At first glance, Duskull may seem like a great wall,;(RC)(add semicolon) but due to its abysmal HP, and its weakness to the ever-present Knock Off, it only makes makes for a mediocre wall at best. Duskull lacks an offensive presence, which forces Duskull to almost solely rely on status moves to kill its opponents Duskull has to rely on status moves to kill foes, which is not a very effective strategy,(AC) as Duskull has no form of reliable recovery. Duskull finds itself being dead weight on board for most teams, as it is outclassed in almost everything it can do and cannot succesfully successfully harm most of the LC metagame. Duskull's few strengths do not outweigh its many weaknesses, leaving it a poor choice for a slot on a team. That being said, Duskull can be used effectively on some stall teams that rely on entry hazards.
Utility
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name: Utility
move 1: Pain Split
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Shadow Sneak
ability: Levitate
item: Eviolite
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD
nature: Careful
Moves
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Duskull's only form of somewhat reliabe reliable recovery comes in Pain Split, and while Duskull can take a few hits, its otherwise lack of recovery can really limit how far Duskull can go. Will-O-Wisp is Duskull's most reliable way of dealing damage,;(RC)(add semicolon) it can also cripple some sweepers,(RC) and can limit the potential of physical wallbreakers. Using Substitute allows Duskull to survive a few more turns,;(RC)(add semicolon) it can also be used for scouting. Shadow Sneak is Duskull's best way of attacking non-passively due to its priority and otherwise lack of decent options Duskull's lack of decent options,.(RC)(AP)This it also helps do deal damage to Pokemon who are weak to it, like such as Abra who that could not be damaged by Duskull otherwise.
Set Details
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Eviolite helps Duskull take hits much better,(AC) while (21 / 18 / 18) the EV spread allows it to hits hit Eviolite numbers after with a the Careful nature. maybe you should add more here, it feels so empty :(
Usage Tips
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Burning Guts users only makes them hit you harder. Will-O-Wisp can be used to burn physical attacks, but you should avoid burning Pokemon with Guts such as Timburr. Try and use Substitute on obvious switches or when the opponent has no way to effectively damage you Duskull. Substitute can also help to get off a more effective Pain Split. Knock Off is the bane of Duskull's exsistence existence, as Knock Off removes Duskull Duskull's item and does massive damage in the process.
Team Options
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Pokemon who that can absorb Knock Off like such as Miendoo Mienfoo, Shellos and Trubbish make for good teammates. Momentum-inducing grabbing(keep hyphen) moves like U-turn and Volt Switch can effectively be used with Duskull,;(RC)(add semicolon) these Pokemon also work well with entry hazard setters. Duskull can also work well with entry hazard stters setters because it can block Rapid Spin. U-turn and Volt Switch pokemon work well with Duskull because of its ability to keep hazards on the other side of the field.
Other Options
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Curse is difficult to utilize, because Duskull will just be whittled down easily. Toxic isn't very useful,(RC) due to how common switches are. Rest and Sleep Talk provide what can be considered reliabe reliable recovery, but as when Duskull is asleep,(RC) it leaves becomes it as even more of setup(remove hyphen and space) bait than it already is. Memento can support sweepers, but Duskull is diffucult difficult to use in fast-paced teams,(RC) due to it being counter-momentous. Hex and Shadow Ball are both STAB for Duskull moves, but its Duskull's low SpA Special Attack means that these attacks will do barely any damage to anything even somewhat bulky. Haze can limit setup(remove hyphen and space) sweepers,(AC) but most sweepers can still beat Duskull without a boost. Taunt could be used, but due to Duskull's low Speed, will usually allow at least one setup(remove hyphen and space) move or status move will to be used before Taunt is deployed. Destiny Bond is very limited due to Duskull's abhorrent Speed.
Checks & Counters
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**Taunt**: Taunt can leave Duskull near-useless crippled, as it can only use Shadow Sneak to defend itself after Taunt.
**Ghost types**: Shadow Sneak does not OHKO any relevant Ghost-types, while most (like Gastly) can OHKO or 2HKO Duskull with a super-effective stab STAB move.
**Substitute**: If a Substitute user is not weak to Shadow Sneak, it can effectively shut Duskull down.
**Setup(remove hyphen and space) Sweepers**: Some Setup(remove hyphen and space) sweepers do that not care for burn burns,(AC) and such as Omanyte, Scraggy, and Timburr, will continue sweeping like nothing ever happened. As Duskull can not effectively damage them, Duskull is left as setup(remove hyphen and space) bait. ie. Omanyte, Scraggy, Timburr
**Clerics and Status absorbers**: Pokemon like Clerics and status absorbers such as Knock Off Lickitung and RestTalk Chinchou can completely shut Duskull down.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types are completely immune to Wil-o-Wisp Will-O-Wisp and can shut Duskull down. Pokemon like Ponyta and Larvesta can burn and heal with Morning Sun,(AC) while Pokemon like Houndour can easily trap Duskull with Pursuit.
**Knock Off:** Knock Off removes Eviolite, rendering Duskull susceptible to KOs. Knock Off users like Pawniard, Scraggy, and Mienfoo can do significant damage with the move Pokemon such as Pawniard, Scraggy, and Mienfoo can use Knock Off to deal significant damage and remove Eviolite, rending Duskull susceptible to being KOed.
