[OVERVIEW]
Blessed with the ability Magic Guard, Clefable is a serviceable support Pokemon in BW OU with an immunity to the widespread residual damage sources in the tier. In a metagame defined by permanent sand and rain-boosted Scald, Clefable differentiates itself from other special walls through its passive longevity and—most importantly in a tier with Spikes Skarmory and Ferrothorn—little reliance on Rapid Spin support. Utilizing these traits, Clefable easily finds entry points on many passive Pokemon and disrupts opposing teams with tools such as Knock Off and Thunder Wave.
That said, Clefable's lack of resistances and middling stat spread is exploitable in a generation also renowned for offensive power creep. Compared with other dedicated special walls such as Blissey, Clefable's bulk doesn't hold up in the face of more powerful wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, Choice Specs Latios, and boosted Volcarona. A reliance on Thunder Wave to drive progress also makes Clefable exploitable by the wide range of offensive Ground-types in BW OU. A sole weakness to Fighting, similarly, is a limitation for Clefable considering the introduction of Keldeo and Terrakion as well as the widespread use of Focus Blast and Superpower as coverage.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Seismic Toss / Ice Beam
move 4: Soft-Boiled
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 184 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Clefable's standard role in BW OU is that of disruptor, utilizing its easy entry points on passive walls and causing chaos with a combination of moves that lack good switch-ins—Thunder Wave and Knock Off. Thunder Wave stops Clefable from being exploited by opposing offense, deterring powerful wallbreakers such as Keldeo, Terrakion, and Kyurem-B from switching in; therefore, the opponent is forced to pivot indirectly to avoid having their best offensive tools being crippled. Thunder Wave has wider utility, too—even against defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory or slower setup threats such as Reuniclus, paralysis is a huge limiter that reduces the likelihood of successive recovery moves and makes them more easily broken by teammates. Thunder Wave also eases many of Clefable's one-on-one matchups including versus Tyranitar, Magnezone, and Heatran, where a fast Soft-Boiled and waiting for a 25% full paralysis drives the odds in Clefable's favor. Knock Off partners well with Thunder Wave by being a particularly good punisher to Ground-types that try to pivot through their paralysis immunity, especially Excadrill, which struggles to consistently remove entry hazards without its Leftovers. Knock Off is also strong against other defensive Pokemon that glean their longevity from Leftovers, particularly Politoed and Jirachi.
The main decision to be made when crafting teams with support Clefable is in the selection of its lone attacking move. Seismic Toss is broadly more consistent, hitting an even 100 damage with 32 PP, making it a reliable way of depleting the 16 PP from recovery moves on opposing defensive Pokemon. However, in choosing Seismic Toss, the set is fully exploitable by Gliscor, which already switches into both Thunder Wave and Knock Off, and it just as worryingly makes Clefable a setup opportunity for Lum Berry Dragonite. Offensive Ground-types that are less item-reliant, such as Swords Dance Garchomp, also happily trade Seismic Toss damage to generate setup chances. The solution for both of these issues is Ice Beam, though this comes at the cost of less consistent damage output against Steel-types and Tyranitar and suffers from reduced PP.
Set Details
========
The EV spread leans towards Clefable's Special Defense, in line with its role as a Scald absorber and disruptor of bulky Water-types. 252 HP and 184 Special Defense EVs ensure Clefable is never 2HKOed by Modest Heatran Magma Storm after Leftovers and almost never OHKOed by Latios's +1 Dragon Fang Draco Meteor, the strongest single move Latios is ever likely to fire. With these benchmarks met, the remaining EVs aim to improve Clefable's consistency against some of its more marginal matchups—12 Speed EVs make Clefable faster than 0 Speed Tyranitar, allowing it to get a faster Thunder Wave or Soft-Boiled and avoid the 2HKO from Superpower. 60 Defense EVs ensure Clefable will always survive an unboosted Keldeo's Secret Sword, as well as improving Clefable's odds into against defensive Ground-types, including giving support Landorus-T only a 0.4% chance to 2HKO with Earthquake.
Team Options
========
Clefable's strongest differentiation over other similar special walls lies in its residual damage immunity, including Spikes. As a result, Clefable is best utilized on teams that minimize their Spikes weaknesses and therefore avoid requiring a spinner. If the team is taken in a direction that requires Rapid Spin support, it is likely that Clefable becomes a less favorable option compared to the likes of Blissey or Chansey. With this in mind, Clefable's main partners in crime are themselves Spikes-immune.
Physically defensive Skarmory forms a strong two-Pokemon defensive core with Clefable, helping to cover its weakness to strong Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. Clefable complements Skarmory by luring in and crippling Excadrill with Knock Off, helping Skarmory to win the entry hazard game long-term. Bronzong is a similar option, lacking Spikes but gaining an Ice resistance that helps cover Mamoswine.
Clefable also pairs well with Pokemon that take advantage of its Knock Off- and Thunder Wave-spreading as well as the recovery PP draining it can facilitate. Among the best wincons for Clefable teams is Calm Mind Reuniclus, which appreciates moving first, finding setup opportunities against paralyzed foes, and taking advantage of Steel-types like Jirachi and Excadrill that have been hit by Knock Off. Reuniclus also supports Clefable by being one of the sturdiest physical Fighting-resistant Pokemon in the tier, making it a good pivot against the likes of Terrakion.
Ground-type Stealth Rock setters make great partners—Landorus-T and Gliscor are efficient at trading Stealth Rock in the lead slot and synergize well with Spikes-immune strategies. Hippowdon is grounded but can offset its Spikes weakness with Slack Off and provides Sand Stream to synergize with Clefable's Knock Off.
Latias and Latios have great defensive synergy with Clefable, serving as strong defensive switch-ins against the offensive rain threats such as Keldeo and Thundurus-T, while Clefable nullifies rain's defensive core of Politoed, Ferrothorn, and Tentacruel. Clefable's paralysis spreading also helps Latios and Latias break some of their defensive counterplay, such as specially defensive Skarmory.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Clefable has access to Stealth Rock, and this is sometimes an option to free up a slot on otherwise dedicated Stealth Rock setters such as Landorus-T and Gliscor, which can instead go more offensive routes. Clefable has strong matchups as a Stealth Rock setter against Starmie and Tentacruel, which can be enticing. However, this trade often comes at huge expense no matter which moveslot is dropped to facilitate Stealth Rock, as any Clefable lacking Knock Off is fodder for Excadrill, while any Clefable lacking Thunder Wave is exploitable by every wallbreaker in the tier. These same issues apply for all of Clefable's other moveset options.
Encore is a niche support move that more directly inhibits Calm Mind Reuniclus than Thunder Wave, as well as helping Clefable more easily beat some defensive Pokemon, locking them into the status move they used on switch-in. Clefable also has access to Wish and Heal Bell to support partners, but these are hindered by its middling HP stat and anti-synergy with the status absorption of Magic Guard, respectively. Trick + Choice Scarf and Trick + Sticky Barb sets have potential at lead but again suffer from losing one of Knock Off or Thunder Wave.
As a Gen 1 Normal-type, Clefable has access to a deep attacking movepool that contains the likes of Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Charge Beam, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast as well as access to boosting moves, including Calm Mind and Cosmic Power. It may be tempting to craft Clefable as a late-game boosting sweeper with combinations of these tools, but, by and large, they are outclassed by other options, mostly notably Reuniclus, which boasts a better STAB option, defensive typing, and stat spread.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: With a middling defensive stat spread, Clefable can't stand up to many of the tier's stronger wallbreakers, especially those that run Fighting-type moves. Although they are deterred from switching in directly by threat of Thunder Wave, Terrakion and Keldeo are particularly good punishers of Clefable that threaten OHKOs with Choice-item boosted Fighting-type attacks while also having Substitute and setup sets that can take advantage of Thunder Wave. Special mentions also go to Breloom and Conkeldurr, which fear the risk of Thunder Wave less with Poison Heal and Guts, respectively.
**Thunder Wave-immune Pokemon**: The best pivots against Clefable are often Thunder Wave-immune, and there's no shortage of strong Ground-types in the tier. Landorus-T and Garchomp switch safely into any sets lacking Ice Beam, assuming they are happy to lose their item. With access to reliable recovery, Hippowdon and Gastrodon can tolerate losing Leftovers and can enter PP draining stalemates with Clefable. Notably, Mamoswine is resistant to even Ice Beam with Thick Fat and threatens Clefable with both of its STAB moves and Choice Band Superpower. Excadrill fears Knock Off more than most other options in this category, but, supported by Rotom-W for safe entry from Volt Switch, it is a thorn in the side of Clefable. Gliscor, particularly Swords Dance sets, is the biggest threat for Clefable, as it is completely safe against any non-Ice Beam set, as well as threatening to sweep against many of the compositions Clefable finds itself on. Thundurus-T's Electric immunity through Volt Absorb makes it a good pivot into Clefable, which it can threaten with Focus Blast or Nasty Plot-boosted Thunder.
**Taunt**: Taunt blocks Clefable from spreading paralysis and recovering, making it far more exploitable. Taunt Jellicent can allow safe entry for teammates free from the risk of Thunder Wave, though most sets are unable to damage Clefable directly. Magma Storm + Taunt Heatran turns the Clefable matchup on its head and can handily trap and remove it for teammates.
**Substitute**: With a strong reliance on Thunder Wave and Knock Off, Clefable is naturally checked by the move Substitute. Substitute Terrakion and Keldeo find setup opportunities by forcing out Clefable while also lowering the threat of Thunder Wave. Pokemon with access to 101 HP Substitute are particularly strong against Clefable due to its high usage of Seismic Toss—Substitute Excadrill and Kyurem-B both take advantage of Clefable in this way, while Substitute + Baton Pass Celebi is less directly threatening but can provide safe passage for a teammate.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/peng.33864/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blubird.347088/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Blessed with the ability Magic Guard, Clefable is a serviceable support Pokemon in BW OU with an immunity to the widespread residual damage sources in the tier. In a metagame defined by permanent sand and rain-boosted Scald, Clefable differentiates itself from other special walls through its passive longevity and—most importantly in a tier with Spikes Skarmory and Ferrothorn—little reliance on Rapid Spin support. Utilizing these traits, Clefable easily finds entry points on many passive Pokemon and disrupts opposing teams with tools such as Knock Off and Thunder Wave.
That said, Clefable's lack of resistances and middling stat spread is exploitable in a generation also renowned for offensive power creep. Compared with other dedicated special walls such as Blissey, Clefable's bulk doesn't hold up in the face of more powerful wallbreakers such as Thundurus-T, Choice Specs Latios, and boosted Volcarona. A reliance on Thunder Wave to drive progress also makes Clefable exploitable by the wide range of offensive Ground-types in BW OU. A sole weakness to Fighting, similarly, is a limitation for Clefable considering the introduction of Keldeo and Terrakion as well as the widespread use of Focus Blast and Superpower as coverage.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Seismic Toss / Ice Beam
move 4: Soft-Boiled
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 184 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Clefable's standard role in BW OU is that of disruptor, utilizing its easy entry points on passive walls and causing chaos with a combination of moves that lack good switch-ins—Thunder Wave and Knock Off. Thunder Wave stops Clefable from being exploited by opposing offense, deterring powerful wallbreakers such as Keldeo, Terrakion, and Kyurem-B from switching in; therefore, the opponent is forced to pivot indirectly to avoid having their best offensive tools being crippled. Thunder Wave has wider utility, too—even against defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory or slower setup threats such as Reuniclus, paralysis is a huge limiter that reduces the likelihood of successive recovery moves and makes them more easily broken by teammates. Thunder Wave also eases many of Clefable's one-on-one matchups including versus Tyranitar, Magnezone, and Heatran, where a fast Soft-Boiled and waiting for a 25% full paralysis drives the odds in Clefable's favor. Knock Off partners well with Thunder Wave by being a particularly good punisher to Ground-types that try to pivot through their paralysis immunity, especially Excadrill, which struggles to consistently remove entry hazards without its Leftovers. Knock Off is also strong against other defensive Pokemon that glean their longevity from Leftovers, particularly Politoed and Jirachi.
The main decision to be made when crafting teams with support Clefable is in the selection of its lone attacking move. Seismic Toss is broadly more consistent, hitting an even 100 damage with 32 PP, making it a reliable way of depleting the 16 PP from recovery moves on opposing defensive Pokemon. However, in choosing Seismic Toss, the set is fully exploitable by Gliscor, which already switches into both Thunder Wave and Knock Off, and it just as worryingly makes Clefable a setup opportunity for Lum Berry Dragonite. Offensive Ground-types that are less item-reliant, such as Swords Dance Garchomp, also happily trade Seismic Toss damage to generate setup chances. The solution for both of these issues is Ice Beam, though this comes at the cost of less consistent damage output against Steel-types and Tyranitar and suffers from reduced PP.
Set Details
========
The EV spread leans towards Clefable's Special Defense, in line with its role as a Scald absorber and disruptor of bulky Water-types. 252 HP and 184 Special Defense EVs ensure Clefable is never 2HKOed by Modest Heatran Magma Storm after Leftovers and almost never OHKOed by Latios's +1 Dragon Fang Draco Meteor, the strongest single move Latios is ever likely to fire. With these benchmarks met, the remaining EVs aim to improve Clefable's consistency against some of its more marginal matchups—12 Speed EVs make Clefable faster than 0 Speed Tyranitar, allowing it to get a faster Thunder Wave or Soft-Boiled and avoid the 2HKO from Superpower. 60 Defense EVs ensure Clefable will always survive an unboosted Keldeo's Secret Sword, as well as improving Clefable's odds into against defensive Ground-types, including giving support Landorus-T only a 0.4% chance to 2HKO with Earthquake.
Team Options
========
Clefable's strongest differentiation over other similar special walls lies in its residual damage immunity, including Spikes. As a result, Clefable is best utilized on teams that minimize their Spikes weaknesses and therefore avoid requiring a spinner. If the team is taken in a direction that requires Rapid Spin support, it is likely that Clefable becomes a less favorable option compared to the likes of Blissey or Chansey. With this in mind, Clefable's main partners in crime are themselves Spikes-immune.
Physically defensive Skarmory forms a strong two-Pokemon defensive core with Clefable, helping to cover its weakness to strong Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. Clefable complements Skarmory by luring in and crippling Excadrill with Knock Off, helping Skarmory to win the entry hazard game long-term. Bronzong is a similar option, lacking Spikes but gaining an Ice resistance that helps cover Mamoswine.
Clefable also pairs well with Pokemon that take advantage of its Knock Off- and Thunder Wave-spreading as well as the recovery PP draining it can facilitate. Among the best wincons for Clefable teams is Calm Mind Reuniclus, which appreciates moving first, finding setup opportunities against paralyzed foes, and taking advantage of Steel-types like Jirachi and Excadrill that have been hit by Knock Off. Reuniclus also supports Clefable by being one of the sturdiest physical Fighting-resistant Pokemon in the tier, making it a good pivot against the likes of Terrakion.
Ground-type Stealth Rock setters make great partners—Landorus-T and Gliscor are efficient at trading Stealth Rock in the lead slot and synergize well with Spikes-immune strategies. Hippowdon is grounded but can offset its Spikes weakness with Slack Off and provides Sand Stream to synergize with Clefable's Knock Off.
Latias and Latios have great defensive synergy with Clefable, serving as strong defensive switch-ins against the offensive rain threats such as Keldeo and Thundurus-T, while Clefable nullifies rain's defensive core of Politoed, Ferrothorn, and Tentacruel. Clefable's paralysis spreading also helps Latios and Latias break some of their defensive counterplay, such as specially defensive Skarmory.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Clefable has access to Stealth Rock, and this is sometimes an option to free up a slot on otherwise dedicated Stealth Rock setters such as Landorus-T and Gliscor, which can instead go more offensive routes. Clefable has strong matchups as a Stealth Rock setter against Starmie and Tentacruel, which can be enticing. However, this trade often comes at huge expense no matter which moveslot is dropped to facilitate Stealth Rock, as any Clefable lacking Knock Off is fodder for Excadrill, while any Clefable lacking Thunder Wave is exploitable by every wallbreaker in the tier. These same issues apply for all of Clefable's other moveset options.
Encore is a niche support move that more directly inhibits Calm Mind Reuniclus than Thunder Wave, as well as helping Clefable more easily beat some defensive Pokemon, locking them into the status move they used on switch-in. Clefable also has access to Wish and Heal Bell to support partners, but these are hindered by its middling HP stat and anti-synergy with the status absorption of Magic Guard, respectively. Trick + Choice Scarf and Trick + Sticky Barb sets have potential at lead but again suffer from losing one of Knock Off or Thunder Wave.
As a Gen 1 Normal-type, Clefable has access to a deep attacking movepool that contains the likes of Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Charge Beam, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast as well as access to boosting moves, including Calm Mind and Cosmic Power. It may be tempting to craft Clefable as a late-game boosting sweeper with combinations of these tools, but, by and large, they are outclassed by other options, mostly notably Reuniclus, which boasts a better STAB option, defensive typing, and stat spread.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: With a middling defensive stat spread, Clefable can't stand up to many of the tier's stronger wallbreakers, especially those that run Fighting-type moves. Although they are deterred from switching in directly by threat of Thunder Wave, Terrakion and Keldeo are particularly good punishers of Clefable that threaten OHKOs with Choice-item boosted Fighting-type attacks while also having Substitute and setup sets that can take advantage of Thunder Wave. Special mentions also go to Breloom and Conkeldurr, which fear the risk of Thunder Wave less with Poison Heal and Guts, respectively.
**Thunder Wave-immune Pokemon**: The best pivots against Clefable are often Thunder Wave-immune, and there's no shortage of strong Ground-types in the tier. Landorus-T and Garchomp switch safely into any sets lacking Ice Beam, assuming they are happy to lose their item. With access to reliable recovery, Hippowdon and Gastrodon can tolerate losing Leftovers and can enter PP draining stalemates with Clefable. Notably, Mamoswine is resistant to even Ice Beam with Thick Fat and threatens Clefable with both of its STAB moves and Choice Band Superpower. Excadrill fears Knock Off more than most other options in this category, but, supported by Rotom-W for safe entry from Volt Switch, it is a thorn in the side of Clefable. Gliscor, particularly Swords Dance sets, is the biggest threat for Clefable, as it is completely safe against any non-Ice Beam set, as well as threatening to sweep against many of the compositions Clefable finds itself on. Thundurus-T's Electric immunity through Volt Absorb makes it a good pivot into Clefable, which it can threaten with Focus Blast or Nasty Plot-boosted Thunder.
**Taunt**: Taunt blocks Clefable from spreading paralysis and recovering, making it far more exploitable. Taunt Jellicent can allow safe entry for teammates free from the risk of Thunder Wave, though most sets are unable to damage Clefable directly. Magma Storm + Taunt Heatran turns the Clefable matchup on its head and can handily trap and remove it for teammates.
**Substitute**: With a strong reliance on Thunder Wave and Knock Off, Clefable is naturally checked by the move Substitute. Substitute Terrakion and Keldeo find setup opportunities by forcing out Clefable while also lowering the threat of Thunder Wave. Pokemon with access to 101 HP Substitute are particularly strong against Clefable due to its high usage of Seismic Toss—Substitute Excadrill and Kyurem-B both take advantage of Clefable in this way, while Substitute + Baton Pass Celebi is less directly threatening but can provide safe passage for a teammate.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/peng.33864/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blubird.347088/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
