Carvanha Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Hydro Pump is the most powerful special attack Carvanha has, and despite its inaccurate nature it is necessary to secure the KOs that make this set good. Dark Pulse is the most powerful special Dark-type attack at Carvanha's disposal, and it has the nifty upside of possible flinches. Ice Beam makes a great coverage option, hitting the Grass-types that otherwise don't mind the set much, though the set still struggles against Fighting-types. Protect allows for a safe Speed boost while having a few other upsides such as dodging Fake Out damage and scouting opposing attacks. Surf is a viable though not nearly as useful option over Protect, as it provides a Water-type move that does not miss. Set Details The HP IVs are lowered to 9 in order to hit 19 HP and therefore take only 1 HP of damage of Life Orb recoil. Life Orb is the item of choice for boosting Carvanha's power while maintaining the ability to switch attacks. The EV spread and nature aim to maximize Carvanha's damage output while giving it good Speed off the bat. Usage Tips Carvanha plays in a pretty straightforward manner. This set aims to pick off normal Carvanha counters such as Snubbull by surprise, meaning Hydro Pump should be used with pretty high frequency. Carvanha should refrain from KOing low-health Pokemon that the opponent does not need to save, however, as otherwise this ruins the set's surprise factor. Similarly, Carvanha should refrain from switching in on an incoming attack due to its absurd frailty. Team Options Carvanha relies on being able to KO opposing Pokemon to avoid being KOed, which naturally makes Knock Off users such as Pawniard and most Fighting-types very helpful. Removing Eviolites from Pokemon makes them far frailer and therefore easier to handle. Dark-type Pokemon in general make great teammates, as in tandem Carvanha and a fellow Dark-type will defeat their shared checks. Entry hazard setters such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Onix, and even Diglett make great pairs with Carvanha, especially the former two, which have access to Spikes to rack up even more chip damage on Carvanha's checks. Other Water-types make good additions alongside Carvanha, as even the best Water-resistant Pokemon struggle against the combination of Carvanha and Corphish or Staryu. Ice-types, notably Alolan Sandshrew and Amaura, make excellent teammates as well thanks to their ability to weaken Water- and Grass-types for Carvanha.

Moves Waterfall is by far Carvanha's best physical Water-type attack, being the most powerful and having a very useful flinch chance. Similarly, Crunch is its most powerful physical Dark-type STAB attack and therefore the best choice for this set. Psychic Fangs is used to complement the coverage offered by Carvanha's two STAB moves, dealing super effective damage against Foongus, Fighting-types, and Poison-types, which all generally otherwise do not mind Carvanha's offensive arsenal. The last slot goes to either Protect or Aqua Jet, as Protect allows for a guaranteed, safe Speed boost while having the upside of avoiding Fake Out damage, while Aqua Jet is again a really good priority option. Set Details The HP IVs are lowered for a total of 19 HP, which lowers Life Orb recoil down to 1 HP per attack and consequently gives Carvanha a bit more longevity. The EV spread is fairly straightforward, maximizing Carvanha's crucial Attack stat to hit as hard as possible, while maximum Speed allows Carvanha to get off an initial attack easier and generally makes Carvanha harder to revenge kill. An Adamant nature is used, as the added power is far more impactful than the additional Speed gained from a Jolly nature. Usage Tips Using Carvanha is rather straightforward, as the goal is to hit as hard as possible and KO as many Pokemon as possible. Carvanha should never switch in, as even resisted attacks can do over 50% damage to it. This does not mean Carvanha should not be used early-game, however; in fact, it is rather good at wallbreaking for itself early on in the match. Generally, Carvanha should just use its strongest attack, use Protect when a Speed boost is needed, or use Aqua Jet to pick off a weak and faster foe. Team Options As Carvanha is such an offensive Pokemon, it enjoys the support provided by a large number of Pokemon. Almost all Knock Off users make great teammates, benefiting Carvanha by removing Eviolites from opposing Pokemon, therefore weakening them substantially. Knock Off also has the added benefit of weakening Dark-resistant Pokemon for Carvanha. Entry hazard setters are also great at significantly weakening Pokemon for Carvanha, making the likes of Dwebble and Ferroseed great partners. Corphish and other Water-type powerhouses pair well with Carvanha, as they break apart their shared counters, opening the game up for one another; Dark-types such as Vullaby and Pawniard perform similarly. Fairy-type switch-ins such as Foongus and Ferroseed are especially great at pairing with Carvanha and Foongus also functions as a sturdy Fighting-type counter. Poison Jab Timburr is a great teammate too, as it lures in and weakens Fairy-types for Carvanha while also removing Eviolites.

This is arguably Carvanha's most threatening set. Its ability to force switches makes it a perfect user of Substitute. The goal of this set is simple: come in on a Pokemon which will usually switch out of Carvanha, then put up a Substitute. With Carvanha's massive Attack stat, this shouldn't be much of a problem. Aqua Jet is STAB priority, and is a staple on this set. Crunch beats all Ghost-types that attempt to switch in; even the most bulky Duskull are easily KOed. When behind a Substitute, Carvanha beats any Croagunk thinking they can switch in for free with Zen Headbutt. However, if Croagunk is easily handled by the rest of the team, Waterfall can be used for a stronger Water-type STAB. An Adamant nature is vital, because Carvanha needs to hit as hard as possible. The EVs maximize Carvanha's Attack and Speed stats, and the remaining EVs are thrown into Defense and Special Defense. Carvanha can hit 19 HP with 0 HP IVs, and this is recommended in order to minimize Life Orb recoil. Pokemon that can take advantage of Carvanha's wallbreaking ability make great partners to this set. Wynaut is this moveset's number-one teammate, as it can use Encore to lock the opponent into a support move and then Tickle it. From there, Carvanha can put up "free" Substitutes. Wynaut can also effectively be used to remove a counter to Carvanha, such as the ever-annoying Croagunk. Elekid is another premier choice, because it can easily finish off teams weakened by Carvanha. Elekid has one of the highest Speed stats in the unboosted metagame, tied only by Voltorb and Diglett, and surpassed by none. Many Choice Scarf sweepers, such as Gligar, Gastly, and Mankey, can clean up teams nicely, and can easily pick off any Pokemon that Carvanha weakens. This Carvanha can also remove key threats on an opposing team, such as Croagunk, Ghost-types, and Hippopotas.

Carvanha, being the great sweeper it is, can also effectively run a Choice Scarf set. This makes Carvanha one of the best revenge killers in the game. The idea of this set is to come in when one of your teammates bites the dust, then pick the best move for the situation. Aqua Jet picks off faster, weakened threats, while Waterfall does a lot of damage to any Pokemon that does not resist it. Crunch is a secondary STAB move that KOes Gastly and Abra, and easily 2HKOes Choice Scarf Snover on the switch. With Stealth Rock, Carvanha has a 25% chance of OHKOing Snover on the switch. Also, Zen Headbutt picks off all Machop and, if Carvanha wins the Speed tie against Choice Scarf versions, Mankey. Additionally, Zen Headbutt OHKOes all Croagunk that expect a Water-type attack on the switch in. The Choice Scarf enables Carvanha to be a great revenge killer, and with a Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment, it hits 25 Speed, easily outpacing all non-Choice Scarf Pokemon as well as slower Choice Scarf users. The remaining EVs maximize Carvanha's Attack, and the rest are thrown into Carvanha's defenses. The best teammates this Carvanha can ask for are Pokemon that can effectively remove Croagunk from the opponent's team. Gligar and Bronzor are ideal options for completing this task, as they can both OHKO Croagunk with their super effective STAB attacks (Earthquake or Aerial Ace in the former's case, and Psychic in the latter's). Wynaut is another good response to Croagunk, as it can trap and kill it thanks to Shadow Tag. After Croagunk has been removed from the game, this Carvanha should have little trouble sweeping through teams.