[SET]
Haxorus @ Loaded Dice / Life Orb / Dragonium Z / Focus Sash / Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Swords Dance / Dragon Dance
Scale Shot / Outrage
Close Combat
Earthquake / Poison Jab
[SET COMMENTS]
Haxorus occupies a unique niche as a set-up sweeper with advantageous match-ups into balance and stall teams thanks to its excellent Attack stat and Mold Breaker ability. This niche allows Haxorus to differentiate itself from more consistent set-up sweepers in the tier like Mega Altaria, Mega Aerodactyl, Aegislash, Excadrill, and Iron Boulder. The choice to run Swords Dance or Dragon Dance is team specific: Swords Dance Haxorus maximises Haxorus's damage output allowing it to achieve feats such as getting a 2HKO on Skarmory; Dragon Dance Haxorus trades sheer damage for Speed which is relevant in helping it outspeed threats such as Mega Latias, non-Battle Bond Greninja, and non-Booster Energy Iron Moth with one turn of set up. Scale Shot is the preferred STAB move for the Loaded Dice Swords Dance set as it allows Haxorus to outspeed would-be revenge-killers and break sashes. Outrage is the preferred STAB move for all other sets due to its high power. Close Combat provides solid neutral coverage with Dragon-type STAB by giving it a strong hit on Steel-types like Scizor, Excadrill, and Celesteela. Earthquake nails non-Air Balloon Aegislash for super effective damage while retaining coverage into most Steel-types and sniping Levitate pokemon such as Rotom-Wash. Alternatively, Poison Jab offers super effective coverage for Fairy-types like Enamorus, Tapu Fini, and Clefable. Dragonium-Z gives Haxorus access to Devastating Drake - providing a one-time nuke into neutral walls like Mega Venusaur and Skeledirge and can help it ignore the drawbacks of locking into Outrage or proccing Rocky Helmet early in a sweep. Life Orb bolsters Haxorus's damage output even further, allowing Dragon Dance Haxorus to 2HKO Skarmory and Swords Dance Haxorus to OHKO Celesteela with marginal chip damage. Focus Sash is useful for Haxorus on hyper offense as it allows Haxorus to get free set-up on attacks that would otherwise KO it like Ice Beam from Specs Greninja. Lum Berry allows Haxorus to set up on defensive Pokemon that can cripple it with status such as Slowbro, Rotom-Wash, and Clefable. A Jolly nature is preferred over Adamant on Haxorus to outspeed non-Sand Rush Excadrill, Speed-invested Rotom-Wash, and Tapu Fini. Haxorus finds a place on offensive teams where it is a valuable asset in helping break through bulkier team styles that often give these archetypes issues. Special attackers such as Thundurus and Greninja appreciate Haxorus's ability to dent Pokemon like Blissey, while physical attackers like Scizor and Mega Aerodactyl benefit from Haxorus denting physical walls such as Hippowdon and Skarmory. Set up sweepers found on offensive teams like Iron Boulder value Haxorus's ability to cleave through Unaware Pokemon like Clefable and Skeledirge. Haxorus, while very strong, struggles with having little to no defensive utility and thus it appreciates pivot support from Pokemon like Rotom-Wash and Scizor. Haxorus also appreciates hazard support from Pokemon like Excadrill and Greninja to wear down checks in the long term. Finally, Haxorus enjoys Future Sight support from Slowbro or Slowking to chip its would-be answers into range for its attacks.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
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