[OVERVIEW]
Drednaw stands out as a premier hyper offense and offense option, able to threaten a sweep after a single Shell Smash. With access to Strong Jaw boosted Ice Fang and Crunch, even typically sturdy physical walls such as Bronzong and Amoonguss can struggle to take its attacks. Drednaw also naturally outspeeds the majority of the tier after a Shell Smash boosts, as even +1 Speed Cinccino as well as Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Munkidori and Flamigo are easily outsped. However, Drednaw can struggle with Grass- and Water-types such as Breloom and Paldean Tauros-W, as they can take one of its hits and KO it back with either Seed Bomb or Close Combat respectfully. Furthermore, priority users such as Toxicroak, Barraskewda, and Baculegion-M can revenge kill Drednaw once it has sustained solid chip damage. Drednaw can also struggle to OHKO plenty of common walls such as Bellibolt and Amoonguss, even if it carries the right coverage options for them, forcing it to rely on entry hazards to secure KO's on these Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast / Ice Fang
move 4: Crunch / Tera Blast / Earthquake
item: White Herb / Loaded Dice
ability: Strong Jaw / Shell Armour
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Dark / Flying / Ground
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Stone Edge can be used if Drednaw wants to free up its item slot, while Rock Blast in conjuction with Loaded Dice gives Drednaw a much more reliable STAB move. Crunch allows Drednaw to hit checks such as Galarian Slowbro, Bronzong, and Uxie for super effective damage, while Tera Blast can be utilised alongside Tera Flying to allow Drednaw to snipe usual counters in Breloom, Toxicroak, and Paldean Tauros-W. Ice Fang can be used to hit Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Tsareena and Flgyon for large damage, while Earthquake can hit Steel-types such as Copperajah and Klefki for super effective damage while targeting Bellibolt as well. White Herb allows Drednaw to suffer no Defense drops after a Shell Smash, making it much more reliable into common priority users such as Baculegion-M. Shell Armour can be used on sets without Crunch or Ice Fang to allow Drednaw security against critical hits while setting up. Tera Dark can allow Drednaw to boost the power of Crunch to astonishing levels, such as having a chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock, while Tera Flying flips Drednaw's usual weakness to Ground, Grass, and Fighting. Tera Ground gives Drednaw an immunity to Electric-type attacks from Raikou and Kilowattrel, a Thunder Wave immunity against Klefki, and boosts the power of Earthquake to OHKO Pokemon such as Bellibolt.
Drednaw fits best of hyper offense and offense teams, who heavily appreciate its ability to easily end games. Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Decidueye that can take advantage of bulky Water- and Grass-types are heavily appreciated, as they can use these typical counters to Drednaw as a setup opportunity. Hazard setters like Klefki and Scream Tail are great partners for Drednaw, as it can allow Drednaw to beat usual counters such as Vaporeon and Amoonguss. On the other hand, Cincinno is a good partner for Drednaw, as it can remove hazards on Drednaw's side to allow Drednaw to more easily setup, while Drednaw can help overwhelm the Steel-types that Cincinno typically struggles with. Other physical sweepers such as Flamigo, Flygon, and Overqwil pair well with Drednaw, as together they can overwhelm walls that they struggle with together such as Bellibolt, Bronzong and Copperajah respectively. Special attackers like Toxtricity and Scream Tail also help Drednaw, as they can take advantage of its usual checks such as Grass-types and Fighting-types and use them as a setup opportunity. Alolan Ninetales is a great Drednaw partner, as it not only can set up Aurora Veil to help aid Drednaw in sweeping easier, but it can also revenge kill the common Fighting-types that Drednaw struggles such as Paldean Tauros-W and Flamigo with Moonblast.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Air Balloon can be used to allow Drednaw to setup against common Ground-types such as Rhyperior and Flgyon. Tera Ghost gives an immunity to Choice-locked Fighting-type attackers such as Toxicroak and Paldean Tauros-W, allowing it to potentially setup again on them, while also giving it a resistance to Flygon's First Impression.
Checks and Counters
====
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Breloom and Amoonguss do quite well into Drednaw, as they can easily take Liquidation and KO it back with either Seed Bomb or Giga Drain respectfully. However, Tera Blast Flying and Ice Fang variants of Drednaw can easily OHKO them.
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Paldean Tauros-W and Vaporeon can stomach any of Drednaw's attacks, and either KO it with Close Combat for the former, or phaze it out with Roar for the latter. The former is OHKOed by Tera Blast Flying, though, and Vaporeon can get heavily chipped by a +2 Tera Dark Strong Jaw-boosted Crunch.
**Priority**: Priority users such as Flygon, Toxicroak and especially Breloom can threatened a weakened Drednaw with good damage through their priority moves, though due to its good natural bulk, the first two need significant chip damage to OHKO Drednaw.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Drednaw stands out as a premier hyper offense and offense option, able to threaten a sweep after a single Shell Smash. With access to Strong Jaw boosted Ice Fang and Crunch, even typically sturdy physical walls such as Bronzong and Amoonguss can struggle to take its attacks. Drednaw also naturally outspeeds the majority of the tier after a Shell Smash boosts, as even +1 Speed Cinccino as well as Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Munkidori and Flamigo are easily outsped. However, Drednaw can struggle with Grass- and Water-types such as Breloom and Paldean Tauros-W, as they can take one of its hits and KO it back with either Seed Bomb or Close Combat respectfully. Furthermore, priority users such as Toxicroak, Barraskewda, and Baculegion-M can revenge kill Drednaw once it has sustained solid chip damage. Drednaw can also struggle to OHKO plenty of common walls such as Bellibolt and Amoonguss, even if it carries the right coverage options for them, forcing it to rely on entry hazards to secure KO's on these Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast / Ice Fang
move 4: Crunch / Tera Blast / Earthquake
item: White Herb / Loaded Dice
ability: Strong Jaw / Shell Armour
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Dark / Flying / Ground
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Stone Edge can be used if Drednaw wants to free up its item slot, while Rock Blast in conjuction with Loaded Dice gives Drednaw a much more reliable STAB move. Crunch allows Drednaw to hit checks such as Galarian Slowbro, Bronzong, and Uxie for super effective damage, while Tera Blast can be utilised alongside Tera Flying to allow Drednaw to snipe usual counters in Breloom, Toxicroak, and Paldean Tauros-W. Ice Fang can be used to hit Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Tsareena and Flgyon for large damage, while Earthquake can hit Steel-types such as Copperajah and Klefki for super effective damage while targeting Bellibolt as well. White Herb allows Drednaw to suffer no Defense drops after a Shell Smash, making it much more reliable into common priority users such as Baculegion-M. Shell Armour can be used on sets without Crunch or Ice Fang to allow Drednaw security against critical hits while setting up. Tera Dark can allow Drednaw to boost the power of Crunch to astonishing levels, such as having a chance to OHKO Amoonguss after Stealth Rock, while Tera Flying flips Drednaw's usual weakness to Ground, Grass, and Fighting. Tera Ground gives Drednaw an immunity to Electric-type attacks from Raikou and Kilowattrel, a Thunder Wave immunity against Klefki, and boosts the power of Earthquake to OHKO Pokemon such as Bellibolt.
Drednaw fits best of hyper offense and offense teams, who heavily appreciate its ability to easily end games. Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Decidueye that can take advantage of bulky Water- and Grass-types are heavily appreciated, as they can use these typical counters to Drednaw as a setup opportunity. Hazard setters like Klefki and Scream Tail are great partners for Drednaw, as it can allow Drednaw to beat usual counters such as Vaporeon and Amoonguss. On the other hand, Cincinno is a good partner for Drednaw, as it can remove hazards on Drednaw's side to allow Drednaw to more easily setup, while Drednaw can help overwhelm the Steel-types that Cincinno typically struggles with. Other physical sweepers such as Flamigo, Flygon, and Overqwil pair well with Drednaw, as together they can overwhelm walls that they struggle with together such as Bellibolt, Bronzong and Copperajah respectively. Special attackers like Toxtricity and Scream Tail also help Drednaw, as they can take advantage of its usual checks such as Grass-types and Fighting-types and use them as a setup opportunity. Alolan Ninetales is a great Drednaw partner, as it not only can set up Aurora Veil to help aid Drednaw in sweeping easier, but it can also revenge kill the common Fighting-types that Drednaw struggles such as Paldean Tauros-W and Flamigo with Moonblast.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Air Balloon can be used to allow Drednaw to setup against common Ground-types such as Rhyperior and Flgyon. Tera Ghost gives an immunity to Choice-locked Fighting-type attackers such as Toxicroak and Paldean Tauros-W, allowing it to potentially setup again on them, while also giving it a resistance to Flygon's First Impression.
Checks and Counters
====
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Breloom and Amoonguss do quite well into Drednaw, as they can easily take Liquidation and KO it back with either Seed Bomb or Giga Drain respectfully. However, Tera Blast Flying and Ice Fang variants of Drednaw can easily OHKO them.
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Paldean Tauros-W and Vaporeon can stomach any of Drednaw's attacks, and either KO it with Close Combat for the former, or phaze it out with Roar for the latter. The former is OHKOed by Tera Blast Flying, though, and Vaporeon can get heavily chipped by a +2 Tera Dark Strong Jaw-boosted Crunch.
**Priority**: Priority users such as Flygon, Toxicroak and especially Breloom can threatened a weakened Drednaw with good damage through their priority moves, though due to its good natural bulk, the first two need significant chip damage to OHKO Drednaw.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Last edited:
