Forums being stupid, so making these a separate post.
Slowpoke @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Fire Blast / Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
Roles: Bulky Pivot, Tank.
What It Does: The purpose of this set it to wall physical attackers and act as an absurdly bulky tank to support the team. With both Regenerator and a very large Defense stat, Slow poke has extreme longevity and walling capabilities. Scald further augments Slowpoke's bulk with its potential burns and nice boost from STAB. Fire Blast provides some coverage, most notably hitting Steel- Bug-, and Grass-types that give Slowpoke problems, increasing the difficulty of switching into Slowpoke. However, Psychic is also a very viable option, hitting Fighting-types who try to land a Knock Off on Slowpoke to help handle it. Thunder Wave cripples many pokemon and is always useful to have on a defensive pokemon. Thunder Wave is also very useful for trying to get the free Slack Off off on a turn they are paralyzed. Lastly, Slack Off makes Slowpoke even more annoying as it provides recovery on top of Regenerator's recovery making Slowpoke extremely hard to defeat.
Good Teammates: Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Chespin, and Foongus synergize well with Slowpoke as they resist the Grass- and Electric-type attacks that Slowpoke is weak to, while Slowpoke resists the Fire- and Ice-type attacks that threaten them. Bulky Fire-types, such as Ponyta, work well Slowpoke due to their typing. In addition, Ponyta and Larvesta both check Pawniard and the Fighting-types who trouble Slowpoke with Knock Off. Pawniard is also notable, as it has good type synergy with Slowpoke and appreciates the paralysis support that Slowpoke provides while providing powerful Knock Off support to aid in wearing down pokemon and making up for Slowpoke's subpar offensive presence.
What Counters It: Chinchou is able to come in on Slowpoke relatively unscathed besides a potential burn and 2HKO with Thunderbolt or Volt Switch. Lileep is able to do the same, just slightly fearing becoming fully paralyzed at the worst of times. Shed Skin Scraggy deals with Slowpoke relatively well but is unreliable. Knock Off in general is a problem for Slowpoke as it not only does a fair amount of damage, but removes Slowpoke's eviolite increasing the ease of which Slowpoke can be dealt with.
Clamperl @ DeepSeaTooth
Ability: Rattled
EVs: 76 HP / 248 SpA / 180 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shell Smash / Substitute
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Roles: Special Sweeper
What It Does: The idea behind this set is rather simple: get Clamperl into a position where it gets to hit everything extremely hard. The premise of this set is simple: find an appropriate time to use Shell Smash and then annihilate everything. With both a Timid nature and the DeepSeaTooth Clamperl's Special Attack reaches an astounding 34 which doubles after a Shell Smash to 68. With such a high Special Attack stat, almost all of LC is outright KOed after a Shell Smash; additionally, all but the faster Choice Scarf pokemon are outspeed by Clamperl after a Shell Smash. Because of this, Clamperl must capitalize on its coverage to be able to best abuse these traits. Surf is the most powerful STAB option distributed to Clamperl which provides amazing coverage alongside Ice Beam. The last move is dedicated to hitting Water-types Super Effectively, allowing Clamperl to not need to worry about Chinchou nor most other common Water-types.
Good Teammates: Entry hazards are essential to Clamperl's success and thus Ferroseed, Dwebble, and Trubbish make great teammates. Wynaut or Gothita can help trap and kill Croagunk, one of Clamperl's best counters; Wynaut can also traps some of the Choice Scarf Pokemon that check Clamperl, as well as help provide set-up opportunities while Gothita plays more easily and fairs better against more common threats such as Timburr. Diglett can also handle Croagunk moderately well, but has the benefit of Memento support to make up for any shortcomings. Checks or counters for Fletchling and Timburr are almost
obligatory, making Chinchou, Magnemite, Spritzee, and Foongus all rather beneficial teammates for Clamperl. Lastly, Memento users greatly increase the ease of setting up. Diglett, Drifloon, Cottonee, and to an extent Koffing support with Memento well.
What Counters It: Honestly, very little actually counters Clamperl. Croagunk and Ferroseed are some of the most effective answers for Clamperl as they are the only ones to survive a +2 Surf/Ice Beam/Hidden Power Grass and be able to retaliate back with enough power to beat Clamperl.
Any Additional Info: Hidden Power Fire can be used instead of Hidden Power Grass to hit Ferroseed, one of the only Pokemon that can survive an attack from +2 Clamperl, although this leaves Clamperl unable to hit most opposing Water-types for neutral damage. This means something to take on Water-types, such as Ferroseed, Lileep, or Chinchou, are needed now as support.