Sturdy or Contrary for Shuckle?

I was working on a competitive Shuckle and I wondered which is better with swagger, Contrary or Sturdy. If it is equal or close to it I will just choose Sturdy, but I know Contrary is a good move.

Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.

Unfortunately, that isn’t how Contrary works. Contrary reverses the effects ofyour ownstat changes, not the stat changes of the target via moves like Swagger. If Contrary Shuckle uses Swagger it will still sharply raise the opponent’s Attack.

However, if you can, DEFINITELY have a Contrary Shuckle. This is because Shuckle is able to learn the move Shell Smash, and coupled with its already massive defense, after a few of those it can sit like a tank for pretty much the entire battle.

Sturdy, on the other hand, is practically useless. Shuckle’s Defensive stats aremassive, so if Sturdy somehow kicks in, you know that you EV trained it wrong.

First of All Swagger isn’t affected by either ability. Swagger only affects youropponent, notShuckle. So in other words it doesn’t matter.However, if you want to know which one is better, then pick contrary. Shuckle will almost never be knocked out in one hit due to it’s defenses, so Sturdy will therefore rarely be useful. This is especially true if your opponent has Hazards on the field, as they will neuter Sturdy upon entry.Contrary, however, is essentially a better version of Clear Body. Not only does it prevent your opponent from lowering your stats, but it actually boosts them instead. While most people don’t use purely Stat-lowering moves, you will almost always encounter attacks that have a chance to lower stats. Shadow Ball, for example, has a 20% Chance to lower your Sp. Defense, but will boost it instead. This also means that Shuckle will be able to tank more Shadow Balls and make it harder to kill in the process; something you want. Opposing Swaggers will also lower your attack, which means Shuckle will take minimal confusion damage should it hit itself.

Contrary. Sturdy shuckle has very few uses, but contrary shuckle can be a big help with shell smash, making his defenses even higher! Hopefully this answers your question. Hope I helped!