Shadow Kingler
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Kingler once ascended the throne, becoming one of the best Water Type attackers in the game. And now Shadow Kingler's shadow darkens that same summit as it rises to become... pretty dang good!
Shadow Kingler is a bit on the weak side defensively, dropping quickly when it doesn't resist whatever attacks it's facing down. However, its DPS is very note-worthy, and it's worthy of consideration if you find a good one.
Offense
- Bubble is Shadow Kingler’s best fast move, letting it function as an offensive Water-type.
- Metal Claw and Mud Shot* lack STAB and are not nearly as good.
- Crabhammer is Shadow Kingler's best charge move, and mandatory for optimal DPS.
- Razor Shell is clearly superior to Water Pulse, X-Scissor, and Vice Grip due to STAB. But it also falls behind Crabhammer by a fair bit.
Defense
- Bubble is Shadow Kingler’s only fast move with appreciable defensive DPS.
- Metal Claw is good for its synergy with Shadow Kingler's best defensive Charged Moves, while Mud Shot* does Shadow Kingler no favors.
- X-Scissor is a 3-bar charge move that is hard to dodge and covers Grass-types.
- Vice Grip has similar properties to X-Scissor, but it is weaker and Normal-type.
- Razor Shell has great stats, but pairing it with Bubble leaves Shadow Kingler easy to pick off for anything that preys on Water Types.
- Crabhammer is Shadow Kingler’s strongest charge move, but is easier to dodge.
- Water Pulse is inferior to Crabhammer in every way.
Mud Shot is a legacy move, but offers the best energy generation in the game. Bubble takes advantage of STAB to deal significantly more damage than Mud Shot, with still respectable energy gains.
X-Scissor is generally a weak move, but demanding the least amount of energy and providing coverage against Kingler's weakness to Grass-types can be valuable. It's also the best option for baiting shields. Crabhammer benefits from STAB to deal very respectable damage, and is a direct improvement over Water Pulse.
While Shadow Kingler may be a lesser King in PvE, it's the King of the Saltiest Losers in PvP. With heavily skewed stats leaning towards offense, Shadow Kingler has very little to offer in terms of bulk, which causes it numerous losses. The addition of Crabhammer isn't enough to offset Shadow Kingler's fragility, which rather unfortunate.
