Hey guys, Magnemite with TRC. here bringing everyone the next Pokemon of the Week!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. We need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use and try out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Espeon, Blissey, or Goodra.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
Introduction
Pros: Donphan is really good because he learns both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, something which no other good Pokemon can probably do. Donphan also has phan-tastically useful priority in Ice Shard. Donphan's Ice Shard hits many of the common 4x Ice weak Pokemon very hard:
-1 0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 72-88 (18.8 - 23%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Hoppip: 112-132 (40.8 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Even if it doesn't hit the opponent super effectively, Donphan's Ice Shard is still very strong:
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Deoxys-A: 105-124 (43.5 - 51.4%) -- 8.2% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Chansey Tackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Deoxys-A: 109-130 (45.2 - 53.9%) -- 41.4% chance to 2HKO
That's almost as strong as the fearsome Life Orb Chansey's Tackle! Incredible!
Donphan also has the best ability in the game, Sturdy. This means that Donphan will never go down in one hit. He's just that indestructible of a wall. Adding on to this, he has a key resistance to Electric-type attacks. This lets him easily beat some of the best sweepers in the tier, such as Electivire, Jolteon, and Magnemite.
Cons: Donphan actually doesn't really have any cons. It's the best Pokemon ever.
What to try:
Donphan @ BrightPowder
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 SDef / 252 Spd
Serious Nature
- Swagger
- Double Team
- Fissure
- Sandstorm / Ice Shard
This set is very good, but it isn't quite as good as some of Donphan's other sets because it takes a huge amount of skill to use. Only true Pokemon masters can use this set because it is so tactical. Anyway, onto the set itself. Swagger is the crux of the set. While the opposing Pokemon is to busy staring at its majestic appearance, Donphan skillfully distracts the foe with its legendary Swagger. Then, while the opponent is too confused to attack, Donphan swiftly moves back and forth with Double Team so that the foe can't even hit Donphan. Finally, once it's done messing around with the opponent, Donphan can reveal the other crux of the set: Fissure. Fissure is the best move in the game. It can OHKO every Pokemon ever, except for Donphan itself with Sturdy, because Donphan is so good that it can beat the best Pokemon in OU, Donphan. Finally, Donphan has two options to round out the set. The first is Sandstorm, with lets Donphan tactfully wear down the opponent while also providing it with a Sand Veil evasion boost. Ice Shard is also an option, but Sandstorm usually does more damage anyway. The EVs and nature are fairly self-explanatory. Because Donphan is so good, it can use as many EVs as it wants. Serious is the best nature because intentionally lowering one of your own stats is for noobs, especially with a Pokemon as good as Donphan. Donphan is better than that.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
This set is what makes Donphan such a threat. Rapid Spin is the crux of the set. Everyone knows that every team needs a Rapid Spinner, as it's the only way to remove those pesky hazards except for some scrubby Defog trash that no one cares about, and Donphan is without a doubt the best user of Rapid Spin in the entire game. But the amazingness of Donphan doesn't end there. It also learns Stealth Rock. No, I'm not joking. Donphan can learn both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. When you use Donphan, you don't even have to waste a precious teamslot on a sucky Stealth Rock user like Garchomp or Landorus-I. Donphan has you covered. It's just that good. I know what you're thinking: "How could Donphan possibly get any better?" The answer to this question is that Donphan gets the best priority move in the game: Ice Shard. When you use Donphan, all of those pesky OP sweepers like Salamence and Noivern can't even hope of sweeping your team. You may be wondering why this set only has three moves. This is because Donphan is too good to run four moves. Donphan doesn't care that you can run that many moves because it doesn't even need to. This is because Donphan is without a doubt the best Pokemon in the game.
Donphan @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SDef
Bold Nature
- Hyper Beam
- Mud Slap
- Hidden Power [Steel]
- Echoed Voice
With a Choice Specs equipped, Donphan reaches a frightening Special Attack stat of 187. Hyper Beam is the crux of the set because it's very strong and it's a laser, and lasers are cool. Mud Slap gets STAB and gets great coverage on threats such as Jolteon and Flareon. Hidden Power Steel is used because Donphan is tough as steel. It also gets great coverage on threats such as Florges. Echoed Voice is used to get good Normal-type coverage and is good when you are too merciful to your opponent to use Hyper Beam.
What else can you try?
Donphan has great coverage options such as Thunder Fang, Gunk Shot, Hidden Power Poison, Earthquake, and Tackle, which can make for a great all out attacking set with Life Orb. Donphan can also be a great revenge killer with a fine Choice Scarf set. A great item that Donphan can run is Abomasite, which prevents it from being Tricked and makes it take less damage from Knock Off.
Good partners for this Pokemon: Blissey is the best wall in the entire game and thus forms a great walling core with Donphan. Espeon prevents hazards from going up in every battle ever, so it makes for a great partner to Donphan because you can never have enough insurance against hazards. Cloyster is the best sweeper in OU and with Rapid Spin support it can sweep in every battle because of Focus Sash. Electivire forms a great core with Donphan because Donphan lures in Electric-type attacks, which give Electivire the boost it needs in order to easily sweep teams.
Playing against Donphan: Checks and Counters
You would think something as broken as Donphan would have no counters, but this is not the case. Donphan does have one counter: Natu. Natu is immune to Swagger and Fissure, bounces back Donphan's attempts to set up Stealth Rock, and easily takes Donphan's most powerful attacks:
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Natu: 52-62 (18.3 - 21.8%) -- possible 5HKO
0 SpA Choice Specs Donphan Hyper Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Natu: 107-126 (37.6 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
However, outside of Natu, there is really no way to actually beat Donphan. It's just too good.
There we go, that's the ninth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Donphan sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Donphan or POTW itself. Go out there and try Donphan now, and we'll see you next time!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. We need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use and try out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Espeon, Blissey, or Goodra.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Donphan.
Art by The Mega Lotad.
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 90 HP / 120 Atk / 120 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Ability: Sturdy / Sand Veil
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 90 HP / 120 Atk / 120 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Ability: Sturdy / Sand Veil
Introduction
Pros: Donphan is really good because he learns both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, something which no other good Pokemon can probably do. Donphan also has phan-tastically useful priority in Ice Shard. Donphan's Ice Shard hits many of the common 4x Ice weak Pokemon very hard:
-1 0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 72-88 (18.8 - 23%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Hoppip: 112-132 (40.8 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Even if it doesn't hit the opponent super effectively, Donphan's Ice Shard is still very strong:
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Deoxys-A: 105-124 (43.5 - 51.4%) -- 8.2% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Chansey Tackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Deoxys-A: 109-130 (45.2 - 53.9%) -- 41.4% chance to 2HKO
That's almost as strong as the fearsome Life Orb Chansey's Tackle! Incredible!
Donphan also has the best ability in the game, Sturdy. This means that Donphan will never go down in one hit. He's just that indestructible of a wall. Adding on to this, he has a key resistance to Electric-type attacks. This lets him easily beat some of the best sweepers in the tier, such as Electivire, Jolteon, and Magnemite.
Cons: Donphan actually doesn't really have any cons. It's the best Pokemon ever.
What to try:
Donphan @ BrightPowder
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 SDef / 252 Spd
Serious Nature
- Swagger
- Double Team
- Fissure
- Sandstorm / Ice Shard
This set is very good, but it isn't quite as good as some of Donphan's other sets because it takes a huge amount of skill to use. Only true Pokemon masters can use this set because it is so tactical. Anyway, onto the set itself. Swagger is the crux of the set. While the opposing Pokemon is to busy staring at its majestic appearance, Donphan skillfully distracts the foe with its legendary Swagger. Then, while the opponent is too confused to attack, Donphan swiftly moves back and forth with Double Team so that the foe can't even hit Donphan. Finally, once it's done messing around with the opponent, Donphan can reveal the other crux of the set: Fissure. Fissure is the best move in the game. It can OHKO every Pokemon ever, except for Donphan itself with Sturdy, because Donphan is so good that it can beat the best Pokemon in OU, Donphan. Finally, Donphan has two options to round out the set. The first is Sandstorm, with lets Donphan tactfully wear down the opponent while also providing it with a Sand Veil evasion boost. Ice Shard is also an option, but Sandstorm usually does more damage anyway. The EVs and nature are fairly self-explanatory. Because Donphan is so good, it can use as many EVs as it wants. Serious is the best nature because intentionally lowering one of your own stats is for noobs, especially with a Pokemon as good as Donphan. Donphan is better than that.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
This set is what makes Donphan such a threat. Rapid Spin is the crux of the set. Everyone knows that every team needs a Rapid Spinner, as it's the only way to remove those pesky hazards except for some scrubby Defog trash that no one cares about, and Donphan is without a doubt the best user of Rapid Spin in the entire game. But the amazingness of Donphan doesn't end there. It also learns Stealth Rock. No, I'm not joking. Donphan can learn both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock. When you use Donphan, you don't even have to waste a precious teamslot on a sucky Stealth Rock user like Garchomp or Landorus-I. Donphan has you covered. It's just that good. I know what you're thinking: "How could Donphan possibly get any better?" The answer to this question is that Donphan gets the best priority move in the game: Ice Shard. When you use Donphan, all of those pesky OP sweepers like Salamence and Noivern can't even hope of sweeping your team. You may be wondering why this set only has three moves. This is because Donphan is too good to run four moves. Donphan doesn't care that you can run that many moves because it doesn't even need to. This is because Donphan is without a doubt the best Pokemon in the game.
Donphan @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SDef
Bold Nature
- Hyper Beam
- Mud Slap
- Hidden Power [Steel]
- Echoed Voice
With a Choice Specs equipped, Donphan reaches a frightening Special Attack stat of 187. Hyper Beam is the crux of the set because it's very strong and it's a laser, and lasers are cool. Mud Slap gets STAB and gets great coverage on threats such as Jolteon and Flareon. Hidden Power Steel is used because Donphan is tough as steel. It also gets great coverage on threats such as Florges. Echoed Voice is used to get good Normal-type coverage and is good when you are too merciful to your opponent to use Hyper Beam.
What else can you try?
Donphan has great coverage options such as Thunder Fang, Gunk Shot, Hidden Power Poison, Earthquake, and Tackle, which can make for a great all out attacking set with Life Orb. Donphan can also be a great revenge killer with a fine Choice Scarf set. A great item that Donphan can run is Abomasite, which prevents it from being Tricked and makes it take less damage from Knock Off.
Good partners for this Pokemon: Blissey is the best wall in the entire game and thus forms a great walling core with Donphan. Espeon prevents hazards from going up in every battle ever, so it makes for a great partner to Donphan because you can never have enough insurance against hazards. Cloyster is the best sweeper in OU and with Rapid Spin support it can sweep in every battle because of Focus Sash. Electivire forms a great core with Donphan because Donphan lures in Electric-type attacks, which give Electivire the boost it needs in order to easily sweep teams.
Playing against Donphan: Checks and Counters
You would think something as broken as Donphan would have no counters, but this is not the case. Donphan does have one counter: Natu. Natu is immune to Swagger and Fissure, bounces back Donphan's attempts to set up Stealth Rock, and easily takes Donphan's most powerful attacks:
0 Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Natu: 52-62 (18.3 - 21.8%) -- possible 5HKO
0 SpA Choice Specs Donphan Hyper Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Natu: 107-126 (37.6 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
However, outside of Natu, there is really no way to actually beat Donphan. It's just too good.
There we go, that's the ninth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Donphan sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Donphan or POTW itself. Go out there and try Donphan now, and we'll see you next time!
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