Cramorant Movesets & Competitive Sets

Despite its poor base stats, Cramorant shines as an entry hazard remover thanks to a unique ability that can provide constant pressure on an opposing team as well as spread status in Gulp Missile, pressuring common entry hazard setters like Mudsdale and Palossand, and a defensive typing that lets it check common foes like Arcanine, Hariyama, and Salazzle. Brave Bird synergizes well with Gulp Missile, taking advantage of its Defense drops and forcing out Pokemon like Florges and Milotic that would otherwise not mind staying in on Cramorant. Hurricane avoids the issue of Brave Bird dealing recoil damage and making contact while also hitting Amoonguss harder, but it is prone to missing due to its low accuracy and doesn't take advantage of Gulp Missile's Defense drops. The given EV spread allows Cramorant to avoid a 2HKO from Choice Band Paldean Tauros-F using Close Combat or Flare Blitz while outspeeding Adamant Golurk, while the rest is put into Special Defense to better check special threats like Tastugiri. Tera Steel is recommended to remove Cramorant's Rock and Electric weaknesses while giving it many relevant resistances to the STAB moves of Pokemon such as Florges and Alolan Ninetales and preventing it from being poisoned by foes like Skuntank and Amoonguss. Cramorant fits best on balance teams that appreciate its ability to remove entry hazards while being able to shore up its poor defenses with multiple defensive partners and support offensive Pokemon by spreading paralysis via Gulp Missile. Its biggest weakness is to Electric-types like Pawmot and Rotom-H, which struggle to come in but consistently force it out, so Grass- and Ground-types like Amoonguss and Rhydon,respectively, are heavily recommended to be able to deal with them. Other Ground-types such as Palossand and Mudsdale can also switch into Rock-type moves such as Stone Edge from Paldean Tauros-F and opposing Rhydon as well as scout the occasional Wild Charge from Arcanine, taking some pressure off of Cramorant. In return, Cramorant can switch into Water-types like Choice item Bruxish locked into Wave Crash and Floatzel, and both Palossand and Mudsdale can help handle Fighting-types such as Hisuian Decidueye and Emboar. Dark-types like Skuntank and Hisuian Qwilfish can also switch into Bruxish's Psychic Fangs with the added benefit of switching into Toxic for Cramorant.