[OVERVIEW]
Clefable's a very good Pokemon in the National Dex metagame because of its ability to check prominent Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham thanks to its typing, abilities, and bulk. On top of that, Clefable can provide teams with a lot of utility in the form of a status absorber due to Magic Guard, Stealth Rock setter, and Wish user, giving Pokemon that are easily worn down such as Mega Metagross and Heatran many more opportunities to switch into play. It also has access to Unaware, making it a great choice on stall teams as a check to setup-reliant Pokemon like Gliscor and Reuniclus, and it can also provide some utility in the form of Heal Bell to such teams if necessary. However, Clefable's rather lackluster offensive presence often enables Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Heatran, and Volcarona to switch into play for free. Luckily it has the ability to punish them with Thunder Wave to somewhat circumvent this issue. Something important to note is that Clefable cannot check all the Pokemon it wants to at the same time; it needs maximum Defense investment alongside a Bold nature to check Mega Lopunny efficiently, but it needs maximum Special Defense investment alongside a Calm nature to efficiently check Hydreigon and Ash-Greninja prior to it transforming. This can often make it a little awkward to build with Clefable. Adding onto that, Clefable also struggles to check Pokemon like Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham like it's supposed to if it is even slightly worn down. Luckily, Magic Guard can mitigate the issue of being worn down for the most part.
[SET]
name: Magic Guard
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Soft-Boiled
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Stealth Rock / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Thunder Wave is of incredible importance to Clefable, as it's Clefable's best way to punish Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Heatran, and Volcarona. Clefable's a decent Stealth Rock setter, as it has a decent matchup against entry hazard removers such as Tornadus-T and Tapu Fini. It can also elect to run Wish instead of Stealth Rock to sustain Pokemon that lack reliable recovery like Mega Metagross and Heatran, both of which then can elect to fill the roll of a Stealth Rock setter in Clefable's stead. Alternatively, Clefable can use Flamethrower instead of Stealth Rock or Wish in order to wear down Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Aegislash. Another option is Knock Off, which allows Clefable to cripple common checks such as Heatran, Toxapex, and Volcarona, making them much easier to deal with. You can run Teleport instead of Thunder Wave alongside Wish to safely heal teammates up, but giving up Thunder Wave in turn makes Clefable easier to punish. A physically defensive spread is preferred in order to adequately check Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, though a specially defensive spread can be run to deal with Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Dragapult, and Tornadus-T. Magic Guard makes Clefable incredibly hard to wear down, blessing Clefable with an immunity to any passive damage.
Usage Tips
========
You should make sure to prioritize keeping Clefable healthy first by regularly using Soft-Boiled, as it needs to be very healthy in order to check Pokemon consistently. Because of this, you should also be wary of Knock Off, as Clefable's worn down quite a bit more easily without its Leftovers. Throughout the early- and mid-game stages, aside from staying healthy and checking Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Clefable should try to make progress through crippling checks with Thunder Wave, setting Stealth Rock, and keeping teammates healthy with Wish. It can often do this through taking advantage of passive Pokemon like Toxapex and Slowbro.
Team Options
========
Clefable fits best on bulky offensive and balanced teams that benefit from its ability to check Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, as well as cripple Pokemon with Thunder Wave, set Stealth Rock, and potentially sustain teammates with Wish support. Although they're crippled by Thunder Wave, Steel- and Fire-types like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Volcarona, and Heatran can consistently force out Clefable. Thus, teammates that can check them such as Tapu Fini and Gliscor can prove to be useful. As a Dark-resistant Pokemon, Clefable synergizes very well with Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Toxapex, and Assault Vest Tangrowth to consistently keep Ash-Greninja in check. Pokemon such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn lack consistent recovery, so they appreciate Clefable's ability to sustain them with Wish. Heatran, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn can set Stealth Rock instead, making the cost of running Wish on Clefable much smaller. You can also opt to form an entry hazard stacking core with Ferrothorn. It's important to have Pokemon that can consistently take advantage of Toxapex such as Mega Alakazam and Hydreigon. Slow wallbreakers such as Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Choice Band Galarian Darmanitan benefit massively from Clefable's ability to spread paralysis.
[SET]
name: Unaware
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Wish
move 3: Protect
move 4: Calm Mind / Heal Bell
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Wish allows Clefable to keep itself and the rest of its team healthy. Protect is very important, as it ensures Clefable will be able to recover HP with Wish. Beyond that, it's also useful for scouting Z-Moves from Pokemon like Tornadus-T, as well as racking up Leftovers recovery. Thanks to Calm Mind, Clefable can consistently deal with Pokemon like Reuniclus, Blacephalon, and Gliscor. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be run if there's no space for it elsewhere. A cleric is a very important component for stall teams, as these teams tend to get worn down by status conditions rather quickly otherwise. However, even with that in mind, Calm Mind is often valued more, as handling Pokemon such as Reuniclus is very important. Unaware's very useful because it allows Clefable to ignore stat boosts from common Pokemon such as Reuniclus.
Usage Tips
========
You should use Clefable to check threatening setup users such Reuniclus and Gliscor. Whenever you use Wish in order to keep Clefable healthy, you should almost always use Protect right after to ensure that Clefable will recover HP safely. If Clefable is healthy and expected to be forced out next turn, it may still be worth using Wish to sustain the incoming teammate instead. Against Pokemon that commonly use Z-Moves like Tornadus-T, you should use Protect to avoid suddenly being overwhelmed.
Team Options
========
Clefable only fits onto stall teams as an Unaware user that can check Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Gliscor. Its ability to alternatively function as a cleric is also of incredible use to these teams. Chansey is a staple on practically any stall team, it can take care of most specially offensive threats that Clefable cannot deal with and can also opt to run Heal Bell to allow Clefable to run Calm Mind instead. Pokemon such as Alomomola and Slowbro can deal with Pokemon such as Mega Metagross and Galarian Darmanitan, which Clefable tends to struggle with. Alomomola also takes pressure off Clefable's job as a Wish passer. Gliscor in particular is incredibly useful, as it can consistently check Heatran and provide Clefable with Defog support. Defog support is very important because Clefable can quickly be worn down by entry hazards.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
You can consider running Calm Mind on Magic Guard variants, but the fact that it is almost complete bait for Pokemon like Mega Metagross and Heatran often prevents it from being as useful as other options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, Aegislash, and Excadrill can consistently take advantage of Clefable. However, it's worth noting that the former three need to be wary of Thunder Wave, and the latter three need to be wary of getting worn down by Flamethrower.
**Fire-types**: Because of their resistance to Fairy, Fire-types such as Volcarona, Rotom-H, and Victini can take advantage of Clefable quite consistently. Volcarona and Victini need to be wary of Thunder Wave, and Knock Off will cripple them all significantly, though.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Toxapex, Gengar, and Mega Venusaur don't really mind anything Clefable can do to them, though getting paralyzed by Thunder Wave can prove to be annoying.
**Wallbreakers**: Clefable's bulk is rather mediocre, so strong wallbreakers such as Tyranitar, Kartana, and Galarian Darmanitan are able to overwhelm it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Jordy, 395754]]
- Quality checked by: [[Guardsweeper, 360582], [SputnikGT, 475916], [Funbot28, 255984]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
Clefable's a very good Pokemon in the National Dex metagame because of its ability to check prominent Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham thanks to its typing, abilities, and bulk. On top of that, Clefable can provide teams with a lot of utility in the form of a status absorber due to Magic Guard, Stealth Rock setter, and Wish user, giving Pokemon that are easily worn down such as Mega Metagross and Heatran many more opportunities to switch into play. It also has access to Unaware, making it a great choice on stall teams as a check to setup-reliant Pokemon like Gliscor and Reuniclus, and it can also provide some utility in the form of Heal Bell to such teams if necessary. However, Clefable's rather lackluster offensive presence often enables Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Heatran, and Volcarona to switch into play for free. Luckily it has the ability to punish them with Thunder Wave to somewhat circumvent this issue. Something important to note is that Clefable cannot check all the Pokemon it wants to at the same time; it needs maximum Defense investment alongside a Bold nature to check Mega Lopunny efficiently, but it needs maximum Special Defense investment alongside a Calm nature to efficiently check Hydreigon and Ash-Greninja prior to it transforming. This can often make it a little awkward to build with Clefable. Adding onto that, Clefable also struggles to check Pokemon like Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham like it's supposed to if it is even slightly worn down. Luckily, Magic Guard can mitigate the issue of being worn down for the most part.
[SET]
name: Magic Guard
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Soft-Boiled
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Stealth Rock / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Thunder Wave is of incredible importance to Clefable, as it's Clefable's best way to punish Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Heatran, and Volcarona. Clefable's a decent Stealth Rock setter, as it has a decent matchup against entry hazard removers such as Tornadus-T and Tapu Fini. It can also elect to run Wish instead of Stealth Rock to sustain Pokemon that lack reliable recovery like Mega Metagross and Heatran, both of which then can elect to fill the roll of a Stealth Rock setter in Clefable's stead. Alternatively, Clefable can use Flamethrower instead of Stealth Rock or Wish in order to wear down Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Aegislash. Another option is Knock Off, which allows Clefable to cripple common checks such as Heatran, Toxapex, and Volcarona, making them much easier to deal with. You can run Teleport instead of Thunder Wave alongside Wish to safely heal teammates up, but giving up Thunder Wave in turn makes Clefable easier to punish. A physically defensive spread is preferred in order to adequately check Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, though a specially defensive spread can be run to deal with Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Dragapult, and Tornadus-T. Magic Guard makes Clefable incredibly hard to wear down, blessing Clefable with an immunity to any passive damage.
Usage Tips
========
You should make sure to prioritize keeping Clefable healthy first by regularly using Soft-Boiled, as it needs to be very healthy in order to check Pokemon consistently. Because of this, you should also be wary of Knock Off, as Clefable's worn down quite a bit more easily without its Leftovers. Throughout the early- and mid-game stages, aside from staying healthy and checking Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Clefable should try to make progress through crippling checks with Thunder Wave, setting Stealth Rock, and keeping teammates healthy with Wish. It can often do this through taking advantage of passive Pokemon like Toxapex and Slowbro.
Team Options
========
Clefable fits best on bulky offensive and balanced teams that benefit from its ability to check Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, as well as cripple Pokemon with Thunder Wave, set Stealth Rock, and potentially sustain teammates with Wish support. Although they're crippled by Thunder Wave, Steel- and Fire-types like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Volcarona, and Heatran can consistently force out Clefable. Thus, teammates that can check them such as Tapu Fini and Gliscor can prove to be useful. As a Dark-resistant Pokemon, Clefable synergizes very well with Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Toxapex, and Assault Vest Tangrowth to consistently keep Ash-Greninja in check. Pokemon such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn lack consistent recovery, so they appreciate Clefable's ability to sustain them with Wish. Heatran, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn can set Stealth Rock instead, making the cost of running Wish on Clefable much smaller. You can also opt to form an entry hazard stacking core with Ferrothorn. It's important to have Pokemon that can consistently take advantage of Toxapex such as Mega Alakazam and Hydreigon. Slow wallbreakers such as Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Choice Band Galarian Darmanitan benefit massively from Clefable's ability to spread paralysis.
[SET]
name: Unaware
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Wish
move 3: Protect
move 4: Calm Mind / Heal Bell
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Wish allows Clefable to keep itself and the rest of its team healthy. Protect is very important, as it ensures Clefable will be able to recover HP with Wish. Beyond that, it's also useful for scouting Z-Moves from Pokemon like Tornadus-T, as well as racking up Leftovers recovery. Thanks to Calm Mind, Clefable can consistently deal with Pokemon like Reuniclus, Blacephalon, and Gliscor. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be run if there's no space for it elsewhere. A cleric is a very important component for stall teams, as these teams tend to get worn down by status conditions rather quickly otherwise. However, even with that in mind, Calm Mind is often valued more, as handling Pokemon such as Reuniclus is very important. Unaware's very useful because it allows Clefable to ignore stat boosts from common Pokemon such as Reuniclus.
Usage Tips
========
You should use Clefable to check threatening setup users such Reuniclus and Gliscor. Whenever you use Wish in order to keep Clefable healthy, you should almost always use Protect right after to ensure that Clefable will recover HP safely. If Clefable is healthy and expected to be forced out next turn, it may still be worth using Wish to sustain the incoming teammate instead. Against Pokemon that commonly use Z-Moves like Tornadus-T, you should use Protect to avoid suddenly being overwhelmed.
Team Options
========
Clefable only fits onto stall teams as an Unaware user that can check Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Gliscor. Its ability to alternatively function as a cleric is also of incredible use to these teams. Chansey is a staple on practically any stall team, it can take care of most specially offensive threats that Clefable cannot deal with and can also opt to run Heal Bell to allow Clefable to run Calm Mind instead. Pokemon such as Alomomola and Slowbro can deal with Pokemon such as Mega Metagross and Galarian Darmanitan, which Clefable tends to struggle with. Alomomola also takes pressure off Clefable's job as a Wish passer. Gliscor in particular is incredibly useful, as it can consistently check Heatran and provide Clefable with Defog support. Defog support is very important because Clefable can quickly be worn down by entry hazards.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
You can consider running Calm Mind on Magic Guard variants, but the fact that it is almost complete bait for Pokemon like Mega Metagross and Heatran often prevents it from being as useful as other options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, Aegislash, and Excadrill can consistently take advantage of Clefable. However, it's worth noting that the former three need to be wary of Thunder Wave, and the latter three need to be wary of getting worn down by Flamethrower.
**Fire-types**: Because of their resistance to Fairy, Fire-types such as Volcarona, Rotom-H, and Victini can take advantage of Clefable quite consistently. Volcarona and Victini need to be wary of Thunder Wave, and Knock Off will cripple them all significantly, though.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Toxapex, Gengar, and Mega Venusaur don't really mind anything Clefable can do to them, though getting paralyzed by Thunder Wave can prove to be annoying.
**Wallbreakers**: Clefable's bulk is rather mediocre, so strong wallbreakers such as Tyranitar, Kartana, and Galarian Darmanitan are able to overwhelm it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Jordy, 395754]]
- Quality checked by: [[Guardsweeper, 360582], [SputnikGT, 475916], [Funbot28, 255984]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
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