[SET]
name: Hex
move 1: Hex
move 2: Will-O Wisp
move 3: Substitute/U-turn
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Eviolite
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Drakloak's great Speed, decent utility movepool, and valuable Ghost typing give it a solid role as a utility attacker. Hex, in combination with Will-O Wisp, is a powerful enough to offset Drakloak's lackluster Special Attack stat. Will-O_Wisp is preferred over Thunder Wave in order to affect everything except Fire-types, which Drakloak matches up well against, and cripple threatening physical attackers such as offensive Mawile, Pawniard, and Falinks. Substitute lets Drakloak avoid being statused by passive Pokemon it can wall, like Pyukumuku and Gloom, and punish switches. U-Turn instead lets Drakloak act as an offensive pivot that can keep up momentum against answers like Munchlax, Type: Null, and Togetic. Fire Blast lets Drakloak beat Dubwool and more directly punish Steel-types like Klang and the aforementioned Mawile and Pawniard. Alternatively, Disable makes for a synergistic pairing with Substitute that lets Drakloak wall Pokemon holding a Choice item like Manectric or relying on a single move to damage it like Shiinotic, but replacing Fire Blast makes Drakloak less offensively threatening. Eviolite maximizes Drakloak's longevity and lets its Substitute survive hits from weaker foes like defensive Roselia. Leftovers can be run alongside Disable in order to create more Substitutes throughout the battle, but doing so leaves Drakloak very frail. Infiltrator allows Drakloak to ignore Substitutes set up by the likes of Silvally-Grass and bypass the rarer dual screens and Aurora Veil.
Drakloak has a valued role on more balanced and offensive teams, where its helps check a large number of Pokemon thanks to its good typing and Speed. Drakloak benefits heavily from Toxic Spikes support, which punishes otherwise safe switch-ins like Lapras, Munchlax, and Type: Null and makes Hex immediately threatening to any grounded target. Mareanie and Roselia are notable setters and removers of the entry hazard and fit well on balanced teams as defensive pivots. Answers to Dark-types like Pawniard and Galarian Linoone make for valuable teammates. Strong Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Throh are usually the best options for this role, with the former also providing hazard control. They can also break some of Drakloak's best answers, namely Type: Null, Lapras, and Munchlax. Drakloak's decent list of resistances allows it to check threats like Raichu and Manectric, which is appreciated by teammates like Lapras and the aforementioned Mareanie. It isn't a counter to these Pokemon by any means, however, and often has to take on other threats like Dubwool, so additional checks like Roselia or Palpitoad are recommended. Type: Null can also take these threats on, can disregard take Ghost-type attacks and Ice-type attacks from the likes of Lapras and Mr. Rime due to its bulk, and can switch Drakloak in safely with its slow U-turn against Pokemon like Mawile. Setup sweepers that appreciate Drakloak's ability to spread burn and damage across a team, like Silvally and Raichu, are good team options. In return these Pokemon can pressure answers to Drakloak such as Lapras and Togetic.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Eve, 375272]]
- Quality checked by: [[gum, 434150], [TJ, 331538]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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