Kevin! Durant discussion.

[Full2Half]

Durant. The ant from B/W that surely annoyed us all in victory road. Somehow, this underwhelming seeming guy ended up in UU and even tho his most common set is well known, people may be wondering how it would do in UU. Well, ive been using this guy in UU and it is one of the top sweepers ive ever used. Heres the best set if you didnt already know.

Durant
SubClaws
[Ability]- Hustle
[Move 1]- substitute
[Move 2]- Hone Claws
[Move 3]- X scissor
[Move 4]- Iron head/Rock slide
[Nature]- Adamant/Jolly
[Evs]- 6 Hp, 252 Atk, 252 spe
[Item]- Life Orb/Leftovers

First off, I will explain exactly what this set is capable of. With the extreme prevelance of Deo-D in UU, Ive been using this set as a lead. You can easily set up a sub on Deo-D as they either taunt or lay up hazards. If the prior, you can set up hone claws to boost attack further, and negate the acc drop from hustle. If not, you can just X scissor away and hope you dont miss. Iron head is for extra stab, but i reccomend rock slide so you can hit crap like zapdos. For the majority, durant can sweep great with only 1 or 2 boosts.

Checks and Counters:

The old Ru guys that were used to keep ant in check certainly apply here, steelix and magneton. Also, scarfed raikou can outspeed and kill with tbolt. Or just a LO or something if durant is adamant. Zapdos easily walls sets lacking rock slide and can ohko with heat wave. Coballion can take most hits and deal solid damage as well. Sableye can also priority burn with prankster WoW, therefore crippling it.

All things givin, durant is an outstanding pokemon and deserves to be uu. Dispite low hp and spD to abuse his typing with, Durant can abuse his mediocre movepool and great base 109 Atk and Spe as well as hustle/hone claws to wreck big holes in unprepared teams. So altho Kevin has his weak points, his strong points (including laughing in the face of the omnipresent Deo-D) are impossible to overlook.

So yea, feel free to discuss your opinions on this guy who was deemed too strong for RU.

 

[TLCJR4LIFE]

For team support I suggest anyone but Westbrook....bad synergy and the two don't work together well.



Anyway, in UU I don't feel it's much of a threat, it can be revenge killed too easily and anything with utility really cripples it. Hone Claws just isn't a great boosting move.

 

[DetroitLolcat]

Yeah, this thing is...

Surprisingly decent!

For a foot tall bug, this thing packs some serious firepower. The only thing is that it's harder to set up with than Rock Polish Rampardos, but if your opponent gives you an unlikely opening, they better be ready. Durant is fast, strong, and accurate with a Hone Claws boost, rocking 713 Attack and 348 Speed and a great dual STAB (and Rock Slide) if your opponent's Steels are out of the way. Honestly I don't blame the RU pansies for not being man enough to keep this thing in their tier because it hits like a nuclear sub carrier carrying like 6 nuclear subs.

Nothing lives its attacks. Victini? Dead. Zapdos? Can't switch in without a miss. At +1 with LO, you will OHKO Zapdos with Rocks and one round of Life Orb recoil. With +1 and a Life Orb, you will even break through the mighty 504 Defence Gligar with Iron Head (2KO). Bronzong? Specially Defensive ones get OHKO'd most of the time with rocks down, the rest get 2KO'd while they do nothing to you. Porygon2? Solid 2KO.

Durant is a NUKE MACHINE and pretty good if you can set it up. Also this mon is so good a pro basketball player changed his name just to sound like Durant.

 

[pokemonisfun]

Oh gosh I think its funny how some people really underestimate this thing. Personally I think it plays a bit of a mind game with you with its sprite; I myself tend to dismiss little ants as threats but that just might be me.

I just tried it for the first time yesterday and it works fine, Substitute is great to block status making your life so much easier when setting up which is still tough. The best opening I have found for it are Roserades and things it scares out like Mew or something. Even funnier when the Mew uses WoW only to have it blocked. Type coverage is not even a big problem despite its offensive move puddle; it can generally blast right through resists if when you take into consideration Life Orb, hazards, Hustle and Hone Claw.

The worst part about Durant is how its a one time deal usually, after the initial surprise of Substitute my opponent won't give me half a moment to set up anything. I have been using Durant to sweep away teams very late game as opposed to biting holes in my opponent's defenses so you might be able to imagine how hard it is to try to get good sweeping conditions. Not only does team preview alert my opponent to keep their Durant check alive its not too easy to carry through a battle relying on basically five pokes.

 

[spuds4ever]

Well, back in RU, I never used the hone-claws set but a choice band instead, 2hkoing a lot of things switching in even if they resist the damage (like zapdos without tonnes of defense) or usually OHKOing otherwise, like raikou, functioning similarly to victini but without the drops and having a whole speed tier comfartably to himself. He would still have a niche over esca as x-scissor hits nearly as hard as megahorn due to hustle but he is much faster and can clean well. Choice scarf could also work to counter other scarfers like krookodile and the like.

 

[Full2Half]

Well, back in RU, I never used the hone-claws set but a choice band instead, 2hkoing a lot of things switching in even if they resist the damage (like zapdos without tonnes of defense) or usually OHKOing otherwise, like raikou, functioning similarly to victini but without the drops and having a whole speed tier comfartably to himself. He would still have a niche over esca as x-scissor hits nearly as hard as megahorn due to hustle but he is much faster and can clean well. Choice scarf could also work to counter other scarfers like krookodile and the like.

I thought about including the CB set in this, but i find it far inferior to the hone claws set due to its inability to block status, and the self-made enemy of hustle. Thus i deem it not worthy of mentioning, dispite its tremendous power off the bat.

 

[pkmn trainerx]

I thought about including the CB set in this, but i find it far inferior to the hone claws set due to its inability to block status, and the self-made enemy of hustle. Thus i deem it not worthy of mentioning, dispite its tremendous power off the bat.

durant:naughty::naughty::naughty::naughty:

 

[DarkCelebi]

Durant is so strong and in my opinion he will go to BL in the end. It's so cool that at least once Gamefreak didn't corrupt a badass ant-style with crap stats. His Speed is so pro and i hope he gets Earthquake or Superpower in B/W2.

 

[Full2Half]

Durant is so strong and in my opinion he will go to BL in the end. It's so cool that at least once Gamefreak didn't corrupt a badass ant-style with crap stats. His Speed is so pro and i hope he gets Earthquake or Superpower in B/W2.

Yea, if this thing were to get EQ i can see it going OU, unfortunately it didnt get it this game, so i doubt it will. New dig machanics anyone?

 

[Twins]

Durant is actually really, really good, especially in UU. It stands at a trolly 109 speed, only 1 more than Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion (Keldeo as well). It's like this thing was built to counter them. Band Terrakion dies instantly to Iron Head, as does Virizion.

As a 1 foot tall steel ant, Durant sounds like another Ledian or Illumise, but Gamefreak actually made this thing good. It's super fast (again trolly base 109), super strong with a 713 att stat after 1 hone claws, and pretty bulky physically.

It's not OU, however, because of how hard it is walled by steel types, and because it instantly dies to special moves.

If you can ever get in a hone claws boost, this thing will mow through teams until you hit a steel type or you miss. Remember, an Iron Head from this hits about as hard as a Bullet Punch from Band Scizor, and that's in UU. Yeah, no priority, but you really don't need it with its speed.

Even when it gets in 1 kill, it's usually something that threatens the rest of my team, and is a godly asset for me.

I can only wonder why it's scrapping along in BL2 with Yanmega (who sounds good on paper, but sucks because of 95 speed). This should be top, or at least, mid tier UU.

PS: It is hard to set up, but not as hard as you think. Switch it in on some sort of wall, or one of its 10 resistances, use hone claws, and sweep.

 

[destinyunknown]

10 Resistances aren't that great when a LO Roserade Leaf Storm (quad resist) does up to 60%. I know it's not a good example of ''weak'' attack but I think it's not difficult to get the point, despite his good deffensive typing, durant is hard as hell to set up (the best way is scaring things out really)

 

[Twins]

10 Resistances aren't that great when a LO Roserade Leaf Storm (quad resist) does up to 60%. I know it's not a good example of ''weak'' attack but I think it's not difficult to get the point, despite his good deffensive typing, durant is hard as hell to set up (the best way is scaring things out really)

Yeah I was exaggerating. After using it a bit more, I realized that sp def isn't a bad issue. It's a horrendous issue. I changed it for a Gligar.

 

[StallMandibuzz]

Durant isn't too bad, but its' Sp. Def and HP stats are pretty crap-tastic, as well as its' Sp. Attack, which you shouldn't be using to begin with. A very powerful Sp. Attack like a Specs Draco Meteor or a Leaf Storm will drop it with little resistance. But it can surprisingly take a physical hit or two, barring a Fire move.

 

[destinyunknown]

After having played a bit with durant, I got to say it's completely amazing, I'm really surprised as how well it performs really o.o
It breaks a lot of common deffensive cores so easily that it's not even funny, hell, it can even 2HKO gligar after a boost, while gligar fails at doing up to ~30% to him. The only thing that has troubled me was being outrun by azelf and raikou, but aside from that it's really good, and it finds more opportunities to set up than it seemed to me at a first sight.

I'm not saying is the best poke in UU but more people should definitely try it.

 

[IbanezObsession]

I guess there's a reason why Durant got bumped up to BL2; it's just too good!

And yeah, as DestinyUnknown said, it's not the greatest, but it's definitely one heck of a monster.

 

[Redjar]

Pair him up w/ Chandelure. There are plenty of fire types running around OU (Victini, Chandy, Darmanitan, Arcanine) and since the first 3 tend to be scarfed they will think they can switch in and OHKO the bug w/ [insert fire move here]. It's like the gyra-vire combo.

 

[Haxxhatred]

Yeah, this thing is...

Surprisingly decent!

For a foot tall bug, this thing packs some serious firepower. The only thing is that it's harder to set up with than Rock Polish Rampardos, but if your opponent gives you an unlikely opening, they better be ready. Durant is fast, strong, and accurate with a Hone Claws boost, rocking 713 Attack and 348 Speed and a great dual STAB (and Rock Slide) if your opponent's Steels are out of the way. Honestly I don't blame the RU pansies for not being man enough to keep this thing in their tier because it hits like a nuclear sub carrier carrying like 6 nuclear subs.

Nothing lives its attacks. Victini? Dead. Zapdos? Can't switch in without a miss. At +1 with LO, you will OHKO Zapdos with Rocks and one round of Life Orb recoil. With +1 and a Life Orb, you will even break through the mighty 504 Defence Gligar with Iron Head (2KO). Bronzong? Specially Defensive ones get OHKO'd most of the time with rocks down, the rest get 2KO'd while they do nothing to you. Porygon2? Solid 2KO.

Durant is a NUKE MACHINE and pretty good if you can set it up. Also this mon is so good a pro basketball player changed his name just to sound like Durant.

Durant a nuclear sub?? Lmao.

It's a good Poke, but that's all. Let's not forget facts here, we're dealing with a mere 348 ATK (not even 350, beaten by a Lilligant?), with the SpDef of Coco on a Summers day (probably the worst in the whole game), and don't rely on Hustle all day long. And I haven't even thought about mentioning the nauseatingly bad HP and the way Steel type destroy this thing yet. Oh, I just did, so there =]

So I'd bear those *major* flaws all in mind before writing sweeping poetry. Plus, it's worth a mention, many good Pokes even in RU are very capable of sweeping on a good day.

Durant = Good, that is all, should never be above UU. No nukes here xD

 

[The QWAZ]

Durant a nuclear sub?? Lmao.

It's a good Poke, but that's all. Let's not forget facts here, we're dealing with a mere 348 ATK (not even 350, beaten by a Lilligant?), with the SpDef of Coco on a Summers day (probably the worst in the whole game), and don't rely on Hustle all day long. And I haven't even thought about mentioning the nauseatingly bad HP and the way Steel type destroy this thing yet. Oh, I just did, so there =]

So I'd bear those *major* flaws all in mind before writing sweeping poetry. Plus, it's worth a mention, many good Pokes even in RU are very capable of sweeping on a good day.

Durant = Good, that is all, should never be above UU. No nukes here xD

Your points are all well and good, until you realize that it has an ability that boosts its attack by 50%. Im fairly sure after the hustle boost durant has the highest attack stat out side of ubers, combine this with great speed, brilliant typing and respectable defenses (112 defense is nothing to laugh at) and you have a nuke.
also, welcome to smogon

 

[infusion bags]

Team did very well, and his teammates tacit understanding.

 

[Diachronos]

The average ant species can lift ~50 times their weight with no issue.
They also become absolutely terrifying when made into Pokemon.

I doubt they'd give him access to EdgeQuake or any of the stronger moves that Steel-types tend to get; he doesn't exactly need that much extra power.

 

[DarXidE]

registeel should definitely be added to your counters list. i faced durant a few times, and he fails to do anything to him at all.

besides that, he really is very good in UU, and has done well in the few times that i used him

 

[ThePhalanx]

Durant is so strong and in my opinion he will go to BL in the end. It's so cool that at least once Gamefreak didn't corrupt a badass ant-style with crap stats. His Speed is so pro and i hope he gets Earthquake or Superpower in B/W2.

So... unless i'm reading the list wrong, Durant now gets Superpower from the BW2 move tutors.

252 +1 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs 252 HP/252 Def Registeel (+Def) : 100% - 117,58% (Guaranteed OHKO)

There goes the usual counter, now all you can do is check it. Anyone see Durant rising highly in usage, once people start to realize this? All you can do now is revenge kill it, not much can switch in without taking massive damage/being 2HKO'd with the appropriate move. Unfortunately its bad HP and SpD will probably mean it'll stay in UU, what with Scarf Chandelure/Darmanitan around, and predicting wrong will allow faster pokes to come in on a Hone Claws or a move they resist, and scare it out.

 

[breh]

So the optimal set is something along the lines of the following?

Durant (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- X-Scissor
- Superpower
- Crunch
- Hone Claws

I'm not sure whether X-Scissor is better than Iron Head.

 

[Jaetheho]

So the optimal set is something along the lines of the following?

Durant (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- X-Scissor
- Superpower
- Crunch
- Hone Claws

I'm not sure whether X-Scissor is better than Iron Head.

I personally think x-scissor and crunch is redundant.
Either run x-scissor/stone edge/superpower or iron head/crunch/superpower

 

[Zacchaeus]

+1 to breh's set

Im fairly sure after the hustle boost durant has the highest attack stat out side of ubers,

Hustle Durant has the highest immediate Attack stat in Pokémon:
Hustle Durant is effective base 188 maxing at 522
Deoxys-A is base 180 maxing at 504