Mudsdale Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Toxic prevents common switch-ins like Dhelmise, Decidueye, and Mantine from easily exploiting Mudsdale. Protect helps Mudsdale accumulate poison damage, gain extra health from Leftovers, and scout Choice item attackers like Rotom-C and Choice Specs Decidueye. Alternatively, Body Press has good synergy with Stamina and helps against Guzzlord and Braviary. You can consider running 64 Special Defense EVs to avoid Salazzle from OHKOing Mudsdale with +2 Fire Blast, although this benchmark is rarely necessary. A Relaxed nature with 0 Speed IVs minimizes Stakataka's Gyro Ball damage. Mudsdale is vulnerable to powerful special attackers such as Inteleon, Rotom-C, and Starmie, so it benefits from teammates like Sylveon, Assault Vest Copperajah, and Mantine that can take attacks from such foes. Mudsdale is a great answer to opposing Rock-types such as Diancie and Tyrantrum, so pair it with Fire-types like Talonflame, Salazzle, and Arcanine. In return, these Pokemon help against Grass- and Ice-types. Similarly, Mudsdale is effective at luring in and crippling bulky Water-types with Toxic; teammates like Inteleon and Swords Dance Escavalier appreciate this. Mudsdale appreciates the support of Grass-types like Vileplume and Decidueye, which handle opposing Water- and Grass-types.

Moves Heavy Slam is able to do a huge amount of damage to Pokemon that may feel safe switching into an Earthquake like Abomasnow. Rock Slide is used to hit other Flying-types such as Swanna and the Oricorio formes. Close Combat offers a better way to hit Levitate users that resist Heavy Slam, namely Eelektross and Bronzor. Toxic can be used to punish foes that could normally safely switch into Mudsdale like Tangela and wear them down for later, though being locked into Toxic can leave Mudsdale exploited by setup sweepers like Bellossom and Oricorio-G if they also carry Safeguard or Substitute. Set Details Choice Band increases Mudsdale's Attack to allow it to become one of the most powerful physical attackers in the tier and serve as a decent wallbreaker. An Adamant nature maximizes Mudsdale's Attack stat and still allows it to outspeed Pokemon like Audino, Eelektross, and Regirock while also outspeeding neutral natured Carracosta and OHKOing it with Earthquake before Carracosta can attack Mudsdale back. Stamina is Mudsdale's preferred ability, allowing it to check weaker physical attackers by raising its Defense after being hit. Usage Tips Mudsdale is best used as an early-game wallbreaker to do heavy damage to bulkier Pokemon so that the rest of its team can clean late-game. It functions as a stop to Volt Switch with its Ground typing but has to be cautious of super effective coverage that many Electric-types carry. Its Stamina ability can also be used to help it take on physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Hitmonchan fairly well. If Mudsdale is used in the later portion of a game, it will want to come in on something fairly weak and just try to get off as much damage as possible. It should be wary of locking itself into a move if a Pokemon with a resistance or an immunity to that move is still on the opposing team. Team Options Like most offensive Pokemon, Mudsdale appreciates entry hazard support from the likes of Qwilfish, Regirock, and Ferroseed to help wear down its checks. Dedicated Water- and Grass-type checks are also good partners to help take on those attacks aimed at Mudsdale. Powerful Fire-types like Combusken and Simisear function well with Mudsdale, as they can help break Grass-types like Tangela, while Mudsdale checks Rock- and Ground-type attacks aimed at them. The best kind of partners for Mudsdale in general are faster Pokemon that appreciate having specially defensive walls broken through. Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Simisear are all options for this. Setup sweepers like Swords Dance Silvally formes and Turtonator also appreciate Mudsdale's ability to break through their checks like Regirock and Lanturn, respectively. Having hazard control can help Mudsdale survive longer. Swanna is an option for this, as it also handles Qwilfish.

Moves Toxic whittles foes down, which is especially useful against bulkier or Ground-immune Pokemon such as Tangela, Eelektross and Torterra. Rock Slide hits Ground-resistant Pokemon like Cryogonal, Oricorio-E, Haunter, and Abomasnow. Protect allows Toxic damage to stack, provides a turn of Leftovers recovery, wastes weather and Trick Room turns, and scouts moves of Choice item users like Aurorus. Roar forces the foe out, which helps wear down the opposing team when combined with hazards. It can also be used to remove stat boosts from setup Pokemon like Gurdurr and Type: Null as well as force out standard switch-ins like Poliwrath and Haunter. Set Details 252 HP and 172 Defense EVs along with an Impish nature allow Mudsdale to take physical hits such as a Choice Band Return from Stoutland and Choice Scarf Kabutops's Liquidation after Stealth Rock, and then take another after a Stamina boost. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense to better take special attacks from Pokemon such as Oricorio-E. Specifically it helps Mudsdale avoid the 2HKO from Eelektross's Giga Drain after Stealth Rock. Stamina furthers this by boosting Mudsdale's Defense every time it takes a hit. Figy Berry can be used as a single-use form of recovery that can restore a substantial amount of health after Mudsdale gets worn down or potentially allow Mudsdale to avoid a 2HKO, notably helping it beat Stoutland. Leftovers gives Mudsdale a residual form of recovery, making it harder to wear down over time. Rocky Helmet supplies another form of residual damage on top of Stealth Rock and Toxic that can chip physical attackers like Kangaskhan and is especially useful for U-turn users like Scyther and Primeape while Yache Berry lets Mudsdale lure Ice-types like Aurorus and Subzero Slammer Alolan Sandslash, but both Rocky Helmet and Yache Berry leave Mudsdale with no form of recovery. Usage Tips Mudsdale should be used throughout the game to switch into physical attacks from Pokemon like Scyther, Skuntank, and Aggron. However, it has to watch out for status-inflicting moves like Alolan Dugtrio's Toxic, and other utility moves such as Gurdurr's Knock Off. Mudsdale can switch into weaker moves such as Kangaskhan's Fake Out and Hitmonchan's Rapid Spin to receive a relatively free Defense boost from Stamina and supply chip damage if running Rocky Helmet. It can also absorb Volt Switch from Pokemon such as Eelektross, stopping them from switching, but still has to watch out for coverage and utility moves. Stay wary of how easily Mudsdale can be worn down if constantly switching in to take hits, especially if layers of Spikes or Toxic Spikes are on the field. When brought in against Pokemon that are threatened by it, Mudsdale will often force a switch. You can use this as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock, allowing it to start chipping the opposing team. If Stealth Rock is already up, you can use Toxic on predicted switch-ins like Tangela and Eelektross, double switch to an ideal matchup to gain momentum, or use Roar for chip damage. However, it is notable that while Roar may put you in an ideal matchup, it can also favor the opponent by bringing in a threat to Mudsdale such as Victreebel or Jellicent instead. While Rock Slide may usually be your best option against Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Swanna, they will often use Roost if at low health, losing their Rock weakness in the process. They also lose their Ground immunity, however, which you can use to create mind games or even potentially KO them with Earthquake. Protect can be used throughout the match to get Leftovers recovery, wear foes down with Toxic, waste turns of weather and Trick Room, and scout Choice item users such as Drampa, but the opponent can predict Protect and use the turn to get a free switch. Setup sweepers like Omastar and Alolan Sandslash can also use Protect or a predicted switch as a chance to set up, so an option is to instead use Roar or go for the KO, although at the risk of them instead simply attacking. Team Options Bulky Water-types such as Lanturn, Jellicent, and Poliwrath can help against Ice- and Water-types like Aurorus and Floatzel, with Lanturn also supporting Mudsdale with Heal Bell and providing momentum with Volt Switch. In return, Mudsdale can absorb Electric attacks for Jellicent and Poliwrath. Flying-types like Oricorio-G and Articuno can soak up Grass-type hits from the likes of Torterra and Victreebel for Mudsdale, and appreciate Mudsdale tanking Rock- and Electric-type attacks in return. Oricorio-G can also act as a spinblocker for Mudsdale, and appreciates Mudsdale's ability to lure and poison Eelektross, giving Oricorio-G an opportunity to set up. Grass-types such as Lurantis, Ludicolo, and Victreebel can help with Water- and opposing Grass-types like Carracosta and Tangela, while Mudsdale can check Poison- and Steel-types like Skuntank and Metang. Mudsdale works well on entry hazard stacking teams due to its combination of Stealth Rock and Roar, making Spikes setters such as Qwilfish and Ferroseed good teammates. Qwilfish in particular can use Taunt to block Defog from the likes of Altaria and Silvally-Fairy, pressure other Taunt users like Jellicent and setup sweepers like Gurdurr, and can carry various other utility options such as Toxic Spikes and Will-O-Wisp. In return, Mudsdale can serve as a check to some of their threats like special Skuntank and Hitmonchan. Furthermore, setup sweepers like Omastar and Simisear and wallbreakers such as Aggron and Aurorus appreciate that these hazards, or just Mudsdale's Stealth Rock, can weaken foes to KO range. Due to how often Mudsdale switches in throughout the match, hazard removers like Rotom-Frost and Cryogonal are vital. Rotom-Frost can check Water- and Grass- types like Jellicent and Torterra that pressure Mudsdale, and Cryogonal can check check special attackers like Victreebel and Aurorus while appreciating Mudsdale's resistance to Rock. Other specially defensive Pokemon like Eelektross can also help with these special attackers and benefit from Mudsdale's good matchup against physical threats like Stoutland and Primeape, forming a solid defensive core.