uploaded -zard
[OVERVIEW]
Cradily is a fairly niche defensive Stealth Rock setter that manages to set itself apart with unique resistances and immunities. Its good bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to consistently set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match while checking strong threats such as Kangaskhan. Cradily's unique type combination and access to Storm Drain give it useful immunities and resistances to Water, Normal, and Electric, allowing it to check Pokemon such as Floatzel, Pyroar, and Eelektross. However, Cradily is highly susceptible to common Ice- and Fighting-types such as Aurorus and Primeape. Additionally, many Water- and Normal-types pack Ice- or Fighting-type coverage, meaning Cradily is not a reliable counter to Pokemon such as Kingler and Zangoose. Base 81 offenses make Cradily unable to do much damage against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on badly poisoning them with Toxic. It is terribly slow and thus usually forced to take two hits when switching in, limiting its ability to switch into strong hits and set up Stealth Rock. Being passive can also invite setup sweepers that are not worried about Toxic such as Gurdurr and Oricorio-G. All of these flaws mean that Cradily faces severe competition from other Stealth Rock setters such as Torterra and Regirock.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rock Slide / Giga Drain
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Careful / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock helps wear down the opposing team with residual damage. Recover is necessary to maintain Cradily's health to keep checking Water-types and set up Stealth Rock. Toxic is Cradily's main way of dealing damage and pressuring certain setup sweepers such as Lilligant. Rock Slide is the preferred STAB move, as it allows Cradily to pressure common threats such as Oricorio-G and Swanna. Giga Drain is an option to beat Water-types such as Carracosta and Gastrodon while providing additional recovery. Whichever move is chosen, Cradily finds itself incapable of doing significant damage to certain key threats, so running both Rock Slide and Giga Drain in lieu of Toxic is an option, albeit one which leaves Cradily far more susceptible to setup sweepers.
Set Details
========
Full investment in HP and Special Defense with a Careful nature is used to maximize Cradily's special bulk. A Calm nature should be used when running Giga Drain over Rock Slide. Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery. Storm Drain allows Cradily to better switch into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo.
Usage Tips
========
Find opportunities to bring in Cradily early-game to set up Stealth Rock, ideally as quickly as possible. Use Recover to keep Cradily as healthy as possible so it can switch into Pokemon such as Pyroar and Swanna and set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Certain stronger attackers that Cradily could normally counter such as Ludicolo are capable of 2HKOing it with only slight prior chip damage. Bring Cradily into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo, Lanturn, and Carracosta and force them out with the threat of Giga Drain or Toxic. Use these forced switches as opportunities to set up Stealth Rock or use Recover if Cradily is not healthy. Avoid using Cradily's STAB move early in the match to make the opponent wary of switching in Pokemon like Abomasnow and Oricorio-E that can switch into Cradily depending on its STAB move. Make use of Cradily's immunity to Water to ease prediction against opposing Water-type Pokemon like Carracosta and Ludicolo, as they are less likely to use Water-type moves as long as Cradily is healthy. Cradily should avoid Toxic at all costs from Pokemon such as Clefairy, which can cripple it very badly, and super effective coverage moves from Pokemon it can otherwise counter. Scouting for lures such as Z-Focus Punch Kangaskhan will drastically increase Cradily's survivability.
Team Options
========
Cradily is best fit on bulkier teams, so it should be paired with other defensive Pokemon. Cradily appreciates Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon gone, as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain. Mesprit is able to threaten Poison-types with Psychic, and Gurdurr takes on Steel-types while having Guts to absorb status. Cradily is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes. Defog users such as Skuntank and Swanna make for good partners, with Skuntank in particular being able to absorb Toxic Spikes. Fighting-type checks such as Mesprit and Weezing are very valuable partners for Cradily. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Lanturn and Miltank can be used to remove status from Cradily and its team. Fire-type Pokemon like Combusken and Pyroar appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily. Meanwhile, Cradily benefits Rock-, Ground-, Fire-, and Flying-types by countering many Water- and Electric-types. It can also be a good partner for physically frail Pokemon such as Clefairy, as it can discourage Normal-type wallbreakers like Stoutland from freely spamming their STAB moves.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake is an option to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder, but Cradily barely has room to run two STAB attacks to begin with. A Curse or Swords Dance set can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide, but it is heavily outclassed by Torterra, as Cradily is slow and weak even when boosted. Rocky Helmet can be run over Leftovers to provide chip damage against contact moves, but the lack of passive recovery makes it harder to set up Stealth Rock and makes Cradily more reliant on Recover to keep itself healthy. Mirror Coat can be used to get surprise KOs against foes such as Mesprit, but it's not very consistent and Cradily is already starved for moveslots. Ancient Power makes better use of Storm Drain than Rock Slide but can allow Calm Mind Oricorio-E and Oricorio-G to set up on Cradily.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Hitmonchan, Primeape, and Gurdurr can all OHKO or 2HKO Cradily with their super effective STAB attacks. Hitmonchan can also remove the Stealth Rock set by Cradily, while Gurdurr does not mind switching into Toxic thanks to its Guts ability.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru can freely switch in on Cradily and set up entry hazards or gain momentum with U-turn or Encore.
**Toxic**: Cradily is extremely susceptible to chip damage, and Toxic poison prevents it from reliably countering any of the threats it could normally switch into, as they are free to spam attacks until the Toxic damage increases to lethal levels. In particular, Toxic Spikes from Pokemon such as Weezing and Roselia, which can both easily switch into Cradily, can severely cripple its effectiveness.
**Ice-types**: If Cradily lacks Rock Slide, Ice-types such as Aurorus, Abomasnow, and Articuno can freely switch in and threaten it with super effective Ice-type moves.
**Setup Sweepers** Setup sweepers that are not crippled by Toxic such as Calm Mind Clefairy, Safeguard Bellossom, and Type: Null fear nothing from Cradily and can break through it once enough boosts have been accumulated.
[OVERVIEW]
Cradily is a fairly niche defensive Stealth Rock setter that manages to set itself apart with unique resistances and immunities. Its good bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to consistently set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match while checking strong threats such as Kangaskhan. Cradily's unique type combination and access to Storm Drain give it useful immunities and resistances to Water, Normal, and Electric, allowing it to check Pokemon such as Floatzel, Pyroar, and Eelektross. However, Cradily is highly susceptible to common Ice- and Fighting-types such as Aurorus and Primeape. Additionally, many Water- and Normal-types pack Ice- or Fighting-type coverage, meaning Cradily is not a reliable counter to Pokemon such as Kingler and Zangoose. Base 81 offenses make Cradily unable to do much damage against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on badly poisoning them with Toxic. It is terribly slow and thus usually forced to take two hits when switching in, limiting its ability to switch into strong hits and set up Stealth Rock. Being passive can also invite setup sweepers that are not worried about Toxic such as Gurdurr and Oricorio-G. All of these flaws mean that Cradily faces severe competition from other Stealth Rock setters such as Torterra and Regirock.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rock Slide / Giga Drain
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Careful / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock helps wear down the opposing team with residual damage. Recover is necessary to maintain Cradily's health to keep checking Water-types and set up Stealth Rock. Toxic is Cradily's main way of dealing damage and pressuring certain setup sweepers such as Lilligant. Rock Slide is the preferred STAB move, as it allows Cradily to pressure common threats such as Oricorio-G and Swanna. Giga Drain is an option to beat Water-types such as Carracosta and Gastrodon while providing additional recovery. Whichever move is chosen, Cradily finds itself incapable of doing significant damage to certain key threats, so running both Rock Slide and Giga Drain in lieu of Toxic is an option, albeit one which leaves Cradily far more susceptible to setup sweepers.
Set Details
========
Full investment in HP and Special Defense with a Careful nature is used to maximize Cradily's special bulk. A Calm nature should be used when running Giga Drain over Rock Slide. Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery. Storm Drain allows Cradily to better switch into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo.
Usage Tips
========
Find opportunities to bring in Cradily early-game to set up Stealth Rock, ideally as quickly as possible. Use Recover to keep Cradily as healthy as possible so it can switch into Pokemon such as Pyroar and Swanna and set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Certain stronger attackers that Cradily could normally counter such as Ludicolo are capable of 2HKOing it with only slight prior chip damage. Bring Cradily into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo, Lanturn, and Carracosta and force them out with the threat of Giga Drain or Toxic. Use these forced switches as opportunities to set up Stealth Rock or use Recover if Cradily is not healthy. Avoid using Cradily's STAB move early in the match to make the opponent wary of switching in Pokemon like Abomasnow and Oricorio-E that can switch into Cradily depending on its STAB move. Make use of Cradily's immunity to Water to ease prediction against opposing Water-type Pokemon like Carracosta and Ludicolo, as they are less likely to use Water-type moves as long as Cradily is healthy. Cradily should avoid Toxic at all costs from Pokemon such as Clefairy, which can cripple it very badly, and super effective coverage moves from Pokemon it can otherwise counter. Scouting for lures such as Z-Focus Punch Kangaskhan will drastically increase Cradily's survivability.
Team Options
========
Cradily is best fit on bulkier teams, so it should be paired with other defensive Pokemon. Cradily appreciates Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon gone, as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain. Mesprit is able to threaten Poison-types with Psychic, and Gurdurr takes on Steel-types while having Guts to absorb status. Cradily is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes. Defog users such as Skuntank and Swanna make for good partners, with Skuntank in particular being able to absorb Toxic Spikes. Fighting-type checks such as Mesprit and Weezing are very valuable partners for Cradily. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Lanturn and Miltank can be used to remove status from Cradily and its team. Fire-type Pokemon like Combusken and Pyroar appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily. Meanwhile, Cradily benefits Rock-, Ground-, Fire-, and Flying-types by countering many Water- and Electric-types. It can also be a good partner for physically frail Pokemon such as Clefairy, as it can discourage Normal-type wallbreakers like Stoutland from freely spamming their STAB moves.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake is an option to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder, but Cradily barely has room to run two STAB attacks to begin with. A Curse or Swords Dance set can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide, but it is heavily outclassed by Torterra, as Cradily is slow and weak even when boosted. Rocky Helmet can be run over Leftovers to provide chip damage against contact moves, but the lack of passive recovery makes it harder to set up Stealth Rock and makes Cradily more reliant on Recover to keep itself healthy. Mirror Coat can be used to get surprise KOs against foes such as Mesprit, but it's not very consistent and Cradily is already starved for moveslots. Ancient Power makes better use of Storm Drain than Rock Slide but can allow Calm Mind Oricorio-E and Oricorio-G to set up on Cradily.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Hitmonchan, Primeape, and Gurdurr can all OHKO or 2HKO Cradily with their super effective STAB attacks. Hitmonchan can also remove the Stealth Rock set by Cradily, while Gurdurr does not mind switching into Toxic thanks to its Guts ability.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru can freely switch in on Cradily and set up entry hazards or gain momentum with U-turn or Encore.
**Toxic**: Cradily is extremely susceptible to chip damage, and Toxic poison prevents it from reliably countering any of the threats it could normally switch into, as they are free to spam attacks until the Toxic damage increases to lethal levels. In particular, Toxic Spikes from Pokemon such as Weezing and Roselia, which can both easily switch into Cradily, can severely cripple its effectiveness.
**Ice-types**: If Cradily lacks Rock Slide, Ice-types such as Aurorus, Abomasnow, and Articuno can freely switch in and threaten it with super effective Ice-type moves.
**Setup Sweepers** Setup sweepers that are not crippled by Toxic such as Calm Mind Clefairy, Safeguard Bellossom, and Type: Null fear nothing from Cradily and can break through it once enough boosts have been accumulated.
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