ClefairyRox
Nintendo Fan
Clamperl is an oddball of a Pokemon, but not in looks (I think its actually quite cute). It is the only Pokemon with two hold items specifically designed for it that have an effect in battle. The DeepSeaScale doubles its Sp. Defense, and the DeepSeaTooth doubles its Sp. Attack. It's movepool is unfortunately shallow, but it does have access to the powerful Shell Smash move, giving it use.
Recommended tiers: LC, NU
Shell Armor prevents critical hits. You never know if its working because of the unpredictability of crits, but it provides some defensive insurance.
Rattled raises Clamperl's Speed by one level every time it is hit with a Bug, Ghost, or Dark type move. This is situational, but with the vast number of Bugs in the NU tier, the likelihood of finding a Bug type move to be hit with is quite high.
Shell Smash combined with DeepSeaTooth is what makes Clamperl so deadly. The DeepSeaTooth gives Clamperl around 500 Sp. Attack to begin with, and then you throw a Shell Smash on top of that? That's terrifying. A small, predictable movepool hardly matters when you have that much power. Luckily for its opponents, Clamperl is slow even with a Shell Smash up. It can only get around 300 Speed with Timid nature and Shell Smash, so there is still plenty of competition that can outrun it. In Little Cup, very little can outrun Clamperl after a Shell Smash (it reaches 26 Speed) and it can tear everything apart with 64 Sp. Attack post boosts, making it very dangerous there, too.
Shell Smash alongside Surf, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power is pretty much all Clamperl can do. It is basically a one-trick clam. You could run a defensive set, but low HP and no reliable recovery make that unfavorable. There are really no other offensive moves for it to run, either. Okay, there is Scald, and Blizzard could be used in Hail, but power is preferred over the Burn chance on Clamperl.
Countering Clamperl: Even the strongest Special walls can be seriously hurt or even OHKO'd by Clamperl after a Shell Smash. Almost nothing in NU or LC can withstand that much power. Water Absorb or Storm Drain Pokemon can switch in on a Surf. You can also revenge kill it with a faster Choice Scarfer in both NU and LC, or use priority moves. It's pretty bulky but has poor HP and no reliable recovery, so it will fall eventually.
Recommended tiers: LC, NU
Shell Armor prevents critical hits. You never know if its working because of the unpredictability of crits, but it provides some defensive insurance.
Rattled raises Clamperl's Speed by one level every time it is hit with a Bug, Ghost, or Dark type move. This is situational, but with the vast number of Bugs in the NU tier, the likelihood of finding a Bug type move to be hit with is quite high.
Shell Smash combined with DeepSeaTooth is what makes Clamperl so deadly. The DeepSeaTooth gives Clamperl around 500 Sp. Attack to begin with, and then you throw a Shell Smash on top of that? That's terrifying. A small, predictable movepool hardly matters when you have that much power. Luckily for its opponents, Clamperl is slow even with a Shell Smash up. It can only get around 300 Speed with Timid nature and Shell Smash, so there is still plenty of competition that can outrun it. In Little Cup, very little can outrun Clamperl after a Shell Smash (it reaches 26 Speed) and it can tear everything apart with 64 Sp. Attack post boosts, making it very dangerous there, too.
Shell Smash alongside Surf, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power is pretty much all Clamperl can do. It is basically a one-trick clam. You could run a defensive set, but low HP and no reliable recovery make that unfavorable. There are really no other offensive moves for it to run, either. Okay, there is Scald, and Blizzard could be used in Hail, but power is preferred over the Burn chance on Clamperl.
Countering Clamperl: Even the strongest Special walls can be seriously hurt or even OHKO'd by Clamperl after a Shell Smash. Almost nothing in NU or LC can withstand that much power. Water Absorb or Storm Drain Pokemon can switch in on a Surf. You can also revenge kill it with a faster Choice Scarfer in both NU and LC, or use priority moves. It's pretty bulky but has poor HP and no reliable recovery, so it will fall eventually.