Durant
[Overview]
<p>Despite its small size, Durant is a major powerhouse. A base 109 Attack stat coupled with Hustle gives Durant a stat over 500 right away, which leaves many Pokemon walking cautiously when it enters the field. Durant is also blessed with Hone Claws, which helps it patch up the loss of accuracy Hustle causes; Hone Claws also raises Durant's Attack stat in the process, giving it an Attack of over 700 after just one boost, making it even fiercer. Not only does Durant hit hard, but it also hits fast. A blazing fast base 109 Speed stat leaves base 105 Speed Pokemon, as well as Cobalion and Galvantula, in the dust as Durant plows through the opposition. Durant is salso blessed with a good typing. Defensively, its Steel-typing gives Durant good resistances, especially useful when coupled with a base 112 Defense stat, while offensively, its Bug typing gives it a great STAB; the two combined gives Durant only one crippling weakness to Fire-type moves. However, it's not all roses for this little ant. Durant has utterly awful special stats, meaning it can't even take a resisted special move well at all, while using a special move is out of the question. Durant's shallow physical movepool is a letdown as well, as it's left with only four viable moves: X-Scissor, Iron Head, Superpower, and Rock Slide. However, Hustle coupled with fantastic offensive stats, Hone Claws, and good typing makes Durant a dangerous threat to deal with; if you can deal with it that is.</p>
[SET]
name: Hone Claws
move 1: Hone Claws
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Iron Head / Superpower
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is all about switching in when an opportunity arises, set up, and then hit incredibly hard and fast. Hone Claws only raises the user's Attack stat by one stage, and is Durant's only option for raising its Attack stat. While the single-stage boost might seem lacking at first glance, it's almost like Hone Claws was designed for this Pokemon. Hustle already boosts Durant's attack stat to over 500, while Hone Claws patches the loss of accuracy Hustle brings; one boost from Hone Claws and Durant sits at normal accuracy levels and an Attack stat of 712, enough to tear nearly everything apart. X-Scissor is the best Bug-type move at Durant's disposal; while it might seem pretty weak at first glance, it has enough power to hit anything that doesn't resist it for massive damage; it's also more reliable compared to Heracross's Megahorn, which is a godsend for Durant. Rock Slide covers some of the most deadliest forces in the tier; both Zapdos and Chandelure either resist or are immune to Durant's other moves and Rock Slide will easily KO both of these after a Hone Claws boost. Iron Head is Durant's secondary STAB, and hits several Pokemon in the tier that can withstand both X-Scissor and Rock Slide. Gligar, one of the sturdiest walls in the tier, is 2HKOed by Iron Head, while Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Rhyperior, and Heracross will either face the same fate or be OHKOed right away. However, Superpower is Durant's only option for taking down Steel-types. While Empoleon is 2HKOed by +1 Life Orb X-Scissor, other Steel-types such as Cobalion, Registeel, and Steelix can withstand several blows from the little ant's other moves due to their superior physical Defense.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There aren't many other viable options Durant can use, as it needs the listed moves to cover the most threats. Substitute can be used with the right team support to ease prediction and setting up. Stone Edge is a more powerful, albeit less reliable, option for Durant to use, and makes it even harder for its opponents to switch in. While Rock Slide is often the better option, Stone Edge hits much harder before Durant has gotten any boosts, and has a much better chance to OHKO physically defensive Zapdos especially if Stealth Rock is absent from the field. The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers should be determined by your personal preference. While Life Orb is needed to get the OHKOs and 2HKOs against sturdier opponents such as Gligar, Empoleon, and Cobalion, Leftovers can prove a useful asset to keep Durant healthy throughout the game. Any entry hazard support is a godsend for Durant, as it will make KOing certain walls much easier for it. Claydol and Nidoqueen are great options for setting up Stealth Rock, which will help Durant net OHKOs and 2HKOs against Pokemon such as Gligar, Empoleon, and physically defensive Zapdos. Claydol can also provide useful Rapid Spin support; while Durant is immune to Toxic Spikes, Spikes will wear it down and make it much more easier to KO. Roserade and Froslass can provide excellent Toxic Spikes and Spikes support for Durant. While Spikes won't help much against aerial foes, they will make Pokemon such as Suicune, Cobalion, and Slowbro much easier to take down, especially if Durant lacks Life Orb. Nidoqueen and Qwilfish are also great candidates for setting up Toxic Spikes and Spikes, respectively.</p>
<p>Now comes the main issue with this Durant: its lack of coverage. If Durant lacks Superpower, almost every Steel-type in the tier will have a field day with it, by either totally crippling it and walling it to hell and back, or just setting up on it. Magneton can trap most Steel-types and KO them with its powerful Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Even though Cobalion outspeeds Magneton, a Choice Scarf will patch up the latter's lower Speed stat nicely. Slowbro is also a full stop to Cobalion, and thus pairs nicely with Durant; Cobalion can even fail to 2HKO Slowbro with X-Scissor at +2, which shows how greatly Slowbro's defensive capabilities can aid Durant. Other teammates that pair up nicely with Durant to take care of Steel-types are the many powerful Fire-types in the tier; Chandelure, Houndoom, Victini, and Darmanitan can turn all Steel-types into crisps. While these Fire-types can greatly aid Durant, they are also some of its greatest enemies. Chandelure, Victini, and Darmanitan commonly wield Choice Scarves and can all outspeed Durant, making the two defensive behemoths, Snorlax and Porygon2, great teammates for Durant. Snorlax has access to Thick Fat to halve the damage it takes from Fire-type attacks, while Porygon2 can Trace Flash Fire from Chandelure, Houndoom, and Arcanine to make their STAB moves obsolete. Snorlax and Porygon2 are also full stops to Chandelure as they either resist or are immune to both its STABs in one way or another. If, however, you choose to use Superpower over Iron Head, other problems pop up. Nidoqueen resists all of Durant's moves if it lacks Iron Head, and can easily dispose of Durant with a super effective Flamethrower. Gligar is also a big, big problem, as Rock Slide pales in comparison to Iron Head as a means of taking it down. Gligar can then proceed to easily stall out Durant with Roost and repeated Earthquakes. Pokemon such as Krookodile, Suicune, Kingdra, and even Roserade are therefore great teammates. Nidoqueen is no match for these four, while Suicune, Kingdra, and Roserade can hit Gligar extremely hard. It should be noted that Nidoqueen is only 2HKOed by Iron Head, so one should pack a Pokemon to take care of it regardless of Durant's choice of moves, as a healthy Nidoqueen can come in after a teammate has gone down and spell doom for Durant.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: X-Scissor
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band allows Durant to bypass the turn of setup that Hone Claws requires, and lets it hit hard right from the start. Using Choice Band also means Durant gets much better coverage as it doesn't have to give up a slot for Hone Claws. However, Choice Band does not do anything about Hustle's accuracy drop, so one must be wary about potential misses. X-Scissor is Durant's best move; it provides great STAB and coverage, and will hit a huge part of the tier incredibly hard. Rock Slide covers most Fire- and Flying-types; Zapdos and Chandelure are the two biggest targets of this move as they resist the other three. Iron Head is a great secondary STAB move and covers threats that the other moves just can't, such as Gligar and Nidoqueen. Superpower is Durant's best option against Steel-types; all Steel-types in the tier are at worst 2HKOed by Durant's Superpower. Superpower is also the easiest way for Durant to dispose of Snorlax.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Entry hazards help this variant of Durant a lot, particularly in taking down bulkier opponents such as Suicune, Milotic, and Registeel. It can also keep the opponent from switching, and allow Durant to revenge kill it much more easily. Nidoqueen, Froslass, and Roserade are all good candidates for setting up entry hazards. Roserade and Froslass can set up Spikes, Roserade and Nidoqueen can set up Toxic Spikes as well, and Nidoqueen can also set up Stealth Rock. It should be noted, however, that Froslass and Roserade share a Fire-type weakness with Durant, so proper team support is needed when using either of those two. Rapid Spin support is also highly appreciated due to the hit-and-run nature of this set. Claydol is great option for this, as it can also set up Stealth Rock and take several special moves directed at Durant. Chandelure can pose a real problem if Durant is locked into any move other than Rock Slide; Choice Scarf-wielding Fire-types in general are huge problems. Snorlax and Porygon2 are full stops to any version of Chandelure due to their typing and abilities, while Flash Fire Pokemon such as Chandelure, Houndoom, and Arcanine can switch in on Fire-type moves directed at Durant. The lack of Life Orb leaves Durant's Iron Head unable to 2HKO Gligar and only able to 2HKO Nidoqueen at best, and both takes pitiful damage from its other moves. Therefore, Water-types such as Suicune, Slowbro, and Kingdra make good teammates. All three can hit both Gligar and Nidoqueen quite hard with their Water-type moves, while taking little damage in return.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Durant's movepool is extremely sparse, so there aren't many other options to choose from. First of all, Durant has various other physical moves, such as Thunder Fang, Aerial Ace, Crunch, and Shadow Claw. While Thunder Fang and Crunch will hit Water- and Ghost-types harder than anything else, respectively, they don't provide any additional coverage, and these Pokemon can be disposed of by Durant's STAB moves. Aerial Ace is Durant's best answer to Heracross, but it doesn't provide any additional coverage other than that, and Iron Head will usually do; after entry hazards, it will always OHKO Heracross. Thunder Wave and Toxic are two decent ways to spread status around the opponent's team, but Durant usually can't give up on a moveslot for these moves as it will lose a lot of much-needed coverage. Rock Polish is Durant's last notable option, and allows it to outspeed the entire tier with just one boost. However, Durant doesn't need more Speed, while the extra power from either Hone Claws or Choice Band is much more appreciated.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to its immense power, Durant can be hard to bring down, but it's not unstoppable. Sending in a Pokemon to finish off Durant when it has KOed one your Pokemon is absolutely the easiest way to take it out. Choice Scarf-wielding Fire-types are Durant's worst enemies, and they will set fire to its dream of sweeping an entire team. Victini, Darmanitan, and Chandelure are by far the most common ones, and just a touch of their strong Fire-type moves will be enough to bring Durant down. Chandelure and Victini also have plenty of switch-in opportunities against Choice Band Durant, as they resist at least two of its moves. While Chandelure is 2HKOed by Iron Head, and thus requires a Choice Scarf to be a solid counter, it takes pitiful damage from X-Scissor and is immune to Superpower. With proper prediction, other sets, such as Choice Specs, will be able to counter Durant as well. About the same applies to Victini as well; while it can't switch in on X-Scissor at all and it is 2HKOed by Iron Head if Stealth Rock is up, Victini can safely switch in on Superpower due to the Attack drop Durant will suffer. As you might have noticed by now, Speed is a huge factor when countering Durant. Almost all faster Pokemon, especially specially oriented ones, are good checks to Durant. Raikou is a prime example that easily outspeeds Durant and is able to blast it with a powerful Thunderbolt for an outright KO. Azelf is another great example, and even has access to Flamethrower to melt through Durant's metal plates.</p>
<p>Overwhelming Speed is not the only answer to Durant. Incredible bulk and useful resistances to Durant's moves are also great assets in taking it down. In particular, Zapdos is a great threat to Durant. Offensive versions of Zapdos can't easily switch in on Durant, especially Hone Claws variants, as Durant can outspeed and 2HKO it with most of its moves, while Rock Slide is a surefire KO. However, Zapdos can revenge kill Durant Choice-locked into X-Scissor, Iron Head, or Superpower with its powerful STAB Thunderbolt, as it easily survives any of the aforementioned moves even with Stealth Rock on the field. Physically defensive variants have an even easier time against Durant, especially Choice Band variants, which it can actually switch in on. Even after Stealth Rock damage, +1 Hone Claws Durant can fail to OHKO Zapdos 50% of the time, which allows Zapdos to swiftly dispose of Durant and possibly Roost of the damage afterward. Gligar is another huge issue for Durant. Even at +1, Durant needs Life Orb, Iron Head, and Stealth Rock up to even come close to 2HKOing it. If Durant lacks Iron Head or is locked into a resisted move, Gligar is a full stop to Durant and can just Roost of the pitiful damage Durant does to it. Suicune, with its great defensive prowess, can become a nuisance for Durant; it can't switch in on a +1, Life Orb-boosted X-Scissor, however, it can survive one and possibly burn Durant to reduce its power or just simply KO it if Durant has suffered any prior damage. Nidoqueen resists three out of four of Durant's moves and easily OHKOes with Flamethrower. Even Iron Head is not a sure answer to Nidoqueen, as it can survive a +1 Iron Head and KO Durant back. Cofagrigus is another great road block for Durant. Not only can it easily survive an Iron Head and burn Durant with Will-O-Wisp, its ability, Mummy, removes Hustle, and makes Durant much less threatening; to avoid Mummy, Durant must resort to using the much weaker Rock Slide to damage Cofagrigus, which won't do much at all. Durant that lack Superpower are completely stopped by Cobalion, Steelix, and Registeel, who can set up with Swords Dance or Curse, cripple Durant with Thunder Wave, or just Roar it out, respectively. Furthermore, even if Durant carries Superpower, it's not a guaranteed OHKO.</p>
