Overview
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Dwebble is only viable as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams, as it has horrible base stats overall apart from Defense that make it setup fodder and unviable on defensively oriented teams. Dwebble faces competition from other entry hazard setters, but its main niche over them is having access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Another niche consists of Sturdy and Custap Berry, which, along with Endure, guarantee at least one layer of Stealth Rock or Spikes if not against a Taunt or Rock Blast user. Otherwise, Dwebble can use Counter to punish physical attackers that try to OHKO it in order to prevent entry hazard stacking, or use Knock Off to cripple Eviolite users such as Misdreavus.
Custap Lead
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name: Custap Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Counter / Endure / Knock Off
move 4: Rock Blast
ability: Sturdy
item: Custap Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Stealth Rock and Spikes rack up residual damage against foes every time they switch. Counter makes Dwebble hit physical attackers hard, surprising them most of the time. Endure allows Dwebble not to be entirely Sturdy-reliant, as it can still survive a hit and get to Custap Berry range. Knock Off is used for utility purposes, taking away items from foes, especially from Eviolite users such as Misdreavus, crippling them. Rock Blast is Dwebble's main STAB move, and it's mainly used for coverage and to prevent Pokemon such as other Dwebble and Whirlipede from setting up their entry hazards freely.
Set Details
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Maximum Speed and HP investment with a Jolly nature allows Dwebble to set up entry hazards as quickly as possible and stay alive as long as possible. Sturdy lets Dwebble take any hit without being OHKOed and has good synergy with Custap Berry, which is mandatory to set up one more layer of entry hazards after Dwebble gets in range to it. Sturdy and Custap Berry are the reasons why Dwebble is used, as they allow it set up at least one layer of Stealth Rock or Spikes right off the bat.
Usage Tips
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Dwebble is a suicide lead that makes use of Custap Berry and Sturdy to set up as many entry hazards as possible and therefore should be used in the early stages of a match. Always give a look at team preview before placing any layer of entry hazards, as it could help you decide what type of entry hazard you'll want to place first: Stealth Rock should have the preference most of the time, especially if you're up against Pokemon that are immune to Ground or weak to Rock. Counter could be used when up against threatening physical attackers, as it can catch them off-guard, and a weakened foe from the start along with a layer of entry hazards could be a blessing. Setting up entry hazards should always have priority, to stack up more damage as possible against foes. Be wary of Rock Blast and Taunt users, as they can nullify Dwebble, directly KOing it or blocking the majority of its movepool, respectively. Lastly, Dwebble's little offensive presence makes it setup fodder for most setup sweepers, so be careful against them.
Team Options
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Dwebble's potential can be made use of only by hyper offensive teams, as it isn't meant to live for long and the team needs to apply pressure on enemy Defog or Rapid Spin users to prevent them from removing entry hazards. Defiant users such as Pawniard and Purugly deter the use of Defog from the opponent, as they can switch in on Defog and receive a +2 Attack boost, therefore giving serious problems to the opponent. Spinblockers such as Misdreavus and Haunter are also good teammates, as they can prevent Dwebble's entry hazards from being removed. Kadabra is a good partner because it can use Encore to deal with slower setup sweepers, if Dwebble gets set up on, thanks to Encore. Ditto instead takes advantage of setup sweepers' boosts, copying and using them in its favor thanks to Imposter when it comes in as a revenge killer after Dwebble gets KOed. Pokemon such as Jumpluff, Simipour, and Heatmor can force switches from enemies with their high damage output, managing to rack up more residual damage by entry hazards, while entry hazards help weaken their checks. Sweepers and cleaners that make use of Dwebble's entry hazard support to weaken their counters, such as Ursaring and Jumpluff, are good partners.
Other Options
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Coverage moves such as Earthquake and X-Scissor can be used to hit Steel-, Rock-, and Poison-types, such as Probopass, Arbok, and Pawniard, or Grass- and Psychic-types, such as Leafeon, Tangela, and Grumpig, super effectively, but they are not considered premier choices due to Dwebble's mediocre Attack. A bulky set with Eviolite could be used to make Dwebble decent on bulky offensive teams and last longer during the match, but its bulk would still be not great. Toxic is a good option to cripple walls that can lead against Dwebble, such as defensive Carracosta.
Checks & Counters
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**Rock-types**: Rock-type leads such as Golem, Armaldo, and Rampardos, which also bypasses Sturdy thanks to Mold Breaker, can easily KO Dwebble from the start, especially the ones that carry Rock Blast, which makes Sturdy useless. However, Dwebble outspeeds most of them and is still able to set up a layer of entry hazards most of the time.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Jumpluff, Leafeon, and Pawniard are threatening against Dwebble, as it can't really pressure them due to its bad damage output, while they can pressure Dwebble's whole team if they manage to set up, especially if they carry Substitute. Jumpluff can also put Dwebble to sleep right off the bat, preventing it from setting up any entry hazards.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Defog and Rapid Spin users such as Pelipper and Armaldo can remove entry hazards from the field, therefore nullifying Dwebble's job as a Custap lead, if Dwebble's teammates do not stop them.
**Taunt Users**: Taunt users such as Dodrio, Simipour, and Misdreavus can take advantage of Dwebble's mediocre Speed to Taunt it, therefore drastically limiting its potential as a Custap lead, and make use of its forced switch to set up or damage the switch-in.
**Priority Users**: Strong priority users such as Basculin, Poliwrath, Machoke, and Piloswine give Dwebble trouble, bringing it into Custap Berry range and then KOing it with a priority move, limiting Dwebble to only set up few layers of entry hazards.
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