[SET]
name: Specially Defensive (Poison)
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Protect / Taunt / Toxic Spikes
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Black Sludge
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Drapion provides the much-needed immunity to Psychic for Poison teams, which lets it deal with threats such as Hatterene and Tapu Lele. Knock Off, Battle Armor, and a slightly better Speed tier differentiate Drapion from Skuntank, at the cost of not having priority in Sucker Punch and better Special Defense. Knock Off forces progress on the opposing team by removing key items like Black Sludge, Light Clay, and Leftovers from Toxapex, Klefki, and Celesteela, respectively, and it also lets Drapion deal with Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Slowking, Alolan Raichu, and Aegislash. Poison Jab pressures Fairy-types like Hatterene, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Lele, which greatly threaten Poison teams. Protect scouts Choice-locked foes such as Tapu Lele and Excadrill, and it lets Black Sludge recover more health. Taunt shuts down Future Sight + Teleport sequences from Slowbro and Slowking, forcing the opponent to risk their switch-in losing its item. It also prevents Rotom-W and Braviary from removing entry hazards using Defog, annoys defensive Pokemon such as Toxapex, Galarian Corsola, and Celesteela, and prevents Bisharp and Clefable from using Drapion as setup fodder. Toxic Spikes takes advantage of switches Drapion forces against types like Fairy and Ghost and lets its teammate, Toxapex, run more useful moves. Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers like Spectrier, Hydreigon, and Galarian Moltres, and it's also particularly effective at wearing down teams in conjunction with Toxic Spikes. 56 Speed EVs let it outspeed and use Taunt on Adamant Bisharp and defensive variants of Rotom-W, while the remaining EVs maximize its special bulk to better check threats such as Hatterene and Gengar.
Drapion's Special Defense is inferior to Skuntank's, so secondary switch-ins to Latios, Choice Specs Jirachi, and Tapu Lele are highly recommended, making Galarian Slowking an excellent teammate. Galarian Slowking also wears down Heatran and Clefable for it, and it's a great special wall that checks other special attackers such as Nihilego and Kyurem for Poison teams. Amoonguss deals with Ground- and Water-type threats like Choice Scarf Excadrill, Garchomp, and Urshifu-R, and in return it loves Drapion's ability to stop Future Sight + Teleport sequences, which heavily pressure it. Toxapex is a general wall that deals with threats such as Cinderace and Mimikyu, and it can provide Toxic Spikes, which makes Whirlwind less passive if Drapion lacks Toxic Spikes itself. Crobat and Galarian Weezing are partners immune to Ground that remove entry hazards, with the former able to cripple Substitute users like Kyurem, Hydreigon, and Bulk Up Landorus-T with Toxic, and the latter threatening Dragon- and Dark-types such as Dragonite, Hydreigon, and Galarian Moltres. Nidoking provides an immunity to Electric, checks threats like Regieleki and Tapu Koko, pressures Steel- and Flying-types such as Heatran, Corviknight, and Mantine, and optionally sets Stealth Rock to wear down opposing teams. Nihilego can switch into and pressure Hydreigon and Galarian Moltres in a pinch, appreciates Drapion wearing down its checks in Celesteela and Slowking, and can clean Flying and Fire teams late-game with a Meteor Beam or Choice Scarf set.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Poison
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96 Speed EVs outspeeds and removes Adamant Swords Dance Tapu Bulu, but the reduced Special Defense makes Drapion a shakier check to threats such as Alolan Raichu and Tapu Lele, with the former having a chance to OHKO it with Rising Voltage and the latter almost always 2HKOing it with Moonblast after Stealth Rock damage. Rest in conjunction with Sleep Talk may be considered over Poison Jab and Protect, as this turns Drapion into an extremely bulky roadblock that can be difficult for Psychic and Ghost teams to handle, but Sleep Talk's inconsistency makes this set undesirable. Brick Break may be considered to remove dual screens from Fairy and Dark teams, making Tapu Bulu, Galarian Moltres, and Hydreigon easier to revenge kill while also dealing heavy damage to Bisharp. However, Brick Break has narrower utility than Drapion's other moves. A stallbreaker set with Swords Dance, Taunt, Substitute, and Knock Off lets Drapion take advantage of passive Pokemon such as Toxapex, Slowbro, and Ferrothorn, making it an offensive threat against Poison, Psychic, and Steel teams, as it only needs Knock Off to fulfill its role in Poison teams. However, Drapion can't become as immediately threatening as one expects from Swords Dance sweepers, and the lack of Poison Jab hurts its ability to threaten Tapu Bulu and Hatterene. A Choice Scarf set with Knock Off, Poison Jab, Toxic Spikes, and Earthquake or Ice Fang may be used, allowing it to offensively deal with threats such as Tapu Lele, Spectrier, Choice Scarf Excadrill, and/or Garchomp. However, Drapion is incredibly weak, unable to OHKO the aforementioned threats, and risks a Speed tie against Choice Scarf Tapu Lele.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Neko, 542526]]
- Poison analysis by: [[Neko, 542526]]
- Quality checked by: [[roxiee, 481576], [ashbala, 518038], [Atrax Madara, 513753]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [UT, 523866]]
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