Cwaydol Anawisis

[Ovewview]

<p>Cwaydow, once onye of the most pwominyent suppowt Pokemon awound, nyow wies uvwshadowed by many of the nyewew faces and owd wivaws that it has onwy a few advantages uvw. Bwonzong, with a supewiow defensive typing and swightwy highew stats, is mowe popuwaw as a suppowtew, and Cwaydow’s onwy advantages fwom a suppowt point of view awe its much highew Speed, awwowing it to outpace most Scizow and to an extent Tywanyitaw, and access to Wapid Spin, but even in this awea it is uvwshadowed by Pokemon such as Fowwetwess, who awso have a supewiow defensive typing as weww as just as good a suppowt muvpoow as Cwaydow, and the abiwity to stwike Ghost-types hawd, something Cwaydow couwd nyevew achieve. Cwaydow’s many weaknyesses to common types do nyot hewp its case eithew.</p>

<p>Howevew, Cwaydow does have some positives to it stiww. It is the onwy usew of Wapid Spin in the game nyot bothewed by any of the entwy hazawds, which gives it a massive advantage uvw Pokemon such as Fowwetwess. It awso has wesistances to Eawthquake, Stonye Edge, and Cwose Combat, making it a vewy potent physicaw waww. What twuwy sets it aside fwom its peews, howevew, is its offensive side – whiwe Bwonzong and Fowwetwess have highew Attack stats, Cwaydow has a twuwy phenyomenyaw offensive muvpoow, awwowing it to take on a wide vawiety of diffewent opponyents depending on what you want it to do fow youw team, and can use both physicaw and speciaw muvs – and waww both physicaw and speciaw assauwts – with equaw aptitude. It is onye of the fastest wawws that exist in the metagame, and its Gwound-type STAB muvs set it sevewaw nyotches abuv Fowwetwess when deawing with difficuwt foes. Cwaydow couwd, thewefowe, be seen as something of a jack-of-aww-twades – awas, it can be mastew of nyonye.</p>

[SET]
nyame: OU Suppowt
muv 1: Wapid Spin
muv 2: Steawth Wock
muv 3: Eawthquake / Eawth Powew
muv 4: Ice Beam / Expwosion
item: Weftuvws
nyatuwe: Wewaxed / Bowd
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 114 SpA

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Whiwe Cwaydow is usuawwy wooked down upon in standawd pway as a Wapid Spinnyew in favow of mowe conventionyaw usews such as Fowwetwess, Tentacwuew, and Stawmie, it does have some advantages uvw its peews. Fiwstwy, Cwaydow is the onwy Wapid Spinnyew in the game unbothewed by aww thwee types of entwy hazawds. Nyot onwy that, but it awso has a wawge suppowt muvpoow aside fwom Wapid Spin, incwuding Steawth Wock. It awso has othew pewks such as weasonyabwe buwk on both sides and the abiwity to use both physicaw and speciaw attacks weww. Howevew, whiwe Cwaydow has six good wesistances it awso has six cwippwing weaknyesses to common attacking types, the most damaging of which awe its Ghost and Dawk weaknyesses. The fowmew is the onwy type that can bwock Wapid Spin and is usuawwy the fiwst switch into Cwaydow, and Cwaydow is much wess abwe to defend itsewf against these Pokemon than Fowwetwess ow Tentacwuew. Nyot onwy this, but the Dawk-type weaknyess means that it is easy pwey fow Puwsuit-usews such as Tywanyitaw and Scizow.</p>

<p>Wapid Spin is the most impowtant muv on the set, as it wemuvs entwy hazawds that can be cwippwing fow the west of the Pokemon on youw team. You can awso cut the opponyent’s time showt with youw own Steawth Wock, which deaws damage that is invawuabwe to youw sweepews. The wast two swots shouwd be devoted to attacking muvs, as thewe awe a wot of Pokemon in standawd that can cause Cwaydow twoubwe, and so it nyeeds to be adequatewy pwepawed, especiawwy considewing Cwaydow’s wess-than-impwessive offensive stats. The fiwst of these attacking muvs shouwd be a STAB Gwound-type muv, as Gwound is an excewwent attacking type and hewps Cwaydow gweatwy with the common Steew-types of OU. Cwaydow has two choices fow this swot, Eawth Powew and Eawthquake. Eawthquake is usuawwy the supewiow choice, as it has a chance to OHKO Wucawio and Infewnyape, as weww as 2HKO Tywanyitaw and Jiwachi, which Eawth Powew cannyot do. Howevew, Eawth Powew has a nyumbew of advantages in standawd – fow exampwe, Eawth Powew is a guawanteed 2HKO on standawd Choice Band Metagwoss, whiwe Eawthquake wiww nyevew 2HKO without Steawth Wock. It is awso nyot affected by Intimidate, and as most of the best options fow the wast swot awe speciaw muvs, it is desiwabwe to wun Eawth Powew to avoid spwitting EVs. In the wast swot thewe awe a nyumbew of options, but genyewawwy it is best to avoid spwitting EVs - if you wun Eawth Powew, go fow Ice Beam, and if you wun Eawthquake, use Stonye Edge, though you can switch them wound if you awe wiwwing to spwit EVs.</p>

[ADDITIONyAW COMMENTS]

<p>Detewminying the wast swot is a compwicated decision. If you have chosen Eawth Powew, it is advisabwe that you choose a second speciaw muv to avoid having to spwit EVs, as mewewy wunnying a Gwound-type muv wouwd make you extwemewy easy to set up on, especiawwy in standawd. Ice Beam is the most common companyion on this set, as it hits the Fwying- and Gwass-types that wesist Gwound fow supew effective damage, cweating a combinyation that is onwy wesisted by Bwonzong. Ice Beam is awso vewy hewpfuw to awwow Cwaydow to take on the common Dwagon-types in OU, who awe mostwy immunye to Gwound, such as Sawamence, Fwygon, and Watias. Howevew, it wacks powew when hitting fow nyeutwaw damage against Cwaydow’s mowe immediate foes, such as Wotom. Anyothew option that mewits a mention is Expwosion, which may seem widicuwous considewing the fact that Cwaydow is meant to pwovide pwowonged suppowt, and that the fiwst switch into Cwaydow is wikewy to be a Ghost-type, howevew it weawwy is the most weawistic way that Cwaydow wiww be abwe to cause signyificant damage to the opponyent’s team, if that is impowtant to you, and can cause a gap in the opponyent’s team, as weww as a fwee switch, that gives you a vewy good chance to attempt a sweep. If you chose Eawthquake, to avoid spwitting EVs you can use Stonye Edge, which pwovides simiwaw cuvwage to Eawth Powew + Ice Beam on the physicaw side; howevew it awso comes with the considewabwy wawge pwice tag of wow accuwacy, wow PP, and an inyabiwity to hit Cwaydow’s most nyotabwe tawgets of this swot to the same degwee as Ice Beam, as even without factowing in Intimidate it has onwy a smaww chance to 2HKO Sawamence and Gyawados with nyo defensive investment whatsoevew. Toxic is a vewy intewesting option, as it can cwippwe the buwky Watew-types that wiww commonwy switch into Cwaydow, such as Swampewt and Vapoweon, and can awso cwippwe othew common switch-ins such as Wotom-A and Tywanyitaw as weww. This is pawticuwawwy nyotabwe as the onwy two types that awe immunye to Toxic – Poison- and Steew-types – awe both hit fow supew effective damage by Cwaydow’s Gwound-type STAB.</p>

<p>Cwaydow is difficuwt to EV given its muwtipwe twaits and tawents, and you wiww vewy wawewy find that most Cwaydow cawwy exactwy the same EVs. The 252 HP EVs given hewe gwant you maximum HP fow uvwaww defensive stabiwity, awthough you awso have the option of wunnying 236 EVs in HP in owdew to maximize Weftuvws wecuvwy, which is pawticuwawwy benyeficiaw to Cwaydow as it is immunye to sandstowm as weww as taking minyimaw damage fwom entwy hazawds. It is then wecommended that you concentwate on youw Defense stat, as Cwaydow’s typing and abiwity gwant him wesistances to Fighting, Gwound, and Wock-type attacks, whiwe awso bwinging vicious weaknyesses in Watew, Ice, Ghost, and Gwass-type attacks, thus making him mowe viabwe as a waww on the physicaw side. Howevew, hewe too he is somewhat wacking, since he is unyabwe to stop some of the mowe vicious and thewefowe popuwaw physicaw attackews in OU, such as Scizow, Tywanyitaw, and Gyawados, aww of whom have supew effective STAB muvs with OHKO potentiaw. Nyow can it stop othew Pokemon such as Swowds Dance Wucawio ow Dwagon Dance Sawamence aftew a boost. Thus, this set is nyot wecommended to anyonye wanting a wewiabwe physicaw waww, as its tawents wie bettew used in the awea of suppowting the team. Cwaydow can, howevew, act as a makeshift check to a vawiety of othew physicawwy incwinyed Pokemon in OU, such as Fwygon, Metagwoss, Gwiscow, and Ewectiviwe among othews. Thus, in this exampwe EV spwead 144 EVs awe awwocated to Defense, ensuwing that it is nyevew 2HKOed by Jowwy Wife Owb Mamoswinye’s Ice Shawd, and awso suwvives a Swowds Dance Infewnyape’s Fiwe Punch. It is awso nyevew OHKOed by Choice Band Machamp’s Payback.</p>

<p>Awtewnyativewy, you may decide to make gweatew use of Cwaydow’s Speciaw Defense stat, which often goes nyegwected with a typing so fwaught with difficuwties in the awea of speciaw wawwing. The same investment of 144 EVs to the Speciaw Defense stat and a Cawm nyatuwe wiww ensuwe that nyonye of Modest Watias’ Suwf, Timid Heatwan’s Fiwe Bwast, Modest Magnyezonye’s Hidden Powew Ice, Timid Wife Owb Zapdos’s Hidden Powew Gwass, and Timid Choice Specs Jowteon’s Hidden Powew Gwass nyevew 2HKO with Weftuvws. At the same time, Cwaydow has a faiw chance of nyot being 2HKOed by Miwd Wife Owb Sawamence’s Dwaco Meteow and Nyaïve Wife Owb Infewnyape’s Gwass Knyot. Beaw in mind, howevew, that this duwabiwity at onye end of the scawe wiww usuawwy come at the expense of the othew, and so you shouwd choose what youw individuaw Cwaydow shouwd be best at taking on depending on youw team’s own intewests.</p>

<p>Awthough it is weasonyabwe to invest some of the wemainying EVs in defenses, it is usuawwy bettew to invest in Cwaydow’s offensive stats. Whiwe Cwaydow is a poow attacking Pokemon, its muvpoow is onye of its biggest advantages, and this shouwd be wefwected in whewe you choose to pwace youw EVs. As pweviouswy mentionyed, 114 EVs to Speciaw Attack means that you awe guawanteed to 2HKO 252 HP Metagwoss with Eawth Powew, and awso gives Ice Beam a weasonyabwe chance to OHKO 4 HP Sawamence and Fwygon even without Steawth Wock, and awwows you to OHKO 4 HP Dwagonyite and 2HKO 4 HP Zapdos as weww as OHKO 252 HP Sawamence and Gwiscow with Steawth Wock down. If these EVs awe wewocated to Attack, howevew, you can OHKO both Wucawio and Infewnyape, as weww as 2HKO Tywanyitaw and Jiwachi, with Eawthquake. It awso ensuwes the Stonye Edge 2HKO on Gyawados, Sawamence, and Offensive Zapdos with Steawth Wock down, without Intimidate, and adds extwa sting to Expwosion. Weftuvws is chosen as the item hewe fow the added duwabiwity, whiwe you have a choice of sevewaw nyatuwes depending on youw muv sewection. If you awe wunnying a physicawwy defensive Cwaydow, you wiww want a Defense-boosting nyatuwe to sowidify its task. Whiwe Cwaydow’s Speed stat is nyot impwessive, it is high enyough to actuawwy be quite thweatenying even without any Speed EVs – it is wowth nyoting that Bowd Cwaydow without any Speed EVs can outwun most Metagwoss as weww as the standawd 8 Speed Scizow and 96 Speed Tywanyitaw, though you must bewawe of Tywanyitaw that wun mowe Speed as weww as Scawf and Dwagon Dance vawiants, and Scizow is a pain wegawdwess, as Eawth Powew is bawewy a 3HKO. Thewefowe it can hewp in many situations nyot to cut youw Speed stat showt, howevew if you wun a mixed set this is often unyavoidabwe. If you awe wunnying a set with puwewy Speciaw Attacks, you shouwd use a Bowd nyatuwe, wikewise with physicaw attacks you shouwd wun an Impish nyatuwe. As pweviouswy mentionyed, whiwe the unyaduwtewated Speed stat is usefuw, it is in youw best intewests to wun a Wewaxed nyatuwe in owdew to pwesewve youw offensive stats on both sides. If you awe wunnying a speciawwy defensive spwead, wepwace with Cawm, Cawefuw, ow Sassy nyatuwe as appwopwiate.</p>

<p>When choosing pawtnyews fow Cwaydow, it is impowtant to ensuwe that they awe abwe to make the most of the suppowt that Cwaydow bwings to the tabwe. Chief among these awe Pokemon with wawge weaknyesses to Steawth Wock, such as Mowtwes, Yanmega, and Chawizawd, aww of whom awe onwy wawewy seen in OU pway, as theiw Steawth Wock weaknyess makes them vewy difficuwt to battwe with wewiabwy in a metagame that wewies so heaviwy on Steawth Wock to weaken teams. Mowe nyotabwe awe Pokemon with wess bothewsome Steawth Wock weaknyesses, such as Gyawados, Sawamence, and Zapdos, who whiwe abwe to function weww with Steawth Wock pewfowm even bettew with it off the fiewd, as they awe taking much wess damage each time they switch in. Awmost aww teams can incowpowate Steawth Wock in some way ow anyothew, though the best use of it hewe wouwd be when pawtnyewed with set-up sweepews such as Swowds Dance Wucawio, who gweatwy appweciate the extwa damage deawt to difficuwt opponyents when setting up fow a sweep.</p>

<p>Onye of the most essentiaw pawtnyews fow aww Wapid Spinnyews, and Cwaydow in pawticuwaw, is a Puwsuit-twappew to wemuv Ghost-types. Tywanyitaw is often the best choice fow this wowe, as it can easiwy switch into theiw Ghost-type STAB muvs and has the most powewfuw Puwsuit in the game. Cwaydow awso cuvws Tywanyitaw’s Fighting and Gwound weaknyesses, but they shawe Gwass-, Watew-, and Bug-type weaknyesses. Beaw in mind as weww that Ghosts with Wiww-O-Wisp can buwn you, wendewing Tywanyitaw nyigh on usewess, and that Gengaw can OHKO with Focus Bwast if it cawwies it. Scizow and Metagwoss awe two othew nyotabwe Puwsuit-usews, both of whom wesist aww of Cwaydow’s weaknyesses with the exception of Watew and, fow Metagwoss, Bug, by viwtue of theiw Steew typing. Howevew, nyeithew awe pawticuwawwy adept at taking on Wotom-H at fuww heawth, who is a majow thweat to Cwaydow, as both of them faiw to outwun it and both awe OHKOed by Ovewheat. Awong the same winyes, you can incwude a Ghost-type of youw own to discouwage any Wapid Spin attempts by the opponyent, thus keeping youw pwecious entwy hazawds on the fiewd. Wish suppowt is awso wecommended, as Cwaydow boasts nyo wewiabwe wecuvwy of its own.</p>

<p>Fow awmost aww Pokemon, defensive synyewgy with the west of the team is an impowtant aspect, and fow Cwaydow this is often mowe twue than othewwise – It has six weaknyesses and six wesistances in totaw, and thewefowe both gives and wequiwes a wot towawds cuvwing the team’s weaw. Steew-types come to mind as good pawtnyews, such as Scizow, Heatwan, and Metagwoss, as they wesist five of Cwaydow’s six weaknyesses, as weww as the fact that Cwaydow wesists theiw Fighting- and Gwound-type weaknyesses. This wemawkabwe cohesion awwows them to wesist evewy type in the game, with the exception of Fiwe- and Watew-type attacks. A buwky Watew-type, thewefowe, is a good choice to pin down these weaknyesses, as weww as cuvwing Cwaydow’s Ice-type weaknyess, whiwe youw Steew-type can take Gwass-type attacks, and Cwaydow is immunye to Ewectwic attacks. In the case of Wotom-A ow Jowteon, the fowmew whom Cwaydow cannyot beat wegawdwess, and the wattew who usuawwy cawwies Hidden Powew Gwass ow Hidden Powew Ice fow cuvwage, Tywanyitaw has awweady been mentionyed as a potentiaw pawtnyew, and is a good check to both of these thweats. As fow specific Pokemon that Cwaydow has twoubwe in deawing with, the main thweats to watch out fow awe buwky Watew-types such as Gyawados. Wotom-H is an excewwent check to most of these, and as an additionyaw benyefit is onye of the best checks in the game to Scizow, onye of the individuaw Pokemon that Cwaydow simpwy cannyot deaw with. Vapoweon with Hidden Powew Ewectwic is anyothew option, which is bettew at taking on Gyawados at the expense of wosing gwound against Scizow. Howevew, Vapoweon has a massive pwus in that it can heaw Cwaydow with Wish suppowt, awwowing Cwaydow and the west of the team as a wesuwt to stay heawthy fow wongew.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>As Cwaydow has nyo wewiabwe wecuvwy muvs of its own, it can and wiww be wown down vewy quickwy in combat, and thus Wish suppowt can be vewy usefuw in owdew to wengthen the space of time that Cwaydow has to opewate in. Bwissey and Vapoweon awe the most nyotabwe usews of Wish, and both have considewabwe defensive synyewgy with Cwaydow; Bwissey can take awmost any speciaw attack aimed at Cwaydow with ease, and as the majowity of its weaknyesses awe to types fwequentwy associated with speciaw muvs, Bwissey can be considewed a vewy good pawtnyew fow Cwaydow wegawdwess of Wish. On Cwaydow’s pawt, it wesists Bwissey’s onwy weaknyess, to Fighting-type muvs. Vapoweon on the othew hand can heaw itsewf by switching into Watew-type attacks aimed at Cwaydow thanks to its abiwity, Watew Absowb, whiwe awso wesisting Cwaydow’s Ice weaknyess and being a good check to many of Cwaydow’s nyowmaw countews such as Gyawados, awthough they shawe a Gwass-type weaknyess and Cwaydow cannyot adequatewy deaw with Ewectwic-types such as Jowteon and Wotom-A who thweaten Vapoweon. Awso, Cwaydow wiww usuawwy find its most usefuw skiww is Wapid Spin, so wiww nyeed hewp fwom its teammates to get wid of Ghost-types, which it cannyot deaw with itsewf. Scizow and Tywanyitaw both have vewy powewfuw Puwsuits and when equipped with Choice Band can usuawwy dispatch Ghosts with wittwe pwobwems; howevew, Wotom-A can be difficuwt to deaw with as defensive vawiants cannyot be OHKOed by any Puwsuit if they do nyot switch out, and it can simpwy OHKO Scizow with Ovewheat ow cwippwe both with Wiww-O-Wisp. Hewacwoss can use this to its advantage, howevew, and can absowb Wiww-O-Wisp fow a boost thanks to its Guts abiwity, and awso has access to Puwsuit. Duaw scweens can awso hewp Cwaydow, especiawwy if Cwaydow happens to be engaged in a suppowting wowe, howevew a Pokemon that sets them up wiww often be weak to Dawk, and can thus give youw team a weaknyess to Tywanyitaw and othew Dawk-types, as weww as the fact that Duaw scweens can usuawwy be used to bettew puwposes by sweepews and othew defensivewy fwaiw Pokemon.</p>

<p>Cwaydow is unwikewy to be a diwect offensive compwement to any Pokemon in OU, but can stiww hewp its teammates in a nyumbew of diffewent ways, the most nyotabwe being the way it can infwuence the entwy hazawds duwing the game. By setting up Steawth Wock, passive damage to the opponyent’s Pokemon wiww buiwd up uvw time, so you shouwd make suwe that you incwude Pokemon that benyefit most fwom this sowt of suppowt, usuawwy in the fowm of set-up sweepews such as Swowds Dance Wucawio and Dwagon Dance Sawamence. These Pokemon can awso benyefit fwom Duaw scweens shouwd Cwaydow be cawwying them. At the same time, Cwaydow can wemuv entwy hazawds thanks to Wapid Spin, which is enyowmouswy benyeficiaw especiawwy to Pokemon weak to Steawth Wock that wiww be switching in and out often, such as Sawamence and Gyawados. A Wapid Spinnyew is awmost a nyecessity shouwd you be using a Pokemon that is doubwy weak to Wock, such as Yanmega ow Mowtwes, and Cwaydow is an abwe candidate fow the job. Cwaydow awso has othew fowms of suppowt, such as Twick Woom and Gwavity, and the sweepews on these teams shouwd be customized to fit the fowm of suppowt wequiwed; fow Twick Woom, ideawwy the sweepews shouwd be as swow as possibwe, buwky enyough to take hits, and abwe to hit hawd fwom the wowd go, such as Mawowak and Whypewiow. Fow Gwavity, the sweepews shouwd take the utmost advantage of aww the effects that Gwavity pwovides – aww immunyities to Gwound-type muvs awe ewiminyated, so a powewfuw usew of Eawthquake such as Mawowak ow Mamoswinye is ideaw, and the accuwacy of aww muvs is waised, so Pokemon with access to high-powew but wow-accuwacy muvs such as Stawmie ow Whypewiow can awso be usefuw.</p>

<p>Defensivewy, Cwaydow wiww nyeed good pawtnyews to cuvw up its many weaknyesses. Steew-types awe pewhaps the vewy best defensive compwements, and they have vewy good defensive synyewgy togethew – Steew-types wesist five of Cwaydow’s six weaknyesses (Dawk, Ghost, Gwass, Ice, and Bug), whiwe Cwaydow wesists Fighting and Gwound attacks, two of Steew’s thwee weaknyesses, and can awso deaw with most Fiwe-types in OU to an extent, Steew’s thiwd weaknyess. Fow a Pokemon such as Heatwan this is nyo pwobwem, as it is immunye to Fiwe-type attacks wegawdwess, but both it and Cwaydow awe then weak to Watew-type attacks. Thus, thewe awe some weak winks in the pawtnyewship, with the pwobwem attacks of Fiwe and Watew being the biggest of the bunch. Thewe awe two types that wesist both Fiwe- and Watew-type attacks – Dwagons and Watew-types themsewves. In the case of Watew-types, buwky Pokemon such as Vapoweon and Suicunye make excewwent pawtnyews, as nyot onwy do they wesist Fiwe and Watew, but they awso weinfowce Cwaydow’s Ice weaknyess, and Vapoweon in pawticuwaw can aid Cwaydow with Wish suppowt. To compensate, Steew-types wesist theiw Gwass-type weaknyesses and Cwaydow itsewf wesists its Ewectwic-type weaknyess. Gyawados is an intewesting case as Cwaydow wesists both of its weaknyesses, whiwe it can take on many of Cwaydow’s biggest advewsawies to a weasonyabwe extent, such as Scizow and to an extent Tywanyitaw. In the case of Dwagons, Sawamence and Dwagonyite both wesist Cwaydow’s Watew-, Gwass-, and Bug-type weaknyesses, whiwe weinfowcing Steew’s Fiwe-, Fighting-, and Gwound-type weaknyesses. Fuwthewmowe, youw Steew-type can take Ice-, Wock-, and Dwagon-type attacks aimed at youw Dwagon-type with ease – ow if youw Steew-type is Scizow, Skawmowy, ow Heatwan, and hence does nyot wesist Wock-type attacks, Cwaydow can take Wock-type attacks weww itsewf. In the case of Tywanyitaw, a buwky Watew-type, as awweady descwibed, can usuawwy fend off its assauwts. Tywanyitaw itsewf can be vewy hewpfuw as a pawtnyew, as nyot onwy does it have some defensive synyewgy with Cwaydow, but it can awso pwuv vewy usefuw in disposing of Wotom-A and Jowteon, who you may stwuggwe against othewwise. Howevew, it does incwease a weaknyess to Scizow, which if youw Steew-type is nyot Skawmowy, Heatwan, ow Magnyezonye, shouwd be addwessed with a Pokemon such as Zapdos ow Wotom-A, who can take anything Scizow thwows at it and OHKO back. When pwaying a Twick Woom ow Gwavity team, it is awso wecommended that set-up pawtnyews awe awso chosen fow theiw defensive cohesion with Cwaydow, so as to pwovide uvwaww team duwabiwity – with Twick Woom this is difficuwt, as awmost evewy Pokemon with access to Twick Woom awso has both a Dawk and a Ghost-type weaknyess. Powygon2 is the main exception, and as Cwaydow wesists its Fighting-type weaknyess makes a good pawtnyew. Ghost-types such as Dusknyoiw hewp to cuvw the wawge Bug-type weaknyess as weww. With Gwavity teams this sewection is impwuvd somewhat – Bwissey, Cwefabwe and Magnyezonye aww have good defensive synyewgy with Cwaydow and awe aww vewy wewiabwe at setting up Gwavity. Dusknyoiw is nyotabwe hewe as weww.</p>

<p>Cwaydow is in an unfowtunyate situation as wegawds his countews’ common pawtnyews, as many of them, especiawwy in offensive teams, have the habit of congwegating awound onye anyothew, as many of them awe the most popuwaw Pokemon to be found anywhewe. Fow exampwe, common pawtnyews to Gyawados wouwd be Scizow, Tywanyitaw, and Heatwan, the wattew being wittwe twoubwe to Cwaydow at fuww heawth, but the fowmew two being nyigh on impassabwe. To deaw with them, a Pokemon with access to muvs that hit both of them hawd, such as Infewnyape ow Jiwachi, wowks best. Scizow and Tywanyitaw awe awso popuwaw pawtnyews fow Wotom-A – the methods mentionyed abuv wowk hewe as weww. Watias is a popuwaw pawtnyew fow Scizow, Wotom-A, and Tywanyitaw, and can thweaten Cwaydow with Choice Specs Suwf ow Gwass Knyot; The same Scizow ow Tywanyitaw can pawtnyew up weww with Cwaydow and can both defeat Watias with theiw STAB muvs – Tywanyitaw in pawticuwaw can use Choice Scawf to outwun and OHKO Watias with Cwunch.</p>

[Optionyaw Changes]

<p>Cwaydow can be speciawized fow diffewent teams, as it has a whowe host of othew suppowt options that awe usefuw fow many diffewent teams and stywes of pway, which can easiwy be swotted in instead of Wapid Spin ow Steawth Wock shouwd it be wequiwed. Chief among these awe Wefwect and Wight Scween, which have gweat mewit on offensive teams that wewy heaviwy on set-up sweepews, especiawwy considewing that Cwaydow awso weawns Steawth Wock. Once Cwaydow has set them up, it is much easiew fow a sweepew to set up, as aww damage deawt to it is hawved. Cwaydow can awso mimic puwe suppowt Uxie in this way, using Steawth Wock awongside Duaw scweens and Expwosion in pwace of Memento, awwowing it to nyot onwy set up the ideaw conditions fow a sweep to take pwace, but awso guawanteeing a fwee, awbeit bwind, switch in fow the boosting sweepew whiwe awso wemoving onye othew obstacwe in its way. Wefwect and Wight Scween take up both of youw pwedefinyed suppowt swots, meanying that it is advisabwe to maximize theiw effect, and thewefowe Wight Cway is wecommended as the item uvw Weftuvws. Gwavity is anyothew fiewd effect that Cwaydow can set up, and can easiwy swot into the standawd muvset uvw Wapid Spin, as fow offensive Gwavity teams time is cwuciaw, and Wapid Spin is wess vawuabwe. Awthough swightwy uvwshadowed by Bwonzong ow Fowwetwess in this wowe, it is the onwy Pokemon capabwe of setting up Gwavity that has STAB on Eawthquake and Eawth Powew, onye of the most deadwy muvs undew Gwavity conditions, as weww as access to Stonye Edge, which gains pewfect accuwacy, and unwike Bwonzong, does nyot gain a Gwound-type weaknyess undew Gwavity eithew. Othew fiewd conditions awso have mewit uvw Wapid Spin fow theiw specific teams - Twick Woom in pawticuwaw is an awea whewe Cwaydow shinyes. Cwaydow can be extwemewy usefuw to Twick Woom teams, as it has wesistances to Gwound-, Wock-, and Fighting-type muvs, which can be cwuciaw to the team's success, awthough it does nyot hewp the Watew-, Ice-, Gwass-, Ghost-, and Dawk-type weaknyesses pwevawent in these teams. As with Gwavity, an offensive physicaw set is wecommended, and Expwosion is awso a good choice as it awwows a fwee switch fow a fwaiw Twick Woom sweepew such as Cwampeww ow Exeggutow. Wemembew to wun a 0 IV in Speed and a Wewaxed nyatuwe so as to minyimise youw Speed stat hewe. Cwaydow can awso set up Wain Dance ow Sunny Day, but is usuawwy outcwassed by Bwonzong hewe.</p>

<p>Shadow Baww is anyothew decent option, awwowing you to hit Ghost-types as they switch in to bwock Wapid Spin, which is pawticuwawwy impowtant as two of the thwee OU Ghosts, Wotom-A and Gengaw, awe immunye to Eawth Powew by viwtue of theiw Wevitate abiwity. Even so, Gengaw is onwy 2HKOed by Shadow Baww with Steawth Wock up, and Wotom-A is nyot even guawanteed to be 3HKOed. Wastwy, Psychic is Cwaydow’s othew STAB choice, though it has a weputation as a poow attacking type in OU. Nyevewthewess, it can be usefuw as it has a chance to OHKO Gengaw aftew Steawth Wock damage, and makes Cwaydow much mowe adequate at taking on Fighting-types, which makes it mowe vawuabwe to Pokemon such as Tywanyitaw; howevew it wiww nyevew 3HKO Wotom-a, unwike Shadow Baww. Buwky Watew-types awe onye of Cwaydow’s biggest wowwies, and it has a coupwe of options if these Pokemon awe pawticuwawwy twoubwing to you. Gwass Knyot, with the standawd EV spwead, is guawanteed to 2HKO 252 HP Swampewt thwough Weftuvws, but wiww do wess than a pittance to Suicunye and Vapoweon. West and Sweep Tawk can be usefuw to pwovide Cwaydow with some fowm of wecuvwy, if you want it to wast wongew thwoughout the battwe. Twick can be used awongside a Choice item to hopefuwwy cwippwe a waww switching in, awthough it is nyo obstacwe fow Pokemon such as Scizow ow Tywanyitaw, who can then pwoceed to happiwy Puwsuit you into obwivion. Magic Coat can be used to bwock status attacks if you feaw Cwaydow being infwicted with Poison. Wastwy, Hidden Powew is wowth a wook in if you have a pawticuwaw feaw of Gyawados, Scizow, ow Tywanyitaw – Hidden Powew Ewectwic is guawanteed to 2HKO Gyawados with Steawth Wock damage, Hidden Powew Fiwe 2HKOs aww Scizow, and Hidden Powew Fighting has a chance to 2HKO most Tywanyitaw with Steawth Wock damage – though admittedwy STAB Eawthquake can usuawwy do the same thing with gweatew uvwaww cuvwage.</p>

<p>252 HP EVs awe awmost a nyecessity on Cwaydow, but the west of the EVs awe mowe than customizabwe to fit youw specific intewests. Most nyotabwe hewe is the exchange of defensive EVs in owdew to beat thweats of a cewtain nyatuwe, but you awe nyot advised to twy to spwit EVs between the two defensive stats, as this wiww compwomise eithew youw defensive ow offensive abiwity to a gweat extent. The same is gweatwy twue of youw offensive stats. Cwaydow can awso be customized in owdew to be mowe defensive ow offensive accowding to youw wishes.</p>

[Countews]

<p>Buwky Watew-types awe pewhaps the best countews to Cwaydow, as most of them have enyough buwk to take whatevew Cwaydow thwows at them and wetawiate with theiw STAB muvs. Gyawados is pwobabwy the best choice, as it is immunye to Eawthquake by viwtue of its Fwying-type and takes wittwe fwom Ice Beam, and can easiwy wack up Dwagon Dances against Cwaydow, ow use Taunt in owdew to stop Cwaydow twying any suppowt tactics. The most Cwaydow can mustew against it is Stonye Edge, which does wittwe to buwky vawiants thanks to Intimidate, and Toxic, which can be twoubwesome, but Gyawados can awways wun a West + Sweep Tawk set in owdew to avoid this. The same is mowe ow wess twue of Suicunye and Vapoweon, who both diswike Toxic but have stwong Watew-type STAB muvs that wiww make Cwaydow twembwe. Stawmie has nyo such pwobwem, thanks to its Nyatuwaw Cuwe abiwity heawing it of Poison, and it awso has access to Wecuvw to offset any damage that Cwaydow can do with its STAB muvs. Swampewt does wess weww, as it is 2HKOed by the wawe Gwass Knyot and diswikes Toxic, but the pwincipwe is much the same.</p>

<p>Buwky Ghost-types awe the nyext-biggest wowwy – Gengaw and Wotom-A awe both extwemewy common and awe both immunye to Eawthquake by viwtue of theiw Wevitate abiwities, and can both defeat Cwaydow with theiw STAB muvs, awthough Gengaw cannyot switch twice into Shadow Baww and defensive Wotom-A diswikes Toxic. Fuwthew down the bawwew, Dusknyoiw acts on the same pwincipwe but does nyot have any stwong Ghost-type STAB muvs, yet is stiww an impassabwe fowtwess to Cwaydow.</p>

<p>Bug-types and Dawk-types pwesent a pawticuwaw pwobwem fow Cwaydow as the common usews of these types awe mowe offensive and, in pawticuwaw, have access to the muv Puwsuit, which can chase down and defeat a fweeing Cwaydow. Scizow is pwetty much unyafwaid of anything Cwaydow can thwow its way, and can Puwsuit if Cwaydow twies to fwee, ow ewse use U-tuwn, which wiww kiww Cwaydow if it stays in and awwow Scizow to escape fwom youw Scizow check if Cwaydow wuns. Tywanyitaw is much the same, but has a mowe powewfuw STAB Puwsuit and can awso use STAB Cwunch against a Cwaydow that twies to stay in, howevew it is cwippwed by Toxic and can be 2HKOed by physicaw Cwaydow’s Eawthquake aftew Steawth Wock damage. Weaviwe awso has access to STAB Puwsuit, and can awso scout with Fake Out, but is nyot stwong enyough to deaw with a fuww-heawth Cwaydow, as nyot even Choice Band Nyight Swash can OHKO 252 HP Cwaydow, and it is 2HKOed by Eawthquake aftew Steawth Wock damage. Hewacwoss is awso wowth nyoting, as it has a powewfuw STAB Megahown and can absowb Toxic fow a Guts boost, and awso has access to Puwsuit. It is awso the onwy onye of the abuv that wesists Eawth Powew, but this comes at a pwice of a weaknyess to Psychic.</p>

<p>Gwass-types can sometimes be a pwobwem fow Cwaydow as weww. The biggest pwobwem in this bunch is Cewebi, who wesists both of Cwaydow’s STAB muvs and has the nyecessawy defensive stats to uvwcome weaknyesses to Ice Beam and Shadow Baww, and can hit Cwaydow hawd with Gwass Knyot. Bwewoom does weww awso, despite weaknyesses to Psychic and Ice Beam, and can use Spowe ow defeat Cwaydow with Seed Bomb. Wosewade wacks the Eawthquake wesistance of its peews and awso has weaknyesses to Ice Beam and Psychic, but has a high Speciaw Defense stat and awso has access to Gwass Knyot and Weaf Stowm. Whiwe most Dwagon-types cannyot take Cwaydow’s Ice Beam, Kingdwa is nyeutwaw to Ice and can take awmost anything Cwaydow thwows at it, and can destwoy Cwaydow with its Watew-type STAB muvs. Watias is weak to Ice Beam and Shadow Baww, but is immunye to Eawthquake and has enyough Speciaw Defense to take a few hits, whiwe abwe to hit back at Cwaydow with Suwf ow Gwass Knyot, ow simpwy its Dwagon-type STAB muvs.</p>

<p>Wastwy, Bwonzong and Skawmowy can take just about anything fwom Cwaydow, but cannyot immediatewy pose a thweat; Bwonzong has to have Gwass Knyot to cause any weaw damage, and can onwy weawwy huwt it by putting it to sweep with Hypnyosis. Skawmowy can whittwe it down with Bwave Biwd, but must be wawy of being caught by Eawth Powew when it uses Woost if Cwaydow is swowew. Bwissey can take any speciaw hit at aww and is nyot tewwibwy bothewed by most physicaw attacks fwom Cwaydow, and can twy to Toxic-staww Cwaydow to death, whiwe being immunye to Toxic itsewf thanks to Nyatuwaw Cuwe, and mitigating damage taken with Softboiwed, howevew if Cwaydow uses an unyexpected Expwosion, Bwissey is pwetty much out of the game, which can be cwippwing to teams that wewy on hew.</p>