Pokemon of the Week 11/7/11 Crawdaunt

A powerful force floats up from the deep dark sea, with this week's Ev Trained Pokémon, Crawdaunt. Dealing with sub-par Stats; strategy will be vital in raising a proper team, to incorporate this daunting ally. Fifth generation brings this crustacean a crazy new sweeping ability, to make up for the short comings.

Ability: Adaptability
Type: Water/ Dark
Weakness: Grass/ Bug/ Electric/ Fighting
Nature: Adamant (+Atk-Sp.Atk)
Base Stats:
Hp-63
Atk-120
Def-85
Sp.Atk-90
Sp.Def-55
Spd-55

Ev Spread: (510)
Hp-14
Atk-248
Def-124
Sp.Atk-0
Sp.Def-124
Spd-0

Moveset Suggestion:
-Crabhammer
-Crunch
-Dig
-Aerial Ace
Additional Valuable Moves: Night Slash/ Brick Break/ Rock Slide/ X-Scissor/ Body Slam (Egg)


Moveset Sidenotes:
Crawdaunt, while crafty in concept, fails in statistics. Low Stats for all, but Attack, don't leave much wiggle room for remaining on the field. This results in the crab needing copious amounts of support from your tentative team members. Two methods of supporting Crawdaunt would be to "Baton Pass" Stat boosts from other party members onto him, or paralyzing your opponent to give it the first move advantage. Crawdaunt falls just short of a Sweeper. Due to these low Stats, it’s near impossible to stand in battle without assistance. Where its near miss of Sweeper classification comes from, is the new "Hidden Ability," Adaptability.

Adaptability makes moves of the same type as Crawdaunt, i.e. Dark or Water types, have x2 effectiveness. Any average Poke player realizes that normally effective Water and Dark moves now have the same damage ratio as a "Super Effective" move. This Poke's purpose is to be your undertaker in the team. Once properly set up, Crawdaunt can be a crazy power house. “Crabhammer” (Water) and “Crunch” (Dark) are your main tools for demolishing foes. “Dig” offers some safety from Electric types, if the crab can burrow quickly into the battlefield, before being struck. Considering this will alter your support strategy, whether or not Crawdaunt symbolizes more than just a quick K.O. If you wish to have staying power with this Poke, you'll need to “Baton Pass” appropriate Stat boosts from one member to Crawdaunt. “Aerial Ace” offers protection from both Bug and Grass types, which this Poke is weak towards.

The optional moves provided are reserved for the more daring or experimental players. I highly recommend keeping one Water and Dark type move equipped to the crab, for maximization of its ability. Decide which additional moves to teach based on your team's overall effectiveness towards any type challenge. Being partially Dark itself, Crawdaunt is a fine candidate for X-Scissor, eliminating both Dark and Psychic opposition with ease. As I stress often, good team building requires balance, excess of any sort will lead to defeat.


Conclusion:
In my mind, Crawdaunt appears to be one of the coolest creatures of the third generation. In Pokemon however, image isn’t everything, and the numbers don't lie, posing a difficult strategic foil for anyone wishing to incorporate the crab into their team. Make sure each member compliments one another by either type or move collaboration such as the “Baton Pass” tactic. When the field is open for Crawdaunt, opponents beware, because this ruffian is outrageous in physical prowess.