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OU Crawdaunt
- Thread starter firehusky
- Start date
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(comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
Overview
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Crawdaunt is a true powerhouse and a terrifying wallbreaker thanks to Adaptability and its sky-high Attack stat. It has very powerful STAB moves in the form of Knock Off and Crabhammer, which are very hard to switch into. Additionally, Swords Dance and Aqua Jet give Crawdaunt a great cleaning tool and can somewhat fix up its poor Speed. Crawdaunt also has an excellent matchup against slower defensive teams, as they struggle to take boosted hits. However, Crawdaunt does have numerous flaws; it has low Speed, which is only slightly remedied by Aqua Jet, and is extremely frail, struggling to take even resisted hits, making it very hard to set up or switch in safely.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Crabhammer
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Aqua Jet
ability: Adaptability
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant
Moves
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Swords Dance can boost Crawdaunt's Attack to insane levels, allowing it to severely dent or KO even Pokemon that resist its attacks. Crabhammer is Crawdaunt's most powerful STAB move, being able to 2HKO maximum HP Azumarill, as well as easily KOing many neutrally hit Pokemon. Crawdaunt sets itself apart from other wallbreakers thanks to its immensely powerful STAB Knock Off. Not many Pokemon resist Dark-type attacks, and very few of them appreciate having their item knocked off. Aqua Jet is also a must on Crawdaunt, as it patches up Crawdaunt's low Speed and can often be used to sweep a weakened team. Crunch is another option to do more damage than Knock Off to Mega Venusaur, but the power and utility provided by Knock Off will definitely be missed.
Set Details
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Adaptability is the reason why Crawdaunt is such a powerful and efficient wallbreaker, and it's what gives Crawdaunt its niche. 252 Speed EVs combined with a Jolly nature allow Crawdaunt to outspeed many common defensive Pokemon such as Rotom-W, defensive variants of Heatran and Landorus-T, and Mega Venusaur. An Adamant nature can also be used to hit harder, but Jolly is definitely preferred. Maximum Attack EVs increase Crawdaunt's damage output, making it harder to wall. A Life Orb is the preferred item, as it increases Crawdaunt's Attack (RC) while also allowing it to change moves, making it much harder to wall.
Usage Tips
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Crawdaunt is extremely frail, so only bring it in on weak resisted moves, after a teammate faints, or with a slow Volt Switch, U-turn, or Baton Pass. Using Crawdaunt is pretty straightforward; simply select the appropriate STAB move and watch the opposing Pokemon lose their item and take heavy damage in the process or simply get KOed. Crawdaunt is a wallbreaker, so use it to punch major holes in the opposing team so that a teammate has an opportunity to sweep. Crawdaunt excels against defensive teams but struggles against more offensively oriented teams; wait until the opposing team is weakened enough and Crawdaunt may be able to get an opportunity to sweep with Aqua Jet. Bring in Crawdaunt against a Pokemon that it forces out, such as Heatran, and either set up a Swords Dance or just directly nuke the Pokemon that switches in. Usually after Crawdaunt has taken out a Pokemon, it is best to let it get KOed, as switching it out loses momentum.
Team Options
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Talonflame is a great partner, being able to destroy Crawdaunt's main counters. (such as?) Latios can also defeat Crawdaunt's counters, while also being able to remove entry hazards that may trouble Crawdaunt. Like most wallbreakers and setup sweepers, Crawdaunt appreciates entry hazard support. Chesnaught and Ferrothorn can both set up Spikes, with the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock. Momentum grabbers such as Rotom-W, Celebi, and Landorus-T are appreciated to help Crawdaunt switch in; for example, Celebi can also pass a Substitute to Crawdaunt via Baton Pass, helping it switch in safely. Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X appreciates the removal of Heatran and Slowbro, while Dragon Dance Mega Altaria appreciates Ferrothorn and Skarmory being weakened. Crawdaunt can also weaken Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo's main counters, namely Rotom-W, Slowbro, and Azumarill.
Other Options
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Waterfall can be used over Crabhammer for better accuracy, but the decrease in power is usually not preferred, as Crawdaunt is a wallbreaker, which is why Crabhammer is usually the superior choice. (fluff) Choice Band can be used over Life Orb to hit harder, but Life Orb is generally preferred, as it gives Crawdaunt the ability to switch moves, allowing it to wallbreak much more efficiently. However, if you do decide to run Choice Band, Superpower should be used over Swords Dance as a reliable way to defeat Ferrothorn. Running a Focus Sash makes Crawdaunt harder to revenge kill and makes setting up with Swords Dance easier. It also allows Crawdaunt to pretty much net a guaranteed KO against offensive teams, provided its Focus Sash is not broken.
Checks & Counters
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**Chesnaught**: Chesnaught resists both of Crawdaunt's STAB moves (RC) and is very physically bulky, so it takes very little damage from Crawdaunt's attacks. It also can recover health with Drain Punch or Leech Seed. Chesnaught can also take the opportunity to set up Spikes.
**Mega Altaria**: Mega Altaria resists both of Crawdaunt's STAB moves while being able to set up on Crawdaunt with Dragon Dance or justproceed to ('being able to proceed to' sounds fluffy and generally eeeh) KO it with either Return or Hyper Voice.
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur resists Water-type moves and doesn't take much damage from Knock Off thanks to the fact that its Mega Stone cannot be removed. Mega Venusaur also has recovery in the form of Synthesis, allowing it to come in multiple times, and can OHKO Crawdaunt back with Giga Drain.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulkier Water-types such as Rotom-W, Azumarill, and Keldeo can switch in on resisted STAB moves and either proceed to KO Crawdaunt with their respective STAB moves or, in Rotom-W's case, cripple it with a burn.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster Pokemon such as Latios, Breloom, and Mega Manectric can come in after Crawdaunt KOes a Pokemon and proceed to force it out. Priority users such as Talonflame can also outprioritize Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet.
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Crawdaunt is a true powerhouse and a terrifying wallbreaker thanks to Adaptability and its sky-high Attack stat. It has very powerful STAB moves in the form of Knock Off and Crabhammer, which are very hard to switch into. Additionally, Swords Dance and Aqua Jet give Crawdaunt a great cleaning tool and can somewhat fix up its poor Speed. Crawdaunt also has an excellent matchup against slower defensive teams, as they struggle to take boosted hits. However, Crawdaunt does have numerous flaws; it has low Speed, which is only slightly remedied by Aqua Jet, and is extremely frail, struggling to take even resisted hits, making it very hard to set up or switch in safely.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Crabhammer
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Aqua Jet
ability: Adaptability
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant
Moves
========
Swords Dance can boost Crawdaunt's Attack to insane levels, allowing it to severely dent or KO even Pokemon that resist its attacks. Crabhammer is Crawdaunt's most powerful STAB move, being able to 2HKO maximum HP Azumarill, as well as easily KOing many neutrally hit Pokemon. Crawdaunt sets itself apart from other wallbreakers thanks to its immensely powerful STAB Knock Off. Not many Pokemon resist Dark-type attacks, and very few of them appreciate having their item knocked off. Aqua Jet is also a must on Crawdaunt, as it patches up Crawdaunt's low Speed and can often be used to sweep a weakened team. Crunch is another option to do more damage than Knock Off to Mega Venusaur, but the power and utility provided by Knock Off will definitely be missed.
Set Details
========
Adaptability is the reason why Crawdaunt is such a powerful and efficient wallbreaker, and it's what gives Crawdaunt its niche. 252 Speed EVs combined with a Jolly nature allow Crawdaunt to outspeed many common defensive Pokemon such as Rotom-W, defensive variants of Heatran and Landorus-T, and Mega Venusaur. An Adamant nature can also be used to hit harder, but Jolly is definitely preferred. Maximum Attack EVs increase Crawdaunt's damage output, making it harder to wall. A Life Orb is the preferred item, as it increases Crawdaunt's Attack (RC) while also allowing it to change moves, making it much harder to wall.
Usage Tips
========
Crawdaunt is extremely frail, so only bring it in on weak resisted moves, after a teammate faints, or with a slow Volt Switch, U-turn, or Baton Pass. Using Crawdaunt is pretty straightforward; simply select the appropriate STAB move and watch the opposing Pokemon lose their item and take heavy damage in the process or simply get KOed. Crawdaunt is a wallbreaker, so use it to punch major holes in the opposing team so that a teammate has an opportunity to sweep. Crawdaunt excels against defensive teams but struggles against more offensively oriented teams; wait until the opposing team is weakened enough and Crawdaunt may be able to get an opportunity to sweep with Aqua Jet. Bring in Crawdaunt against a Pokemon that it forces out, such as Heatran, and either set up a Swords Dance or just directly nuke the Pokemon that switches in. Usually after Crawdaunt has taken out a Pokemon, it is best to let it get KOed, as switching it out loses momentum.
Team Options
========
Talonflame is a great partner, being able to destroy Crawdaunt's main counters. (such as?) Latios can also defeat Crawdaunt's counters, while also being able to remove entry hazards that may trouble Crawdaunt. Like most wallbreakers and setup sweepers, Crawdaunt appreciates entry hazard support. Chesnaught and Ferrothorn can both set up Spikes, with the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock. Momentum grabbers such as Rotom-W, Celebi, and Landorus-T are appreciated to help Crawdaunt switch in; for example, Celebi can also pass a Substitute to Crawdaunt via Baton Pass, helping it switch in safely. Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X appreciates the removal of Heatran and Slowbro, while Dragon Dance Mega Altaria appreciates Ferrothorn and Skarmory being weakened. Crawdaunt can also weaken Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo's main counters, namely Rotom-W, Slowbro, and Azumarill.
Other Options
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Waterfall can be used over Crabhammer for better accuracy, but the decrease in power is usually not preferred, as Crawdaunt is a wallbreaker
Checks & Counters
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**Chesnaught**: Chesnaught resists both of Crawdaunt's STAB moves (RC) and is very physically bulky, so it takes very little damage from Crawdaunt's attacks. It also can recover health with Drain Punch or Leech Seed. Chesnaught can also take the opportunity to set up Spikes.
**Mega Altaria**: Mega Altaria resists both of Crawdaunt's STAB moves while being able to set up on Crawdaunt with Dragon Dance or just
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur resists Water-type moves and doesn't take much damage from Knock Off thanks to the fact that its Mega Stone cannot be removed. Mega Venusaur also has recovery in the form of Synthesis, allowing it to come in multiple times, and can OHKO Crawdaunt back with Giga Drain.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulkier Water-types such as Rotom-W, Azumarill, and Keldeo can switch in on resisted STAB moves and either proceed to KO Crawdaunt with their respective STAB moves or, in Rotom-W's case, cripple it with a burn.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster Pokemon such as Latios, Breloom, and Mega Manectric can come in after Crawdaunt KOes a Pokemon and proceed to force it out. Priority users such as Talonflame can also outprioritize Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet.
GP 2/2, not much left to do here
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