Krabby Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Crabhammer is Krabby's main STAB move and is usually the prime option when revenge killing an opponent's Pokemon. Knock Off allows Krabby to severely cripple bulky Pokemon. Superpower is Krabby's best option to deal with Pawniard and Ferroseed, which can hit it hard and remove its Choice Scarf or otherwise completely wall it, respectively. Return is a nice, neutral-coverage move, and without it, Krabby is walled by Dry Skin Croagunk. Set Details These EVs allow Krabby to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and revenge kill successfully. An Adamant nature can be used if you crave more power, but this causes Krabby to Speed tie with a lot of common threats. A Jolly nature will outspeed common Choice Scarf Pokemon and Scraggy after a Dragon Dance, but you forgo the added power which can make a big difference when it comes to KOing an opposing Pokemon. Usage Tips Krabby is a great revenge killer and is best utilized in the mid- and late-game once the opponent's team is weakened, so it is guaranteed some KOs and does not have to worry about retaliation. Unfortunately, Krabby has no priority moves, so removing priority users before attempt to KO or sweep is a must. Krabby also lacks a pivot move, such as U-turn, and an item-switching move, such as Trick, which many other Choice Scarf users have access to, making it even more important that Krabby is used as a revenge killer or to clean up in the late-game. Also, do not switch into any special moves, especially Grass- and Electric-type attacks, because Krabby has a subpar Special Defense stat and an average HP stat and will likely be OHKOed. Team Options Krabby appreciates hazard support as it makes it easier to power through bulkier Pokemon. Defog or Rapid Spin support is also really helpful, as it helps Krabby retain HP so that it can take a hit while setting up. Grass-type Pokemon make great partners due to their key resistances to Electric- and Grass-type attacks; Ferroseed is especially notable, because it can also provide hazard support. Chinchou can also absorb Electric-type attacks. Krabby also benefits from a teammate that can handle common priority users, such as Fletchling and Spritzee, as priority can interfere with its sweeping.

Moves After an Agility, Krabby can outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the tier as well as common Choice Scarf users. Crabhammer is Krabby's only physical STAB move and hits everything that doesn't resist it for a solid chunk of damage, while its only downside is the 90% accuracy. Knock Off can be used to cripple opposing walls and hit Slowpoke, Frillish, and Ferroseed, while Return has more Base Power and can hit anything, with the exception of Rock- and Steel-types. Hyper Cutter is the preferred ability, as it allows Krabby to break through Snubbull and switch into a nicely predicted Memento unscathed. Set Details The given EVs allow Krabby to outspeed most common Choice Scarf users after an Agility, and while 116 Speed can be beneficial to outspeed Choice Scarf Mienfoo and Chinchou, bulk is generally better. 12 Speed, after an Agility boost, lets Krabby outspeed the common Shell Smash Tirtouga. Eviolite is the preferred item so that Krabby can set up on opposing Pokemon that could otherwise threaten it with an OHKO; however, Berry Juice can be used against weaker Pokemon to ensure some recovery. If you decide to use Berry Juice, keep in mind that Krabby will most likely get KOed by many special moves, especially super effective ones, rendering the item useless. An Adamant nature gives Krabby more power, and there are no notable Pokemon that can hit 30 Speed and threaten Krabby. Usage Tips Switch into something that Krabby can reliably check and proceed to set up either Swords Dance or Agility as they switch out. Swords Dance allows Krabby to power through walls with ease, while Agility is more useful for dealing with faster threats. Krabby is most successful when the opponent's major priority users and bulky Grass-types have fainted, as Krabby lacks priority moves itself and has no reliable way to hit Pokemon such as Foongus and Ferroseed. Team options Krabby really appreciates entry hazard support so that can it power through bulkier Pokemon. It also appreciates Defog or Rapid Spin support so that it can reliably take a hit while setting up. Grass-type Pokemon make great partners due to their key resistances to Electric- and Grass-type attacks aimed at Krabby; Ferroseed is a notable choice because it can also lay down hazard support. Chinchou can also absorb Electric-type attacks, while Sap Sipper users, such as Deerling and Skiddo, can benefit from Grass-type attacks.

Krabby's high Attack also makes it a great Choice Scarf user, as it can revenge kill a wide range of threats. With a Choice Scarf, Krabby hits 21 Speed, allowing it to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in Little Cup. Once again, Crabhammer and Return grant Krabby great neutral coverage, allowing it to check a large number of Pokemon. X-Scissor allows Krabby to hit Slowpoke hard, making it a great coverage option. Because Krabby will now outspeed most of its opponents, Rock Slide is preferred over Superpower. Sheer Force boosts the power of Rock Slide, and is thus preferred over Krabby's other abilities, which are otherwise not as useful on this set. Superpower can be used over X-Scissor, but it is illegal with Sheer Force. If Sheer Force is removed, then Rock Slide will be weaker, which is not recommended. This set is not as sturdy as the other sets Krabby can use due to the lack of investment in Krabby's bulk. An Adamant nature buffs up Krabby's Attack, and is preferred over Jolly because Krabby's Speed is still boosted by Choice Scarf. Krabby's inability to change attacks means that it will be forced to switch out often, making Rapid Spin support highly useful. This set is also walled by Ferroseed and, to an extent, Slowpoke as long as it can avoid X-Scissor. Thus, Pokemon that can check these two Pokemon, such as Houndour, also make great teammates for Krabby.

This set makes full use of Krabby's massive Attack and coverage to hit a wide range of opponents hard, outright OHKOing a large portion of the metagame. Because Krabby is so slow, it should focus on hitting the Pokemon switching in very hard and before switching out. Slowpoke and Ferroseed are no longer good counters to Krabby here, as they are decimated by X-Scissor and Superpower, respectively. Again, Crabhammer and Return provide Krabby with excellent neutral coverage, while X-Scissor and Superpower serve to hit Pokemon which take little damage from its other two attacks, Slowpoke and Ferroseed in particular. Superpower also makes Krabby a great check to Porygon. Using 0 HP EVs gives Krabby 19 HP, meaning Life Orb only has 1 HP of recoil per turn, increasing survivability in the long run. However, Speed EVs can be moved into HP, if desired. Shell Armor protects Krabby from critical hits, although Sheer Force can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide to hit some threats which Krabby cannot otherwise, but most of these Pokemon are faster than Krabby and will force it out anyway, making Sheer Force a bad choice. A Choice Band can also be used to grant Krabby a lot of power and the ability to KO max HP Ferroseed, but it generally appreciates the freedom to switch moves. Munchlax and Ferroseed make great teammates for Krabby, as they can check the fast special attackers that trouble it. Since Krabby can weaken a large range of threats, sweepers such as Misdreavus and Croagunk make great teammates for it. Ghost-types can also switch into three of Krabby's moves freely and KO it, making Dark-types such as Houndour and Vullaby excellent options for teammates. Houndour also checks Snover, which can switch into Crabhammer and KO Krabby with ease.

Krabby can switch into a Pokemon it counters or whose attacks it resists and set up with Swords Dance or Agility as they switch out. This can prove to be dangerous for the opponent, since either will make Krabby extremely dangerous. STAB Crabhammer is a very useful tool to have, hitting many threats hard with good neutral coverage. Return has a high Base Power, and the combination of Water and Normal goes nearly unresisted in Little Cup. This set is useful as a late-game sweeper, taking out the opponent's weakened Pokemon. Oran Berry prevents Krabby from getting KOed by priority attacks and gives it more time to set up, though Life Orb boosts the power of Krabby's attacks and ensures a few crucial OHKOs that Krabby would otherwise miss out on. When using Life Orb, the 36 HP EVs should be shifted to Special Defense to minimize Life Orb recoil. Hyper Cutter is the better ability to use on this set, as it prevents Krabby's Attack from getting lowered, helping it in the long run. Brick Break or X-Scissor can be used over either boosting move to provide extra coverage, but they both decrease the flexibility of the set and can deprive you of the best stat-up move in certain scenarios. This set loves entry hazards support. Ferroseed is thus a good teammate, since it resists Krabby's weaknesses and can lay down Spikes and Stealth Rock. Vacuum Wave Croagunk can finish off Krabby with ease when it is weakened, making Pokemon such as Bronzor great teammates, as they also have great defensive synergy with Krabby. It should also be noted that Ferroseed and Frillish completely wall this set. The latter in particular is immune to both Crabhammer and Return thanks to Water Absorb and its Ghost typing.

Although a maximum Speed of 14 is mediocre at best, Krabby outspeeds all unboosted Pokemon in Little Cup with a Choice Scarf attached. Krabby also has a great Attack stat, allowing him to do substantial damage even without help from Swords Dance or a Choice Band. The combination of Crabhammer and Return will hit every Pokemon in Little Cup for at least neutral damage, while the other moves provide for additional coverage. Crabhammer and Return are the primary attacks on this set, since they provide unresisted coverage. Rock Slide will hit Mantyke who expect to absorb a Crabhammer for super effective damage. Brick Break provides further coverage, and it can also break any screens that your opponent has set up. Superpower can be used if you want to hit harder, but the resulting Attack and Defense drop means that Krabby cannot stay in for long. Additionally, X-Scissor can be used if Grass- and Psychic-types give you trouble. The EVs are relatively simple, allowing Krabby to hit a sky-high 22 Attack and 21 Speed. Krabby also gets an extra point in both HP and Defense, providing him with more survivability. Shell Armor should be used to prevent a critical hit from ruining your day.

Krabby is blessed with a great base Attack, but his middling Speed and subpar Special Defense hinder his ability to pull off a sweep without a boost. Krabby attains perfect coverage through the use of two moves, Crabhammer and Return, so he can use the two remaining move slots to set up for a sweep. With an Adamant nature and after a Swords Dance, Krabby reaches an astronomical 44 Attack, which has a chance to OHKO every Pokemon in Little Cup, with the exception of Slowpoke. Krabby can also be effective without Swords Dance, however. X-Scissor is the recommended replacement, since, with a Life Orb, Krabby has a chance to OHKO Slowpoke if Stealth Rock is in play. The idea of this set is to come in on a Pokemon who cannot threaten Krabby, like Bronzor or a weak physical attacker, and Agility on the switch. With the boost, Krabby reaches 28 Speed, which is surpassed only by Choice Scarf variants of Elekid, Diglett, and Voltorb. Fortunately, these are very rare sights in Little Cup. Oran Berry is the recommended item so that Krabby can still get a boost off even if your opponent does not switch. Life Orb can also be an effective item, as it provides the extra oomph to turn some 2HKOs into OHKOs. If you go with Life Orb, dual screen support is recommended to preserve some of Krabby's durability. The EVs maximize Krabby's Attack and Speed while gaining a point in HP and Defense to help with his survivability. Shell Armor prevents a critical hit from prematurely ending his sweep, though Hyper Cutter can be used if you are worried about Intimidate users like Ekans and Snubbull.