Status - Complete. Ready for upload?
A couple months ago I was running sandstall pretty successfully on the UU ladder. When HGSS rolled around, I saw Cradily got Curse and decided to replace my Curse Regirock, and instead to center my team around sweeping with Cradily. The team was very successful, with Cradily sweeping in nearly half of my 50 matches (and contributing heavily in most of the others). Since that point I've fiddled around with both Curse variants and continued to have remarkable success. This is by far my largest analysis so far, so keep critiquing me and such. Sorry this was so late, btw, in case anyone was looking forward to it.
"Click me to see how forgotten I am!"
[SET]
name: Rest Talk
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Curse
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The addition of Curse to its movepool really gave Cradily a new lease on life. Curse lets Cradily not only boost its Attack, but also allow its Defense to catch up to its already stellar Special Defense (when boosted by sandstorm). Coupled with its unique ability, Suction Cups, a deadly combination is spawned.</p>
<p>The goal of this set is to slowly accrue Curses, using Cradily's bulk to take attacks while gaining Attack and Defense. Cradily is very difficult to take down, as it is free to Rest as often as it pleases, allowing it to absorb status as well as take most attacks. Sleep Talk allows Cradily to stack Curses or fire off Rock Slides while sleeping, meaning that the longer Cradily is in, the more difficult it will be to take down. Although it may seem as though a Pokemon like Milotic could switch in easily and Ice Beam away, the reality is that unless the opposing Pokemon carries extremely powerful super effective special attacks, Cradily will take shockingly low damage from them, as its Special Defense will be sky high in sandstorm (where it should always be used).</p>
<p>This set can be very difficult to stop once it begins setting up, so it can be quite difficult to counter, but an assortment of moves and Pokemon can easily stand in its way. First and foremost, Fighting-types will stop it in its tracks, as they can switch in for free the instant Cradily begins using Curse. Unless Cradily has stacked three or more Curses, it should get out of the way of Fighting-type attacks, leaving them for its teammates, who should be well-equipped to take them on. Other powerful physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, can also get the job done, assuming they don't switch in too late. Registeel completely walls Cradily, assuming it either has Curse, to boost alongside Cradily, or Rest, to PP stall Cradily. If it has neither of these moves, Cradily can prevail in a lengthy battle, barring some bad luck.</p>
<p>After these Pokemon, stopping Cradily gets a whole lot trickier. Haze is hands-down the best option, as Cradily can do absolutely nothing to stop it. Encore is a great bet because Cradily is so slow that you can simply switch a Pokemon into three of its four moves and use Encore. Fortunately for Cradily, both of these moves are relatively rare, and their potential users are few and easily identified. Taunt can either prevent Cradily from Resting or setting up in the first place, but it cannot check Cradily once it has built up enough Curses; by that point Cradily can attack and take hits until the Taunt wears off. Tricking a Choice item onto Cradily devastates it, so Cradily should proceed with extreme caution around Pokemon like Uxie, Mesprit, and Rotom.</p>
<p>Rather than getting Cradily in as soon as it is convenient, the best way to ensure Cradily sweeps is to play semi-stall in the early stages of the match, attempting to identify the Pokemon that can halt Cradily's impending onslaught. From there your goal should be to knock out or neutralize these foes in any way possible, then bring out Cradily late in the match when the coast is clear. When performed correctly, Cradily should have little trouble making mince meat out of your opponent's team.</p>
<p>It is worth noting that Regirock can run an identical set, but with over double the physical Defense. Cradily, however, boasts neutrality to Water-, Grass-, and Ground-type attacks, which are critical for surviving onslaughts from special attacking Pokemon like Sceptile and Life Orb Milotic. Suction Cups also sets it apart from Regirock and all other Curse users.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse + Chesto Rest
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Curse
move 4: Rest
item: Chesto Berry
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set requires Cradily to stack quite a few Curses to take on opponents, this one allows the set up process to be hastened by adding a second attack, and thus, better type coverage. The addition of Seed Bomb allows Cradily to take on bulky Pokemon, such as Milotic, Donphan, and Rhyperior without having to maximize Cradily's Attack stat, as you can now hit them for super effective or neutral damage. In addition, Seed Bomb is a more reliable attack, as it has 100% accuracy (Rock Slide is the preferred move on the mono-attacking set due to superior type coverage).</p>
<p>The key to this set is essentially to use Curse as many times as possible before being forced to Rest, then awaken instantly and sweep. This is quite different from the gradual process discussed in the last set, yet it plays quite similarly for the most part. The main difference is that Cradily can begin attacking earlier, and only stack excess Curses when it is convenient, rather than attempting to nearly maximize its stats before sweeping. The advantage of this set is that your opponent basically has less time to "react", meaning that Encore and Taunt will be futile once Cradily is a few Curses deep and free to begin attacking.</p>
<p>In general, the same counters and team options for the last set apply to this set. Fighting-types, Encore, Haze, and Registeels with Curse or Rest can still bring Cradily to a halt when used properly. Due to the absence of recovery from Leftovers, Seismic Toss is a 4HKO, which can cause problems for Cradily if it is asleep, or is at low health. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhyperior are now considerably less threatening, as Cradily can hit them neutrally with Seed Bomb (or 4x effective in Rhyperior's case), but it will need Curses under its belt to beat the latter two due to their high Attack stats. Note that status becomes slightly more of an issue for Cradily once its Chesto Berry has been used, but again, chances are it will be able to Rest multiple times with sufficient boosts from Curse.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Recover
move 4: Seed Bomb / Stealth Rock / Protect
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the classic Cradily set, which handles special assaults as well as nearly any Pokemon in UU with sandstorm support. Its great typing, above average defenses, and access to Recover make it a very formidable wall. The strategy is simple: switch in on a special attacker like Mismagius or Milotic, shrug off their attacks, and hit them with Toxic or an attack when appropriate. There are very few special attackers Cradily does not beat or stall out with relative ease. It does, however, need to watch out for status moves on this set. Toxic is especially problematic, as Cradily cannot cure itself like it can on sets with Rest. This is the one downside to Recover, which otherwise gives Cradily remarkable longevity. Using Pokemon with Heal Bell or Aromatherapy on your team can allow you to use Cradily much more fearlessly.</p>
<p>The last slot is a matter of preference, and depends on what you want Cradily to do. Hippopotas should be your team's Stealth Rock user, assuming you are running a sandstorm team. If this is the case, Seed Bomb complements Cradily's Rock-type move nicely, providing excellent type coverage. It also allows Cradily to hit Pokemon like Steelix and Aggron, which would otherwise laugh at all of its moves. Protect can also be viable in this slot, as it simultaneously allows Cradily to restore its health with Leftovers and let passive damage from poison and sandstorm wear down its opponent.</p>
<p>The suggested EV spread ensures that a Life Orb boosted +2 Hidden Power Fighting from Mismagius is a 3HKO in a sandstorm. However, the EVs on the defenses can be tweaked as needed. The more Defense EVs that can be spared the better, but Cradily's primary objective is to be your team's special wall, and should be EV'd as such.</p>
[SET]
name: Stockpile Staller
move 1: Stockpile
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rock Slide / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is quite similar to the last, with one large change: Stockpile. Stockpile lets Cradily boost both of its defenses equally up to +3 (Stockpile's limit), at which point it is nearly impossible to take down with unboosted attacks. Unlike the previous set, this one is designed to function outside of sandstorm, although sandstorm support is certainly a plus. This set also makes use of Suction Cups, as it would normally be an easy target for phazing moves.</p>
<p>Toxic and Recover are givens on this set, as Cradily's primary goal is to stall out opponents with poison damage. Toxic is Cradily's main method of racking up damage, which it can do easily after it has boosted its defenses sky high with Stockpile. Against many opponents, Cradily can simply laugh as they throw themselves at it with unsuccessful attacks while their HP slips away. The attack to supplement Toxic is a matter of preference. Earthquake may appear a little out of place on this set, but it allows Cradily to beat Poison- and Steel-types, which is critical as they are immune to Toxic. Rock Slide is, of course, Cradily's typical STAB option, and has good neutral type coverage. The EVs here are designed to equalize Cradily's defenses, as it will need to take special and physical hits equally in order to stall out as many different Pokemon as possible. If you plan to use this set with sandstorm support, all of Cradily's EVs can be committed to Defense, as sandstorm and Stockpile will give it more than enough Special Defense to work with.</p>
<p>Entry hazards work extremely well alongside this set, and are important to its success. Opponents will naturally want to switch out soon after they are poisoned, so entry hazards will both discourage and punish this course of action. Spikes are also beneficial to allow Cradily and its supporting cast to handle Steel-types better. Froslass is, of course, the premier Spiker currently in UU, as it can both lay down Spikes and protect them from Rapid Spin, in addition to its other annoying qualities. Qwilfish is noteworthy for its resistances to every single one of Cradily's weaknesses, although unfortunately its defenses will not go far in this department. If you do not opt for Earthquake on Cradily, most Steel-types can be dealt with efficiently by Magneton, who can trap and beat them. If you want to use this set with sandstorm support, then Hippopotas will, of course, be a necessary component of your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stockpile
move 3: Recover
move 4: Rock Slide / Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is designed to make Cradily an offensive threat outside of sandstorm, where the Curse sets dare not stray. Although using two moves to boost its stats may seem like overkill, the unique combination of Suction Cups, Recover, and balanced all-around stats makes Cradily the perfect Pokemon to do it. Two stat boosting moves is also convenient because it gives you the freedom to choose what Cradily boosts, which can be very beneficial in many situations.</p>
<p>Due to its bulk and instant recovery move, Cradily will find it quite easy to switch into a lot of Pokemon, although it must be cautious of status moves. Once it finds a Pokemon it can set up on, Cradily can begin to boost its stats, typically starting with Stockpile to defend itself against powerful attackers. After multiple Stockpiles, Cradily is extremely difficult to take down in two hits, meaning it will be able to Recover away most damage it takes. When it is convenient, Cradily should have little trouble using Swords Dance multiple times to boost its attack to high levels and begin scoring 2HKOs on most opponents. Rock Slide is yet again the preferred option on this set, due to its superior neutral type coverage over Seed Bomb.</p>
<p>Status ruins this set, which is unfortunate because Cradily is too slow to do anything to prevent it. Therefore, clerics, and even Safeguard users, make great partners for this set. Altaria makes a good teammate, as it can use Heal Bell and Safeguard, although not on the same set. It also resists Fighting- and Bug-type attacks, which Cradily is weak to, and can absorb status moves thanks to Natural Cure. Like the other offensive variants, Cradily struggles to deal with Registeel, and users of Encore, Haze, and Trick. Fighting-types are, as always, a huge problem for this set, even with the Impish nature, as Cradily fails to hit them very hard with Rock Slide. For this reason Ghost-types make good partners, as they are immune to Fighting assaults and can Will-O-Wisp in return.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass Receiver
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Earthquake / Swords Dance / Toxic
move 4: Recover
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like its aquatic counterpart, Octillery, Cradily is a good Baton Pass receiver due to its excellent ability, Suction Cups. Although it lacks the raw power of other Baton Pass candidates, it brings great typing and impressive bulk to the table. As mentioned in the previous sets, the attacking combination of Rock and Grass provides nearly flawless neutral type coverage in UU, resisted only by Registeel and Toxicroak.</p>
<p>Despite Cradily's miserable Speed stat, 252 EVs and an Agility boost will vault it into the upper echelon of UU, allowing it to reach a Speed stat 370, which outspeeds maximum Speed base 115s. A +1 boost allows it to beat maximum Speed Hitmonchan, neutral natured Hitmonlee, maximum Speed base 75s, and neutral natured base 85s. If you are not concerned with its poor Speed, those EVs can be dumped into HP to increase Cradily's durability.</p>
<p>The third moveslot in this set is really a matter of preference. Earthquake provides even better type coverage, and is notable for its ability to hit Registeel and Aggron. Swords Dance helps to boost Cradily's power and sweeping ability, and is especially valuable if your team struggles to pass Attack boosts, which Cradily will certainly need in order to sweep. Toxic can help get rid of pesky defensive Pokemon that can Recover or Rest away the attacks you throw at them.</p>
<p>One thing Cradily does not have going for it is its vulnerability to priority moves. Life Orb TechniTop will deal an average of 80% damage with Mach Punch, while Leftovers variants will still 2HKO. In addition, Blaziken's Vacuum Wave and Hitmonlee's Mach Punch both surpass 50% damage. Fortunately, Donphan's Ice Shard and Choice Band Azumarill's Aqua Jet are 3HKOs, and Sucker Punches thrown by Cacturne and Absol can be Recovered away. All of these Pokemon should also be OHKOed by the appropriate move after a Swords Dance.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>With the exception of the Baton Pass Receiver and Stockpile sets, Cradily should always be operating in a permanent sandstorm, which in UU means you should have Hippopotas on your team, typically as a lead. Cradily desperately needs a Pokemon that can come in and take any Fighting attacks aimed at it, of which there are sure to be plenty. Ghost-types are the obvious option here, and are even better if they can cripple physical Fighting-types with Will-O-Wisp or paralysis. Spiritomb works especially well, as it will be able to take most physical attacks and be able to Will-O-Wisp in return. Uxie also works well, as it is barely scratched by Fighting moves, and can threaten with attacks of its own or cripple them with Thunder Wave. Another benefit Uxie can provide is Reflect, which can help bolster Cradily's defense and buy it some time to Curse. Weezing also deserves mention, as it shrugs off Fighting- and Bug-type attacks that threaten Cradily, has a massive Defense stat, and can Will-O-Wisp threats to Cradily. Rotom covers Cradily's Fight-, Steel-, and Bug-type weaknesses, leaving only Ice-type attacks unresisted, which are usually special, and therefore relatively non-threatening to Cradily. It can also use Reflect or Will-O-Wisp, as well as Trick to cripple Pokemon like Registeel.</p>
<p>For the Curse sets specifically, you will need teammates that can lure and take out the roadblocks to Cradily's sweep. In addition to Fighting-types, bulky Steel-types and Rhyperior should be identified and dealt with before attempting a sweep. Milotic can handle all of these Pokemon well, as can Donphan and, in some cases, Venusaur. Dugtrio can trap and kill most of these threats, as well, which ensures their destruction in a way no other Pokemon can. Fighting-types themselves, especially those on the bulkier side like Hariyama and Hitmontop, also fair well against the aforementioned threats to Cradily. Haze (Milotic, Weezing) and Encore (Alakazam, Jumpluff, Clefable) users are slightly harder to prepare for, due to their diversity, but are also slightly less necessary to have a surefire counter to, since they are relatively rare.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Cradily can utilize Mirror Coat to score some surprise KOs on unsuspecting opponents. Its combination of high SpD and a reliable recovery move make it a respectable and durable user of the strategy, but unfortunately most opponents will attack Cradily from the physical side, especially in a sandstorm. There are still plenty of opponents, however, that would feel comfortable wearing down Cradily with special attacks, such as Alakazam, Mismagius, and offensive variants of Milotic. Cradily takes all of their super effective attacks with ease, and can OHKO back with Mirror Coat in some scenarios. Cradily also gets access to Confuse Ray, which can be used along side or in place of Toxic on the Support set to rack up damage on opponents. If used on the switch it can also leave physical sweepers with a nice parting gift, since they will generally be the most likely switch-ins to Cradily.</p>
<p>Rock Polish can be used to achieve a respectable Speed stat, but unfortunately Cradily might not know what to do with it without a significant Attack boost. This strategy is probably best left to the fellow Rock-types Rhyperior and Aggron. Cradily's Attack and Special Attack stats are equal at base 81, but its special move pool borders on disgraceful, and could really only be made useful with copious boosts passed to it.</p>
[EVs]
<p>In general, maxing out HP is a wise choice on any Cradily, unless Speed is required to pull off a sweep. For Curse variants, it relies on its bulk to sweep, and since Attack and Defense will be boosted, so pouring all its EVs into HP and Special Defense is the recommended choice. For the support set, the EVs should be split between its defenses as needed after maxing out HP. The Support set likes as much Defense as possible to compensate for its inferior base stat, but enough Special Defense to fulfill Cradily's role as a Special Wall. The suggested 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD spread allows Cradily to survive two Life Orbed +2 HP Fightings from Mismagius, as well as any other unboosted special attack in UU.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Cradily has improved vastly with the additions of Platinum and HGSS, imbuing it with Seed Bomb and Curse, respectively. These moves have allowed it to find a niche in the lower tiers as a bulky sweeper, while remaining a formidable wall on sandstorm teams.</p>
<p>Although Underused is Cradily's preferred environment, the abundance of physical Fighting-types really hurts it. That being said, the sweeper sets can still wreck even well-prepared teams when set up properly. The Curse sets do not translate quite so well to Overused, however, as the immediate threats to it are more powerful and popular. Scizor, Metagross, Lucario, and Jirachi not only threaten Cradily with their super effective attacks and physical prowess, but also resist both of Cradily's STAB moves. Ultimately, sweeping may still be worth a shot, but there are many more hoops to jump through to allow Cradily to set up, and even when it does it may not be enough.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Fighting-types in general give Cradily major problems, and should usually send it running for the hills. Nearly all of them will be throwing physical attacks at Cradily, which does not suit Cradily's stat distribution at all. Toxicroak in particular can essentially come in on Cradily for free, as it resists everything but the rare Earthquake, and Nasty Plot or throw up a Sub, knowing Cradily can do nothing but switch. Similarly, anything with Superpower can probably 2HKO Cradily at worst if Cradily has not Cursed multiple times. With Low Kick's rising popularity in UU, it is worth noting that this move hits Cradily for 80 Base Power. This is safely out of OHKO range for any of its likely users with the exception of Adamant CB Aggron, which has a decent chance to OHKO.</p>
<p>Registeel can come in and wall anything Cradily throws at it, assuming that something isn't a rare Earthquake. It will also likely have Iron Head, which both hits Cradily for super effective damage and has a 30% chance to flinch. Weezing is an especially unwelcome switch-in to Curse variants, as it can Haze or Will-O-Wisp Cradily, while taking its attacks with ease. Rhyperior can also take Rock Slides easily, and pummel Cradily with Megahorn.</p>
<p>In general, it is quite easy to switch into Cradily while its stats remain unboosted, due to its mediocre Attack and Speed worthy of a Pokemon with no legs that can't swim or fly. However, once the Curses begin, Cradily can be very hard to stop, and if unprepared you might see your possible switch-ins go from half your team to zero in no time at all.</p>
A couple months ago I was running sandstall pretty successfully on the UU ladder. When HGSS rolled around, I saw Cradily got Curse and decided to replace my Curse Regirock, and instead to center my team around sweeping with Cradily. The team was very successful, with Cradily sweeping in nearly half of my 50 matches (and contributing heavily in most of the others). Since that point I've fiddled around with both Curse variants and continued to have remarkable success. This is by far my largest analysis so far, so keep critiquing me and such. Sorry this was so late, btw, in case anyone was looking forward to it.
"Click me to see how forgotten I am!"[SET]
name: Rest Talk
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Curse
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The addition of Curse to its movepool really gave Cradily a new lease on life. Curse lets Cradily not only boost its Attack, but also allow its Defense to catch up to its already stellar Special Defense (when boosted by sandstorm). Coupled with its unique ability, Suction Cups, a deadly combination is spawned.</p>
<p>The goal of this set is to slowly accrue Curses, using Cradily's bulk to take attacks while gaining Attack and Defense. Cradily is very difficult to take down, as it is free to Rest as often as it pleases, allowing it to absorb status as well as take most attacks. Sleep Talk allows Cradily to stack Curses or fire off Rock Slides while sleeping, meaning that the longer Cradily is in, the more difficult it will be to take down. Although it may seem as though a Pokemon like Milotic could switch in easily and Ice Beam away, the reality is that unless the opposing Pokemon carries extremely powerful super effective special attacks, Cradily will take shockingly low damage from them, as its Special Defense will be sky high in sandstorm (where it should always be used).</p>
<p>This set can be very difficult to stop once it begins setting up, so it can be quite difficult to counter, but an assortment of moves and Pokemon can easily stand in its way. First and foremost, Fighting-types will stop it in its tracks, as they can switch in for free the instant Cradily begins using Curse. Unless Cradily has stacked three or more Curses, it should get out of the way of Fighting-type attacks, leaving them for its teammates, who should be well-equipped to take them on. Other powerful physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, can also get the job done, assuming they don't switch in too late. Registeel completely walls Cradily, assuming it either has Curse, to boost alongside Cradily, or Rest, to PP stall Cradily. If it has neither of these moves, Cradily can prevail in a lengthy battle, barring some bad luck.</p>
<p>After these Pokemon, stopping Cradily gets a whole lot trickier. Haze is hands-down the best option, as Cradily can do absolutely nothing to stop it. Encore is a great bet because Cradily is so slow that you can simply switch a Pokemon into three of its four moves and use Encore. Fortunately for Cradily, both of these moves are relatively rare, and their potential users are few and easily identified. Taunt can either prevent Cradily from Resting or setting up in the first place, but it cannot check Cradily once it has built up enough Curses; by that point Cradily can attack and take hits until the Taunt wears off. Tricking a Choice item onto Cradily devastates it, so Cradily should proceed with extreme caution around Pokemon like Uxie, Mesprit, and Rotom.</p>
<p>Rather than getting Cradily in as soon as it is convenient, the best way to ensure Cradily sweeps is to play semi-stall in the early stages of the match, attempting to identify the Pokemon that can halt Cradily's impending onslaught. From there your goal should be to knock out or neutralize these foes in any way possible, then bring out Cradily late in the match when the coast is clear. When performed correctly, Cradily should have little trouble making mince meat out of your opponent's team.</p>
<p>It is worth noting that Regirock can run an identical set, but with over double the physical Defense. Cradily, however, boasts neutrality to Water-, Grass-, and Ground-type attacks, which are critical for surviving onslaughts from special attacking Pokemon like Sceptile and Life Orb Milotic. Suction Cups also sets it apart from Regirock and all other Curse users.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse + Chesto Rest
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Curse
move 4: Rest
item: Chesto Berry
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set requires Cradily to stack quite a few Curses to take on opponents, this one allows the set up process to be hastened by adding a second attack, and thus, better type coverage. The addition of Seed Bomb allows Cradily to take on bulky Pokemon, such as Milotic, Donphan, and Rhyperior without having to maximize Cradily's Attack stat, as you can now hit them for super effective or neutral damage. In addition, Seed Bomb is a more reliable attack, as it has 100% accuracy (Rock Slide is the preferred move on the mono-attacking set due to superior type coverage).</p>
<p>The key to this set is essentially to use Curse as many times as possible before being forced to Rest, then awaken instantly and sweep. This is quite different from the gradual process discussed in the last set, yet it plays quite similarly for the most part. The main difference is that Cradily can begin attacking earlier, and only stack excess Curses when it is convenient, rather than attempting to nearly maximize its stats before sweeping. The advantage of this set is that your opponent basically has less time to "react", meaning that Encore and Taunt will be futile once Cradily is a few Curses deep and free to begin attacking.</p>
<p>In general, the same counters and team options for the last set apply to this set. Fighting-types, Encore, Haze, and Registeels with Curse or Rest can still bring Cradily to a halt when used properly. Due to the absence of recovery from Leftovers, Seismic Toss is a 4HKO, which can cause problems for Cradily if it is asleep, or is at low health. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhyperior are now considerably less threatening, as Cradily can hit them neutrally with Seed Bomb (or 4x effective in Rhyperior's case), but it will need Curses under its belt to beat the latter two due to their high Attack stats. Note that status becomes slightly more of an issue for Cradily once its Chesto Berry has been used, but again, chances are it will be able to Rest multiple times with sufficient boosts from Curse.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Recover
move 4: Seed Bomb / Stealth Rock / Protect
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the classic Cradily set, which handles special assaults as well as nearly any Pokemon in UU with sandstorm support. Its great typing, above average defenses, and access to Recover make it a very formidable wall. The strategy is simple: switch in on a special attacker like Mismagius or Milotic, shrug off their attacks, and hit them with Toxic or an attack when appropriate. There are very few special attackers Cradily does not beat or stall out with relative ease. It does, however, need to watch out for status moves on this set. Toxic is especially problematic, as Cradily cannot cure itself like it can on sets with Rest. This is the one downside to Recover, which otherwise gives Cradily remarkable longevity. Using Pokemon with Heal Bell or Aromatherapy on your team can allow you to use Cradily much more fearlessly.</p>
<p>The last slot is a matter of preference, and depends on what you want Cradily to do. Hippopotas should be your team's Stealth Rock user, assuming you are running a sandstorm team. If this is the case, Seed Bomb complements Cradily's Rock-type move nicely, providing excellent type coverage. It also allows Cradily to hit Pokemon like Steelix and Aggron, which would otherwise laugh at all of its moves. Protect can also be viable in this slot, as it simultaneously allows Cradily to restore its health with Leftovers and let passive damage from poison and sandstorm wear down its opponent.</p>
<p>The suggested EV spread ensures that a Life Orb boosted +2 Hidden Power Fighting from Mismagius is a 3HKO in a sandstorm. However, the EVs on the defenses can be tweaked as needed. The more Defense EVs that can be spared the better, but Cradily's primary objective is to be your team's special wall, and should be EV'd as such.</p>
[SET]
name: Stockpile Staller
move 1: Stockpile
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rock Slide / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is quite similar to the last, with one large change: Stockpile. Stockpile lets Cradily boost both of its defenses equally up to +3 (Stockpile's limit), at which point it is nearly impossible to take down with unboosted attacks. Unlike the previous set, this one is designed to function outside of sandstorm, although sandstorm support is certainly a plus. This set also makes use of Suction Cups, as it would normally be an easy target for phazing moves.</p>
<p>Toxic and Recover are givens on this set, as Cradily's primary goal is to stall out opponents with poison damage. Toxic is Cradily's main method of racking up damage, which it can do easily after it has boosted its defenses sky high with Stockpile. Against many opponents, Cradily can simply laugh as they throw themselves at it with unsuccessful attacks while their HP slips away. The attack to supplement Toxic is a matter of preference. Earthquake may appear a little out of place on this set, but it allows Cradily to beat Poison- and Steel-types, which is critical as they are immune to Toxic. Rock Slide is, of course, Cradily's typical STAB option, and has good neutral type coverage. The EVs here are designed to equalize Cradily's defenses, as it will need to take special and physical hits equally in order to stall out as many different Pokemon as possible. If you plan to use this set with sandstorm support, all of Cradily's EVs can be committed to Defense, as sandstorm and Stockpile will give it more than enough Special Defense to work with.</p>
<p>Entry hazards work extremely well alongside this set, and are important to its success. Opponents will naturally want to switch out soon after they are poisoned, so entry hazards will both discourage and punish this course of action. Spikes are also beneficial to allow Cradily and its supporting cast to handle Steel-types better. Froslass is, of course, the premier Spiker currently in UU, as it can both lay down Spikes and protect them from Rapid Spin, in addition to its other annoying qualities. Qwilfish is noteworthy for its resistances to every single one of Cradily's weaknesses, although unfortunately its defenses will not go far in this department. If you do not opt for Earthquake on Cradily, most Steel-types can be dealt with efficiently by Magneton, who can trap and beat them. If you want to use this set with sandstorm support, then Hippopotas will, of course, be a necessary component of your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stockpile
move 3: Recover
move 4: Rock Slide / Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is designed to make Cradily an offensive threat outside of sandstorm, where the Curse sets dare not stray. Although using two moves to boost its stats may seem like overkill, the unique combination of Suction Cups, Recover, and balanced all-around stats makes Cradily the perfect Pokemon to do it. Two stat boosting moves is also convenient because it gives you the freedom to choose what Cradily boosts, which can be very beneficial in many situations.</p>
<p>Due to its bulk and instant recovery move, Cradily will find it quite easy to switch into a lot of Pokemon, although it must be cautious of status moves. Once it finds a Pokemon it can set up on, Cradily can begin to boost its stats, typically starting with Stockpile to defend itself against powerful attackers. After multiple Stockpiles, Cradily is extremely difficult to take down in two hits, meaning it will be able to Recover away most damage it takes. When it is convenient, Cradily should have little trouble using Swords Dance multiple times to boost its attack to high levels and begin scoring 2HKOs on most opponents. Rock Slide is yet again the preferred option on this set, due to its superior neutral type coverage over Seed Bomb.</p>
<p>Status ruins this set, which is unfortunate because Cradily is too slow to do anything to prevent it. Therefore, clerics, and even Safeguard users, make great partners for this set. Altaria makes a good teammate, as it can use Heal Bell and Safeguard, although not on the same set. It also resists Fighting- and Bug-type attacks, which Cradily is weak to, and can absorb status moves thanks to Natural Cure. Like the other offensive variants, Cradily struggles to deal with Registeel, and users of Encore, Haze, and Trick. Fighting-types are, as always, a huge problem for this set, even with the Impish nature, as Cradily fails to hit them very hard with Rock Slide. For this reason Ghost-types make good partners, as they are immune to Fighting assaults and can Will-O-Wisp in return.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass Receiver
move 1: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Earthquake / Swords Dance / Toxic
move 4: Recover
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like its aquatic counterpart, Octillery, Cradily is a good Baton Pass receiver due to its excellent ability, Suction Cups. Although it lacks the raw power of other Baton Pass candidates, it brings great typing and impressive bulk to the table. As mentioned in the previous sets, the attacking combination of Rock and Grass provides nearly flawless neutral type coverage in UU, resisted only by Registeel and Toxicroak.</p>
<p>Despite Cradily's miserable Speed stat, 252 EVs and an Agility boost will vault it into the upper echelon of UU, allowing it to reach a Speed stat 370, which outspeeds maximum Speed base 115s. A +1 boost allows it to beat maximum Speed Hitmonchan, neutral natured Hitmonlee, maximum Speed base 75s, and neutral natured base 85s. If you are not concerned with its poor Speed, those EVs can be dumped into HP to increase Cradily's durability.</p>
<p>The third moveslot in this set is really a matter of preference. Earthquake provides even better type coverage, and is notable for its ability to hit Registeel and Aggron. Swords Dance helps to boost Cradily's power and sweeping ability, and is especially valuable if your team struggles to pass Attack boosts, which Cradily will certainly need in order to sweep. Toxic can help get rid of pesky defensive Pokemon that can Recover or Rest away the attacks you throw at them.</p>
<p>One thing Cradily does not have going for it is its vulnerability to priority moves. Life Orb TechniTop will deal an average of 80% damage with Mach Punch, while Leftovers variants will still 2HKO. In addition, Blaziken's Vacuum Wave and Hitmonlee's Mach Punch both surpass 50% damage. Fortunately, Donphan's Ice Shard and Choice Band Azumarill's Aqua Jet are 3HKOs, and Sucker Punches thrown by Cacturne and Absol can be Recovered away. All of these Pokemon should also be OHKOed by the appropriate move after a Swords Dance.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>With the exception of the Baton Pass Receiver and Stockpile sets, Cradily should always be operating in a permanent sandstorm, which in UU means you should have Hippopotas on your team, typically as a lead. Cradily desperately needs a Pokemon that can come in and take any Fighting attacks aimed at it, of which there are sure to be plenty. Ghost-types are the obvious option here, and are even better if they can cripple physical Fighting-types with Will-O-Wisp or paralysis. Spiritomb works especially well, as it will be able to take most physical attacks and be able to Will-O-Wisp in return. Uxie also works well, as it is barely scratched by Fighting moves, and can threaten with attacks of its own or cripple them with Thunder Wave. Another benefit Uxie can provide is Reflect, which can help bolster Cradily's defense and buy it some time to Curse. Weezing also deserves mention, as it shrugs off Fighting- and Bug-type attacks that threaten Cradily, has a massive Defense stat, and can Will-O-Wisp threats to Cradily. Rotom covers Cradily's Fight-, Steel-, and Bug-type weaknesses, leaving only Ice-type attacks unresisted, which are usually special, and therefore relatively non-threatening to Cradily. It can also use Reflect or Will-O-Wisp, as well as Trick to cripple Pokemon like Registeel.</p>
<p>For the Curse sets specifically, you will need teammates that can lure and take out the roadblocks to Cradily's sweep. In addition to Fighting-types, bulky Steel-types and Rhyperior should be identified and dealt with before attempting a sweep. Milotic can handle all of these Pokemon well, as can Donphan and, in some cases, Venusaur. Dugtrio can trap and kill most of these threats, as well, which ensures their destruction in a way no other Pokemon can. Fighting-types themselves, especially those on the bulkier side like Hariyama and Hitmontop, also fair well against the aforementioned threats to Cradily. Haze (Milotic, Weezing) and Encore (Alakazam, Jumpluff, Clefable) users are slightly harder to prepare for, due to their diversity, but are also slightly less necessary to have a surefire counter to, since they are relatively rare.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Cradily can utilize Mirror Coat to score some surprise KOs on unsuspecting opponents. Its combination of high SpD and a reliable recovery move make it a respectable and durable user of the strategy, but unfortunately most opponents will attack Cradily from the physical side, especially in a sandstorm. There are still plenty of opponents, however, that would feel comfortable wearing down Cradily with special attacks, such as Alakazam, Mismagius, and offensive variants of Milotic. Cradily takes all of their super effective attacks with ease, and can OHKO back with Mirror Coat in some scenarios. Cradily also gets access to Confuse Ray, which can be used along side or in place of Toxic on the Support set to rack up damage on opponents. If used on the switch it can also leave physical sweepers with a nice parting gift, since they will generally be the most likely switch-ins to Cradily.</p>
<p>Rock Polish can be used to achieve a respectable Speed stat, but unfortunately Cradily might not know what to do with it without a significant Attack boost. This strategy is probably best left to the fellow Rock-types Rhyperior and Aggron. Cradily's Attack and Special Attack stats are equal at base 81, but its special move pool borders on disgraceful, and could really only be made useful with copious boosts passed to it.</p>
[EVs]
<p>In general, maxing out HP is a wise choice on any Cradily, unless Speed is required to pull off a sweep. For Curse variants, it relies on its bulk to sweep, and since Attack and Defense will be boosted, so pouring all its EVs into HP and Special Defense is the recommended choice. For the support set, the EVs should be split between its defenses as needed after maxing out HP. The Support set likes as much Defense as possible to compensate for its inferior base stat, but enough Special Defense to fulfill Cradily's role as a Special Wall. The suggested 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD spread allows Cradily to survive two Life Orbed +2 HP Fightings from Mismagius, as well as any other unboosted special attack in UU.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Cradily has improved vastly with the additions of Platinum and HGSS, imbuing it with Seed Bomb and Curse, respectively. These moves have allowed it to find a niche in the lower tiers as a bulky sweeper, while remaining a formidable wall on sandstorm teams.</p>
<p>Although Underused is Cradily's preferred environment, the abundance of physical Fighting-types really hurts it. That being said, the sweeper sets can still wreck even well-prepared teams when set up properly. The Curse sets do not translate quite so well to Overused, however, as the immediate threats to it are more powerful and popular. Scizor, Metagross, Lucario, and Jirachi not only threaten Cradily with their super effective attacks and physical prowess, but also resist both of Cradily's STAB moves. Ultimately, sweeping may still be worth a shot, but there are many more hoops to jump through to allow Cradily to set up, and even when it does it may not be enough.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Fighting-types in general give Cradily major problems, and should usually send it running for the hills. Nearly all of them will be throwing physical attacks at Cradily, which does not suit Cradily's stat distribution at all. Toxicroak in particular can essentially come in on Cradily for free, as it resists everything but the rare Earthquake, and Nasty Plot or throw up a Sub, knowing Cradily can do nothing but switch. Similarly, anything with Superpower can probably 2HKO Cradily at worst if Cradily has not Cursed multiple times. With Low Kick's rising popularity in UU, it is worth noting that this move hits Cradily for 80 Base Power. This is safely out of OHKO range for any of its likely users with the exception of Adamant CB Aggron, which has a decent chance to OHKO.</p>
<p>Registeel can come in and wall anything Cradily throws at it, assuming that something isn't a rare Earthquake. It will also likely have Iron Head, which both hits Cradily for super effective damage and has a 30% chance to flinch. Weezing is an especially unwelcome switch-in to Curse variants, as it can Haze or Will-O-Wisp Cradily, while taking its attacks with ease. Rhyperior can also take Rock Slides easily, and pummel Cradily with Megahorn.</p>
<p>In general, it is quite easy to switch into Cradily while its stats remain unboosted, due to its mediocre Attack and Speed worthy of a Pokemon with no legs that can't swim or fly. However, once the Curses begin, Cradily can be very hard to stop, and if unprepared you might see your possible switch-ins go from half your team to zero in no time at all.</p>
