Nessa & Drednaw take to a new stadium bringing with them a new mechanic, Restrained. He’s able to raise his own Attack, Speed, and critical-hit rate, but can only max them himself if the MP Refresh tile for Nessa’s Trainer move is taken. If not, an ally can do it, allowing him to quickly start dealing damage. While he is able to function without rainy weather, his damage is greatly increased by it.
The best Nessa and Drednaw sync grid builds are, Sync Level 2, Razor Shell, No Rain Razor Shell, and Jaw Lock.
Universal Upgrades
HP +10
Attack +15
Defense +5
Sp. Def +5
Speed +5
Flood the Stadium Liquidation Power +25
Universal Recommended Lucky Skill:
Critical Strike 2
Only one Flood the Stadium Liquidation +25 power tile is taken among all of the sync level 3 builds, otherwise each focuses too much on different movesets to share many tiles. As Drednaw is a Striker, Critical Strike 2 is the recommended lucky skill, especially since he can raise his own critical-hit rate.
Sync Grid Builds
Sync Level 2 Build
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
All Upgrades:
HP +20
Attack +20
Defense +5
Sp. Def +5
Speed +5
Razor Shell Power +9
Razor Shell Accuracy +5
Razor Shell Move Gauge Refresh 2
Jaw Lock Power +12
Jaw Lock Move Gauge Refresh 2
Wash ‘Em Away! MP Refresh 3
With all of Drednaw’s relevant passive skills locked away, sync level 2 focuses on powering up both Razor Shell and Jaw Lock. Razor Shell gains +9 power and +5 accuracy which eliminates the chance of the move naturally missing. It also gains the Move Gauge Refresh 2 tile for a 30% chance to return one bar to the move gauge.
Jaw Lock gains a total of +12 power and its Move Gauge Refresh 2 tile. Wash ‘Em Away! MP Refresh 3 fills out the build, giving Drednaw a chance to max its own Attack, critical-hit rate and potentially its Speed if the move is used three times when the weather is rainy.
Razor Shell Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
Attack +10
Razor Shell Power +6
Razor Shell Accuracy +5
Razor Shell Move Gauge Refresh 2
Wash ‘Em Away! MP Refresh 3
Raging Rain 3
Relentless
Shower Power 5
Razor Shell gains +6 power and +5 accuracy, elevating accuracy from 95 to 100. It also picks up a Move Gauge Refresh 2 tile. It has a 50% chance to lower all opponents Defense, which means Drednaw isn’t completely reliant on an ally, especially since very few sync pairs can guarantee a Defense drop.
Relentless will power up his sync move based on how many stages the target’s Defense has been lowered. Further improving the sync move is Shower Power 5, which increases damage by 50% so long as the weather is rainy. Also while rainy Raging Rain 3 will power up attacking moves by 30%. Finally, Wash ‘Em Away! MP Refresh 3 gives Drednaw a chance to max its own Attack and critical-hit rate with potentially Speed as well if each time the move is used in rain.
No Rain Razor Shell Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
Attack +5
Razor Shell Power +9
Razor Shell Accuracy +5
Razor Shell Move Gauge Refresh 2
Jaw Lock Power +3
Jaw Lock Move Gauge Refresh 2
Hold Hostage 2
Relentless
If you are not using Drednaw on a Rain team, he plays a bit differently by using both Jaw Lock and Razor Shell. Picking up Hold Hostage 2 will increase damage to attacking moves if the target is restrained, which requires starting off with Jaw Lock. It gains +3 power and a Move Gauge Refresh 2 tile.
Razor Shell gains +9 power and +5 accuracy, eliminating the chance the move will naturally miss. It also gains Move Gauge Refresh 2 to keep costs down on the move gauge if his passive skill doesn’t make it a free move. It has a 50% chance to lower the opponents’ Defense, but having an ally like Leaf & Venusaur will help get it as low as possible. Unfortunately, most pairs rely on chance to lower Defense. Relentless scales his sync move damage based on how many stages the opponent’s Defense is reduced.
Jaw Lock Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 738
Total Energy Used: 59
Unique Upgrades:
HP +10
Speed +5
Jaw Lock Power +6
Jaw Lock Move Gauge Refresh 2
Rock Tomb Power +4
Flood the Stadium Liquidation Power +25
Hold Hostage 2
Raging Rain 3
Shower Power 5
Focusing on Jaw Lock allows you to also focus down on Drednaw’s sync move. Flood the Stadium Liquidation gains a total +50 power but it also gets a damage boost thanks to Shower Power 5. You’ll need to make sure that the weather is rainy to benefit from it. Raging Rain 3 will also power up moves in rainy weather. Additionally, Hold Hostage 2 will also increase attack damage so long as the target is restrained. Jaw Lock is able to pick up +6 power and a Move Gauge Refresh 2 for when he does not get a Free Move Next from his passive ability.