[OVERVIEW]
Clefable is a great stealth rock setter thanks to its bulk and wide movepool. Against most opposing leads it can reliably set its rocks while also taking consistent advantage of one of its other three moves. Its respectable special attack stat allows it to put consistent pressure on metagame staples such as Mew and Zapdos, forcing them to recover while threatening to lower their special attack, limiting their utility once on the field. Potential switch-ins must also be careful of Clefable’s status options, as a Thunder Wave can be crippling for an incoming Venusaur, and Toxic can severely diminish the longevity of opposing Zapdos and Mew. Clefable’s speed also allows it to outspeed Alolan Exeggutor, Rhydon, and most notably Melmetal, meaning that a clef that has been preserved in the midgame can provide value in wearing down these hurdles.
Clefable struggles immensely against Mega Beedrill, who is the only pokemon in the tier who can both outspeed and land a guaranteed OHKO on Clef. On lead, Mega Beedrill can force Clefable out, halting your progress and delaying your stealth rocks, meaning that Clefable teams need to take less direct routes to setting their rocks. Venusaur and its mega form also pose a problem for Clefable. While neither is ever very excited about switching in for fear of Thunder Wave, they do threaten to put Clefable to sleep, or outright KO it given sufficient chip damage.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Flamethrower/Fire Blast
move 4: Thunder Wave/Toxic
Nature: Modest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
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Stealth Rock is mandatory on Clefable. It provides permanent value against the opponent’s team, wearing down the whole tier. In tandem with this, using Stealth Rock Clefable allows you to use a more offensive Mew set such as Nasty Plot. Moonblast does very solid damage into most of the tier, and its chance to drop the opponent’s special attack stat is very valuable against the Mew and Zapdos that generally are tasked with handling Clefable early game. Flamethrower and fire blast provide key coverage against Melmetal. Fire blast is generally preferred for its higher damage output, guaranteeing a 2HKO without accounting for accuracy, and still having a much higher change to 2HKO than flamethrower when accuracy is kept in mind. Flamethrower’s consistency is still valuable, however, and should be kept in mind. Thunder wave and toxic are incredibly value in disrupting the opposing team. Paralyzing Mew in the lead matchup makes it much weaker throughout the rest of the game, as does paralyzing other pokemon the opponent might have. Toxic also is a pain for Mew to deal with, and makes Clefable much more threatening into Zapdos.
Usage Tips
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Clefable’s main goal is to get stealth rocks on the field as soon as possible. As such, leading with it is going to be your best bet, unless your opponent is using Mega Beedrill. While your goal is generally to set stealth rocks, certain lead situations will be benefitted by paralyzing the opponent first (i.e. against an opposing Mew or Clefable). This also generally holds true when running toxic over thunder wave. Once rocks are up, and the opposing Pokémon is paralyzed, you are free to chip away with moonblast. As noted above, Clefable’s speed tier means that against certain teams it can provide immense value if preserved later in the game, especially as an offensive check to Melmetal. Because of this, staying in with your Clefable and clicking moonblast until it faints isn’t universally a good idea.
Team Options
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The biggest benefit that Clefable provides to a team is the freedom to use a Mew set that doesn’t have stealth rock, generally nasty plot. Team options for Clefable tend to center around which Mew set you are choosing. Because of this, Clefable is generally a very versatile pokemon, however, and can be fitted onto a variety of teams. In the case of nasty plot Mew, fast late game cleaners that appreciate Mew’s breaking power are a great match, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, and Zapdos.
Clefable struggles greatly against Mega Beedrill, and as such appreciates the defensive support that Melmetal provides. Mega Aerodactyl also serves as an offensive check to Mega Beedrill, meaning it is a great Clefable teammate in this way as well. Dugtrio-Alola isn’t a Mega Beedrill check by any means, but it can switch in on a predicted poison jab or u-turn, and is also a great check against Zapdos, who is immune to Clefable’s thunder wave and is generally unfazed by Clefable’s antics thanks to roost.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Clefable gets access to a wide variety of support moves such as encore, teleport, sing, light screen, and reflect. These could be used to provide support for your team or gain offensive momentum, but are generally not recommended, as they would mean sacrificing the more consistent value of toxic or thunder wave.
Clefable has also used calm mind in the past to act more offensively, specifically allowing it to OHKO Melmetal at +1, while also bolstering its special bulk. In a more modern metagame, however, this approach tends to fall flat, and goes against what makes Clefable valuable to teams. If you were to run calm mind, you would want to run it instead of thunder wave or toxic. This greatly hinders your usefulness against an opposing Mew lead, and the added bulk and power are only situationally useful compared to the status options.
Checks and Counters
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**Beedrill**: Listed separate from the other poison types because of how uniquely it shuts Clef down and disables its entire game plan. Clefable’s whole team generally relies on its ability to lead and guarantee rocks on the field as soon as possible. Because Mega Beedrill thrives as a lead and can outspeed and OHKO Clef, its whole team needs to adjust its game plan accordingly. This can put not just Clefable, but your whole strategy into an awkward spot, as delaying rocks is especially devastating against Bee.
**Other Poison Types**: Mega Venusaur, Gengar, Base Venusaur, and the less common Muk-Alola can all check Clefable. Venusaur can outspeed Clefable and either threaten sleep or huge damage with sludge bomb. Gengar can also outspeed and threaten massive damage on Clef. However, neither of the two want to take a Thunder Wave. Venusaur especially needs to be careful, as it can be outsped by Melmetal when paralyzed. Alolan Muk is the least threatened by Clefable of the other poison types discussed here. However, Alolan Muk is also tasked with checking the Nasty Plot Mew that Clefable is typically partnered with, so using it to answer Clefable weakens its ability to fulfill this more crucial role.
**Melmetal**: Melmetal OHKOes Clefable with Double Iron Bash. However, you need to be careful when using Melmetal to answer Clefable, as Clef is faster and getting hit by Fire Blast really stings. If you’ve managed to paralyze the Clefable then Melmetal makes a great counter to Clef. Otherwise the tier titan has more important things to do.
[CREDITS]
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