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RU Claydol [QC 2/2] [GP 1/1]

Plague von Karma

Banned deucer.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Teleport
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Claydol carves itself a niche as a Stealth Rock setter in RU thanks to its wide array of support and offensive options. It's capable of pressuring other setters in the format, such as Steelix and Rhydon, thanks to its access to STAB Earth Power and resistance to their attacks. In addition, its diverse movepool can make it flexible enough to adapt itself to many teams. Teleport means Claydol is capable of acting as an excellent pivot that can safely get powerful wallbreakers onto the field. Toxic enables Claydol to put bulkier switch-ins such as Jellicent on a timer. Its relatively good bulk augments this excellently as well. While Rapid Spin is blocked by Ghost-types, it can be used over Toxic should you require it. Claydol's great special bulk enables it to check a good portion of the special attackers in the tier, such as Alolan Raichu and Salazzle, while threatening them with Earth Power or Toxic.

Claydol pairs well with powerful wallbreakers, such as Salazzle, Drampa, and Alolan Raichu, as it can use Teleport to get them onto the field safely. Because Claydol's poor damage output tends to invite Pokemon in safely, such as Vileplume and Xatu, Frosmoth makes an excellent partner, forcing them out or possibly using them as setup fodder. Claydol is also threatened by many Grass-types in the tier by virtue of its poor damage output and Ground-typing such as Abomasnow and Virizion. Water-types also dispatch Claydol in a similar manner, with Inteleon and Cramorant being particular issues. In general, Abomasnow, Duraludon, and Vileplume are all fairly good answers to these types of Pokemon. Whether using Rapid Spin or not, Claydol tends to struggle against Ghost-types like Jellicent, Decidueye and Dhelmise, so a counter to these is necessary; Drapion and Drampa make fairly good choices, usually forcing them out.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[aVocado, 56549], [Averardo, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
 
Last edited:
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Teleport
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD

this should be the set, mention in set details that if u rly need spin u could run it over toxic

also, i appreciate the enthusiasm, but your analysis is way too long! it should be 2 paragraphs cuz this is just a preview :)

just explain the set's role, a few tips on what it checks and when to set up rocks, and teammates
 
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Teleport
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD

this should be the set, mention in set details that if u rly need spin u could run it over toxic

also, i appreciate the enthusiasm, but your analysis is way too long! it should be 2 paragraphs cuz this is just a preview :)

just explain the set's role, a few tips on what it checks and when to set up rocks, and teammates
I removed the "other options" paragraph and added a note that you can carry spin. I wound up removing parts of the "weaknesses" paragraph and merged it into the top one. Is that ok?

EDIT: Just added a note on Toxic and tweaked notes on its strengths against hazards so that it's next to the "you can run spin" bit.
 
Claydol carves itself a niche as a Stealth Rock setter in RU thanks to its wide array of support and offensive options. It's capable of pressuring other setters in the format, such as Steelix and Rhydon, thanks to STAB Earth Power.
Change this to include that its a great check to Raichu-A and indeedee in a pinch and it threatens those setters (rhydon/lix) because it resists their moves in addition to hitting them with earth power. do that but in a more eloquent way than i just did

Its relatively good bulk augments this excellently as well, with it being able to take super-effective attacks from threats such as Cramorant and Rotom-Mow, while still making the switch
this is very mouthful and kinda unnecessary cuz typically you don't want to keep your claydol vs rotom-c and cramorant, so re-word this to just say it has good bulk i guess? you could probably remove this altogether and it'd still make sense

Claydol pairs well with heavy hitters, as Teleport along with Claydol's good bulk, allows it to grant safe switch-ins to them, opening the opponent up to heavy pressure. Pokemon that struggle to get in, such as Salazzle and Charizard, can profit from this extremely well. Claydol tends to struggle against Ghost-types that can SpinBlock it, especially Jellicent, so a blanket counter to these types of Pokemon is necessary; Silvally-Dark and Drapion make fairly good choices. Drapion, in particular, fares well, as Claydol can also switch in against a lot of its greatest threats, such as Rhydon.
this needs to be beefed up. first things first, zard isn't a mon that struggles to come in so that example should be changed. better examples include inteleon, cb bewear/rillaboom/dhelmise, and drampa. any wallbreaker really, but charizard is a poor choice. you don't have to include all these examples, just a few is okay.

add examples when you say "a blanket counter to jellicent", vague statements aren't encouraged in analyses. for jellicent, you can use virizion or rotom-c. darkvally and drapion just get burned by scald. although if you get them in through teleport they dodge that, so if you do wanna mention them do also emphasize that switching directly into scald is risks a burn which is not good.

good work otherwise, do this and tag me so i take another look
 
Right, it seems that bit about Cramorant was about the Teleport stuff before I changed the structure, I snipped off a bit of the words so it's just about the bulk. I think it has some place in the analysis.

I've implemented the rest, all very good criticism. Thanks for pointing it all out, I appreciate it.
 
However, Claydol has a bevvy of weaknesses that must be considered. While its typing and ability give it good pivoting capability, it isn't great defensively overall, with notable weaknesses to Dark, Ghost, Water, Ice and more. Its low HP also means that while it will survive a few hits, many of these will take a good chunk out of it. Its offensive presence is also negligible if it can't hit the opponent's weakness, making bulky water types such as Gastrodon and especially Jellicent great counters.
remove this whole section, it's unnecessary because it is pretty much common knowledge and we're not exactly pointing out individual pokemon flaws in preview analyses, or if we do they're kinda mixed in with some other comment, for example "Because Claydol struggles with so and so, x Pokemon can pair well because.."

also i'm still not happy with the teammates section. claydol gives vileplume free switches, what should you do about that? have a mon prepared for that scenario, and that's what should be added. you listed what claydol struggles against with relative ease, so now suggest what the player can do to mitigate those weaknesses

you've done a good job so far it's just a bit "out of format" if that makes sense :) sorry it took me a while to get back to you, got busy
 
You're absolutely right. I gave it a good look-over and implemented a bunch of changes.
good job :blobthumbsup:

QC approved 1/2
RSTev9Z.gif
 
Claydol pairs well with heavy hitters. Teleport, along with Claydol's good bulk, allows it to grant safe switch-ins to them. Pokemon that struggle to get in, such as Salazzle, Rillaboom and Dhelmise, can profit from this extremely well
i dont think those are the best example. I would say Inteleon, Drampa and Raichu Alola. Everything else is fine, 2/2 good job :)
 
i dont think those are the best example. I would say Inteleon, Drampa and Raichu Alola. Everything else is fine, 2/2 good job :)
Would Salazzle, Drampa and Raichu-A be more fitting given Inteleon was suggested later for other reasons? If so, shall I get this moving to GP?
 
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Teleport
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Claydol carves itself a niche as a Stealth Rock setter in RU thanks to its wide array of support and offensive options. It's capable of pressuring other setters in the format, such as Steelix and Rhydon, thanks to STAB Earth Power while resisting their own. In addition, its strong movepool can make it flexible enough to adapt itself to many teams. Teleport means Claydol is capable of acting as an excellent pivot, generating a team a good deal of momentum, checking threats such as Raichu-A, and Indeedee-M in a pinch that can safely get powerful wallbreakers onto the field. Toxic enables Claydol to put bulkier threats such as Jellicent on a timer on switch-in. Its relatively good bulk augments this excellently as well. Claydol also has access to Rapid Spin, and while it is countered blocked by Ghosts, it can be used over Toxic should you require it. Note that it resists Stealth Rock while being immune to other hazards as well. (Unnecessary- add something here about what the special bulk is used to check, Alolachu Indeedee Salazzle etc.)

Claydol pairs well with heavy hitters powerful wallbreakers, such as example, example, and example, as it can use Teleport to get them onto the field safely. Teleport, along with Claydol's good bulk, allows it to grant safe switch-ins to them. Pokemon that struggle to get in, such as Salazzle, Drampa and Raichu-A, can profit from this extremely well. (You can use these three as examples as we fold this into the previous sentence.) Claydol tends to invite Pokemon in safely due to its poor damage output, such as Vileplume and Xatu. You can exploit this with Teleport to force the opponent into a bad position. In this case Because of this, Frosmoth can deal with both makes for an excellent partner, forcing them out or possibly using them as setup fodder. Choice Specs Inteleon is also a fair option, as it can force both of them out with the threat of an OHKO with Ice Beam, especially after Stealth Rock. (Inteleon is absolutely not a safe switch-in to either of these, so I don't think it works too well here.) If using Rapid Spin, Claydol tends to struggle against Ghost-types, especially Decidueye and Dhelmise like Jellicent, Decidueye, and Dhelmise, so a counter to these is necessary; Drapion and Drampa make fairly good choices, usually forcing them out. (This teammates section needs to be beefed up a fair bit. Claydol is quite weak to powerful Water-, Grass-, and Ghost-types- all of which are common in RU. Add in sections detailing teammates who can deal with these, namely things like Virizion, Duraludon, and Vileplume, for Water/Grass, and Drapion, Drampa, etc for Ghost-types.)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[aVocado, 56549], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

tag again once implemented and I'll have another look, or message me on discord with any specific questions :)
 
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/1
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Teleport
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Claydol carves itself a niche as a Stealth Rock setter in RU thanks to its wide array of support and offensive options. It's capable of pressuring other setters in the format, such as Steelix and Rhydon, thanks to its access to STAB Earth Power while resisting their own and resistance to their attacks. In addition, its strong (great? diverse? strong doesn't work at least) movepool can make it flexible enough to adapt itself to many teams. Teleport means Claydol is capable of acting as an excellent pivot that can safely get powerful wallbreakers onto the field. Toxic enables Claydol to put bulkier threats switch-ins such as Jellicent on a timer on switch-in. Its relatively good bulk augments this excellently as well. Claydol also has access to Rapid Spin, and While it Rapid Spin is blocked by Ghost-types, it can be used over Toxic should you require it. Claydol's great special bulk enables it to check a good portion of the special attackers in the tier, such as Alolan Raichu-A and Salazzle, (AC) while threatening them with Earth Power or Toxic.

Claydol pairs well with powerful wallbreakers, such as Salazzle, Drampa, and Alolan Raichu-A, as it can use Teleport to get them onto the field safely. Because Claydol's poor damage output tends to invite Pokemon in safely due to its poor damage output, such as Vileplume and Xatu. Because of this, Frosmoth makes an excellent partner, forcing them out or possibly using them as setup fodder. Claydol is also threatened by many Grass-types in the tier by virtue of its poor damage output and Ground typing, (RH) such as Abomasnow and Virizion. Water-types also dispatch Claydol in a similar manner, with Inteleon and Cramorant being particular issues. In general, Abomasnow, Duraludon, (AC) and Vileplume are all fairly good answers to these types of Pokemon. Whether using Rapid Spin or not, Claydol tends to struggle against Ghost-types like Jellicent, Decidueye and Dhelmise, so a counter to these is necessary; Drapion and Drampa make fairly good choices, usually forcing them out.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[aVocado, 56549], [Averardo, 409096]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]
 
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