Overused Pokemon Showcase (Week 5)

[Reignited'Light]

[[: OU SHOWCASE WITH DESTRUCTIVE SKITTY :]]

Pokemon of the week is...

Clefable

Viability in OU:

A+ Rank- Clefable is one of the best Pokemon in the OU tier. It has the new Fairy typing, meaning Fighting types are no longer a concern. Clefable has two useful abilities one can choose for the team in Magic Guard and Unaware. Both abilities are able to help Clefable support itself and its teammates! It is a Pokemon that can be very unpredictable if used right, although all Pokemon have their flaws and Clefable is no exception. Poison and Steel type moves are becoming more common, and need to be played around as they are able to stop Clefable from doing its job. Heatran and Bisharp are some of the main threats to Clefable. Its defenses are not the best, so you should not switch in so recklessly; however, that should not stop you from using this magical fairy in your team!

Recommended Movesets

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave / Fire Blast or Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled

Clefable is a very great utility pokemon with its wide movepool!
Stealth Rock support is always mandatory in any pokemon match. Chipping away damage has always been a great way to support your team. Moonblast is for a fairly decent STAB attack that has a chance of lowering the opponents Sp. Atk stat 30% of the time! The third choice is entirely up to you. Thunder Wave support is really cool, since it will cripple the opponent preventing them from sweeping, outspeeding, and just plain out be annoying with the paralysis chance. Fire Blast is also useful if Ferrothorn and Scizor try to interfere. Flamethrower can be used if you prefer accuracy over power. The last slot is for Soft-Boiled so that you can always be healthy throughout the entire match, being able to support your team for a long time.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower / Stored Power

A pokemon having access to Calm Mind and Soft-Boiled, with a fairly decent typing and pretty above average defensive stats? Man is Clefable a great sweeper! The set is pretty simple. Calm Mind is obviously to boost sweeping capabilities. Moonblast is a strong STAB for Clefable to break through various Dragon, Dark, and Fighting types. Soft-Boiled for longevity and durability so you can have a better sweep. It's always been a mandatory move to have on Clefable. The last slot is either Flamethrower or Stored Power. Flamethrower hits Ferrothorn that try to "wall" you and also hits Skarmory. Stored Power can be used if you prefer to beat other Calm Mind users more effectively like Suicune.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell

Clefable is able to support the team as a cleric! It may seem completely outclassed by Sylveon as a cleric, but there is one thing Sylveon does not have. Unaware. Having Unaware is a huge advantage, as players can no longer set up on you with sweepers like Gyarados, Keldeo, and Azumarill. The EV spread is more defensively invested due to the heavy amount of physical sweepers in the ORAS metagame. Moonblast is pretty mandatory so you are able to slowly chip away damage. Wish and Protect is used so you can pass HP around for your team. It's also great for scouting Choice locked pokemon like Choice Specs Keldeo and Choice Scarf Raikou. Heal Bell is for the last slot so you can actually be a effective cleric user. Although if your team does not need the support, you can run a Unaware sweeper set that consists of Moonblast/Rest/Sleep Talk/ Calm Mind. It beats every single Calm Mind user, and not many pokemon are able to break through Clefable if you choose to run that.

Making plays

First set- Best used early and mid game. Set up Stealth Rock as soon as you can, and use your resourceful moves to break the opponents team. Conserve Clefable by using Soft-Boiled so it will always be ready to set up Stealth Rock if the opponent has got rid of them by Rapid Spin or Defog.

Second set- Don't start setting up unless all of Clefable's checks and counters are removed. Instead, early game you should use Moonblast or Flamethrower (If you carry it) to slowly chip away at the opponents health. When said checks and counters are removed, set up some Calm Minds and attack with the respective attack. Don't afraid to use Soft-Boiled if you feel that you are getting too low on health.

Third set- It can perform well in any part of the match. Healing the team through Wish support is very well, so try to conserve Clefable as long as possible. Use Heal Bell wisely. You only have 8 of them, so you should only use it if most of your team is crippled by status.If you choose to run the Unaware sweeper set, then it is best to set up against other Calm Mind users and proceed to sweep.

Team Synergy

Great Pokemon that pair well with Clefable are Pokemon that can handle Steel and Poison types. A good example is Scizor, who is able to take those kinds of hits, and proceed to Swords Dance up in their faces. Landorus-Therian is also a great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rocks for Clefable to wear down teams, and use Earthquake to hit up those Steel and Poison types for super effective damage!

Fire types, such as Talonflame, both Mega Charizards, and Heatran provide a hard time for Clefable. They aren't threatened by Moonblast, while all being able to apply strong pressure with the STAB moves they carry as well, including Heatran's Flash Cannon. Good checks to them are Latios, Keldeo, and Slowbro. Latios is able to threaten Charizard Y with STAB Psyshock, while taking Fire Blasts somewhat comfortably. Keldeo can handle Heatran by using Hydro Pump or Secret Sword. Slowbro handles Charizard X or Talonflame by being able to use repeated Scalds, using Foul Play to use their high attack against them, or crippling them by using Toxic to wear them down.