Taking this over from Psylink. Drapion sucks now so I gotta show this.
I'm a scorpion, yo
[Overview]
<p>Drapion sees use in RU thanks to its rare typing, which gives it a good set of resistances to use. In addition, it also packs a good support movepool with useful tools such as Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic Spikes, which allow it to provide support to its team. In addition, its access to Swords Dance, a passable Attack and Speed, and decent coverage allow Drapion to function as a bulky sweeper and stallbreaker. However, Drapion's lack of power compared to the rest of the tier lets it down a lot; which leaves it difficult for Drapion to OHKO anything without a super effective hit. In addition, Drapion is let down defensively by its lack of recovery and no real special bulk to take advantage of its resistances, all of which are specially oriented. In addition, its good physical bulk is let down by its weakness to Earthquake and lack of any resists to use it well. Due to these many flaws, Drapion has trouble doing well in RU, and is often tossed aside in favor of other Dark- and Poison-types such as Absol, Roselia, and Qwilfish. However, if you are in need of Drapion's solid support movepool or its rare typing, Drapion can more than definitely fill those roles. </p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set combines many of Drapion's unique traits to embody its niche. Despite its mediocre special bulk, Drapion's resistances to the common Psychic-, Grass-, and Ghost-type moves combined with a good support movepool allow it to function as a viable special wall and supporter. This set allows Drapion to wall common Pokemon such as Sceptile, Mesprit, and Rotom, while utilizing Whirlwind and Toxic Spikes to make a good supporter. Its Psychic immunity and access to Whirlwind allows it to stand out from Roselia and Qwilfish, the other common bulky users of Toxic Spikes. In addition, Taunt is another advantage Drapion has over Roselia, while its special bulk allows it to stand out from Qwilfish.</p>
<p>Toxic Spikes is the most important support move Drapion has; thanks to its effects of poisoning opponents, the move is appreciated by stall teams. Whirlwind is a very good move, phazing the opponent and preventing Drapion from becoming setup fodder; the move also works very well in conjunction with Toxic Spikes. Crunch serves as a reliable STAB to prevent Drapion from becoming setup fodder; it also hits common threats such as Rotom and Mesprit for good damage. Taunt is also a very useful move, allowing Drapion to prevent slower Pokemon such as Roselia and Slowking from using their support moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and nature give Drapion all the necessary special bulk to wall threats while giving it enough Speed to outspeed Crawdaunt and Omastar, using Taunt on them before they can grab any boosts. Black Sludge serves as a form of recovery; it is chosen over Leftovers so that any user of Switcheroo or Trick will not be able to reap the benefit. Battle Armor is a useful ability to block the occasional critical hit that may hinder Drapion's walling capabilities. RestTalk could be a usable option as recovery; however, Drapion cannot fit the moveslots to be able to use RestTalk well, as Drapion needs all of the above moves to fulfill its narrow niche. In addition, the fifth generation sleep mechanics make RestTalk a poor idea in general. A physically defensive EV spread could be used to make use of Drapion's strong physical bulk, but this does not make use of Drapion's resistances, as the only prominent physical threat Drapion can effectively wall is Absol.</p>
<p>Misdreavus makes for a great teammate due to its great synergy; it is immune to Ground-type moves that may trouble Drapion, while Drapion can return the favor by resisting Ghost- and Dark-type moves that it is weak to. In addition, Misdreavus can also spinblock, helping preserve the Toxic Spikes that Drapion can set up. Its access to Heal Bell also means it can cure Drapion of status, which is very useful. Additional hazard setters such as Steelix and Ferroseed can prove very useful so Drapion can make better use of Whirlwind. Since Drapion lacks reliable recovery, it appreciates Wish support. Alomomola and Clefable are both great candidates for it, and Drapion can take on Grass- and Ghost-types that trouble these Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Poison Jab
move 4: Earthquake / Aqua Tail
item: Choice Band
ability: Sniper
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to make use of Drapion's typing and offensive movepool to serve as a check to common Ghost- and Psychic-types. This set provides some immediate power to work with thanks to a Choice Band boosting Drapion's average Attack stat. It stands out from Spiritomb with its access to Crunch to hit other Spiritomb, while its ability to outspeed Rotom gives it the edge over Skuntank. Crunch is Drapion's best STAB move, being useful to hit Golurk and Slowking for great damage, while the Defense drop can come in handy at times. Pursuit is useful to trap opposing Slowking and Uxie who attempt to escape from Drapion. Poison Jab is useful to hit Tangrowth hard, and in general being another reliable STAB move. Earthquake hits Aggron and Magneton quite hard, while Aqua Tail hits Rhydon and Aerodactyl for great damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 140 HP / 144 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Drapion can make use of its decent all round stats and movepool to be an effective user of Swords Dance; in conjunction with Taunt, Drapion can function as a viable sweeper and stallbreaker. Although Drapion's middling Attack and reliance on low Base Power moves make it a lesser option compared to other Swords Dance sweepers such as Absol, Scyther, and Gallade, its good bulk, rare typing, and access to Taunt allow it to function in this role. Swords Dance can boost Drapion's middling Attack to high levels, allowing it to deal very high amounts of damage. Taunt allows Drapion to shut down defensive threats such as Clefable and Roselia, turning them into effective setup fodder. Crunch is a reliable STAB move that can hit fairly hard after a number of Swords Dance boosts; the occasional lowering of Defense can also prove useful. Earthquake provides great coverage with Crunch, hitting threats such as Magneton, Emboar, and Qwilfish for great damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and nature provides Drapion enough Speed to outspeed Rotom, while giving it enough bulk to endure two Volt Switches from Rotom-C. The remaining EVs are invested into Attack to be able to utilize Swords Dance effectively. Black Sludge is the preferred item since recovery can help Drapion stay healthy enough to effectively stallbreak. However, Lum Berry can be useful to allow Drapion to cure itself from Scald burns and Sleep Powder. Battle Armor can be very useful to prevent critical hits that could otherwise end Drapion's attempts to sweep. Poison Jab can be useful as secondary STAB and hits Sceptile, Lilligant, and Rotom-C for super effective damage; however, Poison is a very poor offensive type otherwise. Aqua Tail can be useful to allow Drapion to deal heavy damage to the omnipresent Rhydon; beyond that, however, this forces Drapion to forfeit the important Earthquake. Fire Fang is also usable to hit Escavalier and Ferroseed for extreme damage, but its low Base Power makes it inferior to Earthquake, as it provides a softer blow against Magneton and Klinklang.</p>
<p>Since Drapion lacks much power, entry hazard support is heavily advised. Omastar and Roselia are both viable candidates for this; both can deal with Rhydon quite well while attracting Grass- and Psychic-types for Drapion to effectively set up on. A Fire-type such as Moltres or Emboar is also very useful to beat Escavalier, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Rotom-N and Misdreavus are both immune to Ground-type moves and appreciate Drapion's ability to resists the moves they are weak to; the former can also use Volt Switch to get Drapion in safely. Slowking can also perform very well against Steelix.</p>
I'm a scorpion, yo
[Overview]
<p>Drapion sees use in RU thanks to its rare typing, which gives it a good set of resistances to use. In addition, it also packs a good support movepool with useful tools such as Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic Spikes, which allow it to provide support to its team. In addition, its access to Swords Dance, a passable Attack and Speed, and decent coverage allow Drapion to function as a bulky sweeper and stallbreaker. However, Drapion's lack of power compared to the rest of the tier lets it down a lot; which leaves it difficult for Drapion to OHKO anything without a super effective hit. In addition, Drapion is let down defensively by its lack of recovery and no real special bulk to take advantage of its resistances, all of which are specially oriented. In addition, its good physical bulk is let down by its weakness to Earthquake and lack of any resists to use it well. Due to these many flaws, Drapion has trouble doing well in RU, and is often tossed aside in favor of other Dark- and Poison-types such as Absol, Roselia, and Qwilfish. However, if you are in need of Drapion's solid support movepool or its rare typing, Drapion can more than definitely fill those roles. </p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set combines many of Drapion's unique traits to embody its niche. Despite its mediocre special bulk, Drapion's resistances to the common Psychic-, Grass-, and Ghost-type moves combined with a good support movepool allow it to function as a viable special wall and supporter. This set allows Drapion to wall common Pokemon such as Sceptile, Mesprit, and Rotom, while utilizing Whirlwind and Toxic Spikes to make a good supporter. Its Psychic immunity and access to Whirlwind allows it to stand out from Roselia and Qwilfish, the other common bulky users of Toxic Spikes. In addition, Taunt is another advantage Drapion has over Roselia, while its special bulk allows it to stand out from Qwilfish.</p>
<p>Toxic Spikes is the most important support move Drapion has; thanks to its effects of poisoning opponents, the move is appreciated by stall teams. Whirlwind is a very good move, phazing the opponent and preventing Drapion from becoming setup fodder; the move also works very well in conjunction with Toxic Spikes. Crunch serves as a reliable STAB to prevent Drapion from becoming setup fodder; it also hits common threats such as Rotom and Mesprit for good damage. Taunt is also a very useful move, allowing Drapion to prevent slower Pokemon such as Roselia and Slowking from using their support moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and nature give Drapion all the necessary special bulk to wall threats while giving it enough Speed to outspeed Crawdaunt and Omastar, using Taunt on them before they can grab any boosts. Black Sludge serves as a form of recovery; it is chosen over Leftovers so that any user of Switcheroo or Trick will not be able to reap the benefit. Battle Armor is a useful ability to block the occasional critical hit that may hinder Drapion's walling capabilities. RestTalk could be a usable option as recovery; however, Drapion cannot fit the moveslots to be able to use RestTalk well, as Drapion needs all of the above moves to fulfill its narrow niche. In addition, the fifth generation sleep mechanics make RestTalk a poor idea in general. A physically defensive EV spread could be used to make use of Drapion's strong physical bulk, but this does not make use of Drapion's resistances, as the only prominent physical threat Drapion can effectively wall is Absol.</p>
<p>Misdreavus makes for a great teammate due to its great synergy; it is immune to Ground-type moves that may trouble Drapion, while Drapion can return the favor by resisting Ghost- and Dark-type moves that it is weak to. In addition, Misdreavus can also spinblock, helping preserve the Toxic Spikes that Drapion can set up. Its access to Heal Bell also means it can cure Drapion of status, which is very useful. Additional hazard setters such as Steelix and Ferroseed can prove very useful so Drapion can make better use of Whirlwind. Since Drapion lacks reliable recovery, it appreciates Wish support. Alomomola and Clefable are both great candidates for it, and Drapion can take on Grass- and Ghost-types that trouble these Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Poison Jab
move 4: Earthquake / Aqua Tail
item: Choice Band
ability: Sniper
nature: Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to make use of Drapion's typing and offensive movepool to serve as a check to common Ghost- and Psychic-types. This set provides some immediate power to work with thanks to a Choice Band boosting Drapion's average Attack stat. It stands out from Spiritomb with its access to Crunch to hit other Spiritomb, while its ability to outspeed Rotom gives it the edge over Skuntank. Crunch is Drapion's best STAB move, being useful to hit Golurk and Slowking for great damage, while the Defense drop can come in handy at times. Pursuit is useful to trap opposing Slowking and Uxie who attempt to escape from Drapion. Poison Jab is useful to hit Tangrowth hard, and in general being another reliable STAB move. Earthquake hits Aggron and Magneton quite hard, while Aqua Tail hits Rhydon and Aerodactyl for great damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 140 HP / 144 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Drapion can make use of its decent all round stats and movepool to be an effective user of Swords Dance; in conjunction with Taunt, Drapion can function as a viable sweeper and stallbreaker. Although Drapion's middling Attack and reliance on low Base Power moves make it a lesser option compared to other Swords Dance sweepers such as Absol, Scyther, and Gallade, its good bulk, rare typing, and access to Taunt allow it to function in this role. Swords Dance can boost Drapion's middling Attack to high levels, allowing it to deal very high amounts of damage. Taunt allows Drapion to shut down defensive threats such as Clefable and Roselia, turning them into effective setup fodder. Crunch is a reliable STAB move that can hit fairly hard after a number of Swords Dance boosts; the occasional lowering of Defense can also prove useful. Earthquake provides great coverage with Crunch, hitting threats such as Magneton, Emboar, and Qwilfish for great damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and nature provides Drapion enough Speed to outspeed Rotom, while giving it enough bulk to endure two Volt Switches from Rotom-C. The remaining EVs are invested into Attack to be able to utilize Swords Dance effectively. Black Sludge is the preferred item since recovery can help Drapion stay healthy enough to effectively stallbreak. However, Lum Berry can be useful to allow Drapion to cure itself from Scald burns and Sleep Powder. Battle Armor can be very useful to prevent critical hits that could otherwise end Drapion's attempts to sweep. Poison Jab can be useful as secondary STAB and hits Sceptile, Lilligant, and Rotom-C for super effective damage; however, Poison is a very poor offensive type otherwise. Aqua Tail can be useful to allow Drapion to deal heavy damage to the omnipresent Rhydon; beyond that, however, this forces Drapion to forfeit the important Earthquake. Fire Fang is also usable to hit Escavalier and Ferroseed for extreme damage, but its low Base Power makes it inferior to Earthquake, as it provides a softer blow against Magneton and Klinklang.</p>
<p>Since Drapion lacks much power, entry hazard support is heavily advised. Omastar and Roselia are both viable candidates for this; both can deal with Rhydon quite well while attracting Grass- and Psychic-types for Drapion to effectively set up on. A Fire-type such as Moltres or Emboar is also very useful to beat Escavalier, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Rotom-N and Misdreavus are both immune to Ground-type moves and appreciate Drapion's ability to resists the moves they are weak to; the former can also use Volt Switch to get Drapion in safely. Slowking can also perform very well against Steelix.</p>
[Overview]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 140 HP / 144 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- A mediocre Pokemon that has fallen a long way from its glory days
- Attack stat is decent, but still not amazing and Drap has weak STABs
- Decent physical bulk, but not many good resistances to use. Its good resists are on its meh special bulk
- No recovery does not help either
- Lack of power lets it down offensively, while defensively it doesn't have the bulk or recovery to be a true wall
- Could do alright though as a specially defensive phazer, as well as an SD stallbreaker
- Good set of resistances help it, and bulk is still fine enough to suffice
- Decent Speed, usable resistances, and its movepool though make it occasionally make it sufficient
- Overall a very niche Pokemon that struggles to do well; and is only worth using in certain situations
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- One of Drapion's best bets at having any success in RU
- Takes advantage of Drapion's resistances to take on threats like Uxie, Sceptile, and Mesprit, and makes use of its support options
- Other Poison-types like Qwilfish and Roselia are much easier to fit onto most teams for Toxic Spikes than Drapion, but access to Taunt over Rose and special bulk over Qwilfish are advantages. Psychic immunity and access to Whirlwind are its main uses though
- Toxic Spikes and the ability to absorb them is the reason to use this over Mandibuzz as well
- Usable for teams that need a Toxic Spiker that provides insurance against mons like Mesprit and Uxie (it wrecks Sigilyph, one of stall's greatest enemies, as well)
- It also does decently against Cryogonal
- Toxic Spikes is there because it's a good hazard to have on any team
- Whirlwind is to phaze and spread poison, and also prevent Drapion from being setup bait
- Crunch allows Drapion to hit Rotom, Mesprit, and Uxie for good damage while in general there to hit stuff for weak damage
- Taunt to stop slower mons like Slowking and Roselia from setting up
- EV spread maximizes Drapion's overall bulk, and gives it enough Speed to outspeed max Crawdaunt and Omastar so it can Taunt them
- Black Sludge provides Drapion some recovery; chosen over Leftovers so in case Drapion gets tricked/switcherooed they won't get the benefit
- RestTalk is okay but needs Heal Bell support; also drops the moves Drapion needs which forfeits its narrow niche
- Physically defensive is an alternative, but no good physical resists are a letdown
- Battle Armor blocks crits, but Drapion's abilities aren't too useful anyways so lol
- Misdreavus is a good teammate for its decent synergy with Drapion with its Ground immunity, also helps it by spinblocking to preserve Drapion's Toxic Spikes
- Wish support from Alomomola and Clefable; Drapion has no recovery so it likes it
- Other hazards are useful to help Drapion in phazing, namely Steelix and Ferroseed
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 140 HP / 144 Atk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Drapion could make use of its good Speed and decent Attack+access to SD and Taunt to be a good stallbreaker and sweeper
- Weak compared to the rest of the tier, but Drapion could make use of its access to Taunt and alright bulk and set of resistances to set up on bulkier mons and stopping them from doing anything
- Swords Dance allows Drapion to boost its Attack to decent levels
- Taunt makes Drapion a decent stallbreaker, stopping defensive Pokemon like Alomomola, Misdreavus, Roselia, and Uxie
- Crunch provides a reliable STAB move for Drapion to use
- Earthquake mauls Steelix and Magneton and provides decent coverage with Crunch
- EVs allow it to avoid a 2HKO Leaf Storm/Volt Switch from Rotom-C after rocks, while maintaining offensive presence. Also has just enough Speed to outpace Rotom-N
- 4/252/252 with LO, but better choices like Scolipede and Kabutops for that
- Black Sludge for recovery or Lum Berry to stop Scald burns from Slowking and hit it hard
- Battle Armor to prevent crits that could ultimately stop Drapion from doing its job
- Jolly for the Speed, outspeeding Moltres and Lilligant
- Aqua Tail is good for Rhydon
- Poison Jab for Grass-types
- Fire Fang for Escavalier and Ferroseed
- Roselia and Sceptile help against Steelix and Rhydon, the former provides Spikes which is nice given how weak Drapion is
- Rotom-N and Missy have good synergy with Drapion, immune to Ground moves from Rhydon
- Slowking also does decently against Steelix
- Moltres or Emboar to handle Escavalier
- Scarf but it's weak
- All-Out Attacker but again it's weak
- Agility but it's still weak unfortunately
- Pursuit, however, it is inferior to other mons like Absol, Spiritomb, and Escavalier for this
- Knock Off but Drapion has no time for that
- Generally easy to deal with because it's weak
- Rhydon comfortably handles it
- Escavalier and Steelix can smash it with Megahorn/Earthquake and laugh at its weak attacks
- Fast mons like Archeops, Galvantula, and Scolipede can barrage it with repeated attacks, lack of recovery means it's going down pretty fast
- Physical powerhouses like Hariyama and Entei are able to do way to much damage to Drapion for it to last long
- Ferroseed and Crustle have good bulk and can take its attacks well, Taunt will stop setup though, but the latter can beat it if it has EQ
- Decently bulky Pokemon like Bouffalant and Druddigon can handle Drapion's weak moves
- Poliwrath can phaze or burn with Scald (and it also laughs at Drapion's weak moves)
- That's about all there is
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