Drapion Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Earthquake allows Drapion to hit most Poison- and Rock-types such as Toxicroak, Dragalge and Tyrantrum super effectively. Aqua Tail can be used over Earthquake due to its ability to hit Donphan, Rhyperior, and Aerodactyl on the switch while still damaging most targets that Earthquake hits; however, it misses out on nailing Toxicroak, and none of the aforementioned targets like switching into Knock Off anyway. Aqua Tail also has slightly lower damage output and accuracy than Earthquake does. Set Details The choice between Drapion's abilities isn't particularly important; Sniper powers up critical hits, which, while not the most reliable way to net KOs, can come in handy in a pinch. Alternatively, Battle Armor could be used over Sniper if you prefer its reliability. Usage Tips Use Knock Off liberally early-game, as many Pokemon dislike having their item removed. However, try to predict if the opponent tries to send in a Pokemon with an irremovable item or a resistance to Dark, such as Mega Blastoise or Florges, and hit them with the appropriate coverage move. Due to its immunity to Toxic, Drapion can switch into predicted uses of Toxic to Pursuit trap and eliminate foes like Bronzong. Drapion's excellent defensive typing allows it to also switch into Pokemon like Mismagius, Roserade, and variants of Shaymin lacking Earth Power in a pinch. Despite their relative rarity, burns and paralysis severely limit Drapion's effectiveness as a wallbreaker. Drapion's lacking Special Defense leaves it vulnerable to strong special attackers like Salazzle and Swellow that can outpace Drapion and dent it severely with their STAB attacks, so it's advised to not stay in against these types of foes. However, most special attackers dislike switching into Drapion's attacks. Team Options Pokemon that appreciate Drapion's ability to Pursuit trap foes are great partners, such as Gardevoir and Metagross. Drapion can form a wallbreaking core with other Pokemon like Mega Abomasnow, Machamp, and Roserade, as they can break through walls that Drapion is unable to, such as Pyukumuku, Mandibuzz, and Milotic. Grass-types such as Shaymin and Virizion are good partners for Drapion due to their ability to switch into and hit most Ground-types super effectively. Fighting-types like Medicham and Bewear are excellent teammates, since Drapion can beat Fairy-types with Poison Jab and Pursuit trap Ghost-types. In return, they can beat bulkier walls that Drapion is unable to break, such as Umbreon. Cleaners such as Swellow and Speed Boost Yanmega can take advantage of Drapion's wallbreaking abilities to sweep the opposing team.

Moves Knock Off functions as the primary Dark-type STAB move, getting rid of items while also dealing high damage and hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Poison Jab functions as a strong Poison-type STAB move, dealing high amounts of damage to Fairy- and Grass-type Pokemon, hitting multiple types that resist Dark, and being able to revenge kill Pokemon like Virizion. Pursuit allows Drapion to come in on and trap Pokemon like Hoopa and Sigilyph, which fear Knock Off. Earthquake allows Drapion to hit opposing Magneton, Drapion, and Registeel. Ice Fang is primarily for hitting Flygon and other Ground-types like Rhyperior. Aqua Tail hits opposing Rhyperior and Mega Camerupt super effectively and can be run in the fourth slot over Earthquake. Toxic Spikes can be used over Earthquake or Ice Fang to spread status. Set Details Choice Scarf is the item of choice, allowing Drapion to outspeed a variety of threats like Virizion. Sniper is used in order for a greater chance of getting a critical hit. An Adamant nature is preferred for more power; however, you lose out on outspeeding Choice Scarf Hitmonlee and Choice Scarf Meloetta with positive Speed natures. Therefore, you can run Jolly to outspeed these threats. 252 Attack and 252 Speed EVs are invested to maximize offensive prowess and speed. Usage Tips Try not to reveal Drapion's Choice Scarf too early on, such as by switching into a Virizion's Close Combat, which makes the item obvious. Knock Off is very spammable early-game to get rid of a foe's item. Be careful of Pokemon that commonly carry Colbur Berry, as they can tank a Knock Off and retaliate. Use Drapion to revenge kill the foe with Pursuit if the opponent has a weakened Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokemon on the field. Be wary of which move you are locking Drapion into, as your opponent can take advantage of Drapion if it is locked into an unfavorable move in order to set up. Team Options Drapion is usually used to fill slots on a team and help eliminate weaknesses to Pokemon like Virizion. Grass-type Pokemon help eliminate Ground-types if you need to switch out; examples include Virizion and Venusaur. Pokemon that can switch into Drapion, such as Alomomola and Registeel, can be taken care of by Virizion and Magneton. Pokemon that appreciate Toxic Spikes and a Toxic Spikes absorber are also helpful. Pokemon like Jolteon that appreciate fast Ground-types removed have favorable synergy with Drapion. Rotom, Gurdurr, and Sigilyph are good partners because Toxic Spikes can wear down their checks.

Moves Swords Dance allows Drapion to act as a wincon and break through a variety of bulky walls that it would normally have trouble beating. Knock Off functions as a solid STAB move that hits Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively, while also possessing the ability to rid the foe of its item, which is particularly helpful against bulky targets. Poison Jab is another solid STAB move, hitting Grass- and Fairy-types like Virizion and Aromatisse super effectively, which resist Dark-type moves. Aqua Tail acts as coverage in hitting opposing Rock-, Ground-, and Fire-types super effectively; this is particularly important in hitting Rhyperior, which can take any of Drapion's STAB moves and OHKO it back with Earthquake. Earthquake can be used over Aqua Tail to allow Drapion to hit Steel- and Poison-types super effectively, most notably targeting opposing Drapion, Magneton, and Registeel. Set Details Lum Berry allows Drapion to set up on moves like Scald without fearing burns or sustain burns from moves like Will-O-Wisp once, which could stop a potential sweep. Shuca Berry helps with opposing Flygon and Rhyperior. Battle Armor protects Drapion from critical hits, which is important when setting up. Sniper gives Drapion increased critical hit damage. A spread of 252 Attack and 252 Speed is used to maximize offensive presence and speed. A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed Pokemon like Meloetta. Usage Tips Wait until the opponent's checks and counters to Drapion are weakened mid- or late-game to start setting up. Watch out for Pokemon that may carry Colbur Berry like Slowking and Jellicent. Make sure to scout for potential Choice Scarf users that may stop Drapion's sweep, such as Hitmonlee. Knock Off is very spammable early-game, as many of Drapion's checks and counters do not appreciate losing their item. Although Drapion is immune to Psychic-type attacks, make sure to not carelessly switch it on a Psychic-type that may take advantage of this, like Sigilyph using Heat Wave or Meloetta with Hyper Voice. Shuca Berry Drapion can be used to bait Pokemon like Rhyperior and Flygon. Team Options Drapion fits on a wide variety of builds. Teammates that can switch into Ground-type attacks like Braviary work well. Pokemon that help with faster Pokemon such as Fletchinder and Virizion can be good teammates. Furthermore, Pokemon that appreciate Drapion's Poison- and Dark-type STAB moves to beat their checks pair well with it, making Fighting-, Water-, and Psychic-types good partners. Electric-type Pokemon like Jolteon and Magneton are good partners for the Shuca Berry set because Drapion can lure and weaken Ground-types and help them clean more easily. Finally, Pokemon with Healing Wish like Mesprit are helpful.

Drapion is most effective when utilizing its Speed, bulk, and power to sweep with Swords Dance. Setup opportunities aren't hard to come by, as Drapion can force out Pokemon such as Rotom, Slowking, and Mesprit quite easily to pick up a Swords Dance. Once at +2, Drapion is able to 2HKO nearly every Pokemon in the tier, with even defensive behemoths such as Tangrowth, Steelix, and Poliwrath falling to Life Orb-boosted assaults. Crunch is Drapion's main STAB move that gets pretty good neutral coverage on the tier, and hits the many Psychic-types in the metagame for super effective damage. Earthquake hits a lot of things that Crunch doesn't, including Steel-types and opposing Drapion. Steelix and Ferroseed don't take +2 Life Orb-boosted Earthquakes that well, and Earthquake also gets the crucial OHKO on Aggron. The last slot can be a tough decision, as both moves are very good and have a lot of use in the current metagame. Poison Jab is the superior choice to make Drapion a more potent offensive threat, as it OHKOes Tangrowth at +2, and 2HKOes Poliwrath after Stealth Rock, although the latter will phaze Drapion out before it can land a second blow. Poison Jab is also good for getting a guaranteed OHKO on Grass-type threats such as Lilligant and Sceptile. Taunt, on the other hand, ensures Drapion's longevity isn't cut short by status, and prevents Pokemon such as Slowking, Rotom, or Uxie leaving it with a parting gift of paralysis or burn. Poison Jab is generally better, but Taunt can still be useful for setting up to oblivion on certain threats. Maximum Attack and Speed is used so Drapion can hit as hard as possible while Speed tying with other base 95 Speed Pokemon, as well as outspeeding the likes of Rotom, Moltres, and Lilligant. Life Orb is generally the best item, as Drapion needs all the power it can get, and the HP lost is but a small price to pay, especially because Drapion looks to set up by forcing switches. Lum Berry is also a good choice, and it is especially useful to prevent status effects that can't be blocked by Taunt, such as a Scald burn or a Body Slam paralysis. A bulkier spread of 180 HP / 72 Atk / 252 Spe can be used in the hope that Drapion will be able to attain more boosts. Both Lum Berry and Black Sludge are viable item choices with this spread, and Taunt becomes a much better option. Sniper is the ability of choice, as Drapion isn't looking to take hits, it's looking to dish them out. There are some additional options that you can use on this set; Aqua Tail can be used in place of Poison Jab to hit Pokemon that Drapion would otherwise find it hard to get past, such as Rhydon and Steelix, but Poison Jab is better overall. Pursuit is also viable, and it allows Drapion to KO Pokemon such as Rotom that have the balls to stay in as you set up, but then are promptly destroyed as they try to flee. As this set relies on forcing switches to set up a Swords Dance, entry hazard support is greatly recommended. As a bonus, it also helps Drapion get past its checks. For example, two layers of Spikes allows Drapion to OHKO Intimidate Qwilfish with a +1 Earthquake. A great partner to set these hazards up is Roselia, which has access to Spikes, has good synergy with Drapion, and can dispose of Drapion's checks while it sets up on many special walls and attackers. Grass-type Pokemon such as Sceptile work well with Drapion, and can break through Poliwrath, one of Drapion's greatest checks. Rotom is another great partner for this set, as it synergizes well with Drapion, beats Poliwrath, and weakens walls with Pain Split, allowing Drapion to take them down later. Bulkier variants can also go toe-to-toe with Escavalier, another one of this set's best checks. Clefable also partners well with this set, as it has access to Wish and Heal Bell to grant Drapion another chance at a sweep. In return, Drapion can force out Ghost-types such as Rotom and Golurk, which Clefable can't touch when they're behind a Substitute.

Drapion is one of the better Pursuit users in the metagame, and this set looks to hit hard off the bat in order to use the move effectively. Drapion is capable of trapping Ghost- and Psychic-types with ease thanks to its handy resistances to their STAB moves, and it is also the fastest Pursuit user in RU, meaning that it can Speed tie with Uxie and outspeed Mesprit and Rotom. While Pursuit is used to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types as they flee, Drapion also has the reliable and powerful Crunch to hit them with if they choose to stay in. Crunch is also Drapion's best STAB move that gets good coverage on the majority of the metagame, and Drapion can sweep late-game with it once the opponent's team has been weakened. Earthquake hits most of the threats that Crunch misses out on, such as Fighting-, Dark-, and Steel-types. In practice, it gives Drapion a way of hitting Aggron, Steelix, and opposing Drapion hard. There are two good options in the last slot; Poison Jab is generally the better option as it allows Drapion to hit Grass-types hard. It 2HKOes all variants of Tangrowth after Stealth Rock, and allows Drapion to OHKO Lilligant and Sceptile, which no other move in Drapion's arsenal is capable of doing. That being said, Aqua Tail is a viable alternative, and it allows Drapion to hit Rhydon hard, which would otherwise be a hard counter to it; it also allows Drapion to OHKO Moltres without the help of Stealth Rock. Maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature lets Drapion outrun Rotom and Speed tie with opposing base 95 Speed Pokemon, such as Uxie, Jynx, and Haunter. Maximum investment in Attack allows Drapion to hit as hard as possible, and the remaining EVs slightly increase Drapion's bulk. Choice Band is the preferred item choice, as Drapion needs all the power it can get due to its average Attack stat, and doesn't mind being locked into one move. However, Life Orb is another good choice that allows Drapion to switch between moves at the cost of slightly decreasing its longevity. Choice Band's power is necessary most of the time though, as Life Orb Crunch can fail to OHKO Golurk and bulky Rotom while a Choice Band picks up both of the aforementioned KOs without fail. Sniper is the recommended ability, as Drapion will be hitting first most of the time and shouldn't be taking many hits. This set is a great partner for Pokemon that enjoy the removal of Ghost-types. The plethora of Fighting-types in RU all appreciate Drapion's help, as Medicham, Hitmonlee, and Primeape can all power through the rest of your opponent's team once their Ghost-type is gone. The former two are especially good partners, as they are free to use their ridiculously high-powered High Jump Kick to great effect with no Ghost-types to stop them. Spinners that fail to get past spinblockers, such as Hitmonchan, also appreciate Drapion's talents. Without a spinblocker standing in their way, they are able to use Rapid Spin without fail, giving Pokemon such as Moltres and Scyther a chance to shine while also giving your team momentum. Because this set can also clean up late-game with Crunch, hazards and complementary offense are of top priority. Accelgor is a good user of Spikes that can take down Tangrowth and Steelix, and Aerodactyl sets up Stealth Rock while weakening Drapion's checks. This set is countered mainly by the likes of Poliwrath, Rhydon, and Steelix, so Pokemon such as Manectric and Magmortar, which can break these defensive behemoths, allows Drapion to sweep late-game.

This set takes advantage of Drapion's key resistances to Ghost-, Psychic-, and Grass-type attacks to combat some of the most threatening sweepers in the metagame. This set can fit well on stall teams that are looking for an additional check to Pokemon like Sceptile, Lilligant, Sigilyph, and Substitute + Calm Mind Uxie; it can also defeat Clefable using Taunt, which is usually a headache for stall teams due to its inability to take residual damage. This set looks to take hits and hit back with one of Drapion's STAB moves, and although they are rather weak without investment, they are typically super effective against the threats that Drapion is being used to check. Crunch is good against Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Rotom and Mesprit, while Poison Jab finds use against Grass-types such as Lilligant. Whirlwind is a great asset for Drapion, as it can hit Pokemon behind Substitutes that Drapion may or may not be able to deal with, ranging from Rotom to Entei to Gallade, the latter two being somewhat harder for Drapion to KO. It also allows Drapion to rack up entry hazard damage, which is likely because this set is typically seen on defensive teams. Taunt, while also having the aforementioned use for beating Clefable, also allows Drapion to prevent slower threats from setting up, as well as protecting it from status from the likes of Spiritomb, Tangrowth, and Lilligant. 16 Speed EVs allow Drapion to outspeed and Taunt both Omastar and Crawdaunt before they can use Shell Smash or Dragon Dance, respectively. The rest is placed in HP and Special Defense to allow Drapion to take special attacks more easily. 248 HP EVs specifically let Drapion take less damage from entry hazards. A physically defensive spread could work as well thanks to Drapion's impressive Defense stat, but Drapion will never be a true physical wall due to its weakness to common Ground-type attacks and lack of useful resistances. Instead, it is better off using its resistances to play the role of a specially defensive pivot that counters key threats such as Sceptile and Rotom. Battle Armor is the preferred ability; while a Sniper boost might come in handy at times, this set focuses more on taking hits than dishing them out. Toxic Spikes are an option on this set, however they aren't very effective in the current metagame because of common threats such as Amoonguss, Drapion, and Qwilfish that can easily nullify them. Similarly, Toxic can be used to inflict status more reliably. RestTalk is viable on this set as well, with two attacks or Whirlwind being good options that work well with it. It acts as a good sleep absorber against the Grass-types that Drapion can effectively check, such as Lilligant and Tangrowth. However, you miss out on Taunt and become a slave to the random number generator. Knock Off can cripple Eviolite users such as Roselia, Ferroseed, and Rhydon, but the former two are beaten regardless, and Drapion has no business staying in on the latter two. Earthquake can be used as well to hit Steel-types among others, but Drapion lacks the space for it and it is very weak without investment. Wish support is one of the most important qualities Drapion looks for in a teammate. Clefable is an excellent choice that can take on more powerful special attackers such as Moltres, as well as set up Stealth Rock for Drapion to take advantage of with Whirlwind. Another choice is Alomomola, which has decent synergy with Drapion and can take on physical attackers such as Feraligatr. Both Pokemon also have the advantage of being able to Toxic stall with Wish and Protect. Other good partners are those that can set up more hazards, as this lets Drapion rack up more damage with Whirlwind. Some examples that synergize well are Aerodactyl, which can set up Stealth Rock, and Accelgor, for Spikes.

Drapion can make an effective lead, as it possesses the ability to shut down set-up leads with Taunt and set up Toxic Spikes against them. It can also outspeed and deal massive damage to, if not OHKO, common UU threats such as Rotom and Blaziken, giving it considerable use outside of the lead position. Drapion can outspeed and Taunt common leads such as Uxie, Mesprit, and Spiritomb, essentially preventing them from functioning as a lead. It can then proceed to set up Toxic Spikes, as the aforementioned leads cannot hurt Drapion. Aside from that, Drapion can make use of powerful attacks in Crunch and Earthquake. Crunch has STAB, and is Drapion's primary attack, hitting common leads such as Uxie and Mesprit for super effective damage. Earthquake provides good coverage when paired with Crunch, hitting Electrode, Houndoom, Qwilfish, and Steel-type Pokemon that resist Crunch for super effective damage. Lum Berry prevents Drapion from being crippled by status from the likes of Mismagius, Venusaur, Jumpluff, and Butterfree. Leftovers is an option over Lum Berry, as it gives Drapion helpful, gradual recovery. An EV spread of 180 HP / 104 Atk / 224 Spe is recommended with Leftovers, as it allows Drapion to survive two Surfs from bulky Omastar. Ambipom is a problem for this lead, as it can deal 40% damage to Drapion with Fake Out and potentially KO it afterwards with Return. It can also use Taunt, preventing Drapion from setting up Toxic Spikes. Donphan is another lead that Drapion does not fare well against. It can OHKO Drapion with STAB Earthquake, and takes minimal damage from any of Drapion's attacks due to its high Defense stat. Additionally, it can use Rapid Spin to clear the field of any Toxic Spikes that Drapion can set up. Mismagius makes an exceptional partner, as it can deal with the aforementioned problematic leads. Mismagius is immune to Fake Out, and can 2HKO Ambipom with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fighting. It is also immune to Donphan's Earthquake, and can block its attempts at using Rapid Spin.

Drapion has solid Speed and Attack stats backed up by Swords Dance and great offensive moves, making it a dangerous UU sweeper. After Drapion sets up a Swords Dance, either on weak attackers such as Chansey or against switching Ghost- and Psychic-types, it can use its high Speed and excellent type coverage to terrorize the tier. Crunch has excellent neutral coverage, so it is Drapion's preferred move for sweeping. Earthquake hits many of the UU Pokemon who resist Dark, including Registeel, Aggron, and Blaziken, for super effective damage. All of the remaining Dark resisters are hit for at least neutral damage. While these two moves provide nice coverage, there are some Pokemon who will wall the combination due to sheer defensive stats. Chief among these are bulky Ground-types, who can threaten Drapion with Earthquake. Aqua Tail helps alleviate this problem, as it OHKOes Rhyperior and can OHKO Donphan after a tiny bit of residual damage. The EVs on this set are straightforward for a sweeper set. A Jolly nature is chosen to enable Drapion to outpace Moltres, Rotom, and Toxicroak, and to ensure it Speed ties opposing Leafeon, Houndoom, and Arcanine. In practice, though, many Arcanine choose to use either an Adamant nature or a Jolly nature with defensive EVs, which means Jolly Drapion will outpace almost all Arcanine. Both of Drapion's abilities can be useful, but Sniper is preferred on this set since it is not supposed to take many hits before it tries to rampage through the opponent's team. While Life Orb is more reliable, Scope Lens can be used with Night Slash to turn Drapion into a critical hit abuser. Since this comes with a drop in power on non-critical hit shots, Aqua Tail is not as effective against Ground-type Pokemon, so replacing it with Cross Poison is an option for another STAB attack that is able to abuse critical hits. Finally, using a Lum Berry lets Drapion freely set up against most Venusaur, Slowbro, and Rotom without worrying about being hit by a nasty status effect. There are also some different moves that can be used in the last slot to take care of specific threats. Ice Fang lets Drapion hit defensive Torterra for an OHKO but suffers from drastically reduced power against Donphan and Rhyperior. Taunt means bulkier Pokemon with weak or resisted attacks won't be able to cripple Drapion with status moves, such as Will-O-Wisp or Sleep Powder; specifically, it turns counters like Will-O-Wisp Weezing into setup fodder. Taunt will also stop Milotic from using Haze, but a mispredicted Surf will deal heavy damage to Drapion. Finally, Poison Jab hits Pokemon who are neutral to Drapion's other attacks, including Hitmontop, Tangrowth, and Leafeon. Its poor coverage compared to Crunch's makes it only a secondary option. Although bulky Grounds are Drapion's stereotypical counters, Aqua Tail makes most of them unreliable checks at best. However, Steelix's massive Defense stat allows it to solidly counter Drapion, even when Drapion has Earthquake or Aqua Tail. Donphan and Rhyperior who run more Defense than the standard--or even an Impish nature--are also good counters. 252 HP / 0 Def Torterra struggles to survive Swords Dance Crunch if it has taken a bit of prior damage, but physically defensive versions can shrug off all of Drapion's attacks except for Ice Fang. Hitmontop boasts a resistance to Drapion's primary STAB and packs Intimidate to cut Drapion's Attack stat, allowing it to quickly wear down Drapion with Close Combat. Haze Milotic is able to stall out Drapion via Life Orb recoil and Surf, but its chances of beating critical hit-abusing variants of this set are low. Finally, while Drapion's Speed stat is decent, it lacks a priority move, and many faster Pokemon have no qualms revenge killing a Drapion weakened by Life Orb.

It may seem like a shame not to use Swords Dance, but Drapion's access to Pursuit makes an all-out attacking set viable. Drapion has several qualities that distinguish it from other common Pursuit users. First, a neutrality to Fighting-type attacks means that Drapion performs better against Alakazam's Focus Blast and Mismagius's Hidden Power Fighting. Second, its relatively high Speed--greater than that of Rotom--allows Drapion to fire off attacks before it is hit by nasty status effects, especially burn. Finally, an expansive movepool with great coverage means Drapion has lots of team utility beyond just using Pursuit. Pursuit and Crunch are obvious moves on this set. Pursuit lets Drapion perform its trapping duties, and Crunch gives it a reliable STAB attack. Earthquake provides the best coverage with Crunch, as it hits Steel-types super effectively and Fighting-types neutrally. Aqua Tail washes away Rhyperior and hits Donphan harder than any of Drapion's other attacks, but only Ice Fang will 2HKO physically bulky Torterra. The EV spread is straightforward; Attack and Speed are maximized, and the last four EVs are dumped in Special Defense to help take resisted special hits better. Although lowering Speed comes at the expense of being unable to Speed tie opposing base 95s, an alternative spread of 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 224 Spe can be used to outpace Rotom while taking less from powerful attacks such as Alakazam's Focus Blast or Mismagius's Nasty Plot-boosted Thunderbolt. Good teammates for this set are Pokemon who appreciate the absence of Mismagius and Rotom. Powerful Choiced attackers, such as Hitmonlee and Tauros, benefit when there are no opposing Pokemon immune to their STAB moves present, although Spiritomb is not easily trapped by Drapion and can still cause them some grief. Eliminating the Levitating Ghosts will make it easier for Choice Band Rhyperior to carelessly spam Earthquake. Additionally, Rapid Spin users love when opposing Ghosts are eliminated, as do their Stealth Rock-weak teammates. In particular, Donphan is a good partner because its STAB Earthquake deals with Spiritomb, who is the Ghost-type Drapion has the most problems with.

This variation from the standard Swords Dance set focuses on obtaining more than one Swords Dance with the help of a bulky EV spread. Drapion's typing allows it to set up on specially-inclined sweepers such as Mismagius, Rotom, and Choiced Alakazam, as well as against weak walls such as Weezing, Chansey, and Slowbro. However, the lack of Attack investment and Life Orb makes Drapion more vulnerable to its typical counters. Thorough scouting and well-timed setup is required for this set to function at its best. Taunt allows Drapion to shut down common checks, including Registeel, Weezing, and Spiritomb, by preventing them from using status moves. It also stops Milotic from using Haze, and Blastoise from using Roar. This gives Drapion more chances to use Swords Dance and keep boosting its Attack. Crunch and Earthquake provide optimal coverage alongside each other. Protect may seem like an odd choice, but it can PP stall attacks such as Hitmontop's Close Combat, and is also very useful to garner Drapion additional Leftovers recovery. With 136 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature, Drapion outpaces all base 80 Speed Pokemon, including Venusaur, Blaziken, and Kabutops. This lets it OHKO Blaziken and Kabutops with Earthquake and Taunt Venusaur's Sleep Powder. 252 HP is used to maximize Drapion's overall bulk, and the remaining EVs are put into Special Defense to make the most of Drapion's resistances. Lowering Speed to 44 EVs will give Drapion greater bulk while still letting it outpace neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon. This set has much less power than the standard Swords Dance set, so it will struggle against bulky Ground-types. Without a Pokemon who can lure and substantially weaken the opponent's Ground-type, Drapion has little hope of sweeping. Aggron with Aqua Tail and / or Ice Punch can 2HKO offensive variants of Rhyperior, Donphan, and Torterra with Head Smash and the appropriate coverage move, while defensive versions of all three are 2HKOed by two hits from said coverage move. Steelix is a bit of a problem, but Aggron's Low Kick handles it well. Rhyperior and Steelix can be both lured in by a strong Normal- or Flying-type attacker. Scyther, especially when backed up by Spikes, quickly wears these two down with repeated U-turns. Tauros deals a healthy chunk of damage to both with Earthquake; even though it won't 2HKO either of the two, Tauros will leave them extremely weakened and easy prey for Drapion's own Earthquake. Registeel with Explosion and Ice Punch baits and KOes Donphan and Torterra.

Although Drapion has mediocre Special Defense, its resistances to Ghost-, Dark-, Grass-, and Poison-type attacks along with an immunity to Psychic-type attacks make a specially defensive set quite useful. It serves as a hard stop to offensive Mismagius, Rotom, Uxie, Mesprit, special Venusaur, and most Alakazam. Crunch provides a reliable STAB attack that hits most Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Drapion takes minimal damage from most attacks these Pokemon use--with perhaps the exception of Alakazam's Life Orb Focus Blast--meaning it has lots of free turns to abuse. These can be used to Whirlwind the opposing team, quickly racking up residual damage. The choice of moves in the last two slots depends on what role you want Drapion to serve. Using Toxic Spikes along with either Taunt or Knock Off gives Drapion more versatility, but using Rest and Sleep Talk gives it much greater longevity. Toxic Spikes are effective at wearing down many grounded sweepers and walls despite the popularity of grounded Poison-types in UU. Taunt stops walls from using their recovery moves and from setting up entry hazards. Knock Off eliminates Leftovers, Life Orb, and Choice items, making both walls and sweepers easier to handle. Finally, if you really want to use Toxic Spikes without giving up Drapion's recovery, running Rest without Sleep Talk is a viable option as long as you have a cleric on the same team. The given nature and EV spread maximize Drapion's specially defensive capabilities. Mismagius's Life Orb Thunderbolt will never 3HKO this set, and Alakazam's Life Orb Focus Blast will never 2HKO. Battle Armor is the more useful ability for this set since it is supposed to take hits rather than dish them out, and getting pelted by a critical hit can quickly put a damper in your plans. For example, it allows Drapion with Rest to stall out standard Milotic without worrying about a potential critical hit. If Dugtrio starts becoming a pain, Drapion can run Shed Shell to escape, but this obviously forces it to forfeit Leftovers recovery. Making this swap on variants without Rest isn't recommended because that means Drapion won't have a way to recover its health. Drapion appreciates Pokemon who can cover its nasty weakness to Ground-type attacks. Physically defensive Milotic is able to handle most Earthquake users with its great bulk and STAB Surf. Milotic obviously cannot deal with Torterra's powerful Wood Hammer, so using another Pokemon such as Weezing in tandem can complete the defensive core. Weezing also provides a valuable resistance to Fighting-type attacks. Since this set primarily relies on residual damage to do its job, its teammates should be able to lay down Stealth Rock and Spikes. Omastar is probably the best overall choice for defensive teams since it can lay down both hazards by itself. It is also a good switch-in to the Flying-type attacks that hit many other stall members neutrally or super effectively. Cloyster has Spikes but not Stealth Rock; to compensate for that, it can use Rapid Spin to clear hazards the opposing team has set up. Finally, Qwilfish provides Spikes along with a unique set of resistances, but the weakness to Ground-type attacks that it shares with Drapion may be off-putting.