APPROVED BY HAUNTER
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project I will be doing in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when I was reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. My goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. I need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM me what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
However, while its typing does have some excellent defensive benefits, it comes with the downside of making Krookodile weak to the common Water- and Fighting-type moves, two common priority types, which makes Krookodile easy to revenge kill. Its Speed is also rather lackluster, and unless it is running a RestTalk set, it has no form of recovery outside of Leftovers which somewhat hinders its capability as a defensive Pokemon.
Krookodile @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Moxie
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-Stone Edge
-Pursuit
This is Krookodile's best offensive set. With Pursuit, Krookodile can pick off weakened Pokemon or Dark-type weak Pokemon, and obtain a Moxie boost at the same time. This set is meant to be used as a late-game cleaner, and it does a great job at that. Earthquake and Knock Off are Krookodile's STAB moves, and they are both powerful options, especially with Moxie boosts. Of course, Knock Off removes a foe's item, making it an excellent choice on all offensive Dark-types. Stone Edge wraps up the coverage, and allows Krookodile to hit Togekiss and Mandibuzz super-effectively. Because it obtains Attack boost via Moxie, Jolly is the best nature choice, as its Speed is decidedly average without investment. The EV spread is almost obvious; same with the item choice. However, a Choice Scarf could be used for Krookodile to function as a faster late-game cleaner, and something like a Dread Plate or an Expert Belt could boost its power without the debilitating recoil of a Life Orb.
Krookodile @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
Ability: Intimidate
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-Taunt
-Toxic / Stealth Rock
This version of Krookodile plays very differently from its offensive counterpart. With Initimidate, this set can check some very common offensive threats, such as Aegislash, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Tyranitar. Earthquake is used for Aegislash it bypasses King's Shield and still hits quite hard despite Krookodile's lack of offensive investment. Knock Off is excellent as it cripples physical walls on the switch-in, depriving them of their item. While slow offensively, it is quite fast for a defensive Pokemon, which lets it Taunt slower defensive threats such as Mandibuzz, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Toxic allows Krookodile to break through those physical walls, as well as setup sweepers. Finally, Stealth Rock is an option as Krookodile has many opportunites to set it up due to the switches it forces. An advantage Krookodile has over other Stealth rock setters is its ability to beat most faster Rapid Spinners and Defoggers with its STAB moves, and slower ones with Taunt. Dragon Tail is an option over Toxic or Stealth Rock which works great with Knock Off, removing the items of many members of a team. It needs Leftovers for longevity as it does not have access to reliable recovery, and the EV spread and the Impish nature in conjunction with Intimidate makes it vey difficult to break through on the physical side.
If Krookodile wants to stay alive longer, it can utilize a Rest + Sleep Talk set, but this set is generally inferior to the other sets due to its lack of versatility.
Offensive Krookodile requires teammates that can deal with physical walls such as Hippowdon and Skarmory, so special wallbreakers are recommended partners. Keldeo, Kyurem-B, and Mega Lucario fall under this category. Volt Switch and U-turn users make good partners for their ability to switch Krookodile in safely; examples include Rotom-W and Genesect. Defensive Krookodile fits well on defensive teams, and it can form an Intimidate core with Gyarados, which can run a bulky spread as well. Gyarados also resists the Water- and Flying-typed moves which trouble Krookodile. Mega Venusaur is also a defensive staple, and between the three of them, most move types are covered.
Each set has vastly different checks and counters. Offensive Krookodile can easily be taken on by common physical walls that can cripple it with status or simply wall it indefinitely. Skarmory, Mega Venusaur, Gliscor, and Hippowdon all fall under this category. Users of Aqua Jet and Mach Punch are also significant threats especially if Krookodile is weakened; Azumarill can use Aqua Jet and Conkeldurr and Breloom can use Mach Punch. Mega Lucario can also use Vacuum Wave for similar effect. If a revenge killer doesn't have priority but it outspeeds Krookodile, then it can also easily take care of it by preying in its weaker Special Defense; Keldeo, Genesect, and Latios can do this well. Meanwhile, defensive sets hate status, making Sableye a very potent check, as it can burn Krookodile, limiting its lifespan and its Attack power, all before Krookodile can even Taunt it. Bulky Water-types can take its attacks and threaten it with a Scald, which can dent Krookodile as well as pose the risk of a burn.
There we go, that's the second Pokemon of the Week! Let me know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Krookodile sets on the ladder, as well as let me know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. I'm thinking Mega Absol, but all opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for me about either Krookodile or POTW itself. Go out there and try Krookodile now, and I'll see you next time!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project I will be doing in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when I was reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. My goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. I need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM me what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Krookodile.
Krookodile
Type: Ground / Dark
Base Stats: 95 HP / 117 Atk / 80 Def / 65 SpA / 70 SpD / 92 Spe
Ability: Intimidate / Moxie / Anger Point
Krookodile was one of the many new Pokemon introduced in the Black and White games. It boasts a unique Ground / Dark typing, usable Attack and Speed stats, decent bulk, and two great abilities, Intimidate and Moxie, letting it pull off both an offensive and defensive roles on a team. What really made it stand out from last gen though, is the Dark-type buff that many other Pokemon, such as Bisharp and Mandibuzz, have benefited from. Offensively, it can obtain Attack boosts with Moxie, use Earthquake and Knock Off as powerful STAB moves, Stone Edge for EdgeQuake coverage, and even use Pursuit, which works great in tandem with Moxie. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, it can use Intimidate to take on a variety of physical attackers including the ubiquitous Aegislash, and it is possibly the only user of Intimidate that can beat Bisharp one-on-one. It has a stellar defensive movepool, with access to Taunt, Toxic, Dragon Tail, Knock Off, and Stealth Rock, which makes it a rare example of a Pokemon that can pull off two roles parallel to each other.
Krookodile
Type: Ground / Dark
Base Stats: 95 HP / 117 Atk / 80 Def / 65 SpA / 70 SpD / 92 Spe
Ability: Intimidate / Moxie / Anger Point
However, while its typing does have some excellent defensive benefits, it comes with the downside of making Krookodile weak to the common Water- and Fighting-type moves, two common priority types, which makes Krookodile easy to revenge kill. Its Speed is also rather lackluster, and unless it is running a RestTalk set, it has no form of recovery outside of Leftovers which somewhat hinders its capability as a defensive Pokemon.
Krookodile @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Moxie
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-Stone Edge
-Pursuit
This is Krookodile's best offensive set. With Pursuit, Krookodile can pick off weakened Pokemon or Dark-type weak Pokemon, and obtain a Moxie boost at the same time. This set is meant to be used as a late-game cleaner, and it does a great job at that. Earthquake and Knock Off are Krookodile's STAB moves, and they are both powerful options, especially with Moxie boosts. Of course, Knock Off removes a foe's item, making it an excellent choice on all offensive Dark-types. Stone Edge wraps up the coverage, and allows Krookodile to hit Togekiss and Mandibuzz super-effectively. Because it obtains Attack boost via Moxie, Jolly is the best nature choice, as its Speed is decidedly average without investment. The EV spread is almost obvious; same with the item choice. However, a Choice Scarf could be used for Krookodile to function as a faster late-game cleaner, and something like a Dread Plate or an Expert Belt could boost its power without the debilitating recoil of a Life Orb.
Krookodile @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
Ability: Intimidate
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-Taunt
-Toxic / Stealth Rock
This version of Krookodile plays very differently from its offensive counterpart. With Initimidate, this set can check some very common offensive threats, such as Aegislash, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Tyranitar. Earthquake is used for Aegislash it bypasses King's Shield and still hits quite hard despite Krookodile's lack of offensive investment. Knock Off is excellent as it cripples physical walls on the switch-in, depriving them of their item. While slow offensively, it is quite fast for a defensive Pokemon, which lets it Taunt slower defensive threats such as Mandibuzz, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Toxic allows Krookodile to break through those physical walls, as well as setup sweepers. Finally, Stealth Rock is an option as Krookodile has many opportunites to set it up due to the switches it forces. An advantage Krookodile has over other Stealth rock setters is its ability to beat most faster Rapid Spinners and Defoggers with its STAB moves, and slower ones with Taunt. Dragon Tail is an option over Toxic or Stealth Rock which works great with Knock Off, removing the items of many members of a team. It needs Leftovers for longevity as it does not have access to reliable recovery, and the EV spread and the Impish nature in conjunction with Intimidate makes it vey difficult to break through on the physical side.
If Krookodile wants to stay alive longer, it can utilize a Rest + Sleep Talk set, but this set is generally inferior to the other sets due to its lack of versatility.
Offensive Krookodile requires teammates that can deal with physical walls such as Hippowdon and Skarmory, so special wallbreakers are recommended partners. Keldeo, Kyurem-B, and Mega Lucario fall under this category. Volt Switch and U-turn users make good partners for their ability to switch Krookodile in safely; examples include Rotom-W and Genesect. Defensive Krookodile fits well on defensive teams, and it can form an Intimidate core with Gyarados, which can run a bulky spread as well. Gyarados also resists the Water- and Flying-typed moves which trouble Krookodile. Mega Venusaur is also a defensive staple, and between the three of them, most move types are covered.
Each set has vastly different checks and counters. Offensive Krookodile can easily be taken on by common physical walls that can cripple it with status or simply wall it indefinitely. Skarmory, Mega Venusaur, Gliscor, and Hippowdon all fall under this category. Users of Aqua Jet and Mach Punch are also significant threats especially if Krookodile is weakened; Azumarill can use Aqua Jet and Conkeldurr and Breloom can use Mach Punch. Mega Lucario can also use Vacuum Wave for similar effect. If a revenge killer doesn't have priority but it outspeeds Krookodile, then it can also easily take care of it by preying in its weaker Special Defense; Keldeo, Genesect, and Latios can do this well. Meanwhile, defensive sets hate status, making Sableye a very potent check, as it can burn Krookodile, limiting its lifespan and its Attack power, all before Krookodile can even Taunt it. Bulky Water-types can take its attacks and threaten it with a Scald, which can dent Krookodile as well as pose the risk of a burn.
There we go, that's the second Pokemon of the Week! Let me know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Krookodile sets on the ladder, as well as let me know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. I'm thinking Mega Absol, but all opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for me about either Krookodile or POTW itself. Go out there and try Krookodile now, and I'll see you next time!
