Competitive Information for Claydol [Black/White]
Ground / Psychic
Abilities:
Note: Pokemon with the Levitate ability are immune to Ground attacks.
Movesets for Singles
What is a good competitive moveset for Claydol? These builds have been optimized for Pokemon competing in Black/White Single Battles. The movesets and EVs have been specifically calibrated to deal the most amount of damage to the largest group of potentially common opponents and typing threats for the Black/White generation metagame.
Claydol is an interesting Ground and Psychic-typed Pokemon. It's pretty usual to see Claydol show up as a Black/White opponent. Claydol is typically seen in the UU tier (Underused). Claydol is weak to Bug, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water-typed attacks.
Item: Life Orb / Soft Sand
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Drill Run
- Double-Edge / Frustration
- Zen Headbutt
- Rock Slide / Smack Down
Physical Sweeper Claydol (Levitate)
Claydol is an awesome Physical Sweeper. It was designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Life Orb boosts the power of Claydol's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Drill Run is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Ground-type move (high critical hit ratio).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Frustration is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at minimum happiness).
♦ Zen Headbutt is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Psychic-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to flinch the foes).
♦ Smack Down is a physical 50-base power Rock-type move (removes the target's ground immunity).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fs10a158
Item: Life Orb / Soft Sand
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earth Power
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball
Special Sweeper Claydol (Levitate)
Claydol is an extraordinary Special Sweeper. It attempts to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Life Orb boosts the power of Claydol's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Psychic is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Psyshock is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Psychic-type move (damages target based on defense, not special defense).
♦ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Shadow Ball is a special 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fs11a158
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
EVs: 210 Hp / 56 Def / 244 SpA
Moveset:
- Earth Power
- Power Trick
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
Claydol Special Tank (Cosmic Clay)
Claydol is an extraordinary Special Tank. It was designed to take a hefty amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Claydol last longer regaining it's it's life every turn. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Power Trick is a status move (switches Claydol's attack and defense stats).
♦ Psychic is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fs12a158
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Bold (+Def, -Atk)
EVs: 252 Hp / 52 Def / 176 SpA / 28 SpD
Moveset:
- Earth Power
- Cosmic Power
- Psychic
- Toxic
Claydol Special Tank (Tootsie Pops )
Claydol is an interesting Special Tank. It is primarily designed to take a decent amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Claydol last longer regaining it's it's HP every turn. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Cosmic Power is a status move (raises your Claydol's defense and special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Psychic is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Toxic is a status move (badly poisons the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fs13a158
Movesets for Doubles
What is a good doubles moveset for Claydol? These builds have been optimized for Black/White Double Battles. They have movesets and EVs specifically calibrated to generally work best versus multiple Pokemon at once as well as helping to support other team members and allys in the Black/White generation metagame.
Item: Life Orb / Soft Sand
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide / Smack Down
- Double-Edge / Frustration
- Zen Headbutt
Doubles Physical Sweeper Claydol (Levitate)
Claydol is an astounding Physical Sweeper. It's designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Life Orb boosts the power of Claydol's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Bulldoze is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent pkmn speed by 1 stage).
♦ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to flinch the foes).
♦ Smack Down is a physical 50-base power Rock-type move (removes the target's ground immunity).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Frustration is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at minimum happiness).
♦ Zen Headbutt is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Psychic-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fd10a158
Item: Life Orb / Soft Sand
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earth Power
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball
Doubles Special Sweeper Claydol (Levitate)
Claydol is a pretty decent Special Sweeper. It attempts to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Life Orb boosts the power of Claydol's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Levitate, Claydol is immune to ground; gravity/ingrain/smack down/iron ball nullify it.
♦ Psychic is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Psyshock is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Psychic-type move (damages target based on defense, not special defense).
♦ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Shadow Ball is a special 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/fd11a158
Movepool
Wondering what moves can Claydol learn? Here is the list of moves this Pokemon can learn in this selected generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by move type, category, accuracy, and power. Bolded moves will gain the same-type attack bonus (STAB) if this Pokemon uses them.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Claydol can perform in Black/White. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive BW Move and Ability Combos for Claydol
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Magic Coat, Ally Switch
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Claydol's stats
- Ancient Power
- Calm Mind
- Charge Beam
- Cosmic Power
- Harden
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Polish
Most notable and possible best moves for Claydol
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Light Screen
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Reflect
- Rest
- Stealth Rock
- Teleport
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Claydol in Black and White
- Nature ( )
- Nature ( )
- Optimize Claydol's EV spread for Pokemon Black and White
Related Videos
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Here are the best movesets for Claydol. Top rated Claydol Black/White movesets. You can find Claydol builds Black/White. Claydol movesets Black/White are listed here. VGC Claydol Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Claydol in Black/White along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution