It's no secret Crawdaunt is one of my favourite pokemon. The current analysis is better than most UU analysis are but there are still a few problems.
The first and biggest problem is the speed EVs. 188 speed EVs does not make Crawdaunt outrun no speed base 80s. In fact, it underspeeds them by three points. To reach 197 speed, and outrun these pokemon, 204 speed EVs are required. This needs to be fixed.
Secondly, none of the sets take advantage of Crawdaunt's decent Special Attack stat. This is what I am about to do right now, with this neat mixed set I cooked up.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/crawdaunt
[SET]
Name: Mixed Sweeper
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
Item: Life Orb
trait: Shell Armor
Nature: Rash
EVs: 8 HP / 12 Atk / 32 Def / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> With its respectable Special Attack stat, and STAB on one of the most potent attacking types in the game, Crawdaunt can do fairly well using a mixed sweeper set. Crunch is the only physical attack required as it destroys the special walls of the tier: Hypno and Grumpig are OHKOed, while Mantine and Lanturn are 2HKOed. Surf is for STAB and it handily washes away Steelix and Weezing: It OHKOs the metal snake and 2HKOs the latter. Ice Beam has good coverage with Surf and deals huge damage to Altaria and Meganium. Hidden Power Grass is for Quagsire, Blastoise and Poliwrath, who would otherwise make good switch-ins for Crawdaunt. Watch out for Clefable, as there is a good chance it will survive two Surfs or Crunches, depending on it's EVs. </p>
<p> The EVs are fairly specialized. 8 HP minimizes Life Orb recoil. 12 Attack guarantees the OHKO on Hypno. The Special Attack stat is maximized, giving your special attacks considerable power. This allows you to defeat physical walls, which typically would be safe switching in. The Speed EVs allow you to achieve 197 speed, outrunning things such as no speed Meganium. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense to allow switching into weaker physical attacks. Shell Armor helps with this, as moves like Night Slash and Shadow Claw are excellent opportunities that could be ruined by a critical hit.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is highly recommended with this set as some pokemon may escape being KOd without its presence. That extra little bit of damage puts nearly every wall in UU in danger of being defeated by Crawdaunt. </p>
And of course, to seal the deal, I will post damage calculations. Since Stealth Rock is almost omnipresent, I will include it's damage when I say "OHKO" or "2HKO".
Crunch Calculations:
252/56 Hypno: 87.7%-103.48%. OHKO
252/0 Grumpig: 103.02%-121.43%. OHKO
40/0 Lanturn: 51.37%-60.6%. 2HKO
252/40 Mantine: 50.3%-59.28%. 2HKO
Surf Calculations:
252/136 Steelix: 114.69%-135.03%. OHKO
252/0 Weezing: 68.86%-81.14%. 2HKO
252/0 Drapion: 63.37%-74.71%. 2HKO
252/0 Claydol: 88.02%-103.89%. (59% chance of a OHKO)
252/0 Hitmontop: 51.97%-61.51%. 2HKO
252/0 Clefable: 47.46%-56.09% (21.1% chance of a 2HKO with Leftovers)
Ice Beam Calculations:
252/0 Leafeon: 97.6%-114.97%. OHKO
216/0 Meganium: 64.51%-76.06%. 2HKO
252/56 Altaria: 110.45%-130.23%. OHKO
Hidden Power Calculations:
252/0 Poliwrath: 48.18%-56.77%. (87% chance of a 2HKO with SR and Leftovers)
252/0 Quagsire: 121.83%-143.4%. OHKO
252/252 Gastrodon: 65.02%-76.53%. 2HKO
252/0 Blastoise: 45.03%-53.04% (86% chance of a 2HKO with SR and Leftovers)
[SET]
Name: Choice Band
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Waterfall / Crabhammer
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Aerial Ace / Body Slam
Item: Choice Band
trait: Shell Armor
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 54 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Crawdaunt is rather slow, it is still capable of outrunning most UU walls and tearing into them with it's respectable Attack stat. It's easy to revenge kill, but difficult to switch into. Crunch should be treated as the main attack here. It is rather difficult to wall, and it's the main thing setting Crawdaunt apart from Kingler. Waterfall is a nice secondary STAB, hitting Dark resists Steelix, Probopass and Aggron for Super Effective damage. X-scissor hits Water resists like Meganium, and other Dark types who resist Crunch. Three of Crawdaunt's weaknesses, Bug, Fighting and Grass, are hit hard by Aerial Ace, the most important of these are Poliwrath and Toxicroak, who resist every other move on the set. Body Slam can also be used to try for some paralysis, which Crawdaunt would greatly benefit from, given its low speed.</p>
<p>The EVs allow you to outrun no speed base 80's, such as Meganium. This is an important benchmark, as most walls sit at or below this speed level. This allows you to hit them twice before taking any damage. The attack stat is maximized, reaching a whopping 558 with the Choice Band attached. This is one of the highest attack stats in UU, and should not be taken lightly. The remaining EVs are thrown into HP. Shell Armor is the recommended trait for Crawdaunt. There is only two Intimidators in UU (Masquerien and Granbull) and Charm and Growl are rarely used. Shell Armor makes switch-ins to Shadow Claw, Night Slash, and weak Stone Edges less frightening. Always take advantage of your Psychic immunity as well; Hypno makes a good entry point to start harassing a UU team.</p>
[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aerial Ace / Substitute
move 4: Swords Dance
Item: Life Orb / Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 54 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Crawdaunt, unlike his Water/Dark competitor Sharpedo, has access to Swords Dance. After a boost, Crawdaunt becomes a very slow, impossibly powerful sweeper. With the Life Orb equipped, he can reach 967 attack after one Swords Dance. This allows you to tear through more defensive UU teams quite easily. Crunch, is again, the main attack, with Waterfall, the secondary STAB used for hitting UU Steel types and other pokemon that resist Crunch. Aerial Ace is chosen over X-Scissor because again, Poliwrath is somewhat of a nuisance. The strategy of this set is more of a late game cleaner, as it doesn't quite pack as much power as two hits from the Choice Bander. You'll need some of the walls to be at less than 80% for it to work, or they will interrupt your sweep. Again, like most Crawdaunt sets, beware of revenge kills. Because of this, it may be a good idea to just fire off attacks until you are sure that any faster pokemon are dead.</p>
<p>There is, however, an alternative that makes Crawdaunt harder to take down, bypassing his low speed. By changing to a 252/252/6 sweeper spread, and using Substitute and Salac Berry, you can attempt to get a Swords Dance and then Substitute down into Salac Berry range. You can achieve a speed stat of 313 with Adamant (outrunning Rotom and Adamant Primape) or an impressive 343 with Jolly, putting your just ahead of Scyther. Watch out for Hitmontop though, it's Mach Punch will bypass the speed and kill you before you can move. This alternative, however, lacks power when compared to the Life Orb option, packing only 710 or 678 attack, but it's still fairly frightening. It is better used against frailer offensive teams. Kingler usually does this better, but Crawdaunt does have the advantage of Waterfall, and STAB Crunch. </p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p> Crawdaunt learns a few other physical attacks, but most are not worth your time. Rock Slide hits flying types like Altaria very hard. Superpower can take down Empoleon if you're crazy enough to try this outside UU. Brick Break is another fighting type alternative. As far as Dark attacks go, Night Slash has a good chance of landing a critical hit, while Payback hits harder on the switch than Crunch does. However, two successive Crunches does more than two Paybacks, as the second Payback will be half power. Dark Pulse can be used over Crunch on the "Mixed Sweeper" which will allow for a Modest nature, however, beating Mantine and Lanturn will be difficult. </p>
<p> Standard Dark type moves such as Taunt and Knock Off are available, but they are better used on a more defensive pokemon. </p>
[EVs]
<p> Always maximize the offensive stat of choice. Then, decide how much speed you want. 204 speed EVs is standard fare, allowing you to outrun no speed base 80's. 244 speed EVs outruns no speed base 85's. Put any remaining EVs into HP or Defense to help you switch in easier. Putting any further EVs into defense isn't a very good idea. You always want to be hitting as hard as possible, not tanking hits. </p>
[OPINION]
<p> ADV generation was cruel to Crawdaunt, giving him a high attack stat, but dual special STAB. Now that he has some physical moves at his disposal, he is much more useful. He will probably always be in Sharpedo's shadow, but Crawdaunt takes physical hits much better, and has access to a different mix of moves. Some say that Kingler is better than Crawdaunt, thanks to higher Attack and Speed stats, but Crawdaunt's movepool is fairly impressive for a UU pokemon, something Kingler cannot boast. If you are going to be using Crawdaunt, take advantage of his Dark STAB first and foremost. </p>
[COUNTERS]
<p> The choice band set has only one counter: Weezing. However, you can still play around it if you are good at prediction. Poliwrath can switch into any move except for Aerial Ace. Meganium can do decently provided it avoids X-Scissor. Steelix only needs to worry about Waterfall. Same goes for most other Steel types. The Swords Dance set has similar counters, but be careful it doesn't get a Salac boost, or it may be difficult to stop. For the most part, just take advantage of Crawdaunt's low speed, and hit it hard with special attacks. Then serve it with butter sauce and enjoy.</p>
<p> The mixed sweeper is stopped by completely different pokemon. With proper prediction, almost any wall will come crashing down, with Crunch warding off those special walls, and the special attacks dealing with Steelix, Weezing and Meganium. However, Clefable can usually take it on. A defensive Hitmontop can do decently as well, as Mach Punch should be able to scare it away. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell if Crawdaunt is going mixed until it fires off an attack, so one of your pokemon might have to take a hit for the team. </p>
The first and biggest problem is the speed EVs. 188 speed EVs does not make Crawdaunt outrun no speed base 80s. In fact, it underspeeds them by three points. To reach 197 speed, and outrun these pokemon, 204 speed EVs are required. This needs to be fixed.
Secondly, none of the sets take advantage of Crawdaunt's decent Special Attack stat. This is what I am about to do right now, with this neat mixed set I cooked up.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/crawdaunt
[SET]
Name: Mixed Sweeper
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
Item: Life Orb
trait: Shell Armor
Nature: Rash
EVs: 8 HP / 12 Atk / 32 Def / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> With its respectable Special Attack stat, and STAB on one of the most potent attacking types in the game, Crawdaunt can do fairly well using a mixed sweeper set. Crunch is the only physical attack required as it destroys the special walls of the tier: Hypno and Grumpig are OHKOed, while Mantine and Lanturn are 2HKOed. Surf is for STAB and it handily washes away Steelix and Weezing: It OHKOs the metal snake and 2HKOs the latter. Ice Beam has good coverage with Surf and deals huge damage to Altaria and Meganium. Hidden Power Grass is for Quagsire, Blastoise and Poliwrath, who would otherwise make good switch-ins for Crawdaunt. Watch out for Clefable, as there is a good chance it will survive two Surfs or Crunches, depending on it's EVs. </p>
<p> The EVs are fairly specialized. 8 HP minimizes Life Orb recoil. 12 Attack guarantees the OHKO on Hypno. The Special Attack stat is maximized, giving your special attacks considerable power. This allows you to defeat physical walls, which typically would be safe switching in. The Speed EVs allow you to achieve 197 speed, outrunning things such as no speed Meganium. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense to allow switching into weaker physical attacks. Shell Armor helps with this, as moves like Night Slash and Shadow Claw are excellent opportunities that could be ruined by a critical hit.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is highly recommended with this set as some pokemon may escape being KOd without its presence. That extra little bit of damage puts nearly every wall in UU in danger of being defeated by Crawdaunt. </p>
And of course, to seal the deal, I will post damage calculations. Since Stealth Rock is almost omnipresent, I will include it's damage when I say "OHKO" or "2HKO".
Crunch Calculations:
252/56 Hypno: 87.7%-103.48%. OHKO
252/0 Grumpig: 103.02%-121.43%. OHKO
40/0 Lanturn: 51.37%-60.6%. 2HKO
252/40 Mantine: 50.3%-59.28%. 2HKO
Surf Calculations:
252/136 Steelix: 114.69%-135.03%. OHKO
252/0 Weezing: 68.86%-81.14%. 2HKO
252/0 Drapion: 63.37%-74.71%. 2HKO
252/0 Claydol: 88.02%-103.89%. (59% chance of a OHKO)
252/0 Hitmontop: 51.97%-61.51%. 2HKO
252/0 Clefable: 47.46%-56.09% (21.1% chance of a 2HKO with Leftovers)
Ice Beam Calculations:
252/0 Leafeon: 97.6%-114.97%. OHKO
216/0 Meganium: 64.51%-76.06%. 2HKO
252/56 Altaria: 110.45%-130.23%. OHKO
Hidden Power Calculations:
252/0 Poliwrath: 48.18%-56.77%. (87% chance of a 2HKO with SR and Leftovers)
252/0 Quagsire: 121.83%-143.4%. OHKO
252/252 Gastrodon: 65.02%-76.53%. 2HKO
252/0 Blastoise: 45.03%-53.04% (86% chance of a 2HKO with SR and Leftovers)
[SET]
Name: Choice Band
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Waterfall / Crabhammer
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Aerial Ace / Body Slam
Item: Choice Band
trait: Shell Armor
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 54 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Crawdaunt is rather slow, it is still capable of outrunning most UU walls and tearing into them with it's respectable Attack stat. It's easy to revenge kill, but difficult to switch into. Crunch should be treated as the main attack here. It is rather difficult to wall, and it's the main thing setting Crawdaunt apart from Kingler. Waterfall is a nice secondary STAB, hitting Dark resists Steelix, Probopass and Aggron for Super Effective damage. X-scissor hits Water resists like Meganium, and other Dark types who resist Crunch. Three of Crawdaunt's weaknesses, Bug, Fighting and Grass, are hit hard by Aerial Ace, the most important of these are Poliwrath and Toxicroak, who resist every other move on the set. Body Slam can also be used to try for some paralysis, which Crawdaunt would greatly benefit from, given its low speed.</p>
<p>The EVs allow you to outrun no speed base 80's, such as Meganium. This is an important benchmark, as most walls sit at or below this speed level. This allows you to hit them twice before taking any damage. The attack stat is maximized, reaching a whopping 558 with the Choice Band attached. This is one of the highest attack stats in UU, and should not be taken lightly. The remaining EVs are thrown into HP. Shell Armor is the recommended trait for Crawdaunt. There is only two Intimidators in UU (Masquerien and Granbull) and Charm and Growl are rarely used. Shell Armor makes switch-ins to Shadow Claw, Night Slash, and weak Stone Edges less frightening. Always take advantage of your Psychic immunity as well; Hypno makes a good entry point to start harassing a UU team.</p>
[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aerial Ace / Substitute
move 4: Swords Dance
Item: Life Orb / Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 54 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Crawdaunt, unlike his Water/Dark competitor Sharpedo, has access to Swords Dance. After a boost, Crawdaunt becomes a very slow, impossibly powerful sweeper. With the Life Orb equipped, he can reach 967 attack after one Swords Dance. This allows you to tear through more defensive UU teams quite easily. Crunch, is again, the main attack, with Waterfall, the secondary STAB used for hitting UU Steel types and other pokemon that resist Crunch. Aerial Ace is chosen over X-Scissor because again, Poliwrath is somewhat of a nuisance. The strategy of this set is more of a late game cleaner, as it doesn't quite pack as much power as two hits from the Choice Bander. You'll need some of the walls to be at less than 80% for it to work, or they will interrupt your sweep. Again, like most Crawdaunt sets, beware of revenge kills. Because of this, it may be a good idea to just fire off attacks until you are sure that any faster pokemon are dead.</p>
<p>There is, however, an alternative that makes Crawdaunt harder to take down, bypassing his low speed. By changing to a 252/252/6 sweeper spread, and using Substitute and Salac Berry, you can attempt to get a Swords Dance and then Substitute down into Salac Berry range. You can achieve a speed stat of 313 with Adamant (outrunning Rotom and Adamant Primape) or an impressive 343 with Jolly, putting your just ahead of Scyther. Watch out for Hitmontop though, it's Mach Punch will bypass the speed and kill you before you can move. This alternative, however, lacks power when compared to the Life Orb option, packing only 710 or 678 attack, but it's still fairly frightening. It is better used against frailer offensive teams. Kingler usually does this better, but Crawdaunt does have the advantage of Waterfall, and STAB Crunch. </p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p> Crawdaunt learns a few other physical attacks, but most are not worth your time. Rock Slide hits flying types like Altaria very hard. Superpower can take down Empoleon if you're crazy enough to try this outside UU. Brick Break is another fighting type alternative. As far as Dark attacks go, Night Slash has a good chance of landing a critical hit, while Payback hits harder on the switch than Crunch does. However, two successive Crunches does more than two Paybacks, as the second Payback will be half power. Dark Pulse can be used over Crunch on the "Mixed Sweeper" which will allow for a Modest nature, however, beating Mantine and Lanturn will be difficult. </p>
<p> Standard Dark type moves such as Taunt and Knock Off are available, but they are better used on a more defensive pokemon. </p>
[EVs]
<p> Always maximize the offensive stat of choice. Then, decide how much speed you want. 204 speed EVs is standard fare, allowing you to outrun no speed base 80's. 244 speed EVs outruns no speed base 85's. Put any remaining EVs into HP or Defense to help you switch in easier. Putting any further EVs into defense isn't a very good idea. You always want to be hitting as hard as possible, not tanking hits. </p>
[OPINION]
<p> ADV generation was cruel to Crawdaunt, giving him a high attack stat, but dual special STAB. Now that he has some physical moves at his disposal, he is much more useful. He will probably always be in Sharpedo's shadow, but Crawdaunt takes physical hits much better, and has access to a different mix of moves. Some say that Kingler is better than Crawdaunt, thanks to higher Attack and Speed stats, but Crawdaunt's movepool is fairly impressive for a UU pokemon, something Kingler cannot boast. If you are going to be using Crawdaunt, take advantage of his Dark STAB first and foremost. </p>
[COUNTERS]
<p> The choice band set has only one counter: Weezing. However, you can still play around it if you are good at prediction. Poliwrath can switch into any move except for Aerial Ace. Meganium can do decently provided it avoids X-Scissor. Steelix only needs to worry about Waterfall. Same goes for most other Steel types. The Swords Dance set has similar counters, but be careful it doesn't get a Salac boost, or it may be difficult to stop. For the most part, just take advantage of Crawdaunt's low speed, and hit it hard with special attacks. Then serve it with butter sauce and enjoy.</p>
<p> The mixed sweeper is stopped by completely different pokemon. With proper prediction, almost any wall will come crashing down, with Crunch warding off those special walls, and the special attacks dealing with Steelix, Weezing and Meganium. However, Clefable can usually take it on. A defensive Hitmontop can do decently as well, as Mach Punch should be able to scare it away. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell if Crawdaunt is going mixed until it fires off an attack, so one of your pokemon might have to take a hit for the team. </p>