[OVERVIEW]
Clefable acts as an anti-metagame wall that can beat even the most formidable of setup Pokemon in 1v1. Using Psychium Z, it can opt to boost either of its defensive stats with Z-Magic Coat or Z-Reflect, allowing it to beat common threats like Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Gyarados, Dragonite, and non-Gunk Shot Greninja. Its powerful ability Unaware allows it to tackle Pokemon that might try to set up and break through its defenses like Mega Charizard X and Landorus-T. However, despite its good defenses Clefable can still fall prey to powerful super effective attacks from the likes of Mega Metagross, Naganadel, and Genesect. Furthermore, while Unaware ignores the stat boosts of enemies, Clefable's own defenses can still be lowered, allowing Pokemon like Magnezone, Aegislash, and Nihilego to beat it. Finally, some attacks like Choice Band Victini's V-create and Porygon-Z's Breakneck Blitz can be too much for Clefable to handle, even with defensive boosts.
[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Magic Coat
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Moonblast / Seismic Toss
item: Psychium Z
ability: Unaware
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Magic Coat in conjunction with Psychium Z allows Clefable to boost its Special Defense by 2 stages at +4 priority, allowing it to beat special attackers such as non-Gunk Shot Greninja, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. Reflect in conjunction with Psychium Z allows Clefable to cut incoming damage by two-thirds, beating strong physical attackers such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Gyarados, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Moonlight gives access to reliable recovery and can make the Mega Charizard Y matchup more reliable by allowing Clefable to recover 66% instead of 50% in sun. Moonblast provides Clefable with a solid STAB attack that hits surprisingly hard, taking out Mega Gyarados, Kommo-o, and Zygarde. Seismic Toss is an alternative that hits Fire-type targets like Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Volcarona, but can't hit Ghost-types like Mega Sableye.
Set Details
========
252 HP and 236 Defense EVs with a Bold nature allow Clefable to survive two Flare Blitzes from maximum Attack Adamant Mega Charizard X after a Z-Reflect. 20 Special Defense EVs give Clefable a better chance against Tapu Lele and Porygon-Z. Unaware allows Clefable to beat Pokemon that might try to boost up to overcome Clefable's defenses like Mega Charizard X, Greninja, Zygarde, Garchomp, and Landorus-T. Psychium Z turns Reflect and Magic Coat into their corresponding Z-Moves, making for massive Defense and Special Defense boosts, respectively.
Usage Tips
========
Boost Clefable's Defense using Z-Reflect against attackers like Garchomp and Landorus-T, and boost its Special Defense using Z-Magic Coat against special attackers like Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z; then, attack the opposing Pokemon while recovering to keep out of range of a critical hit if possible. Against status users like Porygon2, Mega Gardevoir, and Chansey, Magic Coat can be used to let Clefable avoid taking debilitating effects such as Toxic and Taunt. Against mixed attackers such as Zeraora and Mega Diancie, use Reflect turn one followed by Z-Magic Coat, as this is the only way to boost both Special Defense and Defense.
Team Options
========
Fire-types like Mega Charizard X and Y, Victini, and Heatran make great partners for Clefable, dealing with the Steel- and Poison-types like Mega Metagross, Naganadel, and Magearna that Clefable struggles with while Clefable covers their common weaknesses to Mega Gyarados, Donphan, Landorus-T, and Primarina. FEAR Pokemon like Aron do well with Clefable, as they can typically deal with the linear attackers like Victini, Meloetta, and stall Necrozma that Clefable is weak to, while Clefable eliminates threats like Will-O-Wisp Mega Charizard, Mega Gyarados, and Garchomp. Specialized Taunt users like Whimsicott and Mega Gyarados make great teammates, covering opposing Taunt users like Deoxys-S and Mew that stall out Clefable, who offsets their weaknesses to attackers like Mega Charizard Y and Tapu Lele.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charge Beam can be used in place of Moonblast to beat foes like Mega Slowbro and Magearna, but such a set loses out on Moonblast's strong neutral coverage and automatically loses to Ground-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Very Strong Attackers**: Clefable needs a turn to set up, and in this time very strong or super effective attacks can KO or damage it to a point where even after it sets up it will be KOed before it has a chance to recover. Very powerful attackers like Choice Band Victini and Porygon-Z can outmuscle Clefable.
**Unaware Bypassers**: Pokemon that can somehow bypass Clefable's Unaware or defensive boosts are solid checks. Laser Focus users like Meloetta and Raikou do well, as critical hits render Clefable's boosts useless. Metal Sound users like Aegislash and Magnezone can negate Clefable's stat boosts to land devastating hits. Pokemon like Mega Sableye and Kyurem can reduce Clefable's Special Attack and stall out its meager PP.
**Super Effective Attackers**: Clefable can only boost up to a certain point with its status moves. Thus, super effective STAB attacks from Pokemon like Naganadel, Nihilego, Mega Metagross, Kartana, and Choice Specs Genesect can prove overwhelming for Clefable's defenses.
**Other Stall**: Clefable is weak to other stall Pokemon that can outstall it, as most of its moves (especially its recovery options) have relatively few PP. Foes like Type: Null, Mega Slowbro, Registeel, Necrozma, and to a certain extent Magearna can all PP stall Clefable at very little risk. Pokemon that use SubSeed like Serperior and Venusaur can also stall out Clefable given Moonlight's low PP.
**Taunt**: Taunt users like Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Fini, and Kee Berry Mew can beat Clefable by restricting its recovery but must be careful they don't fall prey to Magic Coat.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Synonimous, 457703]]
- Quality checked by: [[Alakazam, 276708], [Chickenpie2, 305552], [Osra, 239997]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Mafeking,122460]]
Clefable acts as an anti-metagame wall that can beat even the most formidable of setup Pokemon in 1v1. Using Psychium Z, it can opt to boost either of its defensive stats with Z-Magic Coat or Z-Reflect, allowing it to beat common threats like Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Gyarados, Dragonite, and non-Gunk Shot Greninja. Its powerful ability Unaware allows it to tackle Pokemon that might try to set up and break through its defenses like Mega Charizard X and Landorus-T. However, despite its good defenses Clefable can still fall prey to powerful super effective attacks from the likes of Mega Metagross, Naganadel, and Genesect. Furthermore, while Unaware ignores the stat boosts of enemies, Clefable's own defenses can still be lowered, allowing Pokemon like Magnezone, Aegislash, and Nihilego to beat it. Finally, some attacks like Choice Band Victini's V-create and Porygon-Z's Breakneck Blitz can be too much for Clefable to handle, even with defensive boosts.
[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Magic Coat
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Moonblast / Seismic Toss
item: Psychium Z
ability: Unaware
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Magic Coat in conjunction with Psychium Z allows Clefable to boost its Special Defense by 2 stages at +4 priority, allowing it to beat special attackers such as non-Gunk Shot Greninja, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. Reflect in conjunction with Psychium Z allows Clefable to cut incoming damage by two-thirds, beating strong physical attackers such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Gyarados, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Moonlight gives access to reliable recovery and can make the Mega Charizard Y matchup more reliable by allowing Clefable to recover 66% instead of 50% in sun. Moonblast provides Clefable with a solid STAB attack that hits surprisingly hard, taking out Mega Gyarados, Kommo-o, and Zygarde. Seismic Toss is an alternative that hits Fire-type targets like Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Volcarona, but can't hit Ghost-types like Mega Sableye.
Set Details
========
252 HP and 236 Defense EVs with a Bold nature allow Clefable to survive two Flare Blitzes from maximum Attack Adamant Mega Charizard X after a Z-Reflect. 20 Special Defense EVs give Clefable a better chance against Tapu Lele and Porygon-Z. Unaware allows Clefable to beat Pokemon that might try to boost up to overcome Clefable's defenses like Mega Charizard X, Greninja, Zygarde, Garchomp, and Landorus-T. Psychium Z turns Reflect and Magic Coat into their corresponding Z-Moves, making for massive Defense and Special Defense boosts, respectively.
Usage Tips
========
Boost Clefable's Defense using Z-Reflect against attackers like Garchomp and Landorus-T, and boost its Special Defense using Z-Magic Coat against special attackers like Greninja and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z; then, attack the opposing Pokemon while recovering to keep out of range of a critical hit if possible. Against status users like Porygon2, Mega Gardevoir, and Chansey, Magic Coat can be used to let Clefable avoid taking debilitating effects such as Toxic and Taunt. Against mixed attackers such as Zeraora and Mega Diancie, use Reflect turn one followed by Z-Magic Coat, as this is the only way to boost both Special Defense and Defense.
Team Options
========
Fire-types like Mega Charizard X and Y, Victini, and Heatran make great partners for Clefable, dealing with the Steel- and Poison-types like Mega Metagross, Naganadel, and Magearna that Clefable struggles with while Clefable covers their common weaknesses to Mega Gyarados, Donphan, Landorus-T, and Primarina. FEAR Pokemon like Aron do well with Clefable, as they can typically deal with the linear attackers like Victini, Meloetta, and stall Necrozma that Clefable is weak to, while Clefable eliminates threats like Will-O-Wisp Mega Charizard, Mega Gyarados, and Garchomp. Specialized Taunt users like Whimsicott and Mega Gyarados make great teammates, covering opposing Taunt users like Deoxys-S and Mew that stall out Clefable, who offsets their weaknesses to attackers like Mega Charizard Y and Tapu Lele.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charge Beam can be used in place of Moonblast to beat foes like Mega Slowbro and Magearna, but such a set loses out on Moonblast's strong neutral coverage and automatically loses to Ground-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Very Strong Attackers**: Clefable needs a turn to set up, and in this time very strong or super effective attacks can KO or damage it to a point where even after it sets up it will be KOed before it has a chance to recover. Very powerful attackers like Choice Band Victini and Porygon-Z can outmuscle Clefable.
**Unaware Bypassers**: Pokemon that can somehow bypass Clefable's Unaware or defensive boosts are solid checks. Laser Focus users like Meloetta and Raikou do well, as critical hits render Clefable's boosts useless. Metal Sound users like Aegislash and Magnezone can negate Clefable's stat boosts to land devastating hits. Pokemon like Mega Sableye and Kyurem can reduce Clefable's Special Attack and stall out its meager PP.
**Super Effective Attackers**: Clefable can only boost up to a certain point with its status moves. Thus, super effective STAB attacks from Pokemon like Naganadel, Nihilego, Mega Metagross, Kartana, and Choice Specs Genesect can prove overwhelming for Clefable's defenses.
**Other Stall**: Clefable is weak to other stall Pokemon that can outstall it, as most of its moves (especially its recovery options) have relatively few PP. Foes like Type: Null, Mega Slowbro, Registeel, Necrozma, and to a certain extent Magearna can all PP stall Clefable at very little risk. Pokemon that use SubSeed like Serperior and Venusaur can also stall out Clefable given Moonlight's low PP.
**Taunt**: Taunt users like Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Fini, and Kee Berry Mew can beat Clefable by restricting its recovery but must be careful they don't fall prey to Magic Coat.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Synonimous, 457703]]
- Quality checked by: [[Alakazam, 276708], [Chickenpie2, 305552], [Osra, 239997]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Mafeking,122460]]
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