[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Crabhammer
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Superpower / Crunch
item: Choice Band
ability: Adaptability
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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While Liquidation is more accurate, Crabhammer is chosen as Crawdaunt's Water-type STAB move due to its greater power enabling Crawdaunt to OHKO Hippowdon and Florges as well as 2HKO Mega Aggron. Aqua Jet lets Crawdaunt pick off weakened, faster Pokemon such as Zeraora, Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Nihilego. Superpower notably allows Crawdaunt to punch its way through Hydreigon, an otherwise solid check. It also threatens other foes that resist Crawdaunt's STAB combination like Kommo-o, Mega Sharpedo, and opposing Crawdaunt with a powerful neutral or super effective attack. Crunch is an alternative to Superpower, acting as a secondary Dark-type move that deals more damage to bulkier, itemless Pokemon, Mega Evolutions, and Z-Move users than Knock Off does.
Set Details
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Choice Band makes Crawdaunt a terrifyingly powerful wallbreaker at the cost of locking it into one move at a time. An Adamant nature gives Crawdaunt a chance to 2HKO Pokemon like itemless Alomomola after Stealth Rock with Crunch as well as OHKO Pokemon like Florges.
Usage Tips
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Crawdaunt should mainly be brought into play after a teammate has been KOed, through pivoting, or through double switches, as its poor defenses prevent it from reliably switching into much else. Crawdaunt is most effective at wallbreaking during the earlier and middle stages of a game, as its low Speed tends to make breaking through teams difficult later on. Prioritize safely getting Crawdaunt in more often against bulkier teams; Crawdaunt's great power and ability to just barely outpace a lot of defensive Pokemon allow it to consistently apply heavy amounts of pressure to them. Knock Off is generally a safe move to spam early-game, as it typically puts foes on the back foot due to it removing items and being fairly strong. Crabhammer becomes a lot safer to lock into after bulky Water-resistant foes have been removed or heavily weakened. Use Superpower whenever Crawdaunt expects Pokemon like Hydreigon and Chesnaught to switch in, as it deals more damage to them than any of its other moves and doesn't put Crawdaunt at as much of a disadvantage. Crunch should be used whenever Crawdaunt anticipates bulky Pokemon that have already taken a Knock Off such as Amoonguss and Alomomola to switch in. Make predictions when facing offensive teams, as Crawdaunt's lackluster defensive presence and low Speed put it at a massive disadvantage against them and doing so alleviates some of the pressure. An example of this would be switching into Mega Aerodactyl to revenge kill it and taking advantage of the forced switch by not using Aqua Jet, but predicting the switch-in and using the appropriate move. Use Aqua Jet cautiously; while it is a powerful tool for revenge killing Pokemon like Infernape, Mega Beedrill, and Nihilego and can also be used to clean late-game, being locked into it allows sweepers like Latias and Kommo-o to set up for free.
Team Options
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Choice Band Crawdaunt fits well on offensive and bulky offensive teams in need of a wallbreaker that has the tools to punish bulkier playstyles while still pressuring more offensive ones with its powerful STAB moves and access to decently strong priority. Pivots such as Gligar, Mega Manectric, and Scizor are essential teammates, as they give Crawdaunt a much easier time switching in. Gligar checks physical Fighting-types, Mega Manectric can take on annoyances like Togekiss as well as lure certain checks like Swampert and Chesnaught with its coverage moves, and Scizor offensively checks Fairy-types. Entry hazards are important for giving Crawdaunt an easier time with wallbreaking and putting foes such as Moltres, Terrakion, and Mamoswine in range of Aqua Jet, making setters such as Mamoswine, Cobalion, Chesnaught, and Klefki useful partners to have. Toxic Spikes setters such as Nihilego can also work, as the hazard puts greater pressure on defensive checks like Alomomola. Latias is a great teammate for multiple reasons: it resists Fighting, Grass, and Electric and is also immune to Ground; it's bulky enough to take on some of Crawdaunt's revenge killers like Cobalion, and Choice Scarf sets can revenge kill Pokemon like +1 Kommo-o; it can reduce the residual damage that Crawdaunt is forced to take with Defog as well as give it another shot at breaking with Healing Wish; and Calm Mind variants can threaten bulky Water-types and have an easier time setting and sweeping with Pokemon like Krookodile and Alolan Muk kept at bay. As Crawdaunt is completely shut down by Mega Altaria and is similarly pressured by other Fairy-types like Primarina, pairing it with Fairy checks such as Cobalion, Scizor, and Gengar is ideal. Swords Dance variants of the former two also make for a deadly wallbreaking core alongside Crawdaunt. In order for Crawdaunt to be able to spam its STAB moves more reliably, pairing it with checks to Hydreigon, Kommo-o, and Chesnaught such as Florges, Togekiss, and Moltres is important. Late-game sweepers and cleaners such as Kommo-o, Mega Altaria, Choice Scarf Hydreigon, and Choice Scarf Nihilego find finishing teams off much easier as a result of Crawdaunt's wallbreaking prowess. Mega Altaria and Hydreigon are also capable of picking up the slack for Crawdaunt against more offensively inclined teams.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[allstarapology, 400292]]
- Quality checked by: [[Amane Misa, 312356], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Electrolyte, 148071]]
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