[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Copperajah is a budget wallbreaker with solid Attack, good STAB moves, excellent coverage, and enough utility to fit on teams that still need to bolster their defensive profile with a Steel-type late into a draft. On the other hand, it has low defenses without significant investment, no access to reliable recovery, an irredeemable Speed stat, and less tools and utility than the average Steel-type brings to the table, hence the lower price.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Copperajah's toolkit best contributes to spreading damage on the opposing team, with Sheer Force or Heavy Metal alongside a damage-boosting item to increase the power of both its STAB attacks and coverage. Copperajah can make switching in on it difficult due to the amount of strong moves it has access to, being able to run more flexible coverage than similarly priced options. Rarely, it can also set up with Curse, further strengthening itself while being harder to knock out in return.
**Offensive Utility**: If Copperajah is needed to fill another role, it can act as a defensive switch-in to special attackers with Assault Vest alongside Special Defense investment or as utility with Knock Off, Stealth Rock, and Whirlwind to force foes out of position.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Heavy Slam, Iron Head
**Setup Moves**: Curse
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Whirlwind, Taunt, Substitute, Rest, Sleep Talk, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Heat Crash, Play Rough, Earthquake, Superpower, Supercell Slam, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Rock Blast, Zen Headbutt, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense + Body Press**: While Copperajah has relatively low base Defense, and Body Press is not boosted by STAB or Sheer Force, it can utilize IronPress in tandem with RestTalk, a Chesto Berry, or additional coverage to have strong Fighting-type coverage while being nearly impossible to KO with physical attacks alongside its other standard tools.
**Bulldoze / Rock Tomb**: While Copperajah is almost never outspeeding its foes, it can lower the foe's Speed at the cost of Base Power for its teammates to take advantage later in the battle as long as it doesn't negate these secondary effects with Sheer Force.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Life Orb loses its drawbacks when paired with Sheer Force while significantly boosting the power of many moves Copperajah normally carries, like Iron Head and Play Rough.
**Assault Vest**: Copperajah's wide coverage and high HP stat make it a decent Assault Vest user to shut down opposing special attackers that lack strong coverage, letting it switch in and heavily pressure foes in return while taking minimal damage.
**Choice Band**: Copperajah can further boost its immediate damage with all moves via Choice Band, restricting its ability to switch moves but making it very difficult for even foes that resist its attacks to switch in.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Specifically on Curse and Iron Defense sets, Leftovers can provide more recovery to Copperajah than other items would while not forcing it to use up a moveslot with Rest, keeping it healthy while it sets up.
**Resistance Berries**: Against frail foes with strong coverage against Copperajah, it can use an Occa, Chople, or Shuca Berry to survive a strong attack that it normally wouldn't be able to and damage or even KO the foe in return.
**Eject Pack**: Copperajah can use Eject Pack alongside Superpower to deal damage and gain momentum as a pivot a single time while also avoiding being stuck on the field with reduced stats.
**Chesto Berry**: Copperajah can heal any damage or status it takes during battle a single time using Rest paired with a Chesto Berry, allowing it to further pressure the opposing team that might've expected any chip damage to be permanent.
Tera
========
One of Copperajah's best traits is its Steel typing, so being a Tera Captain would only be useful if the team had no better options. If it is the only lower-tier option, it can run Tera Water to maintain a strong defensive profile, Tera Fairy to do the same while empowering Play Rough, or Tera Steel to further strengthen its STAB attacks. Defensively, Tera Fire, Grass, Ghost, and Flying can all flip some of its weaknesses in specific matchups.
Draft Strategy
========
Copperajah provides a Steel-type's defensive profile and a decent offensive profile for people who are lacking in both late in the draft with relatively few points. It is never the star player on a team, and teams will want to consider having solid alternative checks to foes that Steel-types normally deal with.
Checks and Counters
========
**Super Effective Attacks**: Copperajah's low Speed and questionable defenses mean any super effective damage taken from foes stacks up quickly, making it tricky to switch Copperajah in on foes that may be carrying coverage for it. Foes like Urshifu-R, Volcarona, and Landorus-T threaten it with strong STAB moves that they're likely already bringing to the battle regardless.
**Chip Damage**: Copperajah's lack of reliable recovery and reliance on offensive items mean any damage it takes is relatively permanent, especially if it uses Life Orb alongside moves without secondary effects or without Sheer Force.
**Defensive Foes**: Against foes that resist its STAB moves, have recovery options, and aren't too bothered by its coverage, Copperajah can have trouble making a meaningful impact on battles.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/e-man.617175/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Copperajah is a budget wallbreaker with solid Attack, good STAB moves, excellent coverage, and enough utility to fit on teams that still need to bolster their defensive profile with a Steel-type late into a draft. On the other hand, it has low defenses without significant investment, no access to reliable recovery, an irredeemable Speed stat, and less tools and utility than the average Steel-type brings to the table, hence the lower price.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Copperajah's toolkit best contributes to spreading damage on the opposing team, with Sheer Force or Heavy Metal alongside a damage-boosting item to increase the power of both its STAB attacks and coverage. Copperajah can make switching in on it difficult due to the amount of strong moves it has access to, being able to run more flexible coverage than similarly priced options. Rarely, it can also set up with Curse, further strengthening itself while being harder to knock out in return.
**Offensive Utility**: If Copperajah is needed to fill another role, it can act as a defensive switch-in to special attackers with Assault Vest alongside Special Defense investment or as utility with Knock Off, Stealth Rock, and Whirlwind to force foes out of position.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Heavy Slam, Iron Head
**Setup Moves**: Curse
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Whirlwind, Taunt, Substitute, Rest, Sleep Talk, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Heat Crash, Play Rough, Earthquake, Superpower, Supercell Slam, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Rock Blast, Zen Headbutt, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense + Body Press**: While Copperajah has relatively low base Defense, and Body Press is not boosted by STAB or Sheer Force, it can utilize IronPress in tandem with RestTalk, a Chesto Berry, or additional coverage to have strong Fighting-type coverage while being nearly impossible to KO with physical attacks alongside its other standard tools.
**Bulldoze / Rock Tomb**: While Copperajah is almost never outspeeding its foes, it can lower the foe's Speed at the cost of Base Power for its teammates to take advantage later in the battle as long as it doesn't negate these secondary effects with Sheer Force.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Life Orb loses its drawbacks when paired with Sheer Force while significantly boosting the power of many moves Copperajah normally carries, like Iron Head and Play Rough.
**Assault Vest**: Copperajah's wide coverage and high HP stat make it a decent Assault Vest user to shut down opposing special attackers that lack strong coverage, letting it switch in and heavily pressure foes in return while taking minimal damage.
**Choice Band**: Copperajah can further boost its immediate damage with all moves via Choice Band, restricting its ability to switch moves but making it very difficult for even foes that resist its attacks to switch in.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Specifically on Curse and Iron Defense sets, Leftovers can provide more recovery to Copperajah than other items would while not forcing it to use up a moveslot with Rest, keeping it healthy while it sets up.
**Resistance Berries**: Against frail foes with strong coverage against Copperajah, it can use an Occa, Chople, or Shuca Berry to survive a strong attack that it normally wouldn't be able to and damage or even KO the foe in return.
**Eject Pack**: Copperajah can use Eject Pack alongside Superpower to deal damage and gain momentum as a pivot a single time while also avoiding being stuck on the field with reduced stats.
**Chesto Berry**: Copperajah can heal any damage or status it takes during battle a single time using Rest paired with a Chesto Berry, allowing it to further pressure the opposing team that might've expected any chip damage to be permanent.
Tera
========
One of Copperajah's best traits is its Steel typing, so being a Tera Captain would only be useful if the team had no better options. If it is the only lower-tier option, it can run Tera Water to maintain a strong defensive profile, Tera Fairy to do the same while empowering Play Rough, or Tera Steel to further strengthen its STAB attacks. Defensively, Tera Fire, Grass, Ghost, and Flying can all flip some of its weaknesses in specific matchups.
Draft Strategy
========
Copperajah provides a Steel-type's defensive profile and a decent offensive profile for people who are lacking in both late in the draft with relatively few points. It is never the star player on a team, and teams will want to consider having solid alternative checks to foes that Steel-types normally deal with.
Checks and Counters
========
**Super Effective Attacks**: Copperajah's low Speed and questionable defenses mean any super effective damage taken from foes stacks up quickly, making it tricky to switch Copperajah in on foes that may be carrying coverage for it. Foes like Urshifu-R, Volcarona, and Landorus-T threaten it with strong STAB moves that they're likely already bringing to the battle regardless.
**Chip Damage**: Copperajah's lack of reliable recovery and reliance on offensive items mean any damage it takes is relatively permanent, especially if it uses Life Orb alongside moves without secondary effects or without Sheer Force.
**Defensive Foes**: Against foes that resist its STAB moves, have recovery options, and aren't too bothered by its coverage, Copperajah can have trouble making a meaningful impact on battles.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/e-man.617175/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
