Choice Scarf set written by Buddha. Posting here to get approval. Choice Band was going to be part of the analysis, but after testing it was a bit too slow to sweep effectively.
[Overview]
<p>Cranidos must have inherited some of the power from the meteor that rendered other dinosaurs extinct, because he certainly hits like one. Cranidos's insane base 125 Attack is the highest in Little Cup, and with powerful moves like Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash backing it up, he is one of the hardest hitters in Little Cup. Cranidos's main problem is that he's weak to three of the most common priority moves in Little Cup: Vacuum Wave, Aqua Jet, and Bullet Punch. Those average defenses won't protect him from an onslaught of super effective priority moves, which is why it is best to either keep Cranidos hidden until your opponent has revealed their team, or to use a hit-and-run strategy instead.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Cranidos is one of the most powerful revenge killers and hit-and-run attackers in the metagame thanks to his excellent ability, Mold Breaker.</p>
<p>Head Smash is one of the most powerful physical attacks in Little Cup, capable of OHKOing defensive juggernauts such as maximum HP Gligar 74% of the time when Stealth Rock is in play. Head Smash's sheer power makes it your main STAB move, at least for a while—Cranidos will be racking up a lot of recoil damage from Head Smash. Stone Edge does not suffer from recoil and is generally the safer move to use for Cranidos when his health starts to drop. Earthquake provides great coverage alongside Cranidos's Rock-type STAB, and due to Mold Breaker, common Levitate users such as Bronzor and Gastly will find themselves unable to take advantage of Cranidos being locked into it. This allows Cranidos to abuse Earthquake near endlessly, only fearing a Flying-type switch-in, which is an unlikely situation given the threat of switching into Cranidos's STAB Rock-type attacks. Zen Headbutt rounds off the set, hitting Fighting-types such as Machop harder than the other moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Another advantage of Cranidos is that he reaches 22 Speed with an Adamant nature, allowing him to outspeed a large number of Choice Scarf users who reach only 21 Speed. This further increases Cranidos's efficiency as a late-game sweeper, as common 21 Speed Choice Scarf users will be unable to end Cranidos's rampage, allowing him to turn into a formidable sweeper.</p>
<p>A Choice Scarf Cranidos sweep can only be stopped by three things: priority, faster Choice Scarf users, and bulky Ground-types such as Phanpy. Common priority users such as Kabuto, Carvanha, and Croagunk should be removed before Cranidos sets foot in the arena. Kabuto and Carvanha can be eliminated with a Croagunk of your own, who can sponge the Water-type attacks threatening to end Cranidos's rampage, while Gligar can swiftly deal with opposing Croagunk.Gligar should watch out for a stray Ice Punch from Croagunk, however. Gligar is also a great teammate defensively, being immune to and resisting the Ground- and Fighting-type attacks, respectively, that Cranidos is weak to, although the shared Water-type weakness is not appreciated. Gligar can also set up Stealth Rock, which nullifies Focus Sash, aiding in Cranidos's sweep. Alternately, one may use Bronzor in order to set up Stealth Rock and dual screens, while walling Phanpy, who is the best Cranidos counter in the game. Some of the faster Choice Scarf users are Gligar, Mankey, Houndour, and Gastly, who can all OHKO Cranidos. Gligar and Mankey are again walled by Bronzor, whereas Houndour and Gastly can be removed by Munchlax. Mantyke is a good teammate in general with Cranidos since he resists Vacuum Wave, Aqua Jet, and Bullet Punch.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Ice Beam / Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Choice Scarf is good for hit-and-run attacking and revenge killing, Rock Polish Cranidos is great late-game when Pokemon like Croagunk and Carvanha have been removed from play. With 15 Speed, Cranidos outspeeds every Choice Scarf user except for three - Elekid, Diglett, and Voltorb - all of whom Cranidos ties with after a Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Rock Polish boosts Cranidos's Speed to the point where he can be can be an effective sweeper. Stone Edge is Cranidos's main STAB move, which does a large chunk of damage factoring in Cranidos's 24 Attack stat. Earthquake provides good coverage with Cranidos's Rock-type STAB moves, and with Mold Breaker, it can be used to OHKO Gastly, Koffing, and Bronzor. The last option is a toss-up. Zen Headbutt is great for hitting Machop super effectively. Ice Beam can be used for more reliable damage on Gligar, especially in sandstorm, where Sand Veil and unreliable accuracy make Stone Edge a poor choice. Crunch is used to hit Duskull for an OHKO, although a weakened Duskull can be KOed easily by Stone Edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you are running Ice Beam, a Naughty nature should be used so you don't lower Special Attack. Otherwise, Adamant is the nature of choice for Cranidos. Life Orb grants Cranidos even more power; however, Oran Berry is also a great option, allowing Cranidos to potentially take an extra neutral hit, which is valuable since it needs time to set up Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Much like the Choice Scarf set, Rock Polish Cranidos should have Kabuto, Carvanha, Croagunk, and other Pokemon with priority moves eliminated before it attempts to sweep. Croagunk can sponge up Kabuto's and Carvanha's Aqua Jet and hit back with Vacuum Wave. He is also effective at taking out Buizel and Totodile. Gligar can help take down Machop and Croagunk with Earthquake or Aerial Ace. Mantyke makes a great teammate since he can switch in on Phanpy's Earthquake and OHKO with Hydro Pump. He also resists Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, and with Hidden Power Flying, he can take down Croagunk as well. Ground-types are trouble for Rock Polish Cranidos, so a strong Water-type like the previously mentioned Mantyke and Buizel are great teammates. Rock Polish Cranidos appreciates dual screens and Stealth Rock even more than the Choice Scarf set since he needs to set up. Bronzor and Turtwig make good teammates because of this, since Cranidos can switch in on Fire-type moves often used to KO them.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Sweeper
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Ice Beam / Head Smash / Swords Dance / Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
nature: Brave
evs: 210 HP / 236 Atk / 36 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cranidos isn't exactly "slow", but he reaches a low enough Speed to function well in Trick Room. Priority moves still go first in Trick Room, so Cranidos still has to worry about moves like Vacuum Wave and Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>Stone Edge is your main STAB move. While it may not be as strong as Head Smash, Life Orb and Head Smash recoil add up very quickly, which makes it an inferior option. Earthquake gets the famous EdgeQuake coverage, and is the perfect choice for Cranidos's second moveslot. Zen Headbutt scores an OHKO on Machop, who can threaten Cranidos with Bullet Punch and DynamicPunch. Many options can be used in the last moveslot. Ice Beam can be used to OHKO Gligar with Stealth Rock up. Head Smash can also OHKO defensive Gligar, and is a great move to use when Trick Room is ending so Cranidos can go kamikaze and KO himself and the opponent; with a double KO, you can switch to your next Pokemon to set up Trick Room without switching into an attack. Swords Dance is kind of a gamble, but the payoff is huge; every Pokemon in Little Cup is OHKOed by one of Cranidos's moves after a boost. However, Trick Room means you only have about 3 turns to attack with that boost before it wears off. Crunch OHKOes Duskull, who could otherwise threaten Cranidos with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs give Cranidos max HP and max Attack, with an additional point in Special Defense. With zero IVs and a Brave nature, Cranidos reaches a low Speed of 9. Life Orb is recommended over Oran Berry unless Cranidos is using Head Smash or Swords Dance. Oran Berry will help sponge up Head Smash recoil and hopefully provide Cranidos with some healing after it uses Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Setting up Trick Room is the first order of business required for this set to work. Levitate Bronzor is the best option, since it can set up both Trick Room and Stealth Rock, both of which aid in Cranidos's sweep. Baltoy can also set up both Trick Room and Stealth Rock, but Cranidos and Baltoy share quite a few weaknesses, so that could be a problem. Shuppet and Smoochum are great leads to set up Trick Room for Cranidos. Slowpoke is a great Trick Room sweeper to use alongside Cranidos for a number of reasons. Slowpoke can set up Trick Room itself, but he can also use his bulk and typing to switch into Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, all of which threaten Cranidos's sweep greatly. Trapinch can trap Pokemon like Magby and Croagunk and hit them with a STAB Earthquake, so they can't threaten Cranidos with their priority moves. This makes Trapinch a good Pokemon to use alongside Cranidos inside a Trick Room.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Choice Scarf and Rock Polish sets both benefit from priority users and bulky Ground-types being removed. Croagunk, Gligar, and Mantyke are awesome teammates for this reason. Croagunk can take down most users of Aqua Jet with a Fake Out and Vacuum Wave combo, while restoring HP with Dry Skin. Gligar helps against Bullet Punch users like Machop and Croagunk, making him a very solid partner with Cranidos. With an immunity to Earthquake and a resistance to Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Fighting-type priority, Mantyke can help remove bulky Ground-types and most priority users with Hydro Pump and Hidden Power Grass or Flying. Bronzor can set up Stealth Rock, dual screens, and wall some faster Choice Scarf users like Gligar, making it a fantastic team member. Munchlax can help deal with Scarf Gastly and other specially-oriented Choice Scarf users. Hippopotas's Sand Stream ability can summon a sandstorm that boosts Cranidos's Special Defense, which is always appreciated.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Rock Slide can be used as Cranidos's main STAB move if you are worried about Stone Edge and Head Smash's accuracy. A normal Swords Dance or Swords Dance + Rock Polish set could have potential, but Swords Dance Cranidos is rather slow and it is tough finding time to set up both Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Fire Punch and ThunderPunch may look appealing, but STAB Stone Edge is as strong as a super effective ThunderPunch or Fire Punch. Pursuit has the merit of catching fleeing Pokemon, which is quite common since frail Pokemon will rarely want to stay in on Cranidos, especially Choice Scarf variants. Choice Band Cranidos is ridiculously strong, but its poor Speed makes it tough to use. The best way to use it would be to pay homage to RBY and try to paralyze the opponent's team. Due to Cranidos's frailty, Focus Sash is a great item to use if you can keep entry hazards and Hail away.</p>
<p>Cranidos also has an excellent special movepool, but if you are using any special attack other than Ice Beam on Cranidos, you are using it incorrectly. Swagger could be used for an interesting Swaggersaurus set, but Swagger is a poor move in Little Cup. Lastly, Cranidos does get Stealth Rock, but there are better Rock-types for setting up Stealth Rock.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Trying to counter Cranidos comes with the immediate problem of switching into someone with the same base Attack stat as Gyarados. Against Choice Scarf Cranidos, Bronzor can switch into Zen Headbutt or Stone Edge without taking much damage and threaten Cranidos with Flash Cannon or Earthquake. Gligar and other Flying-types can switch in on Earthquake without taking any damage and force Cranidos to switch. There are very few Pokemon, however, who can safely switch into Head Smash. Phanpy and Hippopotas are on the top of that short list, and can threaten Cranidos with Earthquake. Rock Polish Cranidos is pretty much only countered by bulky Ground-types, but even they have to watch out for Ice Beam. Machop can work if Cranidos isn't running Zen Headbutt. Trick Room Cranidos can be countered by Hippopotas and Phanpy, although they need to watch out for Ice Beam and Swords Dance-boosted Earthquakes.</p>
<p>Revenge killing Cranidos is much easier than switching into him. Croagunk's Vacuum Wave does a number to Cranidos. Be careful if sandstorm is brewing, since Cranidos can survive and OHKO with Earthquake or Zen Headbutt. Magby can KO Cranidos with Mach Punch, and Machop can use Bullet Punch. Buizel, Totodile, Carvanha, and Kabuto can all OHKO Cranidos with Aqua Jet after Stealth Rock damage. Faster Choice Scarf users, like Mankey, can revenge kill the Choice Scarf set.</p>
Cranidos, hell yeah!
[Overview]
<p>Cranidos must have inherited some of the power from the meteor that rendered other dinosaurs extinct, because he certainly hits like one. Cranidos's insane base 125 Attack is the highest in Little Cup, and with powerful moves like Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash backing it up, he is one of the hardest hitters in Little Cup. Cranidos's main problem is that he's weak to three of the most common priority moves in Little Cup: Vacuum Wave, Aqua Jet, and Bullet Punch. Those average defenses won't protect him from an onslaught of super effective priority moves, which is why it is best to either keep Cranidos hidden until your opponent has revealed their team, or to use a hit-and-run strategy instead.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Cranidos is one of the most powerful revenge killers and hit-and-run attackers in the metagame thanks to his excellent ability, Mold Breaker.</p>
<p>Head Smash is one of the most powerful physical attacks in Little Cup, capable of OHKOing defensive juggernauts such as maximum HP Gligar 74% of the time when Stealth Rock is in play. Head Smash's sheer power makes it your main STAB move, at least for a while—Cranidos will be racking up a lot of recoil damage from Head Smash. Stone Edge does not suffer from recoil and is generally the safer move to use for Cranidos when his health starts to drop. Earthquake provides great coverage alongside Cranidos's Rock-type STAB, and due to Mold Breaker, common Levitate users such as Bronzor and Gastly will find themselves unable to take advantage of Cranidos being locked into it. This allows Cranidos to abuse Earthquake near endlessly, only fearing a Flying-type switch-in, which is an unlikely situation given the threat of switching into Cranidos's STAB Rock-type attacks. Zen Headbutt rounds off the set, hitting Fighting-types such as Machop harder than the other moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Another advantage of Cranidos is that he reaches 22 Speed with an Adamant nature, allowing him to outspeed a large number of Choice Scarf users who reach only 21 Speed. This further increases Cranidos's efficiency as a late-game sweeper, as common 21 Speed Choice Scarf users will be unable to end Cranidos's rampage, allowing him to turn into a formidable sweeper.</p>
<p>A Choice Scarf Cranidos sweep can only be stopped by three things: priority, faster Choice Scarf users, and bulky Ground-types such as Phanpy. Common priority users such as Kabuto, Carvanha, and Croagunk should be removed before Cranidos sets foot in the arena. Kabuto and Carvanha can be eliminated with a Croagunk of your own, who can sponge the Water-type attacks threatening to end Cranidos's rampage, while Gligar can swiftly deal with opposing Croagunk.Gligar should watch out for a stray Ice Punch from Croagunk, however. Gligar is also a great teammate defensively, being immune to and resisting the Ground- and Fighting-type attacks, respectively, that Cranidos is weak to, although the shared Water-type weakness is not appreciated. Gligar can also set up Stealth Rock, which nullifies Focus Sash, aiding in Cranidos's sweep. Alternately, one may use Bronzor in order to set up Stealth Rock and dual screens, while walling Phanpy, who is the best Cranidos counter in the game. Some of the faster Choice Scarf users are Gligar, Mankey, Houndour, and Gastly, who can all OHKO Cranidos. Gligar and Mankey are again walled by Bronzor, whereas Houndour and Gastly can be removed by Munchlax. Mantyke is a good teammate in general with Cranidos since he resists Vacuum Wave, Aqua Jet, and Bullet Punch.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Ice Beam / Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Choice Scarf is good for hit-and-run attacking and revenge killing, Rock Polish Cranidos is great late-game when Pokemon like Croagunk and Carvanha have been removed from play. With 15 Speed, Cranidos outspeeds every Choice Scarf user except for three - Elekid, Diglett, and Voltorb - all of whom Cranidos ties with after a Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Rock Polish boosts Cranidos's Speed to the point where he can be can be an effective sweeper. Stone Edge is Cranidos's main STAB move, which does a large chunk of damage factoring in Cranidos's 24 Attack stat. Earthquake provides good coverage with Cranidos's Rock-type STAB moves, and with Mold Breaker, it can be used to OHKO Gastly, Koffing, and Bronzor. The last option is a toss-up. Zen Headbutt is great for hitting Machop super effectively. Ice Beam can be used for more reliable damage on Gligar, especially in sandstorm, where Sand Veil and unreliable accuracy make Stone Edge a poor choice. Crunch is used to hit Duskull for an OHKO, although a weakened Duskull can be KOed easily by Stone Edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you are running Ice Beam, a Naughty nature should be used so you don't lower Special Attack. Otherwise, Adamant is the nature of choice for Cranidos. Life Orb grants Cranidos even more power; however, Oran Berry is also a great option, allowing Cranidos to potentially take an extra neutral hit, which is valuable since it needs time to set up Rock Polish.</p>
<p>Much like the Choice Scarf set, Rock Polish Cranidos should have Kabuto, Carvanha, Croagunk, and other Pokemon with priority moves eliminated before it attempts to sweep. Croagunk can sponge up Kabuto's and Carvanha's Aqua Jet and hit back with Vacuum Wave. He is also effective at taking out Buizel and Totodile. Gligar can help take down Machop and Croagunk with Earthquake or Aerial Ace. Mantyke makes a great teammate since he can switch in on Phanpy's Earthquake and OHKO with Hydro Pump. He also resists Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, and with Hidden Power Flying, he can take down Croagunk as well. Ground-types are trouble for Rock Polish Cranidos, so a strong Water-type like the previously mentioned Mantyke and Buizel are great teammates. Rock Polish Cranidos appreciates dual screens and Stealth Rock even more than the Choice Scarf set since he needs to set up. Bronzor and Turtwig make good teammates because of this, since Cranidos can switch in on Fire-type moves often used to KO them.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Sweeper
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Ice Beam / Head Smash / Swords Dance / Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
nature: Brave
evs: 210 HP / 236 Atk / 36 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cranidos isn't exactly "slow", but he reaches a low enough Speed to function well in Trick Room. Priority moves still go first in Trick Room, so Cranidos still has to worry about moves like Vacuum Wave and Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>Stone Edge is your main STAB move. While it may not be as strong as Head Smash, Life Orb and Head Smash recoil add up very quickly, which makes it an inferior option. Earthquake gets the famous EdgeQuake coverage, and is the perfect choice for Cranidos's second moveslot. Zen Headbutt scores an OHKO on Machop, who can threaten Cranidos with Bullet Punch and DynamicPunch. Many options can be used in the last moveslot. Ice Beam can be used to OHKO Gligar with Stealth Rock up. Head Smash can also OHKO defensive Gligar, and is a great move to use when Trick Room is ending so Cranidos can go kamikaze and KO himself and the opponent; with a double KO, you can switch to your next Pokemon to set up Trick Room without switching into an attack. Swords Dance is kind of a gamble, but the payoff is huge; every Pokemon in Little Cup is OHKOed by one of Cranidos's moves after a boost. However, Trick Room means you only have about 3 turns to attack with that boost before it wears off. Crunch OHKOes Duskull, who could otherwise threaten Cranidos with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs give Cranidos max HP and max Attack, with an additional point in Special Defense. With zero IVs and a Brave nature, Cranidos reaches a low Speed of 9. Life Orb is recommended over Oran Berry unless Cranidos is using Head Smash or Swords Dance. Oran Berry will help sponge up Head Smash recoil and hopefully provide Cranidos with some healing after it uses Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Setting up Trick Room is the first order of business required for this set to work. Levitate Bronzor is the best option, since it can set up both Trick Room and Stealth Rock, both of which aid in Cranidos's sweep. Baltoy can also set up both Trick Room and Stealth Rock, but Cranidos and Baltoy share quite a few weaknesses, so that could be a problem. Shuppet and Smoochum are great leads to set up Trick Room for Cranidos. Slowpoke is a great Trick Room sweeper to use alongside Cranidos for a number of reasons. Slowpoke can set up Trick Room itself, but he can also use his bulk and typing to switch into Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, all of which threaten Cranidos's sweep greatly. Trapinch can trap Pokemon like Magby and Croagunk and hit them with a STAB Earthquake, so they can't threaten Cranidos with their priority moves. This makes Trapinch a good Pokemon to use alongside Cranidos inside a Trick Room.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Choice Scarf and Rock Polish sets both benefit from priority users and bulky Ground-types being removed. Croagunk, Gligar, and Mantyke are awesome teammates for this reason. Croagunk can take down most users of Aqua Jet with a Fake Out and Vacuum Wave combo, while restoring HP with Dry Skin. Gligar helps against Bullet Punch users like Machop and Croagunk, making him a very solid partner with Cranidos. With an immunity to Earthquake and a resistance to Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Fighting-type priority, Mantyke can help remove bulky Ground-types and most priority users with Hydro Pump and Hidden Power Grass or Flying. Bronzor can set up Stealth Rock, dual screens, and wall some faster Choice Scarf users like Gligar, making it a fantastic team member. Munchlax can help deal with Scarf Gastly and other specially-oriented Choice Scarf users. Hippopotas's Sand Stream ability can summon a sandstorm that boosts Cranidos's Special Defense, which is always appreciated.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Rock Slide can be used as Cranidos's main STAB move if you are worried about Stone Edge and Head Smash's accuracy. A normal Swords Dance or Swords Dance + Rock Polish set could have potential, but Swords Dance Cranidos is rather slow and it is tough finding time to set up both Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Fire Punch and ThunderPunch may look appealing, but STAB Stone Edge is as strong as a super effective ThunderPunch or Fire Punch. Pursuit has the merit of catching fleeing Pokemon, which is quite common since frail Pokemon will rarely want to stay in on Cranidos, especially Choice Scarf variants. Choice Band Cranidos is ridiculously strong, but its poor Speed makes it tough to use. The best way to use it would be to pay homage to RBY and try to paralyze the opponent's team. Due to Cranidos's frailty, Focus Sash is a great item to use if you can keep entry hazards and Hail away.</p>
<p>Cranidos also has an excellent special movepool, but if you are using any special attack other than Ice Beam on Cranidos, you are using it incorrectly. Swagger could be used for an interesting Swaggersaurus set, but Swagger is a poor move in Little Cup. Lastly, Cranidos does get Stealth Rock, but there are better Rock-types for setting up Stealth Rock.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Trying to counter Cranidos comes with the immediate problem of switching into someone with the same base Attack stat as Gyarados. Against Choice Scarf Cranidos, Bronzor can switch into Zen Headbutt or Stone Edge without taking much damage and threaten Cranidos with Flash Cannon or Earthquake. Gligar and other Flying-types can switch in on Earthquake without taking any damage and force Cranidos to switch. There are very few Pokemon, however, who can safely switch into Head Smash. Phanpy and Hippopotas are on the top of that short list, and can threaten Cranidos with Earthquake. Rock Polish Cranidos is pretty much only countered by bulky Ground-types, but even they have to watch out for Ice Beam. Machop can work if Cranidos isn't running Zen Headbutt. Trick Room Cranidos can be countered by Hippopotas and Phanpy, although they need to watch out for Ice Beam and Swords Dance-boosted Earthquakes.</p>
<p>Revenge killing Cranidos is much easier than switching into him. Croagunk's Vacuum Wave does a number to Cranidos. Be careful if sandstorm is brewing, since Cranidos can survive and OHKO with Earthquake or Zen Headbutt. Magby can KO Cranidos with Mach Punch, and Machop can use Bullet Punch. Buizel, Totodile, Carvanha, and Kabuto can all OHKO Cranidos with Aqua Jet after Stealth Rock damage. Faster Choice Scarf users, like Mankey, can revenge kill the Choice Scarf set.</p>
Cranidos, hell yeah!
