Community POTW #86

[Kraleck]

It learns Earthquake, which hits basically the same things... Besides Ice types?

Not to mention Drapion learns Brick Break as well, which has more coverage unlike Iron Tail. Sure it has average power but at least it does something to more than just Rocks and Ice types.

Slide-Quake is far better, I'll agree, but it's more of the debuffs and outright power that you'd consider Iron Tail for, if at all. The Move is terrible for coverage and accuracy, yes, but some people like to rely on lucky chances...but, again, I don't recommend it - it's just an option.

[jesusfreak94]

Iron Tail has a couple of uses, but not much at all. In RU, it would literally just be for Archeops, Crustle, and Aerodactyl, each of which often carry a Ground move on one of their standard sets and probably should be switched out of. Also, each is hit about as hard by Aqua Tail, which also has utility in taking out bulky Fire and Ground types. The accuracy is also a major problem, sitting between the hit ratio of Focus Miss and Fail Edge, and the Steel typing is not known for its offensive coverage.

Not really worth it, to be honest. There's almost always going to be a better choice.

[Chidori__O]

Iron Tail has a couple of uses, but not much at all. In RU, it would literally just be for Archeops, Crustle, and Aerodactyl, each of which often carry a Ground move on one of their standard sets and probably should be switched out of. Also, each is hit about as hard by Aqua Tail, which also has utility in taking out bulky Fire and Ground types. The accuracy is also a major problem, sitting between the hit ratio of Focus Miss and Fail Edge, and the Steel typing is not known for its offensive coverage.

Not really worth it, to be honest. There's almost always going to be a better choice.

Hear hear.

Actually, the pokemon you mention have access to Rock Slide which gets a power boost with STAB. But you are right, Iron Tail is really just an option. A really bad option. Only use it if you've lost a bet of something.

[Ilan]

I see some sets here opt to night slash>crunch I think crunch is far superior for a slight chance to hit harder you lose 12% of the power crunch provides? if you are not running that gimmick sniper set I would use crunch since it is better 94% of the time and even with scope lents 75% of the time.

[Electrolled]

I couldn't come up with an actual set, so here are some moves. This is my first time doing this, wish me luck!

Substitute: It resists quite a few types and is weak to only one, so using Substitute could give you a chance to use Swords Dance.

Brick Break: Takes out those dual typed Rock/Ground Pokemon, and a few others too.

Aqua Tail: Goes great with Return giving it coverage against everything but Empoleon and Ferrothorn, but there's Brick Break for that.

Return: Strong normal attack that goes good with Aqua Tail.

Screech, Whirlwind, Agility, and Confuse Ray:

Screech goes well with Pursuit, Whirlwind will take out many Baton Passing teams, Agility in a Substitute will let you be a lot faster than common ground types that are fast, like Landorus. Confuse ray is just for annoyance.

Knockoff can really mess up some Pokemon, and along with Toxic Spikes and Whirlwind, it can ruin the items on a whole team. No Focus Sash, Life Orb, Air Balloon (although that'd be gone from the damage already).

Night Slash could work with Sniper, although Gimmicky. So could Slash.

Bulldoze will slow down the Pokemon that could normally outspeed you.

There's also Taunt, RestTalk, and Roar.

[MetalCrow]

Nope, its the other way around. Ice is super effective on ground

I knew ice was super effective against ground, but for whateveer reason, i was convinced that it went both ways...
Whatever, i wouldn't use iron tail for just coverage of ice types...that isn't enough reason over the other options available

[Chidori__O]

Does anyone ever try a rotation battle set? Or is that too hard to do in POTW?

[Rayofquazar]

I thought of one: You wouldn't expect a giant scorpion with huge pincers to use his brain.

Yeah! Especially if the huge pincers are linked directly to his brain!!!

Drapion! While I'm not a huge fan of your design for reasons stated previously, one would be stupid to ignore you or underestimate you on the battleground! Your best quality is you GREAT defensive typing along with SOLID defensive capabilities! Dark/Poison typing eliminates completely poison's weakness to psychic types while neutralizing dark's weakness to bug types granting you only one weakness to ground! While ground is a solid attacking type and the ever present earthquake is always so dangerous, there is several ways to escape an attack! (Flying types, levitate...). This generation presented yet another way to deal with ground type attacks which is the infamous AIR BALLOON! With air balloon held, you become one of the few pokemon not to have any weanesses incredibly boosting your usefulness by insuring you won't be OHKO by a strong ground type attack especially the rare earth power! To add to your defensive capabilities, you are backed up by an incredible support movepool including toxic spikes, taunt and Roar for a maximum spread of poison. Your other stats are well rounded too, While your special attack is low, you are blessed with decent attack and speed both of them have also ways of boosting with swords dance and agility making a sweeping set possible too! Your abilities are just perfect for you, (not talking about your DW ability cz it completely sucks) Sniper is good on the sweeper set and you have to moves to abuse it while battle armor is perfect for the defensive set. If I had to say a negative thing about you is the obvious one: You don't have any recovery attack which I think is the reason you are not in OU! But all in all you can be a very effective physical wall, tank or plain sweeper with a very well crafted movepool!

My suggestion for a set!
Drapion@leftovers/Air balloon
Ability: Battle armor
Nature: +DEF/-Sp ATT
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 DEF/ 252 SPD
Moveset:
-Toxic spikes
-Roar
-Crunch/Nigh slash/Knock off
-Taunt/Cross poison/Brick break

This set main goal is to abuse toxic spikes damage or other entry hazards while being able to attack and support with decent defensive abilities! Switch on something that can't harm you and set up toxic spikes_as many layes as you can_then abuse roar to force switches and poisonning as many pokemon as you can in your opponent's team! Crunch or night slash is if you prefer reliability in power or counting on hax! Knock off can further support your team by crippling opponent's pokemon. They are all here in case you got taunted. In the last slot, taunt will prevent you from being taunted while keeping walls from recovering lost HP. But if you want a second attack you can go with either cross poison a strong second stab option that can poison opponent and has a higher chance of a critical hit, although it lacks coverage except on grass types or you can go with perfect coverage with brick break in exchange of a major power loss! Leftovers or Air ballon is if you want a reliable recovery or just a chance to switch in safely and set up successfully!

[tomjames1966]

Gimmick set:
Drapion@Scope Lens
Ability: Sniper
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/100Atk/ 152 DEF/ 252 SPD
-EDIT: Brick Break
-Cross Poison
-Night slash
-Earthquake
A gimmick set. What more can I say? Night Slash and Cross Poison all have High crit ratio also boosted by scope lens. If a crit hits it does MASSIVE damage, imagine a Salamence against an Ice Beam, yeah.

[Chidori__O]

Gimmick set:
Drapion@Scope Lens
Ability: Sniper
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/100Atk/ 152 DEF/ 252 SPD
- Slash
-Cross Poison
-Night slash
-Earthquake
A gimmick set. What more can I say? Slash, Night Slash and Cross Poison all have High crit ratio also boosted by scope lens. If a crit hits it does MASSIVE damage, imagine a Salamence against an Ice Beam, yeah.

What can Slash hit with that set? It's weak to Rock and Steel and Ghost I guess.. Well, Night Slash is weak to Steel and Cross Poison isn't affected by Steel but they both get STAB so it would be redundant to have it. Night Slash also deals with Ghosts. So weaknesses with Night Slash include Dark, Fighting and Steel. Slash cannot assist Drapion because because Cross Poison takes down the resistances of Dark except Steel which Slash can't hurt that much while Night Slash gains STAB if you use it on a Steel type. Ghost, Ground, Rock and Steel are types Night Slash can fight. But if we talk about pokemon like Bisharp with two types...that's when Slash is a better option. But you got Earthquake to help you with those guys.

[YourPermanentRecord631]

Counters: Nidoqueen can hit back with Sheer Force boosted Earth Power but the Sniper boosted Night Slash can hurt, plus Aqua Tail is their as well. Escavalier resists anything not Fire Fang and can hit back with Choice Banded Megahorn.

[DizzyCobraMew]

Night assailant
@ razor fang
Adamant/jolly
Sniper
EV's: 252 attack, 252 speed, 4 defense or 4 SP.def
Night slash
Ice fang/fire fang
Aqua tail
Acupressure/agility/protect

Night slash to abuse its side effect and sniper to abuse it even more ice fang and fire fang for either coverage for ground or fire fang for the possibility to burn and half the opposing pokemons attack provided the effect kicks in and then you get more bulk resistance aqua tail for power and for coverage against ground the last slot could be if you want to take the chance to get the +2 attack/speed or defense or go with agility if you are running adamant or kick both moves and give it protect razor fang to help with the chance to get critical hits

Bulk Poison
@ black sludge
Battle armor
Impish/careful
EV's 252 defense, 92 attack, 96 SP.def, 100 HP
Moves
Acupressure/confuse Ray
Fire fang
Cross poison
Iron tail/earthquake

Battle armor for blocking criticals that can destroy you and end your stalling even though drapion isn't much of a staller. Acupressure for gaining stats like attack, defense, SP.def confuse ray as a staller because it has the possibility to be a bulkmon again fire fang for the possible burn cross poison because if you run this EV spread then you want critical hits to cover for its horrible EV attack iron tail for taking out rocks or ice that cab flinch or freeze you and earthquake for getting other poisons out of the way that would otherwise strike you down or for the 100 accuracy with nearly no misses

[Star Champion AJ]

It's Pun Time! A few pun examples for Drapion...

Don't try making Drapuns! They are poisonous!
Drapion's Critical abilities are so Critical!
Drapion's (Anti)Hax abilities are so Critical!
Hax and Slash! (Sniper+Scope Lens set)
Hax and Critical Slash!
King Drapun (King Dragun reference)
The Scorpion King (the set I post earlier)

[Chidori__O]

Battle armor for blocking criticals that can destroy you and end your stalling even though drapion isn't much of a staller.

But most walls don't bother going for crits...I don't think any teams rely on getting a crit to take down a pokemon,

My point is Battle Armor shouldn't be used to take down stallers. It's used no hax is involved but stallers don't rely on crits.

[MetalCrow]

But most walls don't bother going for crits...I don't think any teams rely on getting a crit to take down a pokemon,

My point is Battle Armor shouldn't be used to take down stallers. It's used no hax is involved but stallers don't rely on crits.

Lots of people think drapion should spam high crit attacks & i have seen teams before that attempted to rely on crit hax...but, i agree, battle armour wouldn't have made a difference in outcomes anyways...it is be the useless...on drapion...