Claydol @ Leftovers/Chesto Berry/Light clay
Bold 252HP/252Def/4SpD
Ice Beam
Rapid Spin
Stealth Rock/Toxic/Light Screen
Reflect/Rest/Explosion
Introduction :
Claydol can switch into every Groudon set without worry and set up SR or rapid spin. By virtue of levitate and his ground typing, he is immune to earthquake and resists stone edge, meaning that Dragon Claw is the only common move that Groudon can really use on Claydol With the given Evs, Rock Polish Groudon’s Life Orb boosted Dragon Claw maxes out at 35.2%, meaning that Claydol can switch in on the rock polish, easily take a dragon claw while setting up reflect, and then proceed to laugh as Groudon can only manage 17.9% max under reflect. Once behind the screen, Claydol can set up Stealth rock, spin, and then proceed to wear it down with Ice Beam or Toxic until it dies. Even if Groudon carries Swords Dance with Rock Polish, Claydol will still come out on top due to his resistance to Stone Edge!
Moveset and Item :
Ice beam is necessary to wear down Groudon and prevent Rayquaza and Garchomp from setting up on you; it also does a respectable amount of damage to Giratina-O who may be trying to block your spin, though you will generally want to catch it on the switch. Rapid Spin is a must on the set as it is the only thing that differentiates Claydol from Bronzong (In the way of countering Groudon), while SR is easy to set up due to the omnipresence of Groudon and Claydol’s various resistances and immunities; however, Toxic is also an option that can prevent Claydol from being set up fodder for the likes of Kyogre, Latios, Wobbuffet, and Taunt-less Mewtwo. Light Screen is more of a novelty, but it is always an option if your team really needs it. The last slot is between Reflect, Rest, and Explosion. Reflect is the more consistent in general; however, the instant recovery of Rest + Chesto Berry gives Claydol a bit of extra longevity that can prove useful against stall and recovering from the occasional critical hit. Explosion is generally a lesser option, but can catch Blissey off guard, and while it will not OHKO, with a minimum output of 73.5%, it will leave her crippled. Light clay has its uses when dealing with Groudon as it will prevent the screen from fading before you have defeated him, so you will have a bit more time to set up on it before attacking, but has little use outside of that (Unless you are running Light Screen), but Claydol will really miss the recovery from leftovers.
EVs and Nature :
Max HP and defense with a defense-boosting nature is a must for dealing with Groudon, and the remaining 4 Evs should be placed into SpD to help with overall defenses. An alternate spread of 252HP/176Def/80SpD is acceptable is you are running light screen to give you a bit more staying power against neutral special attacks like Choice Scarf Palkia’s Spacial Rend, which only a 4HKO under the screen; it is generally a better idea to just max defense in order to deal with Groudon better, though. If OHKOing Blissey with Explosion is important, a spread of 248 HP/ 60 Atk/ 196 Def/ 4 Spe with a relaxed nature can be used to ensure she faints after Stealth Rock damage. This also allows you to stay one point above any Scizor running 4 speed Evs so that you can set up a reflect before it U-turns.
Team Options :
Pokemon like Bulk Up Dialga and Swords Dance Lucario who appreciate both Stealth Rock and having Groudon out of the picture can really benefit from having Claydol around. Defensively, Claydol will really need someone to take water, ice, dark, bug, and ghost-type attacks; Dialga gets a special mention because Claydol resists fighting and is immune to ground type attacks, while Dialga resists the dark, water, ghost, and bug type attacks that plague Claydol. Rayquaza is also a great offensive partner as it benefits from all three of Claydol’s specialties : Removing (or at least weakening) Groudon, deploying Stealth Rock, and removing the hazard from the field.
Other Options :
Grass knot can be used to do a bit more damage to Groudon while also hitting Kyogre on the switch, but should only be used with explosion in the set to prevent the ever threatening Rayquaza from setting up. Note that this will leave Claydol with no way to hit Giratina-O, so hazards will be much harder to remove. Protect is viable to scout common choice item users and gain another turn of leftovers recovery, but fitting it on the set can be hard. Skill Swap in conjunction with Toxic is a silly way to kill off Wobbuffet but really serves no other purpose (It is always great for a laugh/rage quit, though). Recycle with a Chesto Berry gives Claydol consistent recovery, but he will seldom live long enough to abuse it. Finally, Claydol makes a decent user of Trick Room if you are running that sort of team (Make sure to minimize speed).
