[OVERVIEW]
Donphan is a unique Pokemon in the GSC metagame that finds a small niche thanks to an interesting combination of traits. As a Ground-type with access to the coveted Rapid Spin, it faces competition with the more popular Golem, but Donphan's lack of a secondary typing means it's one of the few Ground-types in OU that lacks a weakness to opposing Ground-type attacks. This gives it favorable matchups against metagame staples such as Steelix, Rhydon, Raikou, Tyranitar, and the aforementioned Golem. Donphan's excellent Defense also allows it to check some non-Curse Snorlax sets despite lacking a Normal resistance, although it doesn't appreciate repeated hits with Spikes in play. Being a spinner with a strong STAB Earthquake means it's extremely risky for Gengar and Misdreavus to try spinblocking against Donphan, making it proficient at keeping Spikes off the field against a variety of teams.
However, Donphan remains an extremely rare sight in GSC because its unique traits are ultimately limited and not without downsides; while it has certain advantages over Golem, Golem remains the more popular choice of Rapid Spin user thanks to its STAB on Rock-type moves and ability to check a wider variety of Snorlax sets, making it less restrictive on teambuilding. Starmie is another stiff competitor to Donphan for teams wanting a spinner that checks common Normal-resistant foes, boasting Recover and an excellent Speed tier as major advantages. Donphan's low Special Defense and frequent inability to fit Rock-type coverage also makes it helpless against two of the most common Pokemon in the tier, namely Zapdos and Cloyster, although its Electric immunity is still great for pivoting around the former.
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set is simple yet effective, seeking to leverage Donphan's natural defensive profile to check common threats throughout the course of a game. STAB Earthquake gives Donphan solid offensive presence at all times, letting it 2HKO every Ground-weak Pokemon in the metagame besides Steelix without needing Spikes support. It also threatens an immediate OHKO on Gengar and 2HKO on Misdreavus, ensuring Donphan can remove Spikes from the field in peace. Rapid Spin is Donphan's most important supportive tool, letting it clear Spikes from its team's side of the field, which greatly assists grounded teammates such as Snorlax. Rest is Donphan's only form of recovery outside of Leftovers, making it mandatory in order to stay healthy for as long as possible. Sleep Talk is used alongside Rest to limit downtime as much as possible, letting Donphan continuously fire off Earthquakes against targets that might otherwise take advantage of it to rack up Curse boosts, such as Rhydon. Sleep Talk also makes Donphan a decent switch-in against Hypnosis from Ghost-types and Lovely Kiss from Snorlax and Nidoking, although its vulnerability to Jynx and Exeggutor makes it awkward to use as a team's sole sleep absorber.
Team Options
========
RestTalk Donphan's lack of a Normal resistance and inability to fit Roar mean it needs a teammate that can provide both of these tools. Tyranitar is a standout candidate, easily switching into Snorlax and phazing it to negate any Curse boosts; its STAB Rock Slide also dishes out some serious pain against Zapdos and Cloyster, which easily beat Donphan. Raikou is the go-to choice for a dedicated Zapdos check thanks to its Electric resistance and powerful Thunder, and Zapdos itself is a crucial teammate for checking threats that bowl over the Donphan + Tyranitar pairing, such as Heracross and Curse Machamp. As a result, Donphan most commonly finds itself on double-Electric teams that seek to limit Cloyster's opportunities to repeatedly lay Spikes; such teams might refrain from using Starmie for Rapid Spin duty, since it stacks too many weaknesses to opposing Raikou. Skarmory and Misdreavus can take Tyranitar's place on bulkier teams, forming an excellent defensive pairing with Donphan that checks every Snorlax variant on its own, leaving Donphan free to deal with Raikou, Tyranitar, and the Ground-types. RestTalk Donphan also compresses a decent Gengar check and a sleep absorber into one team slot, which can free up a team's Snorlax to run a mono-attacking or mixed set. Thunder Snorlax is especially useful for pestering Skarmory, which Donphan can't scratch at all, and Cloyster. Alternatively, Snorlax can still run a set with Sleep Talk if the team finds itself weak to Jynx.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Hidden Power Rock / Toxic
move 4: Roar / Protect
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set is difficult to justify using due to its similarity to Golem's common sets, but it remains useful for teams seeking a Rapid Spin option that matches up better against opposing Ground-types, Tyranitar, and Giga Drain Forretress. Earthquake is Donphan's main source of damage, striking fear into common Ground-weak Pokemon such as Rhydon, Golem, Steelix, and Tyranitar and generally providing good neutral damage. Rapid Spin lets Donphan rid the field of Spikes if it finds an opportunity, which is especially useful because Gengar and Misdreavus want nothing to do with its Earthquake and are thus unlikely to switch in. Hidden Power Rock covers Flying-types that commonly switch into Earthquake looking for free turns, mainly Zapdos but also Dragonite, Moltres, and Charizard; however, Donphan doesn't beat the former two one-on-one despite the super effective coverage. Toxic is a decent alternative that puts much more pressure on Cloyster, letting Donphan punish it for switching in on a predicted Rapid Spin and trying to lay Spikes again; it also has applications against Ground-resistant foes such as Exeggutor and Heracross, and it still applies some pressure to the aforementioned Flying-type targets as well. The last moveslot is somewhat flexible: Roar lets Donphan phaze certain Curse users such as Tyranitar, Steelix, Machamp, and even Snorlax in a pinch before they snowball out of control. Roar in conjunction with Spikes support is also a powerful offensive tool that can quickly rack up chip damage against the opponent's team. Alternatively, Protect lets Donphan maximize its Leftovers recovery, which is especially important, since this set doesn't have room for RestTalk. It's also useful for stalling out Toxic damage and wasting low-PP moves such as Cross Chop from Machamp and Giga Drain from Exeggutor and Forretress, making those threats significantly easier to play around.
Team Options
========
Since this Donphan sacrifices the longevity of Rest for additional offensive coverage, its team should appropriately match the fast pace it wants to play at. Cloyster is an ideal teammate for this set, providing a backup non-Curse Snorlax check, Spikes that Donphan can leverage with Roar, Toxic that Donphan can accentuate with Protect, and even Explosion to lure and remove Zapdos. Tyranitar is an excellent choice for the Normal resistance, phazing, and offensive presence it provides, and Donphan's good matchups against the tier's spinblockers can potentially free it up to run a Curse set. The Donphan + Tyranitar pairing is also useful in that it handles Gengar extremely well and thus reduces the pressure on Snorlax to run a set with Earthquake, giving it more options overall. A mono-attacking Snorlax set with Curse, Rest, and Sleep Talk pairs very well with this Donphan, providing a special sponge, win condition, and sleep absorber in the same team slot. Raikou is a useful teammate for providing extra insurance against Zapdos, and it can also viably run a Sleep Talk set depending on the needs of the team. Gengar can ensure Spikes remain on the field for Donphan's team, check Heracross and Machamp, and pressure nearly the entire tier with its coverage and Hypnosis; it also discourages Steelix and Golem from trying to trade with Donphan via Explosion, which is especially useful if Donphan isn't running Protect.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Donphan's movepool is unimpressive outside of the options already mentioned. Growl is Donphan's best tool for dealing with Snorlax and other Curse users, but Roar is more widely applicable against the Pokemon Donphan commonly finds itself switching into. Donphan can run a Curse set of its own with Earthquake, Hidden Power Rock, and either Roar or Rest, but such a set faces tough competition with the more powerful Rhydon. Hidden Power Fire lets Donphan 2HKO Forretress and annoy Skarmory, but it is useless outside of those matchups, and the massive drop in Donphan's HP DVs impacts its hit-taking ability.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Donphan's lack of STAB on Rock-type moves makes it difficult to avoid inviting Ground-immune Pokemon such as Zapdos, Skarmory, and Dragonite onto the field, all of which can easily threaten it out, phaze it, or set up on it. Moltres and Charizard can also take advantage of a Donphan lacking Hidden Power Rock.
**Curse Snorlax**: Snorlax can exploit Donphan's lack of a Normal resistance if it runs a Curse set, easily overwhelming the RestTalk set with its boosted STAB moves; however, offensive Donphan can at least phaze Snorlax if it carries Roar, and repeated Earthquakes can overwhelm Snorlax if it's carrying Self-Destruct instead of Rest.
**Heracross**: Heracross takes pitiful damage from Donphan's attacks and easily bowls it over with Megahorn; Curse variants can also set up on it unless it has Roar, creating problems for Donphan's team.
**Grass-types**: Exeggutor resists Earthquake and threatens Donphan with either of its STAB moves; RestTalk sets struggle to absorb its Sleep Powder because of this. The much rarer Meganium can also wall Donphan with ease, although it isn't quite as threatening in return since it usually runs physical attacks.
**Cloyster**: Cloyster's stupendous physical bulk and threatening Water-type attacks make it a pain for Donphan to deal with and repeatedly deny Spikes against, forcing the Donphan user to fit Toxic or rely on teammates to help against it. However, Donphan is generally able to outlast the standard Rest-less Cloyster set with smart play, as the latter can be quickly worn down early-game if it's crippled by Toxic or forced to switch into Snorlax repeatedly.
**Jynx**: Jynx can neutralize Donphan for long stretches of the game with Lovely Kiss, and similar to Exeggutor, RestTalk sets struggle to absorb the sleep from it due to their deathly fear of STAB Ice Beam. However, it can't switch directly into Donphan's attacks, and things can go wrong for it very quickly if it misses Lovely Kiss.
**Charm and Growl Users**: Umbreon easily shrugs off Donphan's attacks thanks to its massive bulk and neuters its damage output with Charm; however, it can be beaten if Donphan chooses to run Toxic. Miltank performs similarly well against Donphan thanks to Growl and Milk Drink. It's worth noting that both of these Pokemon struggle to damage Donphan in return, especially the RestTalk set; thus, these matchups will frequently be decided by PP stalling in a one-on-one scenario, which Donphan has an advantage in due to Rapid Spin's massive 64 PP.
**Water-types**: Although they don't pack a Ground resistance, bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon, Suicune, and the rare Kingdra can withstand Donphan's attacks long enough to dispatch it with Surf. Vaporeon can even take advantage of Donphan to set up a Growth boost if it comes in at high health.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stupidflandrs48.633500/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/fear.2005/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zokuru.263906/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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