What it does
Clear Body prevents the holder's stats from being lowered by opposing moves or abilities. Attack, Special Attack, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, accuracy, evasion — no external source can force any of them down.
What it blocks specifically:
- Intimidate: the Attack drop on entry is completely negated.
- Cotton Spore, String Shot: Speed drops blocked.
- Leer, Growl: Defense and Attack drops blocked.
- Memento, Parting Shot: the Attack + Special Attack -2 drop is fully blocked.
- Sticky Web entry Speed penalty: also blocked — Clear Body covers entry-triggered stat drops too.
What it doesn't block: stat drops the holder inflicts on itself. Using Close Combat and losing Defense and Special Defense, or using Draco Meteor and losing Special Attack — those are consequences of your own move choices. Clear Body only stops external stat reductions.
Who runs it
Dragapult carries Clear Body at roughly 86% usage. Its base 142 Speed puts it at the top of the speed tier in nearly any matchup. Clear Body's value here is immediate: if Dragapult loses its Speed or Attack advantage, its offensive utility collapses fast. Since Intimidate is one of the most-run abilities in doubles — Incineroar appears on a majority of teams — every entry of an Intimidate user would otherwise be a free Attack drop. Clear Body means Dragapult enters, stays at full Attack, and fires Dragon Darts or Phantom Force at full power every single time.
Garganacl uses Clear Body at around 7% usage. For a Pokémon that wins through sustained Salt Cure pressure, staying on the field at full defensive capability matters. Clear Body ensures it doesn't get chipped away by stat drops over a long game.
How to use it
The direct application for Dragapult: when the opponent runs an Intimidate cycle — repeatedly switching in Intimidate users to stack Attack drops — Clear Body makes that strategy completely pointless. Each Intimidate entry is a wasted turn in terms of effect on Dragapult.
Same for Sticky Web: Dragapult's Speed advantage survives switching in on a hazard-set field. That matters in matchups where the opponent is running Sticky Web to compress the Speed tier.
Clear Body doesn't stop Haze wiping out stat buffs, and it doesn't stop ability-based effects that aren't direct stat reductions. It's a precision blocker for the specific mechanic of stat stages being lowered by an outside source.
Tips & strategy
Intimidate is one of the most-run abilities in doubles. Incineroar is on a huge portion of teams, and every switch-in triggers an Attack drop. For physical attackers this is a constant threat. Dragapult's Clear Body removes that variable entirely — no matter how many Intimidate entries the opponent cycles, Dragapult's Attack is untouched.
Once the opponent recognizes that stat drops won't work, they're forced to deal with Dragapult directly: outspeed it (hard, given 142 base Speed), hit a weakness (Ghost/Ice work), or eliminate its teammates first. All of those approaches cost something. Clear Body doesn't actively win the game, but it removes one of the main levers opponents reach for.
For Garganacl: it often chooses between Clear Body and Purifying Salt (status immunity plus halved Ghost damage). When the matchup is heavy on stat-drop disruption, Clear Body; when the opponent leans on status conditions, Purifying Salt. Knowing when to slot which one is part of building around it correctly.