Clodsire Competitive Guide

How To Use Clodsire

Clodsire is one of my favorite Pokemon introduced in generation 9. It has an adorable design, great stats, and access to an ability that grants it immunity one it's main weaknesses.

Given its stat spread (HP: 130 / Attack: 75 / Defense: 60 / Special Attack: 45 / Special Defense 100 / Speed: 20), it's best to use Clodsire as a defensive wall. You could try to run it as a bulky physical attacker but its attack stat is only 75.

So, even with significant investment, you won't be doing much damage. Play to Clodsire's strengths and you will have a very reliable special wall that is immune to Poison, and Water attacks and has access to the move Recover.

Just be careful not to switch into any Earthquakes as those will almost assuredly OHKO my favorite mud skipper after some chip damage. Clodsire is tough but being part Poison with base 60 physical defense means it should stay far away from Donphan and his disciples.

What is the best Clodsire move set?

With all Clodsire move sets, running Recover is a no-brainer. You will also want a support move or two and a move with high base power to offset its relatively weak physical attack stat. Here is a simple but effective ev spread for Clodsire along with some great move sets. Keep in mind that Clodsire has pitiful speed and subpar physical defense.

EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Attack - The best nature for Clodsire for this set is Impish (+ Defense / - Special Attack).

Tera Type: Flying or Dark to avoid Ground and Psychic attacks. I tend to prefer Flying since I am far more afraid of Earthquakes. The best ability for Clodsire is Water Absorb as it grants immunity from Water attacks and allows him to recover HP if he is hit by one. The best item for Clodsire when using this set is either a Leftovers for added recovery or Rocky Helmet to punish anyone that touches your little buddy.

This set is the one that I ran in-game and was able to successfully use during a few competitive battles. To get things started, have Clodsire come in and set up Stealth Rocks.

Then let out a loud sleep-inducing Yawn to force your opponent to switch out and start racking up the chip damage. Recover is there to help Clodsire stay alive longer and Earthquake is present to give him some firepower.

The glaring problem with this set is the reliance on Earthquake as its sole attacking move. This leaves Clodsire open to being walled by anyone who can fly or is levitating.

As such, I wouldn't be mad at you for swapping out Yawn or Stealth Rocks for Gunk Shot. I would steer clear of Poison Job due to its relatively low base power when compared to Gunk Shot.

Remember, Clodsire does not have much attack power to make a dent in opponents who aren't weak against it. If you want the element of surprise on your side and prefer to attack as much as possible, my next set is for you.

EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Defense - Clodsire best nature: Adamant (+ Attack / - Special Attack).

Tera Type: Ground, this removes Clodsire's Earthquake weakness and gives it a much-needed power boost for its Ground-type moves. This variant should still run Water Absorb but the best item is either Life Orb or Muscle Band.

This set focuses on attacking and then recovering the damage you get from the Life Orb recoil and attacks from opposing Pokemon. All Clodsire's main attacks are strong but unreliable (except for Earthquake).

At least in my experience, it seems all moves with base 80 or below accuracy miss about 80% of the time, and 100% whenever I really want them to hit.

Now, Clodsire does have access to more reliable physical moves like Waterfall, Liquidation, and Poison Jab but those are a little on the weak side when compared to its other moves.

It would be great if Clodsire gain access to the move Wave Crash sometime in the future but for now, if you want something to hit opposing Ground types with, you are going to have to roll with Liquidation or Waterfall.

My final set is a combination of both attacking and status spreading.

EV Spread: 252 HP / 100 Attack / 152 Defense - Nature: Impish (+ Defense / - Special Attack).

Tera Type: Use Ground for the power boost. Feel free to throw a Muscle Band or Leftovers on Clodsire for this set. The ability this time around is going to be Poison Point.

Ever since Toxic was removed as a TM it has become exceedingly rare to see on any set. Clodsire makes great use of this and can poison opponents with relative ease.

Running Poison Point over Water Absorb sounds crazy at first but since most people expect Clodsire to have the latter, they may not send a Water attack your way.

This essentially gives you access to two abilities given the heavy reliance on prediction and assumptions in competitive battles. Poison Jab already has a nice chance to inflict poison and running it alongside Poison Point makes it more likely to happen.

The best clodsire nicknames

Here is a little bonus for my readers who made it to the end. These are some of the best Clodsire nicknames that I have been able to come up with.

Feel free to use them on your own poisonous pals.

• Claud
• Mudeena
• Skipper
• Toxico
• Mudskip
• Venenum
• Flappy
• Bane
• Wally
• Stank Tank
• Mucky Muck
• Intoxiquer
• Bowfin
• Cichlid
• Chordata
• Goby
• Zappa
• Scartelaos
• Perio
• Mouth Breather
• Sludgington
• Clooze
• Happy Silt
• Guck Goblin
• Gumbo
• Loamy
• Slop
• Slick
• Sub-Merge
• Mega Woopah
• Call Me Sire
• Slimey Spine

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