JRank
Jonny
Durant
QC Checks: 2/2
GP Checks: 2/2
[Overview]
<p>With base 109 Attack and Speed and a fabulous STAB in Bug, Durant has the potential to be a real force in the VGC 2011 metagame. Unfortunately, while Durant's typing is a blessing for its offensive prowess, it is a liability for its defensive capabilities. Bug / Steel leaves Durant 4x weak to Fire-type moves, which means Chandelure can OHKO it with ease. Despite this, when used properly, Durant can be a viable member of any VGC team.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Protect / Crunch
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Swarm / Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Iron Head gives Durant a reliable STAB attack and also has a 30% flinch rate. Durant's 109 base Speed allows it to make good use of the flinch chance, as it just outspeeds the musketeer trio of Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion. Rock Slide allows Durant to 2HKO Chandelure, while X-Scissor dents bulky Psychic-type Trick Room users, such as Reuniclus and Musharna, while also OHKOing some offensive Pokemon that are weak to Bug-type attacks such as Hydreigon. Protect allows Durant to shield itself from damage for a turn, possibly allowing Durant's partner to eliminate a threat. Crunch is also a good option, however, to deal heavy damage to Jellicent that try to get off a powerful Water Spout, in addition to hitting Cofagrigus, one of the few Trick Room users not covered by the rest of this set.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With 58 / 112 / 48 defenses, Durant needs a Focus Sash to prevent most special attacks from OHKOing it, although Durant can use a Life Orb instead for an extra power boost. With a Life Orb and Hustle, Durant is able to OHKO 252/0 Reuniclus and has a chance to OHKO max Defense Musharna. A Jolly nature allows Durant to outpace Terrakion and hit it with a STAB super effective Iron Head, which is one of the main reasons for using Durant. Swarm boosts Durant's Bug-type moves whenever its health drops below 33%, which, in conjunction with a Focus Sash, allows for a very powerful final X-Scissor. On the other hand, Hustle allows Durant to always OHKO Terrakion with Iron Head and gives Durant more power overall; unfortunately, this comes with a loss of accuracy on all of Durant's moves. With Durant's poor defenses, there is no point in investing in bulk, allowing EVs to be fully invested in Attack and Speed.</p>
<p>Wide Guard users such as Mienshao and Conkeldurr are great teammates for Durant, as they allow it to outspeed and 2HKO Chandelure without getting destroyed by Heat Wave. Wide Guard also helps Durant damage Scarf Jellicent, which would otherwise dent Durant and its teammates. Pairing Durant with Terrakion creates a lethal Iron Head / Rock Slide combo, increasing the chance of flinch while dealing a lot of damage.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Crunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Hustle / Swarm
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf, Durant is able to function as an effective counter for other Choice Scarf Pokemon, as well as outspeed Tornadus and Thundurus, which otherwise hit Durant hard with their STAB moves. Crunch smacks Jellicent, making it unable to unleash a full-power Water Spout and crippling it for the remainder of the match. Rock Slide hits Tornadus and Thundurus hard, in addition to having a high flinch rate. X-Scissor OHKOes Hydreigon and gives Durant a strong STAB move, while Iron Head is Durant's only way to hit Terrakion and can cause a flinch too. With a Choice Scarf, Durant is already outspeeding most of the metagame, so an Adamant nature is used.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hustle gives all of Durant's moves the equivalent of a Choice Band boost at the cost of 20% accuracy. If the lower accuracy is a problem for you, Swarm is a decent replacement, although Durant will not often take an attack and live with under 33% health. With Durant's terrible defenses, you should simply invest all you can into Attack and Speed. You can use a Jolly nature if you fear Scarf Terrakion, but the drop in power is so significant that this is rarely a good idea.</p>
<p>Wide Guard support is greatly appreciated, as it allows Durant to eliminate Chandelure, Jellicent, and Terrakion, respectively, in two turns. Musharna can provide Durant with Helping Hand support, allowing Durant to OHKO Jellicent and Chandelure with Crunch, and Terrakion with Iron Head.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Durant can attempt to support its team with Thunder Wave, providing paralysis support to slow down the opposing team; however, a Pokemon with Prankster, such as Thundurus, is more suited for this job, as it gets +1 priority on Thunder Wave. Stone Edge has a higher base power than Rock Slide, but with its infamous 80% accuracy and inability to hit more than one foe, it is generally inferior to Rock Slide. However, Stone Edge does give Durant the ability to OHKO Tornadus and Thundurus. A set revolving around Substitute and Hone Claws could be viable, allowing Durant to get to +1 Attack and Accuracy, which along with Hustle would prove for some powerful attacks; however, it is very hard to successfully boost in the VGC 2011 metagame, so this is generally discouraged. Durant could hold a Choice Band to power up its attacks even further, but Hustle allows you to have an Attack boost and still change moves, in addition to holding another item, such as a Focus Sash.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Chandelure and Volcarona OHKO Durant with their powerful STAB Heat Wave, though Volcarona must use a Charti Berry or Focus Sash to avoid being OHKOed itself. Strong special-based moves such as Jellicent's Water Gem Water Spout take advantage of Durant's abysmal base 48 Special Defense, easily OHKOing it. With Cofagrigus's massive Defense, it can easily take a STAB Iron Head and respond with Will-O-Wisp, neutering Durant.</p>