CAP 21 Analysis [QC 0/3]

cbrevan

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<h2>Overview</h2>

<p>
  • can run lots of sets
  • U-turn + Regenerator
  • Unique Rock/Poison typing gives it switchin opportunities against mons like Talonflame and Clefable
  • Its Mega evolution nabs it an attack boost and a useful ability in Magic Guard, allowing it to freely take advantage of high powered moves like Head Smash and Wood Hammer without taking recoil damage.
  • vulnerable to ground- and steel-types, two very prominent offensive and defensive types in the metagame. Access to coverage helps deal with this somewhat, but Crucibelle nonetheless finds itself being forced out by common mons such as Garchomp, Mega Metagross, etc etc fairly often
</p>

<script language="JavaScript">
var set = new CAPSet();
set.name = "Mega All-Out Attacker";
set.move[1] = "Head Smash";
set.move[2] = "Gunk Shot";
set.move[3] = "U-turn";
set.move[4] = ["Wood Hammer", "Low Kick"];
set.item = "Crucibellite";
set.ability = "Regenerator";
set.nature = "Jolly";
set.evs.HP = 4;
set.evs.Atk = 252;
set.evs.Spe = 252;
document.write(composeSet(set));
</script>

<h3>Moves</h3>

<p>
  • In Mega forme, Head Smash becomes a recoilless move thanks to Magic Guard, making it an extremely powerful and spammable STAB option, dishing out massive damage to any mon that doesn't resist it.
  • Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types such as Clefable super effectively
  • U-turn allows Crucibelle to pivot on its checks and counters. Can also be used to take advantage of Regenerator prior to Mega Evolution.
  • Wood Hammer hits Ground- and Water-types such as Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Keldeo.
  • Low Kick can also be used to hit Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Ferrothorn harder.
  • If you're willing to forgo coverage, Stealth Rock can also be used as a utility option. Crucibelle does a good job at setting it up thanks to the switches it can force + its offensive presence.
</p>

<h3>Set Details</h3>

<p>
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution, and lets Crucibelle Mega evolve and U-turn out of Garchomp and Manaphy.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator lets it pivot around and stay healthy early-game before mega evolving.
</p>

<h3>Usage Tips</h3>

<p>
  • It's a good idea to keep Crucibelle in base form early-game before its checks and counters, namely Steel- and Ground-types, have been significantly weakened. This allows it to take advantage of U-turn and Regenerator to stay healthy.
  • Once Mega Evolved, spam Head Smash and hope it doesn't miss lol
  • Once Mega Evolved, spam Gunk Shot and hope it doesn't miss lol
</p>

<h3>Team Options</h3>

<p>
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making a sweep much easier for Crucibelle.
  • Landorus-T can switch into Ground-type attacks aimed at Crucibelle and provide SR support.
  • Garchomp can punish Steel-types that may try to check Crucibelle, such as Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn, as well as provide Stealth Rock support.
  • Celebi, Raikou, Serperior and other Pokemon that can reliably check Water-types are needed for Crucibelle lacking Wood Hammer. Celebi in particular can provide Paralysis and Stealth Rock support.
  • Celebi, Serperior, and Ferrothorn also threaten Ground-types for Crucibelle in addition to threatening Water-types. t
  • Similiarily, Keldeo, Azumarill, and Slowbro can help break through Ground-types as well.
</p>

<script language="JavaScript">
var set = new CAPSet();
set.name = "Mega Coil";
set.move[1] = "Coil";
set.move[2] = "Head Smash";
set.move[3] = "Gunk Shot";
set.move[4] = ["Wood Hammer", "Low Kick"];
set.item = "Crucibellite";
set.ability = "Regenerator";
set.nature = "Jolly";
set.evs.HP = 4;
set.evs.Atk = 252;
set.evs.Spe = 252;
document.write(composeSet(set));
</script>

<h3>Moves</h3>

<p>
  • Coil boosts Attack, Defense, and Accuracy, allowing it to attempt a sweep while also increasing its resistance to priority moves. Also gives Head Smash and Gunk Shot perfect accuracy after a boost.
  • Head Smash is spammable, etc etc
  • Gunk Shot is spammable, etc etc
  • Wood Hammer / Low Kick coverage
</p>

<h3>Set Details</h3>

<p>
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Bulky spread?
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator allows Crucibelle to switch in and check threats and regain health upon switching out so that it can remain healthy enough to easily set up late-game.
</p>

<h3>Usage Tips</h3>

<p>
  • Early on in the match, Crucibelle can be used to check threats such as Clefable
  • Once Crucibelle has an opportunity to set up safely, usually when opposing Steels and Grounds have been worn down, Mega Evolve and set up Coil. In some scenarios, Crucibelle can even set up a Coil on weaker super effective hits.
</p>

<h3>Team Options</h3>

<p>
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making a sweep much easier for Crucibelle. Helps lessen the need for Low Kick so that it may run Wood Hammer more safely.
  • The lack of U-turn means that Crucibelle will be required to hard switch out of most Ground- and Steel-types, so proper switch-ins that can take them on are beneficial. Landorus-T is a good partner for this reason, as it checks several of the mons that threaten Crucibelle and sets up SR (also gives potential switch-in and setup opportunities with U-turn). Tank Garchomp is also a good partner for checking threats to Crucibelle + setting up SR.
  • Water checks are important, so mons like Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur work well in this respect. They appreciate having a solid check for Talonflame (and Flying-types in general) in return
</p>

<script language="JavaScript">
var set = new CAPSet();
set.name = "Choice Scarf";
set.move[1] = "Head Smash";
set.move[2] = "Gunk Shot";
set.move[3] = "U-turn";
set.move[4] = ["Trick", "Wood Hammer", "Low Kick"];
set.item = "Choice Scarf";
set.ability = "Regenerator";
set.nature = "Jolly";
set.evs.HP = 4;
set.evs.Atk = 252;
set.evs.Spe = 252;
document.write(composeSet(set));
</script>

<h3>Moves</h3>

<p>
  • Head Smash hits hella hard even without a boosting item, making it a solid option for revenge killing. Since Regen helps mitigate recoil to an extent, it is preferred over weaker options like Stone Edge.
  • Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types super effectively and provides somewhat decent coverage with Head Smash, but noticeably leaves Crucibelle open to Ground- and Steel-types.
  • U-turn allows Crucibelle to pivot out of its checks and counters, and is especially useful for scouting early-game.
  • The last slot generally depends on team composition.
  • Trick cripples otherwise hard stops to this set, such as Skarmory and Hippowdon.
  • Wood Hammer allows Crucibelle to hit opposing Water- and Ground-types harder than its STAB moves do, and provides a decently powered 100% accurate option to use in end-game scenarios.
  • Low Kick hits Steel-types for decent damage, OHKOes Bisharp
</p>

<h3>Set Details</h3>

<p>
  • Choice Scarf allows Crucibelle to revenge kill setup sweepers such as Mega Altaria and Mega Charizard X as well as better threaten faster Pokemon such as Weavile and Mega Manectric. The extra speed also allows Crucibelle to clean up late game with its powerful Head Smash.
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution, and lets Crucibelle Mega evolve and U-turn out of Garchomp and Manaphy.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator lets it pivot around and stay healthy early-game before mega evolving.
</p>

<h3>Usage Tips</h3>

<p>
  • Crucibelle can be used for scouting purposes early on in the match, and can be brought in througout the match as needed to revenge kill Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Weavile, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard X and Mega Altaria after a Dragon Dance.
  • Though neither Rock- nor Poison-type attacks are particularly spammable, Crucibelle still has a decent shot at cleaning up late-game with the proper support.
</p>

<h3>Team Options</h3>

<p>
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making it easier for Crucibelle to sweep late-game.
  • Ground-type / Steel-type checks, Landorus-T and Garchomp work well in this respect and provide Stealth Rock support.
</p>

<script language="JavaScript">
var set = new CAPSet();
set.name = "Choice Band";
set.move[1] = "Head Smash";
set.move[2] = "Gunk Shot";
set.move[3] = "U-turn";
set.move[4] = ["Wood Hammer", "Low Kick"];
set.item = "Choice Band";
set.ability = "Regenerator";
set.nature = "Jolly";
set.evs.HP = 4;
set.evs.Atk = 252;
set.evs.Spe = 252;
document.write(composeSet(set));
</script>

<h3>Moves</h3>

<p>
  • Choice Band-boosted Head Smash hits ridiculously hard, 2HKOing even the bulkiest of Skarmory with no prior damage. Even Pokemon that resist Head Smash, such as Keldeo and Klefki, are 2HKOed.
  • Gunk Shot allows Crucibelle to annhilate Fairy- and Grass-types and is a more spammable STAB move for when Head Smash recoil is undesirable.
  • U-turn to pivot out of checks and counters, especially useful early-game to scout + take advantage of Regenerator
  • Wood Hammer is guaranteed to 2HKO Slowbro and Hippowdon and OHKO Keldeo and Manaphy after Stealth Rock.
  • Low Kick 2HKOs Ferrothorn and Excadrill and OHKOs Bisharp.
  • Trick can potentially be used in the last slot to cripple defensive mons, but Wood Hammer / Low Kick do a great job of just smashing past them so it's usually not necessary.
</p>

<h3>Set Details</h3>

<p>
  • Choice Band allows Head Smash to hit for frightening amounts of damage and helps blow past several of Crucibelle's defensive checks, such as Hippowdon and Skarmory.
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly is used over Adamant to take the best advantage of Crucibelle base 104 Speed tier, and it still achieves most of the KOes it needs even without Adamant.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator heals off HP upon switching out, which is nice in tandem with U-turn. Also helpful considering Crucibelle will be taking hecka recoil from that nuclear Head Smash.
</p>

<h3>Usage Tips</h3>

<p>
  • Primarily used to smash past several Crucibelle's traditional checks with its powerful Choice Band-boosted attacks.
  • Recoil moves can damage Crucibelle severely due to the high damage output, so be sure to keep Crucibelle as healthy as possible so that it may take advantage of these moves more often throughout the match, don't be afraid to click U-turn earlier on, etc
  • Use Crucibelle as a hit-n-run attacker, smashing open holes in the opposing team before switching out for the added recovery.
</p>

<h3>Team Options</h3>

<p>
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, lessening the need for Low Kick by getting mons like Ferro out of the way.
  • Setup mons like SD Talonflame appreciate physical walls like Hippowdon / Slowbro being lured and heavily weakened by Crucibelle.
  • Ground-type / Steel-type checks, Landorus-T and Garchomp work well in this respect and provide Stealth Rock support.
  • Water checks
</p>

<h2>Other Options</h2>

<p>
  • Rock Polish + 3 Attacks can also be used to set Crucibelle up for a sweep, allows Crucibelle to outrun Choice Scarf users like Landorus-T and Keldeo.
  • HP Ice / Fire can be used to lure mons like Garchomp and Ferrothorn respectively, but they're lackluster in terms of power and coverage otherwise, as Crucibelle has to give up a stronger coverage option or the pivoting capabilities of U-turn to run the move.
  • Toxic Spikes
  • Explosion makes Crucibelle go boom
  • Mold Breaker Lead, gets up Rocks and/or Toxic Spikes up against Magic Bounce users.
  • Stone Edge is a recoil-less, albeit much weaker alternative to Head Smash for base Crucibelle. It can also be used in addition to Head Smash on the Choice Scarf set in late-game cleaning scenarios where Head Smash would cause Crucibelle to faint.
  • Poison JAB is an accurate, albeit weaker alternative to Gunk Shot
  • Life Orb AOA is an alternative to Mega AOA, but its lower Speed tier combined with how quickly recoil + LO damage piles up on it makes it a riskier option. Regenerator does help mitigate this somewhat.
</p>

<h2>Checks and Counters</h2>

<p><strong>Steel-types</strong>: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Klefki, and Mega Metagross can switch into nearly any of Crucibelle's attacks, save for Low Kick and Head Smash from Choice Banded sets, and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves or set up on it, although Ferrothron, Skarmory, and Klefki have to watch out for Trick from Choiced sets as well. Mega Scizor can revenge kill weakened Crucibelle with Bullet Punch, but will be unable to reliably check Coil sets once Crucibelle has set up. Excadrill under Sand can revenge kill any Crucibelle with ease, although it takes considerable damage from Low Kick and Wood Hammer.</p>

<p><strong>Ground-types and Ground-type Coverage</strong>: Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive an onslaught from Crucibelle's STAB moves as well as Wood Hammer if healthy enough, and threaten back with Earthquake. Other Ground-types can serve as good checks as well, including Landorus-T and Excadrill, but Landorus-T can't switch into Head Smash repeatedly due to it being hit neutrally, and Excadrill is hit hard by Wood Hammer and Low Kick. Pokemon that run Ground-type coverage also serve as checks to Crucibelle.</p>

<p><strong>Water-types </strong>: Water-types such as Keldeo, Mega Slowbro, Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Manaphy can all threaten Crucibelle with their STAB moves, and Scarf Keldeo in particular can check most Crucibelle sets, but Keldeo, Rotom-W, and Manaphy are 2HKOed by Wood Hammer or Crucibelle's STAB moves with no prior damage and Slowbro is 2HKOed by Wood Hammer or Choice Band boosted Head Smashes after Stealth Rock. Azumarill can check weakened Crucibelle with Aqua Jet, but is unable to swicth into Gunk Shot. </p>

<p><strong>Psychic-types</strong>: Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, and Mega Alakazam can OHKO Crucibelle with their powerful STAB moves but are unable to switch into Crucibelle at all.</p>

<p><strong>Status Moves</strong>: Crucibelle is heavily crippled by status effects such as burn, paralyzation, and sleep, as they hamper its offensive capabilities. Though Magic Guard remedies the residual damage caused by burn, the Attack drop is still a big issue.</p>

[OVERVIEW]
  • can run lots of sets
  • U-turn + Regenerator
  • Unique Rock/Poison typing gives it switchin opportunities against mons like Talonflame and Clefable
  • Its Mega evolution nabs it an attack boost and a useful ability in Magic Guard, allowing it to freely take advantage of high powered moves like Head Smash and Wood Hammer without taking recoil damage.
  • vulnerable to ground- and steel-types, two very prominent offensive and defensive types in the metagame. Access to coverage helps deal with this somewhat, but Crucibelle nonetheless finds itself being forced out by common mons such as Garchomp, Mega Metagross, etc etc fairly often
[SET]
name: Mega All-Out Attacking
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Wood Hammer, Low Kick
item: Crucibellite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • In Mega forme, Head Smash becomes a recoilless move thanks to Magic Guard, making it an extremely powerful and spammable STAB option, dishing out massive damage to any mon that doesn't resist it.
  • Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types such as Clefable super effectively
  • U-turn allows Crucibelle to pivot on its checks and counters. Can also be used to take advantage of Regenerator prior to Mega Evolution.
  • Wood Hammer hits Ground- and Water-types such as Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Keldeo.
  • Low Kick can also be used to hit Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Ferrothorn harder.
  • If you're willing to forgo coverage, Stealth Rock can also be used as a utility option. Crucibelle does a good job at setting it up thanks to the switches it can force + its offensive presence.
Set Details
========
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution, and lets Crucibelle Mega evolve and U-turn out of Garchomp and Manaphy.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator lets it pivot around and stay healthy early-game before mega evolving.
Usage Tips
========
  • It's a good idea to keep Crucibelle in base form early-game before its checks and counters, namely Steel- and Ground-types, have been significantly weakened. This allows it to take advantage of U-turn and Regenerator to stay healthy.
  • Once Mega Evolved, spam Head Smash and hope it doesn't miss
  • Once Mega Evolved, spam Gunk Shot and hope it doesn't miss
Team Options
========
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making a sweep much easier for Crucibelle.
  • Landorus-T can switch into Ground-type attacks aimed at Crucibelle and provide SR support.
  • Garchomp can punish Steel-types that may try to check Crucibelle, such as Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn, as well as provide Stealth Rock support.
  • Celebi, Raikou, Serperior and other Pokemon that can reliably check Water-types are needed for Crucibelle lacking Wood Hammer. Celebi in particular can provide Paralysis and Stealth Rock support.
  • Celebi, Serperior, and Ferrothorn also threaten Ground-types for Crucibelle in addition to threatening Water-types.
  • Similiarily, Keldeo, Azumarill, and Slowbro can help break through Ground-types as well.
[SET]
name: Mega Coil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Wood Hammer / Low Kick
item: Crucibellite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Coil boosts Attack, Defense, and Accuracy, allowing it to attempt a sweep while also increasing its resistance to priority moves. Also gives Head Smash and Gunk Shot perfect accuracy after a boost.
  • Head Smash is spammable, etc etc
  • Gunk Shot is spammable, etc etc
  • Wood Hammer / Low Kick coverage
Set Details
========
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator allows Crucibelle to switch in and check threats and regain health upon switching out so that it can remain healthy enough to easily set up late-game.
Usage Tips
========
  • Early on in the match, Crucibelle can be used to check threats such as Clefable
  • Once Crucibelle has an opportunity to set up safely, usually when opposing Steels and Grounds have been worn down, Mega Evolve and set up Coil. In some scenarios, Crucibelle can even set up a Coil on weaker super effective hits.
Team Options
========
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making a sweep much easier for Crucibelle. Helps lessen the need for Low Kick so that it may run Wood Hammer more safely.
  • The lack of U-turn means that Crucibelle will be required to hard switch out of most Ground- and Steel-types, so proper switch-ins that can take them on are beneficial. Landorus-T is a good partner for this reason, as it checks several of the mons that threaten Crucibelle and sets up SR (also gives potential switch-in and setup opportunities with U-turn). Tank Garchomp is also a good partner for checking threats to Crucibelle + setting up SR.
  • Water checks are important, so mons like Ferrothorn work well in this respect. They appreciate having a solid check for Talonflame (and Flying-types in general) in return
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Trick / Wood Hammer / Low Kick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Head Smash hits hella hard even without a boosting item, making it a solid option for revenge killing. Since Regen helps mitigate recoil to an extent, it is preferred over weaker options like Stone Edge.
  • Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types super effectively and provides somewhat decent coverage with Head Smash, but noticeably leaves Crucibelle open to Ground- and Steel-types.
  • U-turn allows Crucibelle to pivot out of its checks and counters, and is especially useful for scouting early-game.
  • The last slot generally depends on team composition.
  • Trick cripples otherwise hard stops to this set, such as Skarmory and Hippowdon.
  • Wood Hammer allows Crucibelle to hit opposing Water- and Ground-types harder than its STAB moves do, and provides a decently powered 100% accurate option to use in end-game scenarios.
  • Low Kick hits Steel-types for decent damage, OHKOes Bisharp
Set Details
========
  • Choice Scarf allows Crucibelle to revenge kill setup sweepers such as Mega Altaria and Mega Charizard X as well as better threaten faster Pokemon such as Weavile and Mega Manectric. The extra speed also allows Crucibelle to clean up late game with its powerful Head Smash.
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly nature takes the best advantage of Mega Crucibelle's base 114 Speed, allowing it to outspeed mons like Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Gengar, etc after Mega Evolution, and lets Crucibelle Mega evolve and U-turn out of Garchomp and Manaphy.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator allows Crucibelle to regain health upon switching out.
Usage Tips
========
  • Crucibelle can be used for scouting purposes early on in the match, and can be brought in throughout the match as needed to revenge kill Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Weavile, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard X and Mega Altaria after a Dragon Dance.
  • Though neither Rock- nor Poison-type attacks are particularly spammable, Crucibelle still has a decent shot at cleaning up late-game with the proper support.
Team Options
========
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, making it easier for Crucibelle to sweep late-game.
  • Ground-type / Steel-type checks, Landorus-T and Garchomp work well in this respect and provide Stealth Rock support.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Wood Hammer / Low Kick
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Choice Band-boosted Head Smash hits ridiculously hard, 2HKOing even the bulkiest of Skarmory with no prior damage. Even Pokemon that resist Head Smash, such as Keldeo and Klefki, are 2HKOed.
  • Gunk Shot allows Crucibelle to annhilate Fairy- and Grass-types and is a more spammable STAB move for when Head Smash recoil is undesirable.
  • U-turn to pivot out of checks and counters, especially useful early-game to scout + take advantage of Regenerator
  • Wood Hammer is guaranteed to 2HKO Slowbro and Hippowdon and OHKO Keldeo and Manaphy after Stealth Rock.
  • Low Kick 2HKOs Ferrothorn and Excadrill and OHKOs Bisharp.
  • Trick can potentially be used in the last slot to cripple defensive mons, but Wood Hammer / Low Kick do a great job of just smashing past them so it's usually not necessary.
Set Details
========
  • Choice Band Crucibelle allows Head Smash to hit for frightening amounts of damage and helps blow past several of Crucibelle's defensive checks, such as Hippowdon and Skarmory.
  • Standard offensive EV spread, max Attack and Speed so that Crucibelle hits as hard and as fast as possible.
  • Jolly is used over Adamant to take the best advantage of Crucibelle base 104 Speed tier, and it still achieves most of the KOes it needs even without Adamant.
  • Remaining 4 EVs are dumped in to HP to provide an HP number divisible by 3, giving it an extra point of recovery from Regenerator without affecting damage taken from SR.
  • Regenerator heals off HP upon switching out, which is nice in tandem with U-turn. Also helpful considering Crucibelle will be taking hecka recoil from that nuclear Head Smash.
Usage Tips
========
  • Primarily used to smash past several Crucibelle's traditional checks with its powerful Choice Band-boosted attacks.
  • Recoil moves can damage Crucibelle severely due to the high damage output, so be sure to keep Crucibelle as healthy as possible so that it may take advantage of these moves more often throughout the match, don't be afraid to click U-turn earlier on, etc
  • Use Crucibelle as a hit-n-run attacker, smashing open holes in the opposing team before switching out for the added recovery.
Team Options
========
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, lessening the need for Low Kick by getting mons like Ferro out of the way.
  • Setup mons like SD Talonflame appreciate physical walls like Hippowdon / Slowbro being lured and heavily weakened by Crucibelle.
  • Ground-type / Steel-type checks, Landorus-T and Garchomp work well in this respect and provide Stealth Rock support.
  • Water checks
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Wood Hammer / Low Kick
item: Crucibellite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Rock Polish is used to set up Crucibelle for a sweep late-game after its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened. Can outpace faster Choice Scarf users like Keldeo after a boost.
  • Once Mega Evolved, Head Smash becomes spammable, recoilless STAB move
  • Gunk Shot destroys Fairy- and Grass-types
  • Wood Hammer provides good coverage alongside its STAB moves, smacking Water- and Ground-types
  • Low Kick provides a better attacking option against Steel-types such as Bisharp
Set Details
========
  • Adamant and 252 Atk EVs allow Mega Crucibelle to hit as hard as possible
  • 184 Speed EVs is enough for Mega Crucibelle to outpace Offensive Landorus-T before using Rock Polish.
  • Remainder is dumped into bulk to ease setup and provide a buffer against priority attacks.
  • Though this set is intended as a sweeper, Regenerator is still the ability of choice so that it may act as a pivot and check threats earlier in the game and remain healthy enough to set up later.
Usage Tips
========
  • If Crucibelle is needed to check Flying- and Fairy-types early in the match, you can do so and postpone Mega Evolution for later on, as it can heal off damage with Regenerator and remain healthy.
  • Once the opposing team has been adequately weakened, Mega Evolve and set up Rock Polish to attempt a sweep.
Team Options
========
  • Magnezone traps and removes Steel-types, lessening the need for Low Kick by getting mons like Ferro out of the way.
  • Ground-type / Steel-type checks, Landorus-T and Garchomp work well in this respect and provide Stealth Rock support.
  • Water checks


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • HP Ice / Fire can be used to lure mons like Garchomp and Ferrothorn respectively, but they're lackluster in terms of power and coverage otherwise, as Crucibelle has to give up a stronger coverage option or the pivoting capabilities of U-turn to run the move.
  • Toxic Spikes
  • Explosion makes Crucibelle go boom
  • Mold Breaker Lead, gets up Rocks and/or Toxic Spikes up against Magic Bounce users.
  • Stone Edge is a recoil-less, albeit much weaker alternative to Head Smash for base Crucibelle. It can also be used in addition to Head Smash on the Choice Scarf set in late-game cleaning scenarios where Head Smash would cause Crucibelle to faint.
  • Poison JAB is an accurate, albeit weaker alternative to Gunk Shot
  • Life Orb AOA is an alternative to Mega AOA, but its lower Speed tier combined with how quickly recoil + LO damage piles up on it makes it a riskier option. Regenerator does help mitigate this somewhat.
Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Klefki, and Mega Metagross can switch into nearly any of Crucibelle's attacks, save for Low Kick and Head Smash from Choice Banded sets, and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves or set up on it, although Ferrothron, Skarmory, and Klefki have to watch out for Trick from Choiced sets as well. Mega Scizor can revenge kill weakened Crucibelle with Bullet Punch, but will be unable to reliably check Coil sets once Crucibelle has set up. Excadrill under Sand can revenge kill any Crucibelle with ease, although it takes considerable damage from Low Kick and Wood Hammer.

**Ground-types and Ground-type Coverage**: Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive an onslaught from Crucibelle's STAB moves as well as Wood Hammer if healthy enough, and threaten back with Earthquake. Other Ground-types can serve as good checks as well, including Landorus-T and Excadrill, but Landorus-T can't switch into Head Smash repeatedly due to it being hit neutrally, and Excadrill is hit hard by Wood Hammer and Low Kick. Pokemon that run Ground-type coverage also serve as checks to Crucibelle.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Keldeo, Mega Slowbro, Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Manaphy can all threaten Crucibelle with their STAB moves, and Scarf Keldeo in particular can check most Crucibelle sets, but Keldeo, Rotom-W, and Manaphy are 2HKOed by Wood Hammer or Crucibelle's STAB moves with no prior damage and Slowbro is 2HKOed by Wood Hammer or Choice Band boosted Head Smashes after Stealth Rock. Azumarill can check weakened Crucibelle with Aqua Jet, but is unable to swicth into Gunk Shot.

**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, and Mega Alakazam can OHKO Crucibelle with their powerful STAB moves but are unable to switch into Crucibelle at all.

**Status Moves**: Crucibelle is heavily crippled by status effects such as burn, paralyzation, and sleep, as they hamper its offensive capabilities. Though Magic Guard remedies the residual damage caused by burn, the Attack drop is still a big issue.
 
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Hey everyone! cbrevan and I will be acting as the analysis coordinators for Crucibelle's playtest analysis. As of right now, the analysis is still a WIP. Once this thread is marked as being QC ready, other users may start commenting on and critiquing the analysis. In the C&C process, this is where "Quality Control" members of a designated metagame give approval for the analysis to be written up. QC members will be worked out shortly (those who will be able to give their stamp of approval); they'll be chosen based on knowledge and success within the playtest metagame. Familiarity with the C&C process is a plus too, but not an absolute requirement. Once their comments and suggestions have been implemented, these people will be allowed to give a QC stamp.

The process itself will be fairly standard. Three QC stamps and two GP stamps will be needed to ensure that the analysis is up to the high standards that Smogon expects for its content. The analysis will remain in bullet point form until after the 2nd QC stamp is given.
 
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cbrevan

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The skeleton for this analysis is up and we're now open for QC review. On the suggestion of HeaLnDeaL I've made a copy in the current analysis format and moved the actual code to its own hide tag. This should make the analysis easier to read for the purpose of this thread.
 
[SET]
========
name: Mega All-Out Attacking
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Wood Hammer, Low Kick
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • In Mega forme, Head Smash becomes a recoilless move thanks to Magic Guard, making it an extremely powerful and spammable STAB option, dishing out massive damage to any mon that doesn't resist it.
uhhh
 
Honestly, I've seen a lot of people slash Wood Hammer with Gunk Shot on the All-Attack Mega Set. Gunk Shot hits very little super effectively, and many of the things it does hit super effectively still get destroyed by Head Smash.
 
Regenerator lets it pivot around and stay healthy early-game before mega evolving.
item: Choice Scarf



(I'll nitpick some other things in pms.)
 
Hi

Mamoswine pressures most Ground-types and has no issue breaking with Jirachi, all of which are mons that Crucibelle has issues against. In return, Crucibelle weakens Ferro with Low Kick, weakens Rotom-W with Head Smash, and can outspeed and do heavy damage to Keldeo with Gunk Shot or Wood Hammer.
 
Hi

Mamoswine pressures most Ground-types and has no issue breaking with Jirachi, all of which are mons that Crucibelle has issues against. In return, Crucibelle weakens Ferro with Low Kick, weakens Rotom-W with Head Smash, and can outspeed and do heavy damage to Keldeo with Gunk Shot or Wood Hammer.
Mamoswine doesn't really handle Jirachi well either, considering that the scarf set is the most common and iron head from it does 73%. Crucibelle doesn't even handle ferrothorn all that well since you need a choice band set to 2hko it. Also doesn't have the bulk to take repeated earthquakes, so idk if it's worthwhile to add as a partner for cruci.
 
Mamoswine doesn't really handle Jirachi well either, considering that the scarf set is the most common and iron head from it does 73%. Crucibelle doesn't even handle ferrothorn all that well since you need a choice band set to 2hko it. Also doesn't have the bulk to take repeated earthquakes, so idk if it's worthwhile to add as a partner for cruci.
To clarify, I specifically meant more defensive variants of Jirachi that could handle Crucibelle; Choice Scarf sets are better handled by Bisharp or some other mon that can take advantage of ScarfRachi. Crucibelle doesn't 2HKO Ferrothorn, but with hazards, Crucibelle is capable of doing enough to Ferrothorn for Mamoswine to threaten it.

Mamoswine isn't a Pokemon that is meant to take repeated Earthquakes to begin with. It is meant to threaten bulky Ground-types while soft-checking Electrics, which Crucibelle is fully capable of taking advantage of.
 

snake

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You've got something about Mega Crucibelle in the Base forme Scarf set details...

Also you mention Mega Venusaur as a partner to Mega Crucibelle for the Coil set
 
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Imanalt

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coil rock polish and scarf all suck.
cruci was good because it could come in easily on a lot of things and wear down bulky grounds with strong moves. Band does that for other mons mostly, and all out attacking mega generally pairs well w/ other mons that struggle with bulky grounds to wear down together, w/ cruci being a decent wincon and supporting. coil and rock polish just need these bulky grounds removed before they can do anything, which is really hard to do, and scarf is too weak to really effectively wear them down. all out mega should be the #1 set and band should be a #2 set, with scarf and rock polish in oo. coil is probably not even good enough for oo imo.
 
Coil is fantastic lol

Mega Coil is fine where it is because it's a really reliable cleaner that's fast, bulky on both sides after a boost, and hits insanely hard with +1 atk 150 BP 100% accurate Head Smashes, and it steamrolls through stall because it destroys both unaware users and can demolish most everything found on stall. It struggles with certain revenge killers, mostly Scarf mons with Ground coverage, but it doesn't lack for setup opportunities and does really well against both stall and balance teams. Even against offense it puts in weight simply by having incredible power. It's not missing out too much by lacking an extra coverage move.

Scarf's also fine, though maybe the least useful of the sets that should be listed. Fast pivot with Regenerator and high BP stabs is a great revenge killer.

Rock Polish I dislike, but I haven't had the time to use it. It seems nice against Offense though.

Sets imo should be AOA --> Mega Coil --> Band --> Scarf --> Everything else in OO
 

DarkSlay

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As a playtest player who spent most of his time with the Rock Polish set, I definitely think it's one of Crucibelle's better sets. It lets it beat out pretty much any and all Hyper Offense-based teams and most weakened Choice Scarf users (which normally check or kill the Coil and Mega Attacking sets). While I don't think it's as universal as the Mega Attacking set, which can be used in all aspects of the game (beginning, middle, and end), Rock Polish was a fantastic late-game cleaner and took care of the other half of checks to Crucibelle that both the Mega Attacker set and the Coil set couldn't touch. It requires some hazard support and having wall-ish checks and counters weakened was a plus, but that's just the support normal late game cleaners require. I was shocked to see that it didn't have an initial analysis set, but glad to see one was added.

On that note...is there any particular reason why Scarf and Band have two unique sets? While it's quite obvious that Band 2HKO's a small handful of things Scarf cannot and Scarf out-speeds certain Pokemon, other than those few affected, these sets are nearly identical. They use the same moves, the same EV spread, and Scarf's current description pretty much sums up its moves and spread pretty well. In the past, Choice sets were often condensed into one set to save space and reduce redundancy. Unless there is absolutely a need to create distinction between the two outside of "one uses Scarf, the other uses Band", I would consider combining Choice Scarf and Choice Band into one "Choice" set, produce a sentence or two in the description explaining the choice between Scarf and Band, and add Trick as either an OO within the set details or in the OO section.

Five sets in one analysis is way too much. We should be looking at 3-4. If it were up to me, the order should be:

Mega All-Out Attacking -> Choice -> Rock Polish -> Coil

I'm somewhat in agreement with Imanalt in that Coil wasn't as effective in practice as it was on paper, even though it does make for a good late-game cleaner. The problem with Coil is that it uses one of its moveslots for a boosting move that doesn't allow it to handle its checks and counters any better than the Mega Attacking set. You're either using a turn to Coil and failing to OHKO standard checks who have EQ or are just going to attack head on anyway on predicted switch-ins, which...you might as well either add coverage or a pivot move if that's what you're finding yourself in that role often. I can definitely see it being used as a cleaner, but I don't really think that it's doing much in that role that the normal Attacker set can't already do, except I guess "hit harder" and "beat slightly weakened foes as opposed to just weakened foes". Truly, what makes Crucibelle an effective cleaner is arguably its naturally high Speed stat and its resistance to common forms of opposing cleaners, especially Flying.

This is not to knock Coil out of an analysis, though, it /does/ place a huge dent in Stall teams or Bulky Offense teams that normally just rely on straight bulk to plow past physical threats, so there is a viable use for it in the playtest meta. Not to say that Coil wouldn't be a superior choice for a different metagame, though. *cough*CAP*cough*
 
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I talked with Sparktrain a bit about the amount of analyses, and he says it's perfectly fine to have such a large amount so that we can look back and see what was used, and how effective each set was. It's a bit of a waste to mention these sets in OO and not be able to elaborate on why it was/wasn't good/popular. And it's not like anybody's gonna be using the analysis, because the meta no longer exists.


I'm still extremely adamant about Coil's placement because I fail to see the arguments currently presented against it.
I don't really think that it's doing much in that role that the normal Attacker set can't already do, except I guess "hit harder" and "beat slightly weakened foes as opposed to just weakened foes".
And this isn't important? Having to deal with "slightly weakened foes" allows for an easier sweep, and lets Crucibelle beat a couple things that would otherwise win 1v1. Also, this ignores one of the main draws to it, and that's making Crucibelle's attacks MUCH more reliable and spammable.

all out attacking mega generally pairs well w/ other mons that struggle with bulky grounds to wear down together, w/ cruci being a decent wincon and supporting. coil and rock polish just need these bulky grounds removed before they can do anything, which is really hard to do
This is a bad argument. For one, they often carry Wood Hammer, which helps weaken ground types for its own benefit, such as Garchomp. Secondly, AoA has the EXACT same problem; it struggles with bulky grounds and needs help wearing them down just the same, and if that's so hard to do, then why is AoA so much better? (Also, no, they don't just sit there and do nothing with bulky grounds around, the only ones that hard stop Coil Cruci are the exact same mons that hard stop AoA [Hippo, PhysDef Gliscor]) A coil Mega Cruci pairs just as well with redundant mons, because they wear down the same things and can force a sweep after enough battering. The thing with coil is that you don't play it like a set-up set until it can actually set up, and that's fine because it has the exact same immediate power as AoA, just without a pivot move.

I wholeheartedly agree that the AoA mega set is 100% deserving of the #1 spot, but the coil set is still extremely effective as a sweeper and IMO the second best set. After all, literally the only difference between Coil and AoA is one move, and 90% of the time that move would have been U-turn.
 

Imanalt

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This is a bad argument. For one, they often carry Wood Hammer, which helps weaken ground types for its own benefit, such as Garchomp. Secondly, AoA has the EXACT same problem; it struggles with bulky grounds and needs help wearing them down just the same, and if that's so hard to do, then why is AoA so much better? (Also, no, they don't just sit there and do nothing with bulky grounds around, the only ones that hard stop Coil Cruci are the exact same mons that hard stop AoA [Hippo, PhysDef Gliscor]) A coil Mega Cruci pairs just as well with redundant mons, because they wear down the same things and can force a sweep after enough battering. The thing with coil is that you don't play it like a set-up set until it can actually set up, and that's fine because it has the exact same immediate power as AoA, just without a pivot move.
The difference here is that coil and rock polish sets dont want to be splashed a lot early to mid game. If they're a viable wincon, you want to keep them safer. With the AoA set, you can wear down the actually relevant defensive grounds (chomp and lando), in unison with another mon that also pressures them, both helping each other out. AoA has enough speed to be an ok wincon without boosting lategame if you can wear those things down, but it is a more proactive won, because it is both a secondary wincon and supports your primary wincon. coil especially is just not very good if youre getting worn down early game, because you can't take advantage of the bulk boost from coil when youre at 40%
 

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