Haxorus
QC: [3/3]
GP: [1/1]
[OVERVIEW]
* Haxorus is a threatening sweeper because of its Dragon typing, enormous Attack stat, access to two boosting moves in Dragon Dance and Swords Dance, and good coverage options.
* Its Speed tier is decent, but leaves it prone to being revenge killed by common Choice Scarf Pokemon.
* Haxorus is heavily reliant on Outrage for damage.
* Its bulk is average at best, but its Dragon typing gives it resistances that help it find setup opportunities.
* Mold Breaker allows it to defeat Pokemon that rely on Unaware to stop setup sweepers.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab / Iron Tail
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Dragonium Z
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Dragon Dance allows Haxorus to boost both its Attack and Speed.
* Outrage is Haxorus's strongest STAB attack, but locks Haxorus into the move and causes confusion after 2 or 3 turns.
* Earthquake hits Steel-types that resist Outrage for at least neutral damage.
* Poison Jab provides Haxorus with reliable coverage for Fairy-types.
* Iron Tail hits Fairy-types harder than Poison Jab, but is only 75% accurate.
Set Details
========
* A Jolly nature allows Haxorus to outspeed positive-natured Pokemon with base 85 Speed, Entei, Krookodile, Kyurem, and Darmanitan.
* An Adamant nature maximizes power and still lets Haxorus outspeeds Mega Aerodactyl at +1.
* Mold Breaker nullifies defensive abilities like Unaware and Levitate.
* The EVs enable Haxorus to be as fast and powerful as possible.
* Life Orb gives Haxorus the power it needs to grab crucial KOs, such as against Clefable at +1 with the appropriate coverage move and nature.
* Lum Berry lets Haxorus set up without fearing status and can snap it out of Outrage confusion.
* Dragonium Z provides Haxorus with a one-time way to circumvent Outrage's negative effects.
Usage Tips
========
* Haxorus should sweep or wallbreak during the mid- or late-game.
* Set up on weak or resisted attacks or on something that Haxorus can force out.
* Avoid using Outrage until opposing Steel- and Fairy-types have been removed.
* Wear down bulky phazers and Dragon-resistant Pokemon until they're in range of Haxorus's coverage moves.
Team Options
========
* Magneton makes an excellent partner because it can trap Steel-types that resist Outrage and pressure Fairy-types immune to Haxorus's STAB moves.
* Strong cleaners like Mega Sharpedo, Choice Scarf Infernape, Mega Aerodactyl, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Choice Scarf Mienshao appreciate Haxorus's ability to weaken defensive Pokemon that would otherwise stop them cold.
* Powerful sweepers and wallbreakers like Cobalion, Celebi, Primarina, and Decidueye can either break down Haxorus's checks and counters to enable it to sweep or take advantage of damage that Haxorus causes to the opposing team to create their own opportunities to sweep.
* Offensive Steel-types like Scizor and Bisharp resist most or all of Haxorus's weaknesses, can pressure Fairy- and Dragon-types for Haxorus, and benefit from Haxorus's ability to break through physical walls like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Gliscor.
* Entry hazard support helps Haxorus snag key KOs. Swampert, Aerodactyl, Krookodile, Celebi, Cobalion, and Nidoqueen can all set up Stealth Rock, and Klefki can provide Haxorus with Spikes and Thunder Wave support.
* Haxorus can be worn down quickly through residual damage from entry hazards and Life Orb, so hazard control from users of Rapid Spin and Defog such as Starmie, Tsareena, Mega Blastoise, and Scizor helps it stay healthy enough for a sweep.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Lum Berry / Dragonium Z
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance doubles Haxorus's already impressive Attack stat.
* Outrage is significantly more powerful than any other physical STAB move that Haxorus has access to, but it does lock Haxorus into the attack and results in confusion at the end of 2 or 3 turns.
* Earthquake hits most of the Steel-types that resist Haxorus's STAB moves super effectively and deals neutral damage to the rest.
* Poison Jab KOes Fairy-types at +2, making Iron Tail unnecessary.
Set Details
========
* A Jolly nature enables Haxorus to outspeed Krookodile, Entei, and other moderately fast offensive Pokemon like Heracross and Kyurem.
* An Adamant nature can be used for more power, but fails to achieve many more KOs than Jolly.
* Swords Dance Haxorus is most effective against slow, bulky teams. Lum Berry enables Haxorus to set up without fear of status against status-reliant defensive Pokemon like Alomomola and Slowbro.
* Dragonium Z grants Haxorus access to a single-use nuke that lacks the drawbacks associated with Outrage.
Usage Tips
========
* Swords Dance Haxorus is most effective against slower, more defensive teams.
* This set serves as a wincon against stall teams.
* Ensure that faster threats are removed before attempting to sweep.
* Swords Dance Haxorus can break defensive teams apart during the early- and mid-game and open up opportunities for other teammates to sweep or clean.
Team Options
========
* Magneton can remove Steel-types and threaten Fairy-types that prevent Haxorus from freely using Outrage.
* Cleaners like Mega Sharpedo, Mega Aerodactyl, Alakazam, and Choice Scarf Krookodile appreciate Haxorus's ability to dismantle defensive teams.
* Offensive Steel-types like Scizor and Bisharp benefit from Haxorus's aptitude at removing their bulkier checks and counters.
* Haxorus benefits from entry hazard support. Extra residual damage from Stealth Rock or Spikes helps it achieve important KOs. Swampert, Aerodactyl, Azelf, and Nidoqueen can all set up Stealth Rock. In addition to setting up Spikes, Klefki can provide Thunder Wave support, which helps Haxorus against offensive teams.
* Haxorus is vulnerable to entry hazards, so Pokemon like Starmie and Mega Blastoise that can clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin are good partners. They also benefit from Haxorus's ability to threaten special walls.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Poison Jab / Iron Tail
move 4: Superpower / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Outrage is Haxorus's most powerful STAB move and does impressive damage when bolstered by a Choice Band.
* Earthquake provides coverage for Steel-types that resist Outrage.
* Poison Jab hits Fairy-types, which are immune to Outrage.
* Iron Tail serves as an alternative coverage option to hit Fairy-types. The choice between the two comes down to whether the user values accuracy or power.
* Superpower enables Haxorus to KO Pokemon like Blissey, Shuca Berry Cobalion, and Bewear without locking itself into Outrage.
* Dragon Claw provides a reliable, consistent STAB move that avoids Outrage's drawbacks at the cost of power.
Set Details
========
* The EV spread maximizes Haxorus's Speed and power.
* A Jolly nature ensures that Haxorus outspeeds Pokemon such as Krookodile, Kyurem, Entei, and Nidoking.
* An Adamant nature grants Haxorus additional power at the cost of Speed.
* Choice Band provides Haxorus with immediate power, but locks it into a single move until it switches out.
* Mold Breaker allows Haxorus to ignore the effects of abilities like Levitate and hit Pokemon such as Bronzong and Latias with Earthquake.
Usage Tips
========
* Choice Band Haxorus serves as an effective wallbreaker during the early- and mid-game.
* Haxorus should try to catch its checks on the switch in with appropriate coverage and avoid using Outrage until Steel- and Fairy-types have been removed.
* Haxorus has enough bulk to survive a hit and remove a threat in return.
Team Options
========
* As with most wallbreakers, Haxorus can open up opportunities for cleaners like Mega Sharpedo and Mega Aerodactyl to do their jobs.
* Magneton removes Haxorus's Steel-type checks and can hit Fairy-types with its STAB moves, thus enabling Haxorus to spam Outrage.
* Sweepers like Cobalion and Raikou benefit from Haxorus's ability to break walls.
* Choice Band Haxorus switches in often throughout the course of the match and thus appreciates support from Pokemon like Starmie and Mega Blastoise that can clear hazards with Rapid Spin. In exchange, Haxorus can KO or force out special walls that these Pokemon would normally struggle with.
* Haxorus forces a lot of switches. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Krookodile, and Klefki enables Haxorus to punish switches and grab KOs more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A set utilizing both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance can threaten both offensive and stall teams with one Pokemon, but misses out on important coverage options.
* Choice Scarf allows Haxorus to surprise many Pokemon that would ordinarily outspeed it, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Alakazam, and Cobalion, but this option is outclassed by Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Keldeo.
* Dual Chop can be run over Dragon Claw where applicable in order to break Focus Sashes and Substitutes, but its accuracy is less than perfect.
* Groundium Z turns Earthquake into a powerful move that OHKOes Scizor and Doublade while also weakening checks like Forretress and Clefable. Steelium Z and Poisonium Z can strengthen Haxorus's coverage moves and provide it with a one-time nuke to remove Fairy-types, but the items listed above tend to provide more consistent value.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Forretress**: Physically defensive Forretress counters the Dragon Dance set and can switch in fairly comfortably on the Choice Band set. It resists Outrage and can 2HKO with Gyro Ball.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Scizor and Cobalion resist Outrage and can strike back with powerful STAB attacks.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types are immune to Outrage and can take advantage of Haxorus when it's locked into the move, but they must be wary of coverage moves.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Common Choice Scarf users like Hydreigon, Keldeo, and Infernape can revenge kill +1 Haxorus.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Pokemon like Hydreigon, Cobalion, Zygarde-10%, Mega Absol, and Alolan Ninetales can pressure the Swords Dance and Choice Band sets.
**Priority**: Priority users like Scizor and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill Haxorus after some prior damage.
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