Introduction:
Magic Guard Clefable is a hugely influential and centralising force in almost every singles metagame where it is permitted, invalidating passive mons the world over as a Normal-type in Gen 4 OU and then with newfound Fairy-typing in Gens 6-8. However, there is one single OU metagame where Clefable struggles to make an impact, and it is confusingly the one where Magic Guard is at its most potent - Gen 5.
Generation 5 Clefable finds itself in an odd position. Its middling defensive stats and lack of resistances are hugely exposed in a metagame where base 130 Attack and SAtk are the new offensive standard, with new threats such as Keldeo, Terrakion, Thundurus, Excadrill, and Kyurem-B striking fear at team preview. The arrival of Drizzle doesn't help either, giving an offensive buff to both defensive and offensive Waters that Clefable would normally pray on, whilst also giving teams more options for Heatran counterplay and stealing away one of Clefable's key niches. Calm Mind sets particularly struggle, with an abudance of physical fighting coverage, Trick and teams already hard preparing for Reuniclus which 1) is its strongest competition and 2) 1v1s Clefable in the CM war.
Despite this, Gen 5 OU is still a format defined by Spikes, Sandstorm, and Burn, and it would be very difficult to be an unviable Magic Guard Pokemon in BW. Clefable finds a niche as the single Magic Guard Pokemon without Pursuit weakness, therefore enabling Specially Defensive support sets that Reuniclus can only dream of. A wide support movepool including Stealth Rock, Encore, Thunder Wave, Wish, Knock Off, and Heal Bell positions SDef Clefable as a Blissey-lite, just fat enough to take on Heatran, Volcarona, Starmie and the like, but without being forced out by status or requiring long-term hazard control plans. The result is a sturdy Stealth Rocker that sits on a huge number of the tier's defensive mainstays, and supports the likes of Reuniclus with its litany of 4th slot options.
The team below is one such example of the Clefable + Reuniclus pairing. On a very surface level, SDef Clefable helps PDef Reuniclus spread the load of status absorbing so it can avoid getting into mid-game situations vs Tyranitar and instead be saved as a late-game CM win condition as often as possible. The team builds towards that endgame using hazard support from Stealth Rock Clefable and Spikes Skarmory, with traditional Reuniclus checks baited and weakened by a second Psychic, Latias. Thunder Wave Clefable and Latias similarly serve to assist late-game Reuniclus by allowing it to move before weakened Tyranitar, Scizor, Jirachi, Rotom-W, Latios, and so on, whilst also serving to stem the threat of Hyper Offense teams. The team does a fantastic job of ensuring opponents rack up residual damage (Spikes, Sandstorm, Rocky Helmet Skarmory to 1v1 standard Excadrill), whilst limiting the influence of hazard damage itself through two Magic Guard users for Scald / status absorption, 5 sandstorm immunities, four spike immunities plus Excadrill to protect Tyranitar from hazard damage also.
This team is by no means perfect, and has its fair share of weaknesses that I will discuss below, but I believe this is a good example to showcase Clefable as a viable BW Pokemon, as long as you don't expect it to be quite as good as in other generations.
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Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Ice Punch
- Superpower
Whilst I've used Clefable a lot with Abomasnow, where its Hail immunity and ability to blank Heatran are super valuable, the sturdier Clef teams I've used have mostly been Sand ones, so we start here with Tyranitar. Like many balance or semi-stall teams, my Tyranitar is Choice Scarf to bring in some speed control. The power level of BW is too high to always be able to go for passive win conditions, so having a couple of fast options on any team for me is a must - here, Tyranitar + Latias ensure I'm never in too scary a position against the likes of Terrakion or Garchomp even if the defensive core fails. Ice Beam with a Hasty nature is probably the standard option on ScarfTar (avoids barbs/helmet whilst hitting similar damage rolls) but Jolly with Ice Punch is used here really just for the extra couple of % on Garchomp and taking things like Mamoswine Ice Shard a bit better.
Other options: I've really wanted to fit in Scarf Thunder Wave on this before, which helps a ton into certain Keldeo team compositions, but I think the coverage is unfortunately undroppable.
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Drill Peck
- Whirlwind
- Roost
Spikes are default as support for Reuniclus as many of its best checks are grounded and rarely run recovery - Tyranitar, Scizor, Jirachi, and Encore Politoed. That means one slot on any Reuniclus team is going to go towards Skarmory or Ferrothorn, depending on the pace of the remaining team members. Whilst Ferrothorn is great at setting up against a wider variety of Pokemon, and compresses in some key resistances, its best used with offensive partners that can prevent the opponent spinning by keeping the pressure high. In contrast, Skarmory is a bit more specialised but its reliable recovery make it a sturdier long-term Spiker for teams like this that may need to set up Spikes 5+ times over the course of a game until a win path becomes clear.
This set is standard Skarmory, forced into running a Specially defensive spread to hold back Alakazam, especially as Tyranitar here is Scarfed. The moveset/item choices for most teams will generally boil down to Leftovers + Brave Bird, or Rocky Helmet + Drill Peck, the former solidifying Mamoswine / Alakazam match-ups whilst the latter, which I've gone with, puts more immediate pressure on Rapid Spin Excadrill. As Clefable as a Rocker is quite poor into Excadrill, I've decided to go with Helmet Skarmory although the decision is marginal. Rocky Helmet also has the upside of chipping things like Scizor and Jirachi, to help towards that Reuniclus endgame, or to just remove the few things that physically threaten Clefable.
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 16 HP / 56 Atk / 12 Def / 172 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance / Protect
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Excadrill with four Spike-immune Pokemon looks like anti-synergy, and a few months ago I would have held that exact opinion too. However, recent metagame trends have begun to show us the upside of including Rapid Spin Excadrill even on teams that do not, on the surface, appear to require Rapid Spin support. The latter stages of this years BW Cup served as a showcase for Excadrill + Reuniclus builds, along with other notable appearances from Watashi in SPL.
The major reason for this uptick in Excadrill + Magic Guard pairings is that Drill brings far more to a team than just Rapid Spin. Rather, Excadrill is an excellently rounded Pokemon that improves many of Reuniclus' more annoying match-ups, specifically against Hyper Offenses with Swords Dance Scizor. Scizor checks are hard to come by for Sands with multiple Psychic-types, especially with Skarmory forced into running Specially Defensive spreads, but Sand Force Excadrill serves as a hard stop to most of the frailer, Life Orb variants. Excadrill's speed tier is also key in providing options against Mamoswine and Kyurem-B. Further, Excadrill has a huge influence in the mirror match against opposing Magic Guard Sand balances, by 1) removing opposing Spikes so that my Tyranitar is worn down less rapidly and 2) going directly head-to-head against Reuniclus itself with Sand Force Earthquake.
The set itself (credit to shoka I think) is designed to maximise the team's outcome in that Magic Guard Sand mirror. Those teams attempt to win out the hazard game vs Excadrill by using Gliscor as a Stealth Rocker, which switches in on Iron Head and recoups most of its lost health over the two turns with Protect. However, Excadrill can abuse the passive use of Gliscor by utilising Swords Dance with Sand Force. Even with little investment, a +2 Sand Force Iron Head stings Gliscor (71 - 83.8%) whilst Earthquake puts hurt on Reuniclus (77.3 - 91.2%) and Gastrodon (81.2 - 95.7%). Even Skarmory, obligated to run Specially Defensive spreads on such teams, doesn't appreciate +2 Iron Head (33.8 - 39.8%) and is put under heavy pressure combined with flinch chances and paralysis from Clefable/Latias. To compliment this moveset, Excadrill runs enough SDef to tank Alakazam Focus Blast and enough HP / Def to take one Gliscor EQ.
All that said, you can just use Protect and play the super long game vs Gliscor / Skarmory. Swords Dance with Thunder Wave is satisfying though.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
The prodigal son returns. BW only came out 12 years ago...
As mentioned in the introduction, Clefable is a BW oddity, feeling like a complete liablity against some of the absolute BW mainstays (Keldeo, Terrakion, Excadrill, Dragonite, Garchomp) but against everything else it... does the exact same Gen 4/6/7/8 stuff of 1v1ing things it has no business beating and being an absolute pain to remove. it only takes a handful of games using it to see how high the ceiling of this Pokemon can be, and after first using it on Hail, I'm now a full convert. Its no S-tier, but I firmly believe its one of Sand and Hail's best rocking options after the obvious Ground-types and is likely somewhere around Slowbro/king-level viability.
Clefable's main upsides as a Rocker are its incredibly strong MUs into Tentacruel and Starmie, a trait only otherwise held by Seismitoad which is, well, mediocre and requires you to spin every 10 turns. Access to reliable recovery, with an inability to be chipped by passive damage, ensure that Clefable is also able to repeatedly get Rocks throughout a game, in line with Skarmory. Being unable to threaten Excadrill is OK here, as Rocky Helmet Skarmory should ensure Excadrill is losing the hazard game in the long run.
Outside of setting up Stealth Rock, Clefable is fantastic at switching in on and invalidating many of the tier's mainstays:
It may look redundant to use this with Reuniclus, as sure, Reuniclus can perform some of the jobs above too, such as switching in on Amoonguss or Slowbro. However, when it does so it often compromises its function as a late-game sweeper as 1) its pdef invested so crits on the special side actually sting 2) it doesn't want to take TWaves / Stun Spores from some of these things and 3) it risks having to engage with Tyranitar in the early-to-midgame if you send it in too early. Clefable relinquishing Reuniclus' role as status absorber means you can reserve it for things like Terrakion, Breloom, or keep it just as a late-game cleaner rather than it having to perform 17 roles every game. More directly, paralysis support with Reuniclus is quite broken and Clefable is one of the better spreaders in the tier, able to get paralysis on some weird things that you normally wouldn't such as Rotom-W, Heatran, opposing Reuniclus etc.
The spread is pretty simple - it ensures standard Tyranitar can't 2HKO you with Superpower so you stall it with TWave + Softboiled until Superpower is weak enough to start throwing Seismic Tosses. In a pinch, 252 HP / 60 Def also guarantees you take a Secret Sword from unboosted Keldeo. The Speed is for 4 EV Tyranitar and the remaining SDef just solidifies your ability to repeatedly switch into Heatran + Scalds.
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Latias (F) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 148 HP / 108 SpA / 12 SpD / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
Latias is the first Psychic of the team and its primary function is to force damage and paralysis onto many of Reuniclus' checks - Tyranitar, Scizor, and Jirachi in particular. This is classic Magic Guard Sand stuff - these Pokemon can't handle 2 psychics in a single game with Spikes up, so you use Latias to force the little damage and status that is needed for Reuniclus to make quick work of them in the late-game.
This is a set that is more traditionally used by Latios, and many of the replays that are linked below do use Latios, but I've gravitated towards the other Lati over time just for a bit of defensive security. Latias is the only Water resist on the team, a flexibility allowable when the team has two Scald absorbers, but is still a little bit shaky when the rest of the team is slower than Specs Keldeo. Latias over Latios offers that bit more stability, with the spread also reflecting that - 148 HP / 12 SpD ensures that Latias isn't 2HKOd by either 48+ Thundurus-T Hidden Power Ice or Scarf Keldeo Hydro Pump in Rain, both after Stealth Rock, giving a bit more flexibility in the Rain MU.
Like Clefable, Latias just clicking Thunder Wave in a bunch of situations just helps out lategame Reuniclus, almost doesn't matter the target.
Reuniclus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Recover
The Pokemon the entire team is designed to enable, with entry hazards, rocky helmet, a second Psychic to weaken Tyranitar, and double Thunder Wave support. Reuniclus is a big gainer from the Gems ban, and it feels like a wider variety of Reuniclus teams have become viable since that change.
I'm not sure what there is to really say about Reuniclus that hasn't been covered a million times already. This thing arguably could have been banned at several points when BW was current Gen, and for very good reason - its one of the largest beneficiaries of BW hazard culture and does an excellent job of outlasting its few counters, often forcing Tyranitar and Scizor into unfavourable Pursuit 50:50s. This mon is also the reason why we have Excadrill back in the tier to begin with, as an attempt to try and limit its influence, yet here we are in 2022 and Reuniclus is still once of the faces of BW.
The set I've used here is the traditional Psychic / Fighting coverage one, which I feel is still the strongest when Reuniclus is the out-and-out win condition. Psyshock with paralysis support gives you incredibly strong odds to 1v1 opposing Reuniclus when you set up alongside it, whilst also giving you the option to threaten the likes of Keldeo, Terrakion, and Breloom at +0 in a pinch - STABless sets get into weirder spots where they are only functional after a few boosts. Focus Blast is the coverage of choice as my Tyranitar removal isn't bulletproof - most common scenario is it'll be at ~30% and paralysed when it tries to face Reun - so I still need to be able to hit it hard, as well as hitting Excadrill, Heatran, and so on.
The item is probably the only weird thing here, something we saw ABR use earlier this year (although i do not know who to credit for the idea) - the team is incredibly weak to Cloyster, and Sitrus Berry at least gives you an out vs NMI and LO sets. Having used it more, though, it has several applications beyond this, including shifting rolls in your favour vs Crunch Tyranitar, and allowing Reuniclus to act as a better pivot into some of the tier's offensive threats in more fast pace games e.g. Terrakion (240 HP / 252 Def will always take 50.1% min from CB Stone Edge, prock Sitrus to guarantee you live a second), Keldeo (always live 2 Scarf Hydro outside Rain), Breloom, Mamoswine, Garchomp etc. The Speed ensures you outspeed paralysed +1 Adamant Gyarados and everything below (+1 paralysed Dragonite, paralysed Scarf Scizor, paralysed Alakazam being notable)
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Threatlist
Every team has its weaknesses and boy this is no exception:
Specifically Lum Berry sets, you can click x unless the opponent is really quite poor. Vs some teams you can get into positions where Clef Rocks repeatedly in front of Starmie, or set up Reun early game to force it be used as a unboosted breaker, but generally Lum Volc is an incredibly incredibly bad MU.
A real issue as well. Not faced it too much but alongside something to chip Skarmory, this thing is near unplayable
offensive Ices are generally an issue as, well, team has no Ice resist. Its not completely unplayable, with Sitrus Reun going a long way vs Cloyster and multiple speed control options for Mamoswine, but neither are fun to face.
don't get me started
Help me solve all these issues (except Sableye)
Replays:
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1720400955
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1657758763
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1657896588
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1734410646-kmt2pm88wskhz38g7avqn15120ll1mupw
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1732091186-a2niucjees4wxc1kvvbffz2sw4kvrzwpw
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731710210-v82osvbofv0obhg8gtdpoanfdm2hg1fpw
vs https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731694096-6bakwt0rj5wroxu0chp96arz2cgwzwopw
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731069837-z3x2blg2idds8wboty3a6sl69f1tmvppw
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https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1727911812-g52rbr0s9hngo4n8m5yv277s0sv9tuhpw
Magic Guard Clefable is a hugely influential and centralising force in almost every singles metagame where it is permitted, invalidating passive mons the world over as a Normal-type in Gen 4 OU and then with newfound Fairy-typing in Gens 6-8. However, there is one single OU metagame where Clefable struggles to make an impact, and it is confusingly the one where Magic Guard is at its most potent - Gen 5.
Generation 5 Clefable finds itself in an odd position. Its middling defensive stats and lack of resistances are hugely exposed in a metagame where base 130 Attack and SAtk are the new offensive standard, with new threats such as Keldeo, Terrakion, Thundurus, Excadrill, and Kyurem-B striking fear at team preview. The arrival of Drizzle doesn't help either, giving an offensive buff to both defensive and offensive Waters that Clefable would normally pray on, whilst also giving teams more options for Heatran counterplay and stealing away one of Clefable's key niches. Calm Mind sets particularly struggle, with an abudance of physical fighting coverage, Trick and teams already hard preparing for Reuniclus which 1) is its strongest competition and 2) 1v1s Clefable in the CM war.
Despite this, Gen 5 OU is still a format defined by Spikes, Sandstorm, and Burn, and it would be very difficult to be an unviable Magic Guard Pokemon in BW. Clefable finds a niche as the single Magic Guard Pokemon without Pursuit weakness, therefore enabling Specially Defensive support sets that Reuniclus can only dream of. A wide support movepool including Stealth Rock, Encore, Thunder Wave, Wish, Knock Off, and Heal Bell positions SDef Clefable as a Blissey-lite, just fat enough to take on Heatran, Volcarona, Starmie and the like, but without being forced out by status or requiring long-term hazard control plans. The result is a sturdy Stealth Rocker that sits on a huge number of the tier's defensive mainstays, and supports the likes of Reuniclus with its litany of 4th slot options.
The team below is one such example of the Clefable + Reuniclus pairing. On a very surface level, SDef Clefable helps PDef Reuniclus spread the load of status absorbing so it can avoid getting into mid-game situations vs Tyranitar and instead be saved as a late-game CM win condition as often as possible. The team builds towards that endgame using hazard support from Stealth Rock Clefable and Spikes Skarmory, with traditional Reuniclus checks baited and weakened by a second Psychic, Latias. Thunder Wave Clefable and Latias similarly serve to assist late-game Reuniclus by allowing it to move before weakened Tyranitar, Scizor, Jirachi, Rotom-W, Latios, and so on, whilst also serving to stem the threat of Hyper Offense teams. The team does a fantastic job of ensuring opponents rack up residual damage (Spikes, Sandstorm, Rocky Helmet Skarmory to 1v1 standard Excadrill), whilst limiting the influence of hazard damage itself through two Magic Guard users for Scald / status absorption, 5 sandstorm immunities, four spike immunities plus Excadrill to protect Tyranitar from hazard damage also.
This team is by no means perfect, and has its fair share of weaknesses that I will discuss below, but I believe this is a good example to showcase Clefable as a viable BW Pokemon, as long as you don't expect it to be quite as good as in other generations.
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Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Ice Punch
- Superpower
Whilst I've used Clefable a lot with Abomasnow, where its Hail immunity and ability to blank Heatran are super valuable, the sturdier Clef teams I've used have mostly been Sand ones, so we start here with Tyranitar. Like many balance or semi-stall teams, my Tyranitar is Choice Scarf to bring in some speed control. The power level of BW is too high to always be able to go for passive win conditions, so having a couple of fast options on any team for me is a must - here, Tyranitar + Latias ensure I'm never in too scary a position against the likes of Terrakion or Garchomp even if the defensive core fails. Ice Beam with a Hasty nature is probably the standard option on ScarfTar (avoids barbs/helmet whilst hitting similar damage rolls) but Jolly with Ice Punch is used here really just for the extra couple of % on Garchomp and taking things like Mamoswine Ice Shard a bit better.
Other options: I've really wanted to fit in Scarf Thunder Wave on this before, which helps a ton into certain Keldeo team compositions, but I think the coverage is unfortunately undroppable.
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Drill Peck
- Whirlwind
- Roost
Spikes are default as support for Reuniclus as many of its best checks are grounded and rarely run recovery - Tyranitar, Scizor, Jirachi, and Encore Politoed. That means one slot on any Reuniclus team is going to go towards Skarmory or Ferrothorn, depending on the pace of the remaining team members. Whilst Ferrothorn is great at setting up against a wider variety of Pokemon, and compresses in some key resistances, its best used with offensive partners that can prevent the opponent spinning by keeping the pressure high. In contrast, Skarmory is a bit more specialised but its reliable recovery make it a sturdier long-term Spiker for teams like this that may need to set up Spikes 5+ times over the course of a game until a win path becomes clear.
This set is standard Skarmory, forced into running a Specially defensive spread to hold back Alakazam, especially as Tyranitar here is Scarfed. The moveset/item choices for most teams will generally boil down to Leftovers + Brave Bird, or Rocky Helmet + Drill Peck, the former solidifying Mamoswine / Alakazam match-ups whilst the latter, which I've gone with, puts more immediate pressure on Rapid Spin Excadrill. As Clefable as a Rocker is quite poor into Excadrill, I've decided to go with Helmet Skarmory although the decision is marginal. Rocky Helmet also has the upside of chipping things like Scizor and Jirachi, to help towards that Reuniclus endgame, or to just remove the few things that physically threaten Clefable.
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 16 HP / 56 Atk / 12 Def / 172 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance / Protect
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Excadrill with four Spike-immune Pokemon looks like anti-synergy, and a few months ago I would have held that exact opinion too. However, recent metagame trends have begun to show us the upside of including Rapid Spin Excadrill even on teams that do not, on the surface, appear to require Rapid Spin support. The latter stages of this years BW Cup served as a showcase for Excadrill + Reuniclus builds, along with other notable appearances from Watashi in SPL.
The major reason for this uptick in Excadrill + Magic Guard pairings is that Drill brings far more to a team than just Rapid Spin. Rather, Excadrill is an excellently rounded Pokemon that improves many of Reuniclus' more annoying match-ups, specifically against Hyper Offenses with Swords Dance Scizor. Scizor checks are hard to come by for Sands with multiple Psychic-types, especially with Skarmory forced into running Specially Defensive spreads, but Sand Force Excadrill serves as a hard stop to most of the frailer, Life Orb variants. Excadrill's speed tier is also key in providing options against Mamoswine and Kyurem-B. Further, Excadrill has a huge influence in the mirror match against opposing Magic Guard Sand balances, by 1) removing opposing Spikes so that my Tyranitar is worn down less rapidly and 2) going directly head-to-head against Reuniclus itself with Sand Force Earthquake.
The set itself (credit to shoka I think) is designed to maximise the team's outcome in that Magic Guard Sand mirror. Those teams attempt to win out the hazard game vs Excadrill by using Gliscor as a Stealth Rocker, which switches in on Iron Head and recoups most of its lost health over the two turns with Protect. However, Excadrill can abuse the passive use of Gliscor by utilising Swords Dance with Sand Force. Even with little investment, a +2 Sand Force Iron Head stings Gliscor (71 - 83.8%) whilst Earthquake puts hurt on Reuniclus (77.3 - 91.2%) and Gastrodon (81.2 - 95.7%). Even Skarmory, obligated to run Specially Defensive spreads on such teams, doesn't appreciate +2 Iron Head (33.8 - 39.8%) and is put under heavy pressure combined with flinch chances and paralysis from Clefable/Latias. To compliment this moveset, Excadrill runs enough SDef to tank Alakazam Focus Blast and enough HP / Def to take one Gliscor EQ.
All that said, you can just use Protect and play the super long game vs Gliscor / Skarmory. Swords Dance with Thunder Wave is satisfying though.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
The prodigal son returns. BW only came out 12 years ago...
As mentioned in the introduction, Clefable is a BW oddity, feeling like a complete liablity against some of the absolute BW mainstays (Keldeo, Terrakion, Excadrill, Dragonite, Garchomp) but against everything else it... does the exact same Gen 4/6/7/8 stuff of 1v1ing things it has no business beating and being an absolute pain to remove. it only takes a handful of games using it to see how high the ceiling of this Pokemon can be, and after first using it on Hail, I'm now a full convert. Its no S-tier, but I firmly believe its one of Sand and Hail's best rocking options after the obvious Ground-types and is likely somewhere around Slowbro/king-level viability.
Clefable's main upsides as a Rocker are its incredibly strong MUs into Tentacruel and Starmie, a trait only otherwise held by Seismitoad which is, well, mediocre and requires you to spin every 10 turns. Access to reliable recovery, with an inability to be chipped by passive damage, ensure that Clefable is also able to repeatedly get Rocks throughout a game, in line with Skarmory. Being unable to threaten Excadrill is OK here, as Rocky Helmet Skarmory should ensure Excadrill is losing the hazard game in the long run.
Outside of setting up Stealth Rock, Clefable is fantastic at switching in on and invalidating many of the tier's mainstays:
- Bulky Waters: Gastrodon, Seismitoad, Tentacruel, Slowbro, and Slowking are fully smothered by Clefable, which paralyses most of them or at the very least, forces into burning precious Recovery PP. Politoed is the only bulky water to truly to give Clefable any trouble, and even then, it only does through 8 Encore which is quickly stalled by Reuniclus and Clefable pivoting. Jellicent, likewise, can't directly damage Clefable with its most common Night Shade set and enters into a stalemate with Taunt.
- Special attacking powerhouses- Non-choiced Latios fails to 2HKO with Draco Meteor and will eventually crumble to Thunder Wave + Seismic Toss. This lets ScarfTar escape Colbur Twave sets. Heatran, practically uncounterable for most Sands, has a 0.4% chance to 2HKO with Magma Storm, is fished for a miss and then paralysed and SToss stalled. Lava Plume sets are fully negated. +1 LO/Plate Volcarona fails to KO, so only Lum is threatening.
- Misc - Amoonguss is invalidated. Tyranitar gets Thunder Waved and 1v1d with Softboiled stalling Superpower. Magnezone and Starmie get TWave and Seismic Toss stalled comfortably. Lead / 4Atk Jirachi, which can be a nightmare for a lot of Sands, just get paralysed and chipped down.
It may look redundant to use this with Reuniclus, as sure, Reuniclus can perform some of the jobs above too, such as switching in on Amoonguss or Slowbro. However, when it does so it often compromises its function as a late-game sweeper as 1) its pdef invested so crits on the special side actually sting 2) it doesn't want to take TWaves / Stun Spores from some of these things and 3) it risks having to engage with Tyranitar in the early-to-midgame if you send it in too early. Clefable relinquishing Reuniclus' role as status absorber means you can reserve it for things like Terrakion, Breloom, or keep it just as a late-game cleaner rather than it having to perform 17 roles every game. More directly, paralysis support with Reuniclus is quite broken and Clefable is one of the better spreaders in the tier, able to get paralysis on some weird things that you normally wouldn't such as Rotom-W, Heatran, opposing Reuniclus etc.
The spread is pretty simple - it ensures standard Tyranitar can't 2HKO you with Superpower so you stall it with TWave + Softboiled until Superpower is weak enough to start throwing Seismic Tosses. In a pinch, 252 HP / 60 Def also guarantees you take a Secret Sword from unboosted Keldeo. The Speed is for 4 EV Tyranitar and the remaining SDef just solidifies your ability to repeatedly switch into Heatran + Scalds.
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Latias (F) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 148 HP / 108 SpA / 12 SpD / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
Latias is the first Psychic of the team and its primary function is to force damage and paralysis onto many of Reuniclus' checks - Tyranitar, Scizor, and Jirachi in particular. This is classic Magic Guard Sand stuff - these Pokemon can't handle 2 psychics in a single game with Spikes up, so you use Latias to force the little damage and status that is needed for Reuniclus to make quick work of them in the late-game.
This is a set that is more traditionally used by Latios, and many of the replays that are linked below do use Latios, but I've gravitated towards the other Lati over time just for a bit of defensive security. Latias is the only Water resist on the team, a flexibility allowable when the team has two Scald absorbers, but is still a little bit shaky when the rest of the team is slower than Specs Keldeo. Latias over Latios offers that bit more stability, with the spread also reflecting that - 148 HP / 12 SpD ensures that Latias isn't 2HKOd by either 48+ Thundurus-T Hidden Power Ice or Scarf Keldeo Hydro Pump in Rain, both after Stealth Rock, giving a bit more flexibility in the Rain MU.
Like Clefable, Latias just clicking Thunder Wave in a bunch of situations just helps out lategame Reuniclus, almost doesn't matter the target.
Reuniclus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Recover
The Pokemon the entire team is designed to enable, with entry hazards, rocky helmet, a second Psychic to weaken Tyranitar, and double Thunder Wave support. Reuniclus is a big gainer from the Gems ban, and it feels like a wider variety of Reuniclus teams have become viable since that change.
I'm not sure what there is to really say about Reuniclus that hasn't been covered a million times already. This thing arguably could have been banned at several points when BW was current Gen, and for very good reason - its one of the largest beneficiaries of BW hazard culture and does an excellent job of outlasting its few counters, often forcing Tyranitar and Scizor into unfavourable Pursuit 50:50s. This mon is also the reason why we have Excadrill back in the tier to begin with, as an attempt to try and limit its influence, yet here we are in 2022 and Reuniclus is still once of the faces of BW.
The set I've used here is the traditional Psychic / Fighting coverage one, which I feel is still the strongest when Reuniclus is the out-and-out win condition. Psyshock with paralysis support gives you incredibly strong odds to 1v1 opposing Reuniclus when you set up alongside it, whilst also giving you the option to threaten the likes of Keldeo, Terrakion, and Breloom at +0 in a pinch - STABless sets get into weirder spots where they are only functional after a few boosts. Focus Blast is the coverage of choice as my Tyranitar removal isn't bulletproof - most common scenario is it'll be at ~30% and paralysed when it tries to face Reun - so I still need to be able to hit it hard, as well as hitting Excadrill, Heatran, and so on.
The item is probably the only weird thing here, something we saw ABR use earlier this year (although i do not know who to credit for the idea) - the team is incredibly weak to Cloyster, and Sitrus Berry at least gives you an out vs NMI and LO sets. Having used it more, though, it has several applications beyond this, including shifting rolls in your favour vs Crunch Tyranitar, and allowing Reuniclus to act as a better pivot into some of the tier's offensive threats in more fast pace games e.g. Terrakion (240 HP / 252 Def will always take 50.1% min from CB Stone Edge, prock Sitrus to guarantee you live a second), Keldeo (always live 2 Scarf Hydro outside Rain), Breloom, Mamoswine, Garchomp etc. The Speed ensures you outspeed paralysed +1 Adamant Gyarados and everything below (+1 paralysed Dragonite, paralysed Scarf Scizor, paralysed Alakazam being notable)
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Threatlist
Every team has its weaknesses and boy this is no exception:
Specifically Lum Berry sets, you can click x unless the opponent is really quite poor. Vs some teams you can get into positions where Clef Rocks repeatedly in front of Starmie, or set up Reun early game to force it be used as a unboosted breaker, but generally Lum Volc is an incredibly incredibly bad MU. A real issue as well. Not faced it too much but alongside something to chip Skarmory, this thing is near unplayable offensive Ices are generally an issue as, well, team has no Ice resist. Its not completely unplayable, with Sitrus Reun going a long way vs Cloyster and multiple speed control options for Mamoswine, but neither are fun to face. don't get me startedHelp me solve all these issues (except Sableye)
Replays:
vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1720400955vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1657758763vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1657896588vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1734410646-kmt2pm88wskhz38g7avqn15120ll1mupwvs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1732091186-a2niucjees4wxc1kvvbffz2sw4kvrzwpwvs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731710210-v82osvbofv0obhg8gtdpoanfdm2hg1fpwvs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731694096-6bakwt0rj5wroxu0chp96arz2cgwzwopwvs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1731069837-z3x2blg2idds8wboty3a6sl69f1tmvppwvs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen5ou-1727911812-g52rbr0s9hngo4n8m5yv277s0sv9tuhpw
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