Cranidos [QC: 0/3]

[Aaron's Aron]

(Taken over from Goddess Briyella)

Overview
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• Cranidos is one of the Generation IV fossil Pokemon.

• It has the highest Attack stat in LC at 125, which would rival most OU Pokemon even.

• Cranidos' Rock STAB attacks hit the entire tier obscenely hard because of Cranidos' massive Attack stat as well as Rock being a great attacking type in LC.

• While Rock is a great attacking type in LC, it is a poor defensive type. It has a lot of weaknesses, with Fighting being an especially prevalent type in LC. Cranidos also has lackluster bulk, allowing it to take few hits.

• Being a Rock-type makes it weak to almost all of the priority attacks, including the common Mach Punch and Aqua jet.

• Cranidos struggles to function well on its own because faster Pokemon can outspeed and KO due to its low bulk. However, it is still extremely strong which can make the lower bulk worth it.

SET NAME
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Name: All-Out Attacker
Move 1: Rock Slide
Move 2: Superpower
Move 3: Crunch
Move 4: Zen Headbutt
Ability: Sheer Force
Item: Life Orb
EVs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Moves
========

• Rock Slide hits extremely strong with STAB coming off a 22 Attack stat, making it mandatory.

• Superpower is a very strong attack and provides great coverage, including hitting many types that resist its Rock STAB like Steel and Rock. However, it is not boosted by Sheer Force so Cranidos will still take Life Orb recoil.

• Crunch provides coverage hitting Psychic-types super effectively like Bronzor and Gothita.

• Zen Headbutt is another good coverage move, hitting Poison-types like Croagunk, Trubbish, and Skrelp that would otherwise cause trouble for Cranidos. It also provides coverage against the many Fighting-types in Little Cup, but you still have to watch out for Timburr's Mach Punch.

Set Details
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• The given EVs let Cranidos reach a massive Attack stat of 22, and nothing wants to take a hit with that kind of power behind it, especially with a Sheer Force and Life Orb boost behind it as well. Jolly pushes it into the 16 Speed tier, allowing it to outspeed Scraggy and Speed tie with Pawniard. The leftover EVs go into HP to try and at least somewhat increase its poor bulk.

• Rock Slide is used over Stone Edge because Stone Edge does not get the Sheer Force boost, meaning Cranidos will still take the Life Orb recoil. Stone Edge also has lower accuracy, so it can miss at important times. Rock Slide is also used over Head Smash because Head Smash has way to much recoil and the extra power is not needed.

Usage Tips
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• Superpower does not get the Sheer Force boost, so Cranidos still takes Life Orb recoil. Be careful about how often you use this move because it can whittle you down into KO range after awhile.

• Don't expect to get flinch hax from Rock Slide and Zen Headbutt. The flinch chance is removed by Sheer Force and replaced with an Attack boost so it will never occur. Even without Sheer Force the flinches should not be relied upon because they are a very uncommon occurrence.

• You do not want to switch Cranidos in on an opponent unless you know it is absolutely safe, and even then you are risking a lot. Cranidos has poor bulk to begin with, and it doesn't even get the added boost from an Eviolite because it is holding a Life Orb, so taking a hit will put it on low health or even KO it. It is much safer to bring Cranidos in after one of your own Pokemon is KOd so it can attack straight away without having to take return fire.

Team Options
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• Since this set does not utilize a Choice Scarf, faster Pokemon can present a problem. Sticky Web users like Surskit and Spinarak are good teammates for Cranidos because they will allow Cranidos to outspeed the entire unboosted tier and hit extremely hard with its monstrous Attack. Cranidos also destroys all users of Defog besides Stunky, so once Sticky Web is laid down Cranidos does a good job of making sure that it stays on the field. However, Cranidos already hits a solid 16 Speed tier so Sticky Web is not required to make Cranidos work. It can already outspeed a lot of Pokemon on its own.

• Cranidos struggles against Pokemon with priority moves like Timburr and Carvanha since their moves, Mach Punch and Aqua Jet respectively, allow them to outspeed Cranidos and hit it with a super-effective STAB attack. A Pokemon like Spritzee can switch into these attacks and hit back with a super-effective Fairy-type move, paving the way for Cranidos to Sweep without fear of being stopped by priority moves. Other Pokemon that can handle the threat of priority and its users make good teammates for Cranidos.

SET NAME
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Name: Choice Scarf
Move 1: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: Superpower
Move 4: Zen Headbutt
Ability: Mold Breaker / Sheer Force
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Nature: Adamant

Moves
========

• Stone Edge and Rock Slide both receive STAB bonus, and either one is acceptable. Stone Edge has more power and less accuracy, where as Rock Slide is slightly weaker, but is a bit more reliable.

• Earthquake is a reliable Ground-type attack that can severely damage Pokemon that wall Cranidos' Rock-type STAB. Some examples are Steel-types like Magnemite and Pawniard.

• Superpower is an effective move for taking out bulky Normal-types like Porygon and Lickitung. It also hits some Pokemon harder than Earthquake, but the Attack and Defense drop should be taken into consideration.

• Zen Headbutt is useful for taking out the Fighting-types that would otherwise wall Cranidos and its Rock-type STAB.

Set Details
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• 236 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature give Cranidos a devastating 24 Attack stat, which is possibly boosted even further by Sheer Force if it is the selected ability. The Choice Scarf on top of 212 Speed EVs give Cranidos a resulting Speed stat of 22, which allow it to outspeed the many 14 Speed Pokemon that carry a Choice Scarf. This is so Cranidos can hit with its mammoth Attack and KO before being taken out itself due to its weak defenses. The remaining EVs go into HP to try and at least raise its lacking bulk.

• Mold Breaker is the preferred ability so that Cranidos can break through Pokemon with Sturdy and get the KO. Many Pokemon would be able to survive an attack with Sturdy, activate Berry Juice and get back to full HP, and taking another two attacks before finally being KOd. They could KO Cranidos by the time it gets off three attacks, so breaking through Sturdy from the start lets Cranidos get the KO without taking damage back. Sheer Force can also be used, but the extra power isn't needed and it is more useful to break straight through Strudy users rather than be stopped by them.

Usage Tips
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• Cranidos can perform a cleaning role and finish off the opponent's weakened team, but it can also serve a wall breaking role early on and gran a KO or two since nothing can switch in before finally being taken out.

• Cranidos has no bulk, so it can generally only take one attack at most, meaning any Pokemon that has priority must be taken out before it can do its job. Timburr especially poses a threat because its Mach Punch is super-effective against Cranidos.

Team Options
========

• Sticky Web is a useful support tool for Cranidos so it can outspeed other Choice Scarf users in addition to the entire unboosted tier.

• Entry hazards are helpful because the extra damage can allow Cranidos to get some extra KOs and possibly get a sweep.

• Pokemon like Trubbish that can handle Knock Off users make good teammates for Cranidos because it really does not want to lose its Choice Scarf and if it can't outspeed the opponent it us useless. Pokemon that can handle priority users also make good teammates for Cranidos so it can sweep or clean.

Other Options
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• Rock Polish is a possible option because it will let Cranidos outspeed the entire tier and most Scarfers, while still allowing it the freedom to switch moves and hit everything as hard as possible. However, Cranidos isn't that bulky so it can be tough to set up at times, and most priority is super-effective so it can outspeed and KO Cranidos.

• Earthquake can be used, but it often fails to add coverage that Cranidos' other moves don't already give.

• Cranidos has access to Fire Punch and Thunder Punch, but the coverage they provide is often overshadowed by its other moves.

• Iron Head is an option if you hate Fairy-types, but none of the Fairy-types in the tier resist Cranidos's STAB anyway. Again, the issue with not providing any new coverage is present.

• Head Smash is an extreme option that might actually be good late-game if using the Scarf set and you need to eliminate a high-health troublesome threat. However, the sub-par accuracy and the immense recoil make this move unfavorable in most circumstances. The recoil also means that Cranidos will certainly be KOd by any priority attack. Edge

Checks & Counters
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• With a Focus Sash, Diglett, and Trapinch on Trick Room teams, can trap and KO Cranidos with their Ground-type STAB.

• Priority users, especially Croagunk, Timburr, and Carvanha, really give Cranidos problems due to its low bulk.

• Bulky Fighting-types in general are hard for Cranidos to deal with a lot of the time and can deal serious damage back.

• Cranidos does poorly against most weather reliant sweepers. Thanks to Sand Rush Drilbur outspeeds Cranidos and can KO. Rain Dance sweepers will outspeed and KO with their STAB, super-effective Water-type moves. Chlorophyll sweepers will outspeed Cranidos and KO with Solarbeam or another Grass-type move.

• Other Choice Scarfers that outspeed Cranidos can KO it most of the time if they have a super-effective move due to Cranidos' lack of bulk.

 

[infamy]

imo under team options you should include pokes that benefit from the removal of their checks and counters that cranidos beats. for example fletch likes having chou arch and mag gone and scarf mb cranidos beats both of those. ziggy likes having steels and rock types gone and cranidos beats those. not the best examples ik but im rly tired rn and if i feel nice ill update this with better ones tomorrow

oh and remove your mention of tangela from the op

 

[Kavatika]

implement the qc checks from bri's thread before moving this out of wip

 

[Rowan]

name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Crunch
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 60 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
nature: Adamant

these 4 attacks is all it needs. EQ hits nothing superpower/zen butt don't but superpower kills ferroseed and porygon, whilst zen headbutt hurts fighters too. crunch mainly for slowpoke but the move is kinda filler tbh, but EQ doesn't really hit anything. i suppose you can slash RP with crunch

 

[Aaron's Aron]

I'm sorry this took so long Obvious Power . It's been a tough time for me. It is ready for QC checks now, though. Thanks to everyone in advance. :)

 

[Kavatika]

Whenever you mention priority, you mention Timburr having Fighting-type priority, but never once do you mention Croagunk's Vacuum Wave, which actually hits Cranidos's weaker special side. Mention Croagunk and Timburr as a pair when you mention priority, not just one or the other.

You reference the exact number of the base stat, evs, and final stat a lot throughout the analysis. In some areas, the final stat is OK to mention, specifically when a stat is notably high, but EVs and base stats will be presented to the reader when this is uploaded, so it is unnecessary to list them in your writing.

OVERVIEW:
Drop the first bullet. It doesn't belong in an analysis.

Combine the second and third bullets and rephrase it to emphasize Cranidos' wallbreaking power due to its obscene Attack stat and great coverage. Don't strictly say it has 125 base Attack, that information will be provided when this is eventually uploaded.

In the fourth bullet, when you talk about its Rock typing, mention Cranidos' weakness to priority. With that there, remove the fifth bullet.

Remove the final bullet. In its place, mention that Cranidos's speed stat and bulk makes it struggle to do anything against fast-paced offensive teams, especially if they have no Pokemon Cranidos can outspeed and capitalize on.

ALL-OUT ATTACKER:
Change 'SET NAME' to match the name of the set.

Moves:
Make the move order Rock Slide / Superpower / Zen Headbutt / Crunch.

Remember that this section should describe the purpose of each move.

For Rock Slide, mention that it hits Fire-types and Flying-types (it hits more but these are the significant ones). Don't directly mention its Attack stat here. Also mention that Rock Slide gets the Sheer Force boost, so it is superior to Stone Edge.

For Superpower, specifically mention that it hits Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Porygon, instead of vaguely mentioning Steel- and Rock-types. FYI, Rock does not resist Rock.

Mention the fact that Zen Headbutt hits Fighting-types before you mention that it hits Poison-types. State that Cranidos should really only be hitting them on the switch-in, as Mienfoo outspeeds and Croagunk Timburr can simply hit it with priority. Pancham probably survives the 2HKO, but run a calc just to be sure.

For Crunch, don't mention Bronzor or Gothita. Gothita will not be staying in on Cranidos if it is locked into something other than Energy Ball, and Bronzor is not relevant. Instead, mention Pumpkaboo-Super and Slowpoke.

Set Details:
Remember that this section talks about EVs, Ability, and Item.
Remove the discussion about Rock Slide vs. Stone Edge. It doesn't belong in Set Details.

Mention that Sheer Force and Life Orb combined maximize power.

Usage Tips:

Remove the first and second bullets.

Specify what 'absolutely safe' means (faster than opponent the opponent and can KO without being KOed in return). In the second sentence, don't mention Eviolite, simply mention Cranido's poor bulk. Mention that Cranidos can usually switch in on weaker resisted moves.

Team Options:

First off, you only give two team options. I'm sure Cranidos works with more than just two Pokemon.

The first bullet is pretty solid, but remove the first and last sentences in it.

I don't like this other bullet. Spritzee does not fit well on the type of team that Cranidos would naturally function on, which is offense. You are also leaving out Croagunk, which threatens Croagunk with its priority, and handles Spritzee well. Instead of Spritzee, mention Croagunk, which ruins any common Aqua Jet user and switches in on Fighting-types.

Mention Acrobatics Mienfoo; it provides a lure for Fighting-types, Foongus, and Cottonee which can be weakened/removed with Acrobatics after Mienfoo is Knocked Off. Mienfoo also lures in Fletchling, at which point Cranidos can come in and capitalize on the impending switch.

Mention U-turn, Volt Switch, and Parting Shot users.

Mention entry hazard setters.

Add more things to Team Options. You've hopefully used Cranidos, so you should have ideas, or other QC can chime in.

CHOICE SCARF
Change 'SET NAME' to match the name of the set.

Moves:
Mention that if Sheer Force is chosen as an ability, that Rock Slide is the superior option.

Mention that Superpower hits Ferroseed.

Change 'taking out' to 'weakening'. I'm pretty sure Croagunk is the only one you can OHKO without Sheer Force and Life Orb.

Set Details:
Don't list the exact number of EVs. It's redundant, as they are already given with the set. When you mention speed, take out the mention of 22 speed, and simply state that you outspeed 14 Speed Scarf users. Remove the part about hitting stuff before you get KOed, it doesn't exactly belong in Set Details.

On the second bullet, remove everything except the first sentence. The description of the mechanics of Sturdy + Berry Juice is superflous, and the final sentence makes it sound like Sheer Force is not a viable option.

In a new bullet, mention Sheer Force as an option if power is preferred over landing KOes on Sturdy users.

Usage Tips:
Again, mention both Timburr and Croagunk.

Team Options:
Mention specific Sticky Web setters and hazard setters.

Don't mention Trubbish as a Knock Off absorber, it does not go well with Cranidos. Mention Acrobatics Mienfoo or Thief Snubbull.

Mention pivots and VoltTurn users. Make sure to give specifics.

CHECKS & COUNTERS:
This needs to be changed to match the new format. Check other analyses if you aren't sure.

The groups that need to be listed here: Ground-types, Fighting-types, Bulky Pokemon (Porygon, Spritzee, etc), Slowpoke, Priority, Revenge Killers. Remove weather sweepers, but include Bellsprout under revenge killers.


Since this was a lot, I'll hold off on stamping this until you've implemented everything correctly.

 

[OP]

This has been reassigned.