Preface

Clefable is the premiere defensive anchor and utility Pokemon of ORAS OU. It was one of three S-Rank OU Pokemon (a measure of viability and ability to function in diverse situations) in Smogon’s Viability Rankings v4. It was the only S-Ranked Pokemon in v5.

In some cases, mindlessly using a Clefable is enough to secure victories (T-Wave and Soft-boiled, anyone?). But, Clefable’s stats aren’t as stellar as its S-Rank would make it seem. 95/73/90 defense stats don’t scream “wall”. What makes Clefable a dominant S-Ranked threat is its ability to use a variety of sets to fit the needs of your team exactly. If you use Smogon Strategy Dex, you are given several sets and a list of team options for each. However, this isn’t the optimal format. That really only works for the centerpiece of a team, since you’re building outward from it. Clefable is not that kind of Pokemon. So, we’re going to break down all the elements of a Clefable set, and create a set to compliment your team.

Clefable Basics

Whenever you put a Clefable on your team, regardless of its moves or EVs, you get a stubborn wall and strong defensive pivot. The main reason for this is inherent to Clefable : pure Fairy typing.

Fairy has two weaknesses : Poison and Steel. Both of these types are similar in that they are not common attacking types and are rarely used for coverage moves. When was the last time you saw an HP Steel Serperior or a Sludge Wave Landorus-T? This means that moves to hit Clefable super-effectively are extremely limited and they’re usually obviously telegraphed at Team Preview.

Scizor, Metagross, Bisharp, Jirachi, Magnezone, Excadrill, Amoongus, and Gengar. These are the few Pokemon that carry Steel and Poison moves. Any other Pokemon (barring absolute powerhouses like Mega Medicham and Mega Charizard Y) can be pivoted on with Clefable. I won’t include calcs at this point because EVs and natures can vary, but common OU Pokemon (Landorus, Rotom, Weavile, Tornadus, Keldeo) have difficulty breaking Clefable down.

Clefable is a defensive anchor because it is extremely difficult to break. The fact that it won’t be hit with a surprise super-effective move makes using Clefable even easier. Steel and Poison moves are almost exclusively carried by Steel and Poison Pokemon, which are easy to spot on opposing teams.

Clefable’s Item

The first detail of a set on Pokemon Showdown is a Pokemon’s item. Luckily, Clefable has one competitively viable item : Leftovers. Providing passive recovery so Clef can sponge hits better, Leftovers are a staple of most Clef sets. If your team is built to have Clefable be a defensive stopper or pivot, Leftovers is the right item.

If your team has enough pivots and defensive Pokemon, but is missing a special attacker capable of tanking hits, a Life Orb set would be possible. Although this set is far less common, Clefable’s versatility is shown off in this surprise attacking lure set (akin to the infamous CTC Life Orb Mew).

Ability

The second choice in designing a Clefable to fit a specific team is the ability. Clefable has two extremely useful abilities that each complement certain groups of Pokemon and certain team structures.

Unaware ignores all stat boosts when calculating damage dealt to Clefable (or by Clefable). Unaware Clefable shuts down setup sweepers by ignoring their stat boosts, recovering, and stalling out their attacking moves. An Unaware Clef can switch into a Volcarona after it has used Quiver Dance and stall out a moveset of Fiery Dance/Giga Drain/Roost/Quiver Dance. Setup dragons (Dragonite, Garchomp) are even easier to stall out because their dragon moves are completely ineffective.

Unaware Clef pairs well with teams that lack Pokemon to take strong boosted hits or Pokemon that can out-speed a +1 boost in Speed.Specs Keldeo, Tyranitar, Mega Medicham, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Charizard Y fit this mold and are easy targets for sweepers who get a free boost.Teams without phasers or strong priority would also benefit from Unaware Clef. Banded Azumarrill, Roar Heatran, Talonflame, and T-Wave Thundurus are usually enough to stop (or deter) setup sweepers.

Clef’s second competitive ability is Magic Guard, which nullifies all passive damage (mainly entry hazards, status effects, and weather). Magic Guard allows Clefable to be an even stronger pivot, since it will not take hazard damage upon entry. Immunity from damaging status effects allows Clefable to pivot on Will-O-Wisp or Toxic users. Physical sweepers and other defensive walls will appreciate having a status absorber on the team.

Moves

The first staple of any Clefable moveset is some form of recovery. Soft-boiled is the best recovery option available, automatically healing a guaranteed 50% HP. However, due to it being a past-gen Tutor move, it is illegal to have with the hidden ability Unaware on Clef. Magic Guard Clefables should always use Soft-boiled, and Unaware Clef should use Wish+Protect. Moonlight is an option, but it can be weakened by weather and has only 8 PP (making it a less potent stall move).

The next essential move is Moonblast, Clefable’s STAB Fairy-type attack. Ideally, this move defeats Dragon, Dark, and Fighting Pokemon. In practice, though, it is used to apply offensive pressure to common switch-ins. It also allows Clefable to not be forced to Struggle when taunted.

The final move slots can be filled with any of the following moves according to the needs of your team :

Thunder Wave – The ability to paralyze an opposing Pokemon is invaluable, especially with a Pokemon that can withstand hits like Clefable. Although T-Wave has become almost mandatory due to its handy annoyance factor, it works extremely well with certain team structures. Teams with slow sweepers (Charizards, Medichams, Brelooms, Manaphys, Excadrills) would benefit greatly from slowing down opponents. Teams that lack solid counters to Clef counters (Heatran, Talonflame) also benefit from Clefable being able to cripple its own counters.

Stealth Rock – The most influential move in the Singles meta can be used effectively by Clefable to set entry hazards. It is capable of safely settting up Rocks on most Pokemon, and despite its strength as a setter, Clefable is usually an unexpected Rocks user (common users Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Heatran dominate the meta). Stealth Rock Clef is effectively paired with offensive versions of standard Rock setters (and on teams that would otherwise lack Rocks).

Calm Mind – Calm Mind is a move that works well on teams that are not built around momentum. With Calm Mind boosts, Clefable can wall even the strongest special attackers and boost alongside setup sweepers. Unaware Clef can abuse Calm Mind because it gains the benefit from boosts while ignoring opposing boosts. Most offensive teams (especially VoltTurn) will not appreciate how long Calm Mind Clefable tends to stay in.

Flamethrower – If Thunder Wave is a passive way of dealing with Clefable counters, Flamethrower is a much more active form. Most common Steel types that counter Clef (barring Heatran) have a pesky quadruple weakness to Fire. Ferrothorn and Scizor get demolished with minimal investment.

Thunderbolt/Ice Beam – BoltBeam coverage moves are notable in competitive Pokemon for their ability to hit every single Pokemon neutrally or super effectively. This perfect coverage is valuable to any offensive Clefable, whether or not it holds a Life Orb.

Heal Bell/Aromatherapy – Heal Bell and Aromatherapy are identical moves, so use whichever color you prefer in Showdown. Teams that are extremely weak to status conditions (multiple physical attackers, several fast sweepers) appreiate being able to recover from accidental burns of paralysis. Landorus+Scizor cores are pestered by burns, and Keldeo+Latios cores hate being paralyzed.

Healing Wish – Healing Wish works exactly like Heal Bell, except it is used to restore a single Pokemon to full health (and cure status). This move is best used if you have a single Pokemon on your team that exerts tremendous offensive pressure (M-Lopunny, M-Medicham, Bisharp). Healing Wish support allows these threats to stay in on damaging moves or status moves to break their counters. After taking the status/damage, they can be given a second chance to break through opposing teams.

EVs and Nature

Clefable has the ability to run EVs to maximize its physical defense, special defense, or to utilize both defenses to pivot. The nature can be used to complement the Evs and further strengthen a chosen defensive stat, or it can be used to patch up the defensive stat with less EV investment.

Life Orb sets and offensive lures should run 252 HP and 252 SpA to maximize general bulk and offensive power.

252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD Calm

This EV spread creates the most versatile defensive Clefable set, being able to counter numerous threats on both defenses. A majority of Evs go toward physical defense and the nature boosts special defense. This set complements teams that rely on offense and want a more “one size fits all” pivot. Mixed defense Clef can pivot on Kyurem-B, Thundurus, M-Manectric, M-Lopunny, Latios, Gyarados, and M-Diancie. It avoids being 2HKOd by any of these Pokemon and can allow a teammate to switch in.

248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD Bold

Full physical investment is usually paired with Unaware, since common setup sweepers are physical (and hit hard even with Unaware). Volcarona doesn’t require too much special bulk to counter, either. This EV spread usually complements a Heatran+Latios core for special defense. Clef can take hits, but 84 SpD is minimum investment to consider Clefable a solid switch-in to special attacks. Bold nature mitigates the fact that Clef has weaker natural physical defense.

248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD Calm or Bold

Full special defense is less common because of Clefable’s naturally higher special defense and ability to boost with Calm Mind. However, it still has use as a hard counter to nearly all special attackers in the tier. Magic Guard+SpD investment is a perfect counter to Scald and Steam Eruption, so this set can be run instead of risking Latios on every Scald. A Bold nature can be used in order to have the ability to tank one hit from physical threats.

Final Word

Building a quality Pokemon team is a fluid process. It often isn’t enough to throw together Smogon StrategyDex sets and expect synergy between the Pokemon. Support Pokemon need to fit the mold of your team. Sometimes you need to abandon standard sets and mix-and-match parts of your set to make Clefable work for you.