealing damage if needed. Although Rock Tomb does virtually nothing coming off of Shuckle's horrendous Attack stat, it is necessary to punish Mega Gengar leads by dropping its Speed so it cannot trap Shuckle for free once Mental Herb is gone and then proceed to KO something else with Destiny Bond; Rock Tomb also helps against big threats to Sticky Web teams such as Yveltal, Thundurus, and Mega Mewtwo Y. If you think you can handle these Pokemon, Stealth Rock can be used instead; however, Shuckle does not usually have enough time to set up both entry hazards, and forgoing Rock Tomb leaves it completely vulnerable to Taunt users once Mental Herb is gone.
Set Details
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Always invest fully in HP and Special Defense, as Shuckle's other stats are too low to consider doing anything else. Investing in Special Defense over Defense is preferred because the most common Defog user in the tier, Arceus, almost always uses special attacks. For example, 4 SpA Arceus formes can only 4HKO Shuckle with type-neutral Judgment, giving it a chance to punish them with Toxic and Encore. Shuckle can also survive an unboosted Hydro Pump from Palkia after Stealth Rock damage, a testament to its bulk.
Usage Tips
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Shuckle should try to set up Sticky Web as soon as possible. That being said, do not lead with Shuckle if the enemy has a Pokemon such as Darkrai or Jirachi that prevents Sticky Web from going up on the first turn; Shuckle will just be forced to switch out. If the enemy does not have one of the aforementioned Pokemon or a user of Defog or Rapid Spin, feel free to lead with Shuckle and let it go after it has successfully set up Sticky Web. However, if there is an Excadrill or a possible Defog user such as Scizor, Giratina-O, or Arceus on the enemy team that your team cannot completely shut down, try to preserve Shuckle until the enemy's Defog or Rapid Spin user has been appropriately dealt with.
Team Options
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The best teammates for Shuckle are offensive Pokemon that can help preserve Sticky Web or counter the leads that can stop it from doing its job. Defog is the most common way of removing Sticky Web, which makes Taunt users such as Yveltal, Mewtwo, and Thundurus invaluable. Mewtwo is particularly useful because it can outspeed and OHKO Darkrai leads that might try to prevent Sticky Web from going up on the first turn with Dark Void. Shadow Tag is also an effective way of removing Defog users from the game; Mega Gengar is a great choice that can also double as a spinblocker and Gothitelle can easily trap and KO most support Arceus formes. Other Ghost-types such as Ghost Arceus and Giratina-O can serve as effective spinblockers as well.
There are also some unconventional ways to stop Defog users. One way is a powerful Explosion: the attack will inflict massive damage to Scizor and support Arceus formes and cause Defog to fail at the cost of the Explosion user. Landorus-T and Genesect are notable Explosion users that work well on Sticky Web teams. Another way is to use powerful setup sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas or Swords Dance Arceus to help dissuade Defog, as the opponent taking a turn to use the move could open up a setup opportunity. If you want to go on a simpler route, sheer offensive pressure from very powerful Pokemon such as Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Mega Lucario, or Mega Charizard X can also take down common Defog users such as Scizor, Giratina-O, and support Arceus formes before they even get a chance to use the move.
Darkrai and Jirachi leads are big trouble for Shuckle because they can prevent it from setting up Sticky Web with Dark Void and Serene Grace Iron Head, respectively. Ditto leads can also be annoying as they can copy Shuckle and turn Sticky Web against you. Mewtwo is an effective way to handle Darkrai as mentioned before. Another good choice to handle Darkrai is Choice Scarf Genesect, which can KO Darkrai with U-turn and immediately bring in Shuckle to set up Sticky Web. Ground-types such as Groudon, Landorus-T, and Excadrill can effectively counter Jirachi leads. Excadrill is also the best way to handle Ditto, as it can simply spin away Sticky Web if Ditto attempts to set the entry hazard up against you. Generally, it is helpful to pack a Ground-type on Sticky Web teams to combat Prankster Thunder Wave from the likes of Klefki and Thundurus.
Finally, running a Stealth Rock user is highly advised so Shuckle is not forced to give up Rock Tomb. Groudon, Landorus-T, Excadrill, Dialga, Mega Tyranitar, and Terrakion are all solid users of the move that work particularly well on Sticky Web teams. Mega Tyranitar and Terrakion also learn Taunt to help preserve their own Stealth Rock as well as Shuckle's Sticky Web, making them useful assets.
Other Options
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Shuckle has very few other options worth using. Knock Off is an interesting choice to cripple walls and harass sweepers by removing their items. However, it fails to do anything to the most common Defog users—Mega Scizor, Giratina-O, and support Arceus formes, as none of them can have their item removed, making Knock Off useless on Shuckle most of the time. Infestation can trap opponents to get a free switch for a teammate and get useful chip damage on the Steel- and Poison-types that aren't affected by Toxic. Chesto Berry allows Shuckle to set up Sticky Web against Darkrai leads, and it can be combined with Rest to allow Shuckle to last longer in the battle if needed. However, losing Mental Herb forfeits Taunt protection, leaving Shuckle helpless against Mewtwo, Yveltal, Thundurus, and Mega Gengar. An alternate way to handle Darkrai leads while keeping Mental Herb is to use Sleep Talk in the 4th moveslot: this allows Shuckle to absorb the sleep and either set up Sticky Web or cripple Darkrai with either Toxic or Encore. Mental Herb also gives Shuckle two chances to get Sticky Web up if Darkrai is packing Taunt in addition to Dark Void.
Checks & Counters
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**Sleep**: Defeating Shuckle is more about removing or preventing its Sticky Web than actually countering the Pokemon itself. Therefore, Pokemon such as Darkrai and Smeargle are particularly problematic for Shuckle as they can stop it from setting up Sticky Web by putting it to sleep with Dark Void or Spore, respectively.
**Jirachi**: Jirachi can stop Shuckle from using Sticky Web by flinching it with Serene Grace Iron Head.
**Defog**: Defog users such as support Arceus formes, Giratina-O, Mega Scizor, and Skarmory can remove Sticky Web from the field.
**Rapid Spin**: Excadrill and Forrtress can easily switch into Shuckle and remove its Sticky Web with Rapid Spin.
**Magic Coat**: Though rare, Magic Coat users such as Deoxys-S can reflect Shuckle's Sticky Web back onto its own team.
**Taunt**: Though Mental Herb offers one-time protection, Taunt users such as Mewtwo, Yveltal, and Thundurus can make Shuckle useless once Mental Herb has been used up.
**Water- and Steel-types**: Common Water- and Steel-type Pokemon such as Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga, and Mega Lucario can easily 2HKO Shuckle, limiting it to one free turn.
**Ditto**: Ditto can Transform into Shuckle and set up Sticky Web against its team, largely nullifying Sticky Web.
**Spikes**: While not a direct counter, Shuckle can't do much to stop Pokemon such as Klefki, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Scolipede from setting up Spikes to punish its use of Sticky Web. None of these Pokemon are affected by Toxic either, so Shuckle has no way to hurt them.
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