Cradily [QC 2/3] Written

[OVERVIEW]

Cradily is a pretty niche defensive pokemon in the PU tier with its unique combination Storm Drain and access to Stealth Rock. Its good bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to reliably set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Its ability Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types well. Its unique type combination gives it useful resistances in Normal and Electric to be able to check Pokemon such as Eelektross, Kangaskhan and Pyroar. However it also leaves it weak to common types like Ice and Fighting of which the latter is commonly run as coverage by Normal-type Pokemon like Stoutland and Zangoose. Base 81 offenses make Cradily unable to do much against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on poisoning them with Toxic. It is terribly slow so it's usually forced to take 2 hits when switching in, limiting its ability to switch into strong hits and to set up Stealth Rock. Being passive invites in Pokemon that are not worried about poison such as Gurdurr with Guts.

[SET]

name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Rock Slide / Giga Drain
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Careful / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves

========

Rock Slide is the preferred STAB-move as it allows Cradily to threaten common threats like Archeops, Oricorio-G and Swanna. Recover is necessary to allow Cradily to keep itself healthy to keep checking Water types and set up Stealth Rock. Toxic is used to discourage set up sweepers like Lilligant from setting up on it. Stealth Rock is used on the last slot to wear down the opposing team with residual damage. Giga Drain is an option to be able to beat Carracosta, Gastrodon and Palossand while providing additional recovery. However without Rock Slide Cradily cannot deal with many common threats it would otherwise beat.

Set Details

========

Fully invested HP and Special Defense with Careful nature is used to maximize Cradily's special bulk. A Calm nature should be used when running Giga Drain over Rock Slide. Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery. Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo.

Usage Tips

========

Find opportunities to bring in Cradily in the early game to set up Stealth Rock. If there the opposing team has nothing that immediately threathens Cradily it can be used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. Use Recover to keep Cradily as healtyh as possible to allow Cradily to switch into Pokemon such as Pyroar and Swanna and be able to set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Using Recover to keep Cradily at full health is important as it is usually forced to take 2 hits before being able to use Recover when switching in due to its low Speed. Bring Cradily into Water-Type Pokemon like Ludicolo, Lanturn and Carracosta and force them out with the threat Giga Drain or Toxic. Use these forced switched as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or use Recover if Cradily is no healthy. Avoid using your STAB-move early in the match to make the opponent wary of switching in Pokemon like Abomasnow or Palossand who can switch into Cradily depending on its STAB-move. Make use Cradily's immunity to Water-type immunity to ease prediction against opposing Water-type Pokemon like Carracosta or Ludicolo as they are less likely to use Water-type moves as long as Cradily is healthy.

Team Options

========

Cradily is best fit on bulkier teams so it should be paired with other defensive Pokemon. Cradily appreciates Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon gone as they are immune to poison from Toxic and resist Giga Drain. Mesprit is able to threathen Poison-types with Psychic and Gurdurr takes on Steel-types while having Guts to absorb status. Cradily is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes. Defog users such as Skuntank and Swanna make for good partners. Swanna in particular is resistant to Bug, Fighting and Steel and appreciates Cradily's ability to take Electric-type hits which Swanna is 4x weak to. Fighting-type checks such as Mesprit and Weezing. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Lanturn and Miltank can be used to remove status from Cradily and its team. Fire-type Pokemon like Magmortar and Pyroar appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options

=============

Earthquake is an option to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder. A Curse or Sword Dance set can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide but it is outclassed by other Pokemon in these roles as Cradily is slow and weak even when it is boosted. Rocky Helmet can be run over Leftovers to provide chip damage against contant moves, but the lack of passive recovery makes it harder to set up Stealth Rock and makes Cradily more reliant on Recover to keep itself healthy. Mirror Coat can be used to get surprise Kos against opponents like Magmortar using Focus Blast but it's not very consistent and Cradily is already starved for moveslots.

Checks and Counters

===================

**Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage.

**Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru (if not running Earthquake) can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with U-turn or Encore.

**Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it.

**Taunt** Taunt Prevents Cradily from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic making it much less threatening.

**Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog.

**Ice-types** Ice types like Abomasnow, Articuno or Jynx can switch into Cradily lacking Rock Slide and threaten it with super effective Ice moves.

**Setup Sweepers** Lilligant is able to set up Quiver Dance on Cradily and recover Toxic damage if it's running Giga Drain. Oricorio-Sensu can set up Calm Mind and block Toxic with Substitute if Cradily is not running Rock Slide.
 
Last edited:
AM Check

[OVERVIEW]

  • Cradily is a pretty niche defensive Pokemon in the PU tier.
  • It has good bulk, access to reliable recovery and Stealth Rock.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types which means Cradily can also be used to check rain teams well.
  • Its unique typing gives it useful resistances to Normal and Electric, but leaves it weak to the common Ice and Fighting types. Cradily isn't a reliable Normal type answer however as it is hit hard by Fighting coverage from pokemon like Zangoose or Stoutland.
  • Base 81 offenses make Cradily weak against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on Toxic.
  • It is also very slow, usually forcing it to take at 2 hits when switching in.
  • Cradily is passive and allows it to be set up on. (It can cripple most with Toxic)

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock / Rock Slide
item: Leftover
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Calm / Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Giga Drain is the main STAB move which allows Cradily to threaten Water-types and keep it from being too passive Taunt bait.
  • Recover is necessary to keep Cradily healthy.
  • Toxic prevents Cradily from being setup bait to Pokemon such as Lilligant or Musharna.
  • Stealth Rock should be used on the last slot for role compression.
  • Rock Slide can be used if you have another Stealth Rock user. Sassy nature should be used with Rock Slide to maximize its power. (Also say what Rock Slide can hit, i.e. Fire or Flying types Types like Magmortar, Turtonator, Articuno)

Set Details
========

  • Maximum HP and Special Defense with Calm nature are used to maximize Cradily's special bulk.
  • Sassy nature is used with Rock Slide to maximize its power and instead reducing Cradily's already low Speed stat.
  • Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water--type Pokemon like Ludicolo or Swanna.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cradily should be used to check Water-type Pokemon and force them out with Giga Drain or Toxic. (Mention other types too like Electric and some Normals)
  • These forced switches can be used to set up Stealth Rock on something that doesn't threaten Cradily.

Team Options
========

  • Cradily appreciates Poison-types and Steel-types gone as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain.
  • Hazard removal is recommended as Cradily is vulnerable to all hazards and especially weak to Toxic Spikes.
  • Poison types can be used to remove Toxic Spikes and have resistances to Bug and Fighting which Cradily is weak to.
  • Cleric support from Pokemon such as Miltank can be used to remove poison status from Cradily and its team.
  • Ground types can block Volt Switch and appreciate Storm Drain. Palossand makes a good partner by providing a Fighting-type immunity, resistance to Bug-type and neutrality to Steel-type. Palossand complements Cradily by being physically defensive. Cradily also covers its Water-type weakness with Storm Drain.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • An alternative spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD is viable with a Bold nature. This allows Cradily to take on Kangaskhan easier.
  • Relaxed nature should be used when running Rock Slide.
  • Earth Power can be used to hit Skuntank harder.
  • Swords Dance is an option i guess
Checks and Counters
===================

  • **Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it.
  • **Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog.
  • **Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemary can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with Volt Switch.
  • **Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage.
  • **Ice Types**: write about some Ice Types
 

TJ

Banned deucer.
is the Smogon Tour Season 34 Championis a Past SPL Championis a Two-Time Past SCL Champion
am check
[OVERVIEW]

  • Cradily is a pretty niche defensive Pokemon in the PU tier. why?
  • It has good bulk, access to reliable recovery and Stealth Rock.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types which means Cradily can also be used to check rain teams well. I think you should remove the second part
  • Its unique typing gives it useful resistances to Normal and Electric, but leaves it weak to the common Ice and Fighting types. Cradily isn't a reliable Normal type answer as it is hit hard by Fighting coverage from pokemon like Zangoose or Stoutland.
  • Base 81 offenses make Cradily weak against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on Toxic. Reword this because it doesnt make sense
  • It is also very slow, usually forcing it to take at 2 hits when switching in.
  • Cradily is passive and allows it to be set up on.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock / Rock Slide I dont think you should slash Rock Slide
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Calm / Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Giga Drain allows Cradily to threaten Water-types and keep it from being too passive.
  • Recover is necessary to keep Cradily healthy.
  • Toxic prevents Cradily from being setup bait to Pokemon such as Lilligant or Musharna.
  • Stealth Rock should be used on the last slot for role compression. hm I would say something like "Stealth Rock wears down the opposing team with residual damage"
  • Rock Slide can be used if you have another Stealth Rock user. It helps Cradily hit Fire or Flying types like Magmortar, Turtonator or Articuno that resist Giga Drain. I think this should go into other options.

Set Details
========

  • Maximum HP and Special Defense EVS with Calm nature are used to maximize Cradily's special bulk.
  • Sassy nature is used with Rock Slide to maximize its power and instead reducing Cradily's already low Speed stat.
  • Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water--type Pokemon like Ludicolo or Swanna.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cradily should be used to check Water-type Pokemon and force them out with Giga Drain or Toxic.
  • Cradily can switch into Electric moves and check Normal-type Pokemon not running Fighting-type coverage. List examples
  • These forced switches can be used to set up Stealth Rock on something that doesn't threaten Cradily. Reword this

Team Options
========

  • Cradily appreciates Poison-types and Steel-types gone as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain. How is this a team option tho? You gotta add more to this I think you were trying to get to Ground-types make good teammates?
  • Hazard removal is recommended as Cradily is vulnerable to all hazards and especially weak to Toxic Spikes.
  • Poison types can be used to remove Toxic Spikes and have resistances to Bug and Fighting which Cradily is weak to.
  • Cleric support from Pokemon such as Miltank can be used to remove poison status from Cradily and its team.
  • Ground types can block Volt Switch and appreciate Storm Drain. Palossand makes a good partner by providing a Fighting-type immunity, resistance to Bug-type and neutrality to Steel-type. Palossand complements Cradily by being physically defensive. Cradily also covers its Water-type weakness with Storm Drain.
  • Maybe mention Fighting-type checks
  • Also Mention Fire-types since they appreciate Cradily's Suction Cups
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • An alternative spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD is viable with a Bold nature. This allows Cradily to take on Kangaskhan easier.
  • Relaxed nature should be used when running Rock Slide.
  • Earth Power can be used to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder.
  • Curse
  • SD
Checks and Counters
===================

  • **Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it.
  • **Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog.
  • **Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemary can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with Volt Switch.
  • **Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage.
  • **Ice-types** Ice types like Abomasnow, Articuno or Jynx can switch into Cradily lacking Rock Slide and threaten it with super effective Ice moves.
  • **Taunt**
  • **Setup Sweepers**
 
am check

[OVERVIEW]
  • when talking about cradily's match up vs the normal types, you're right about it generally not doing well, but you should still make note of the fact that cradily checks kanga pretty well, which is arguably the best offensive normal type in the tier right now.
[SET]
  • i personally think rock slide should be on the set, mostly competing with giga drain. they're both pretty target-specific in general, but rock slide lets you ohko jynx while also ohkoing archeops after rocks. having rock slide also prevents you from being setup-bait against subcm oricorio, and it's also good for helping you take on magmortar, pyroar, and swanna better. i'd personally give the nod to rock slide as the first slash over giga drain because of it hitting more relevant targets, but that's qc's call. it shouldn't be on the same moveslot as stealth rock though.
Usage Tips
========
  • create two separate bullet points, with one talking about the use in toxic and other about the use in its recovery
Team Options
========
  • bullet point 1 is redundant with bullet point 5 since ground types are common checks to poison types.
  • mentioning fighting-type checks
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Checks and Counters
===================
  • when talking about setup sweepers, i'd make sure that pokemon like type null, clefairy, and throh are at the forefront as they also function as status absorbers, rendering even toxic useless.
  • for steel-types, i'd mention aggron who can come in and break through it easily. togedemaru walls it, but you should talk more about how encore and wish can stall it out rather than momentum necessarily.
 

yogi

I did not succumb...
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[OVERVIEW]

  • Cradily is a pretty niche defensive Pokemon in the PU tier with its unique combination of Storm Drain and access Stealth Rock.
  • It has good bulk, access to reliable recovery and Stealth Rock. (you already said this above)
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types which means Cradily can also be used to check rain teams well.
  • Its unique typing gives it useful resistances to Normal and Electric, but leaves it weak to the common Ice and Fighting types. Cradily isn't a reliable Normal type answer as it is hit hard by Fighting coverage from pokemon like Zangoose or Stoutland.
  • Base 81 offenses make Cradily weak against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on Toxic.
  • It is also very slow, usually forcing it to take at 2 hits when switching in.
  • Cradily is passive and allows it to be set up on. (toxic really mitigates this to be honest, not much wants to be crippled so maybe mention specific things here)

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain / Rock Slide
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock / Rock Slide (never slash rock slide with SR, it's basically what the set is; instead slash it with giga)
item: Leftover
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Calm / Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Giga Drain allows Cradily to threaten Water-types and keep it from being too passive.
  • Recover is necessary to keep Cradily healthy. (for checking things; insert things)
  • Toxic prevents Cradily from being setup bait to Pokemon such as Lilligant or Musharna. (but if it toxics musharna it also becomes toxic'd itself)
  • Stealth Rock should be used on the last slot to wear down the opposing team with residual damage.
  • Rock Slide can be used if you have another Stealth Rock user. It helps Cradily hit Fire or Flying types like Magmortar, Turtonator or Articuno that resist Giga Drain. (again, still think you should slash this with giga; mainly because Cradily overlaps with other sr setters)

Set Details
========

  • Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with Calm nature are used to maximize Cradily's special bulk.
  • Sassy nature is used with Rock Slide to maximize its power and instead reducing Cradily's already low Speed stat. (talk about calm here too)
  • Leftovers gives Cradily passive recovery.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo or Swanna.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cradily should be used to check Water-type Pokemon and force them out with Giga Drain or Toxic. (what water types?)
  • Cradily can switch into Electric moves and check Normal-type Pokemon not running Fighting-type coverage such as Kangaskhan, Pyroar or Chatot.
  • Use Stealth Rock on something that cannot directly threaten Cradily. (give examples please)
  • Make mention that Cradily can also threaten most other Stealth Rockers with giga drain

Team Options
========

  • Cradily appreciates Poison-types and Steel-types gone as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain.
  • Hazard removal is recommended as Cradily is vulnerable to all hazards and especially weak to Toxic Spikes. (it's only really weak to toxic spikes, because recover mitigates any damage it takes) (mention removal e.g. swanna)
  • Fighting-type checks such as Qwilfish and Mesprit. (expand) (i'd mention weezing over qwil here and add qwil to the bit below)
  • Poison types can be used to remove Toxic Spikes and have resistances to Bug and Fighting which Cradily is weak to. (like?)
  • Cleric support from Pokemon such as Miltank can be used to remove poison status from Cradily and its team.
  • Ground types can block Volt Switch and appreciate Storm Drain. Palossand makes a good partner by providing a Fighting-type immunity, resistance to Bug-type and neutrality to Steel-type. Palossand complements Cradily by being physically defensive. Cradily also covers its Water-type weakness with Storm Drain.
  • Fire-types appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily. (like?)
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • An alternative spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD is viable with a Bold nature. This allows Cradily to take on Kangaskhan easier. (but stops it being able to check water types like ludicolo as easily)
  • Relaxed nature should be used when running Rock Slide. (this doesn't need to be here, it's in set details)
  • Earth Power can be used to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder. (id just put earthquake over earth power here)
  • A Curse or Sword Dance can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide but it is outclassed by other Pokemon in these roles since Cradily is very slow and weak even when boosted.
Checks and Counters
===================

  • **Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it.
  • **Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog.
  • **Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with Volt Switch. (togedemaru has to be wary of a potential earthquake; also Toge wouldn't volt it would uturn and most likely encore or toxic it)
  • **Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage.
  • **Ice-types** Ice types like Abomasnow, Articuno or Jynx can switch into Cradily lacking Rock Slide and threaten it with super effective Ice moves.
  • **Taunt** (?)
  • **Setup Sweepers** (?)
Seems good. QC 1/3
 

MZ

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[OVERVIEW]

  • Cradily is a pretty niche defensive Pokemon in the PU tier with its unique combination of Storm Drain and access Stealth Rock.
  • It has good bulk and access to reliable recovery.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types which means Cradily can also be used to check rain teams well. rain teams isnt a huge point over water types in general considering how uncommon/meh the archetype is
  • Its unique typing gives it useful resistances to Normal and Electric, but leaves it weak to the common Ice and Fighting types. Cradily isn't a reliable Normal type answer as it is hit hard by Fighting coverage from pokemon like Zangoose or Stoutland.
  • Base 81 offenses make Cradily weak against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on Toxic.
  • It is also very slow, usually forcing it to take at 2 hits when switching in.
  • Cradily is passive and allows it to be set up on by Pokemon that are not threatened by Toxic such as Guts Gurdurr.
i feel like this is slightly off the point. cradily is a rocker with good spdef and really unique typing that takes on a bunch of random things- not just water and electric types, but also stuff like pyroar and whatever. that typing and its weakness also kinda lets it down, but id like to get across how nothing is quite like cradily

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain / Rock Slide
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Leftover
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Calm / Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Giga Drain allows Cradily to threaten Water-types and keep it from being too passive.
  • Recover is necessary to keep Cradily healthy to keep checking Water types.
  • Toxic prevents Cradily from being setup bait to Pokemon such as Lilligant.
  • Stealth Rock should be used on the last slot to wear down the opposing team with residual damage.
  • Rock Slide can be used over Giga Drain if you need to check Fire and Flying types like Magmortar, Turtonator or Articuno that resist Giga Drain.
i dont really get a sense of which stab move is better from this. giga's big thing is qwilfish which is why I prefer it, plus a lot of rock slide's targets hate being toxic'd

Set Details
========

  • Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with Calm nature are used to maximize Cradily's special bulk.
  • Careful nature should be used if running Rock Slide over Giga Drain.
  • Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery.
  • Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo or Swanna.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cradily should be used to check Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo, Lanturn or Carracosta and force them out with Giga Drain or Toxic.
  • Cradily can switch into Electric moves and check Normal-type Pokemon not running Fighting-type coverage such as Kangaskhan, Pyroar or Chatot.
  • Use Stealth Rock on something that cannot directly threaten Cradily like Gastrodon or Swanna.
  • Cradily can threaten most Stealth Rock setters like Regirock or Golurk with Giga Drain.
this part along with team options is why i kept putting off checking this analysis (although it's still way overdue oops). There is no good information here, and honestly yogi's check doesnt fix the problems. "Use electric and normal and water resistant mon to check elec/normal/water types" is not new and useful information, and the threatening rock setters point doesnt really mean anything (although i get that yogi told u to add that). Usage tips is supposed to give detail on how to use a pokemon, not go over incredibly basic facts about its typing. Spend maybe one sentence/bullet saying "check mons that u resist" (but remove chatot because it's irrelevant garbage and hasn't been remotely relevant this generation), keep something about setting stealth rock, and then try to give something a little more in-depth. I know cradily is a fairly straightforward mon to use, but things like "recover a lot to stay healthy or u wont be able to switch into things like swanna" or "try to keep the stab move hidden so that things like abomasnow or qwilfish arent willing to freely switch in" would go a long way to improving this section. And those are not the only things to be added.

Team Options
========

  • Cradily appreciates Poison-types and Steel-types gone as they are immune to Toxic and resist Giga Drain. yes, and what partners should you give cradily in order to make that happen? this is a fact, not a team option
  • Hazard removal is recommended as Cradily is vulnerable to all hazards and especially weak to Toxic Spikes. Skuntank and Swanna are good Defoggers with Cradily.
  • Fighting-type checks such as Granbull, Mesprit or Weezing. maybe something other than granbull cuz it sucks
  • Poison types can be used to remove Toxic Spikes and have a resistance to Fighting from the likes of Gurdurr, Hitmonchan or Primeape that Cradily is weak to. this is a good point to make, but u need to actually name the poison types
  • Cleric support from Pokemon such as Miltank can be used to remove poison status from Cradily and its team.
  • Ground types can block Volt Switch and appreciate Storm Drain. Palossand makes a good partner by providing a Fighting-type immunity, resistance to Bug-type and neutrality to Steel-type. Palossand complements Cradily by being physically defensive. Cradily also covers its Water-type weakness with Storm Drain. er what no. blocking volt switch isnt important for cradily, like, at all, and why would you use two slow bulky pokemon whose main thing is stealth rock together? this point just doesnt make any sense
  • Fire-types like Magmortar or Pyroar appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily.
i would like to see something about how cradily fits best on bulkier balance or semi stall teams, u want to pair it with other defensive mons. it's not as self sufficient as something like weezing or miltank

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • An alternative spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD is viable with a Bold nature. This allows Cradily to take on Kangaskhan easier, but makes Cradily weaker at checking Water types like Ludicolo. u already stop kanga quite easily, any other example would make more sense
  • Earthquake can be used to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder.
  • A Curse or Sword Dance can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide but it is outclassed by other Pokemon in these roles since Cradily is very slow and weak even when boosted.
rocky helmet and mirror coat are things that could go here i guess

Checks and Counters
=================== the spacing in this section is all off and there shouldn't be bullet points. just the asterisks will suffice
also, c&c is supposed to be ordered by threat level. In my opinion, that would be fighters/steels/hazards/taunt. I'd go with that, if you feel differently we can work it out, but the current order is certainly not the most to least threatening one that should be here


  • **Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it. u need to go into more detail here. regular spikes are also incredibly annoying, plus the fact that cradily is often bait for the most common spikes/tspikes setters. oh and mentioning the actual setters would be huge

  • **Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog. weezing sure but skunk loses 1v1 to cradily unless taunt skunk vs giga drain cradily. I would remove this point since weezing and qwilfish go into entry hazards and skunk (and qwil might fit better here ig) goes into taunt

  • **Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru (if not running Earthquake) can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with U-turn or Encore. wouldnt bother to mention eq, and there are absolutely other steel types that deserve a mention here. also i get that this is pre-usum but now that offensive toge is good, it's not just about uturn/encore

  • **Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage. this is all true but very stilted, I mean just read it out loud. I'd like to see if this could be written up better
  • **Ice-types** Ice types like Abomasnow, Articuno or Jynx can switch into Cradily lacking Rock Slide and threaten it with super effective Ice moves.
  • **Taunt** Taunt Prevents Cradily from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic making it much less threatening. mention actual taunt users that beat/annoy it. like skunk and qwil.
  • **Setup Sweepers** Lilligant is able to set up Quiver Dance on Cradily and recover Toxic damage if it's running Giga Drain. Oricorio-Sensu can set up Calm Mind and block Toxic with Substitute if Cradily is not running Rock Slide. yeah id also remove this one. most setup sweepers just dont like cradily because it can sit there and toxic them. sensu annoys non-rock slide, but all other common setup sweepers i can think of just dont set up on cradily that well
let me know when you implement and I'll look over again and stamp, I just cant with the current state of ut/to/c&c
 
Implemented.

I reworked some sections and went more indepth. As it was first analysis a lot of stuff was kinda questionable and since I made this a while ago there were mentions like Palossand as back then it wasn't a rocker.

Let me know what you think and I'll fix whatever issues you'll find.
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
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mostly ok but you didn't bother to add anything else to usage tips (I dont believe that you cant think of anything else to add there) and you directly copied a lot of the stuff I said. The former is annoying but passable, but the latter is incredibly annoying and suggests that you can't write this up originally. Calling it 2/3 here but try to, you know, write this analysis on your own because otherwise it's going to look really bad. Plus not all of the stuff i said was perfect with like the examples and stuff because it wasnt supposed to be just copy pasted in
qcstamp.gif
2/3
 

yogi

I did not succumb...
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Has the second QC check been fully implemented? If so, change the title to 2/3 please.
zard edit- doesn't really matter if it hasn't been written up either way, but what's the status on this?
 
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I have been away from home for a while so I haven't been able to really check this out. I implemented the 2nd QC check and edited the title.
I would appreciate if either Megazard or rwby could check it out again before I move on to writing it up.
 

2xTheTap

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I'm going to check this, but it needs to be updated for the current meta before we continue, LzzzR. Could you please check this for typos and general readability while removing Qwilfish mentions? TY
 
I have a Cradily in my silly full Steven team and it's doing a pretty good job stalling.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Rock Slide
- Seed Bomb
- Recover
- Curse

With respectable 107 special defence and 86 HP, Cradily with maximum Special Defence investment can eat lots of special attacks with ease. Sure, Focus Miss, Ice Beam and other powerful super effective special attacks can demolish it, but you're probably going to survive them as well. Since this is PU only:

252 SpA Life Orb Articuno Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Cradily: 260-307 (69.3 - 81.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Ice beam is also 2HKO, but let's face it, no one would keep Cradily on the field in this case, unless you want a kamikaze KO:

8 Atk Cradily Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Articuno: 204-240 (53.1 - 62.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

But back to the point, start cursing against a physical attacker. Cradily will have 345 Defence after one curse (and 344 Special Defence, naturally). Your Cradily will have to be careful (pun intended) and use couple of more curses because base 81 attack is trubbish. Recover the damage taken when needed and your opponent will hate you.

This set works nicely with Trick Room and the best pokemon to have to switch in would be Lampent. I know that it's not even evolved, but it resists everything Cradily is weak to. Other fire types work well since they have no problems with bug, steel and ice types. Watch out for fighting though.

Main problem I had using this set was, surprise, surprise, Toxapex. Hazing and burning is something you really want to avoid if you're using this pokemon. In case of PU, you don't need to worry about Toxapex, but Weezing may be a bigger problem for you. Again, fire types don't care about will-o-wisp and, unless you're using a physical Magcargo, you will take out Weezing with its help. Bad poison takes everyone out in a couple of turns so watch out for it as well.

Other options: You can use Amnesia to increase Cradily's solid Special Defence, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you really want to boost its Special Defence, use stockpile. You may even try out the silly Barrier/Amnesia combination, but you would have only one more move which would be something that doesn't work against everyone like Toxic. Giga Drain can provide you a little more HP, but if you want it, make sure your pokemon has sassy nature. Body Slam is evil, but there's no STAB nor super effectiveness against anything. Furthermore, Pain Split can replace recover, but it's riskier. I'm not forcing you to use recover though. Pain split has more PP!
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I have a Cradily in my silly full Steven team and it's doing a pretty good job stalling.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Rock Slide
- Seed Bomb
- Recover
- Curse

With respectable 107 special defence and 86 HP, Cradily with maximum Special Defence investment can eat lots of special attacks with ease. Sure, Focus Miss, Ice Beam and other powerful super effective special attacks can demolish it, but you're probably going to survive them as well. Since this is PU only:

252 SpA Life Orb Articuno Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Cradily: 260-307 (69.3 - 81.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Ice beam is also 2HKO, but let's face it, no one would keep Cradily on the field in this case, unless you want a kamikaze KO:

8 Atk Cradily Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Articuno: 204-240 (53.1 - 62.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

But back to the point, start cursing against a physical attacker. Cradily will have 345 Defence after one curse (and 344 Special Defence, naturally). Your Cradily will have to be careful (pun intended) and use couple of more curses because base 81 attack is trubbish. Recover the damage taken when needed and your opponent will hate you.

This set works nicely with Trick Room and the best pokemon to have to switch in would be Lampent. I know that it's not even evolved, but it resists everything Cradily is weak to. Other fire types work well since they have no problems with bug, steel and ice types. Watch out for fighting though.

Main problem I had using this set was, surprise, surprise, Toxapex. Hazing and burning is something you really want to avoid if you're using this pokemon. In case of PU, you don't need to worry about Toxapex, but Weezing may be a bigger problem for you. Again, fire types don't care about will-o-wisp and, unless you're using a physical Magcargo, you will take out Weezing with its help. Bad poison takes everyone out in a couple of turns so watch out for it as well.

Other options: You can use Amnesia to increase Cradily's solid Special Defence, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you really want to boost its Special Defence, use stockpile. You may even try out the silly Barrier/Amnesia combination, but you would have only one more move which would be something that doesn't work against everyone like Toxic. Giga Drain can provide you a little more HP, but if you want it, make sure your pokemon has sassy nature. Body Slam is evil, but there's no STAB nor super effectiveness against anything. Furthermore, Pain Split can replace recover, but it's riskier. I'm not forcing you to use recover though. Pain split has more PP!
You kind of said it all in the first sentence. This is what you're using on a "silly" team, it's not a competitive set and you're not even using it in PU (see: issues with Toxapex). The analysis is meant to be a competitive showcase, not what you should use on theme teams or other uncompetitive stuff, so we won't be making a curse set because it's just not very good. Also, if you ever wanted to suggest a set for an analysis, in general the PU analysis discussion thread is the place to go.
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/pu-analyses-discussion-thread.3620500/
 
I'm going to check this, but it needs to be updated for the current meta before we continue, LzzzR. Could you please check this for typos and general readability while removing Qwilfish mentions? TY
Sorry for the long delay, I somehow forgot about this.
I removed mentions of Qwilfish and changed the preferred STAB to Rock Slide as I think it is the much better in the current meta.
 

asa

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PU Leader
[OVERVIEW]

Cradily is a pretty niche defensive pokemon in the PU tier with its unique combination Storm Drain and access to Stealth Rock. Its good bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to reliably set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Its ability Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into and take on Water-types well. Its unique type combination gives it useful resistances in Normal and Electric to be able to check Pokemon such as Eelektross, Kangaskhan and Pyroar. However it also leaves it weak to common types like Ice and Fighting of which the latter is commonly run as coverage by Normal-type Pokemon like Stoutland and Zangoose. Base 81 offenses make Cradily unable to do much against anything that resists its STAB moves, forcing it to rely on poisoning them with Toxic. It is terribly slow so it's usually forced to take 2 hits when switching in, limiting its ability to switch into strong hits and to set up Stealth Rock. Being passive invites in Pokemon that are not worried about poison such as Gurdurr with Guts. (something about its passivity giving certain setup sweepers such as the aforementioned gurdurr an easier time setting up should go here.) (also a point about how it faces some competition from other sr users.)

[SET]

name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Rock Slide / Giga Drain
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Stealth Rock (put this first imo.)
item: Leftovers
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Careful / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves

========

Rock Slide is the preferred STAB-move as it allows Cradily to threaten common threats like Archeops, Oricorio-G and Swanna. Recover is necessary to allow Cradily to keep itself healthy to keep checking Water types and set up Stealth Rock. Toxic is used to discourage set up sweepers like Lilligant from setting up on it. Stealth Rock is used on the last slot to wear down the opposing team with residual damage. Giga Drain is an option to be able to beat Carracosta, Gastrodon and Palossand while providing additional recovery. However without Rock Slide Cradily cannot deal with many common threats it would otherwise beat. (put the point about giga drain next to the point about rock slide since they are slashed together.) (change order of moves to fit the change regarding sr.)

Set Details

========

Fully invested HP and Special Defense with Careful nature is used to maximize Cradily's special bulk. A Calm nature should be used when running Giga Drain over Rock Slide. Leftovers gives Cradily some passive recovery. Storm Drain allows Cradily to switch into Water-type Pokemon like Ludicolo. (might just be me, but this section feels way too short. just expand on each point more.)

Usage Tips

========

Find opportunities to bring in Cradily in the early game to set up Stealth Rock. If there the opposing team has nothing that immediately threathens Cradily it can be used as a lead to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. Use Recover to keep Cradily as healtyh as possible to allow Cradily to switch into Pokemon such as Pyroar and Swanna and be able to set up Stealth Rock multiple times in a match. Using Recover to keep Cradily at full health is important as it is usually forced to take 2 hits before being able to use Recover when switching in due to its low Speed. Bring Cradily into Water-Type Pokemon like Ludicolo, Lanturn and Carracosta and force them out with the threat Giga Drain or Toxic. Use these forced switched as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or use Recover if Cradily is not healthy. Avoid using your STAB-move early in the match to make the opponent wary of switching in Pokemon like Abomasnow or Palossand who can switch into Cradily depending on its STAB-move. Make use Cradily's immunity to Water-type immunity to ease prediction against opposing Water-type Pokemon like Carracosta or Ludicolo as they are less likely to use Water-type moves as long as Cradily is healthy. (there should be a point here about pivoting cradily into attackers that it isn't weak to like kangaskhan.) (though it has recovery, avoiding toxic is key.) (being wary of coverage moves such as superpower from foes like kabutops is important.)

Team Options

========

Cradily is best fit on bulkier teams so it should be paired with other defensive Pokemon. Cradily appreciates Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon gone as they are immune to poison from Toxic and resist Giga Drain. Mesprit is able to threathen Poison-types with Psychic and Gurdurr takes on Steel-types while having Guts to absorb status. Cradily is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes. Defog users such as Skuntank and Swanna make for good partners. Swanna in particular is resistant to Bug, Fighting and Steel and appreciates Cradily's ability to take Electric-type hits which Swanna is 4x weak to. Fighting-type checks such as Mesprit and Weezing. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Lanturn and Miltank can be used to remove status from Cradily and its team. Fire-type Pokemon like Magmortar and Pyroar appreciate Storm Drain support from Cradily. (this last bit feels really lazy since there's little to no elaboration on these last few points. what can cradily do for the fighting checks? what can fire-types do for cradily?) (maybe add a point about stall pokemon like pyuku that can prevent certain setup sweepers from overwhelming cradily.)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options

=============

Earthquake is an option to hit Skuntank and Togedemaru harder. (thing has a hard time dropping a move for eq, so mention that.) A Curse or Sword Dance set can be used with Seed Bomb and Rock Slide but it is outclassed by other Pokemon in these roles such as... as Cradily is slow and weak even when it is boosted. Rocky Helmet can be run over Leftovers to provide chip damage against contant moves, but the lack of passive recovery makes it harder to set up Stealth Rock and makes Cradily more reliant on Recover to keep itself healthy. Mirror Coat can be used to get surprise Kos against opponents like Magmortar using Focus Blast but it's not very consistent and Cradily is already starved for moveslots. (mention ancient power, since it can allow cradily to make better use of storm drain while also offering a small chance to make it less passive by increasing its stats, but rock slide deals with stuff like lilli and oricorio-g better after they begin setting up.)

Checks and Counters

===================

**Fighting-types** Hitmonchan can OHKO Cradily with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Gurdurr with Guts makes it a good switch in to Toxic and can OHKO Cradily with Guts boosted Drain Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Primeape can OHKO Cradily with Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage. (simplify this by just saying that they can all OHKO cradily with their respective STAB moves and mention how chan doesn't like switching into toxic.)

**Steel-types** Steel types like Ferroseed and Togedemaru (if not running Earthquake) can freely switch in on Cradily and set up hazards or gain momentum with U-turn or Encore. (remove the part about eq, since it isn't mentioned on the main set.)

**Entry Hazards** Cradily is vulnerable to all form of entry hazards with Toxic Spikes being especially effective against it. (not really, it has recover. the part about tspikes is true, but not the first part.)

**Taunt** Taunt Prevents Cradily from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic making it much less threatening. (prevents it from using recover too!!)

**Poison-types** Poison types like Weezing are immune to Toxic and takes little damage from Giga Drain. Skuntank can switch into Cradily and remove hazards with Defog.

**Ice-types** Ice types like Abomasnow, Articuno or Jynx can switch into Cradily lacking Rock Slide and threaten it with super effective Ice moves. (aurorus > articuno. they also hate switching in on rock slide.)

**Setup Sweepers** Lilligant is able to set up Quiver Dance on Cradily and recover Toxic damage if it's running Giga Drain. (bit iffy about this example, since non-lo struggles with KOing and toxic wears it down, but w/e.) Oricorio-Sensu can set up Calm Mind and block Toxic with Substitute if Cradily is not running Rock Slide.
3/3. look this over before sending to gp.
 
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MZ

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LzzzR are you still working on this? The analysis is also going to need to be updated to remove miltank/palossand/magmortar mentions
 
I have been inactive for quite a while and completely forgot about this. I could give it a shot this Friday, but since I've been inactive I need some help with updating the analysis since I am not as familiar with the meta as I was when I last edited this.

Edit:
After more thought I decided to ask for this to be reassigned. I have been inactive for a while and I am busy with school at the moment.
 
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