"If there is beauty in destruction, why not also in its delivery?"
QC Checks: - / - / -
GP Checks: - / -
[OVERVIEW]
* Blessed with an immense base 147 Attack, Haxorus is the strongest physical dragon usable in UU, and one of the strongest physical Pokemon in UU period.
* On the other side of things, its speed does not help it use this strength well, and it is left vulnerable to much of the offensive metagame.
* It also has a very narrow movepool, usually relying on Outrage to deal large amounts of damage while falling back on coverage moves such as Earthquake, Iron Tail, and Poison Jab.
* Additionally, with Pokemon such as Mega Altaria and Sylveon present in the tier, Haxorus has to be wary of using Outrage, as it may find itself locked into a compromised position.
* This is not aided by its average at best bulk, though a pure Dragon typing does give it some setup opportunities it might not otherwise have.
* However, Mold Breaker is a blessing that allows it to defeat Pokemon reliant on abilities to check other foes such as Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Bronzong.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab / Iron Tail
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Dragonium Z
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Dragon Dance is the heart of this set, boosting both Speed and Attack at the same time, which allows Haxorus to handle some more offensive Pokemon while giving it the power to muscle past some more defensive Pokemon as well.
* Outrage is the STAB move of choice, and deals the most damage immediately, though does carry the obvious risk of being locked into a Dragon-type move while Fairy-type Pokemon are still in play.
* Earthquake allows Haxorus to deal significant damage to Steel-type Pokemon such as Empoleon and Cobalion, though it must watch out for users of Shuca Berry as they can neuter the incoming damage without a boost.
* Poison Jab and Iron Tail give it a way to hit Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Primarina. Poison Jab is the more reliable option of the two, with a perfect accuracy, however Iron Tail provides more power with a significant penalty to accuracy.
Set Details
========
* A Jolly nature allows Haxorus to outpace positive-natured Pokemon with Base 95 Speed and below, including Entei, Nidoking, Heracross, and Krookodile, while still providing ample power to attack with.
* A Life Orb is usable to increase damage while keeping flexibility.
* However, a Lum Berry can be held to provide a one-time defense against status, especially burns.
* Dragonium Z is capable of providing a one-time incredibly high-power attack while offsetting the potentially detrimental effects, though is prone to being wasted if used against a foe which either resists or is immune to Dragon-type attacks.
* Mold Breaker outright nullifies abilities that would reduce incoming damage, most notably Unaware and Levitate, as in the case of Quagsire and Rotom-W.
Usage Tips
========
* Dragon Dance Haxorus thrives in the mid- to late-game, when walls have been worn down and would-be checks weakened enough to be eliminated through coverage.
* Aim to set up on weak or resisted attacks, such as Rotom-W's Thunderbolt, or on a foe that is forced out by Haxorus, to keep it healthy as possible.
* Avoid using Outrage while Steel- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Cobalion and Mega Altaria are present, as they outright wall Haxorus locked into a Dragon-type move regardless of power.
* Attempt to have bulky phazers, such as Empoleon, and Dragon-resistant or immune Pokemon, such as Togekiss, worn down to a point they can be eliminated with coverage moves prior to an attempted sweep.
Team Options
========
* Pokemon capable of removing Steel- and Fairy-type foes from play, such as Entei or Nidoking, will aid Haxorus immensely in breaking down opponents' teams.
* Steel-type Pokemon, such as Scizor and Cobalion, resist both of Dragon-type's weaknesses and can force Pokemon that would threaten Haxorus such as Mega Latias and Mega Altaria out of play, while also benefitting from the previously weakened walls.
* Though Haxorus is incredibly powerful, hazard support allows it to guarantee 2HKOs on defensive walls it could otherwise not knock out so easily, such as Alomomola, Hippowdon, and Mandibuzz, making hazard setters such as Klefki and Cobalion useful.
* On the inverse of this, Haxorus is rather easily worn down through enemy hazards, making Rapid Spin and Defog support from the likes of Tentacruel and Scizor invaluable.
* Late-game cleaners, such as Mega Sharpedo, Mega Sceptile, Choice Scarfed Infernape, and Choice Scarfed Hydreigon all appreciate having walls broken down before attempting to sweep.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab / Iron Tail
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Dragonium Z
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Instead of Dragon Dance to increase both Speed and Attack, Swords Dance is chosen to provide a massive boost to Attack instead, which allows it to hammer past even the toughest walls.
* The sets are almost identical otherwise, with Outrage serving to provide a high-powered STAB move, and is the main source of outgoing damage from Haxorus.
* Earthquake is a mandatory second move, as it provides perfect coverage alongside Outrage and allows Haxorus to effectively damage Steel-type Pokemon.
* Both Poison Jab and Iron Tail are available as secondary coverage options, to hit Fairy-type Pokemon super-effectively. Poison Jab has less power behind it than Iron Tail, but makes up for it with perfect accuracy, while Iron Tail is stronger but much more likely to miss.
* Alternatively, Taunt can be run over a second coverage move, as this allows Haxorus to shut down actively healing Pokemon such as a Quagsire using Recover or Blissey using Softboiled.
Set Details
========
* This set is functionally the same as Dragon Dance, excepting the different move.
* Again, a Jolly nature allows Haxorus to outspeed positive natured opponents such as Krookodile, Entei, and Nidoking, while not compromising power.
* However, as this set focuses on decimating walls, an Adamant nature can be run for extra power while failing to outspeed extra offensive threats.
* A Life Orb is preferred here to increase damage, though a Lum Berry is viable as well.
* Dragonium Z can also be held to provide a one-time attack that negates the downside of Outrage while acquiring immense power.
* Mold Breaker is the only ability worth running, as disabling damage-reducing abilities such as Unaware and Levitate allows Haxorus to bypass some defensive walls such as Quagsire and Bronzong.
Usage Tips
========
* Swords Dance Haxorus thrives against bulkier teams with little in the means of actively damaging it.
* However, it must still be wary of using Outrage, as Fairy- and Steel-type Pokemon like Sylveon and Empoleon are common additions to bulkier teams.
* Try and keep Haxorus healthy through the match; though it can provide large amounts of damage to a team, it is prone to being worn down. Set up when it's safe, as any unnecessary risk can be the end of Haxorus' run.
* Swords Dance Haxorus tends to have few setup opportunities against hyper offense. Instead of setting up, simply attack instead, as most Pokemon common to the playstyle take heavy damage from it regardless.
Team Options
========
* Though Haxorus is a powerful wallbreaker, Hazards in general make it much easier to break walls down on all sides. Klefki in particular is a good teammate, as it can lay down Spikes while also inflicting status on the opposition.
* However, as it is also vulnerable to status inflicted upon it and being worn down, Cleric support for Haxorus is extremely valuable.
* While Haxorus can shred through many walls, it may struggle against the bulkiest of physical walls. Therefore, a special wallbreaker such as Hydreigon, Nidoking, or even Lucario can work alongside it to bring down the hardiest of defensive Pokemon.
* It also struggles against offensive teams, so Pokemon that can bring Haxorus in safely such as Mega Manectric, Scizor, and Rotom-W can give it a chance to strike and deal massive damage to an opposing team.
* To patch up the issue of a low Speed, teammates that can set down Sticky Web such as Smeargle, Shuckle, and Galvantula can all assist Haxorus, and both Smeargle and Shuckle can also provide Stealth Rock support while Galvantula can be used as a more offensive alternative.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Though Earthquake hits more targets, Superpower is a niche option that allows Haxorus to defeat potential users of Shuca Berry more easily, and hit bulky steels harder than Earthquake allows, having the potential to OHKO Empoleon after Stealth Rock damage, and OHKOing Cobalion after a single Dragon Dance or Swords Dance.
* For more immediate power, Haxorus can opt to run Choice Band, as this effectively gives it the power of a Dragon Dance behind it without the turn of setup. However, this is held back by being unable to switch moves, which can prove to be a team's undoing by allowing free turns.
* Poisonium Z or Steelium Z give Haxorus the ability to boost the power of its coverage moves at the expense of overall power, scoring an OHKO on all relevant Fairy-types in the tier barring Klefki.
* Scarf Maybe? (I'm not writing this up as a full point unless QC says to)
* Sub? (Same as above)
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Dragon-types**: Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Sceptile outspeed Haxorus and OHKO it with their STAB moves, though Sceptile cannot win against a set up Dragon Dance Haxorus. Scarf Latias and Hydreigon outspeed even at +1, though cannot safely switch in due to Mold Breaker nullifying their Earthquake immunity.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Extremely bulky Steel-types, or simply Ground-neutral ones, do not take as much damage from Earthquake as might be needed, and can easily deal damage in return or phaze Haxorus out before it can KO them.
**Phazers**: Exceptionally bulky Pokemon, such as Hippowdon and Suicune, can take a hit from an unboosted Haxorus and proceed to phaze it out before it can set up.
**Priority**: Haxorus does not have nearly as much in the way of bulk as it'd like, and falls prey to Priority along the lines of Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, and Extreme Speed from Mamoswine, Scizor, and Entei respectively.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Many Choice Scarf Pokemon that outspeed Haxorus such as Hydreigon, Infernape, Terrakion, and Latias, pose an immediate threat to it as they can outpace it even after a Dragon Dance and deal large amounts of damage if not OHKOing it.
**Status**: As Haxorus is a physical attacker with somewhat average speed and no recovery, any and all form of status is exceedingly negative to it, and can only be negated through use of a Lum Berry or Cleric support.
**Klefki**: Any Klefki with Magnet Rise is an effective Haxorus stop, either through inflicting some sort of status or by simply using Play Rough after rendering itself immune.
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