Ace Emerald
Cyclic, lunar, metamorphosing
Darmanitan
[Overview]
<p>Darmanitan is one of the strongest Pokemon in the UU metagame, boasting not only a giant base 140 Attack stat but also a Sheer Force boost on many powerful moves. It resides in a good Speed tier, comfortably ahead of notable Pokemon such as Heracross, Roserade, Krookodile, and Adamant Arcanine. However, Darmanitan suffers from a weakness to Stealth Rock, and its most powerful move, Flare Blitz, deals heavy recoil damage. Furthermore, its frailty, weakness to common attacking types, and lack of good resistances means it's hard to switch Darmanitan into battle. Its sweeps are impeded by a few Pokemon that can switch in without care and take any hit from it, and many of those Pokemon can even heal to prevent gradual weakening. Even so, Darmanitan has one of the most powerful attacks in the game and is definitely a force for which one should prepare.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is by far Darmanitan's most dangerous set. Its massive Attack stat combined with Sheer Force and Life Orb boosts rips through slower teams. Flare Blitz is Darmanitan's power move. It deals massive damage even to Pokemon with a Fire-type resistance and plows through any Pokemon without one. Rock Slide gets acceptable coverage beside Flare Blitz, hitting opposing Fire-types for super effective damage. With the Sheer Force boost, Rock Slide is almost as powerful as Earthquake and Stone Edge, and because it gets the Sheer Force boost, Darmanitan will not take recoil damage from Life Orb when using it. This reduces the passive damage Darmanitan takes, as well as allowing it to bluff a Choice set. Superpower rounds off Darmanitan's coverage by hitting Rock-types, such as Rhyperior, as well as bulky Normal-types such as Snorlax and Porygon2. U-turn allows Darmanitan to keep momentum by switching out of hard counters, while also dealing super effective damage to Slowbro, who could easily switch in otherwise.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread gives Darmanitan the highest possible Speed and power, while preventing Download Pokemon from grabbing a Special Attack boost. A Jolly nature makes Darmanitan faster than many important Pokemon, such as Adamant Arcanine, Timid Roserade, Porygon-Z, and Swords Dance Heracross. However, an Adamant nature increases Darmanitan's already monstrous Attack and makes it even more difficult for Pokemon to switch into it. Earthquake can be used over Rock Slide as it still hits Fire-types for super effective damage and allows Darmanitan to hit Rock-types hard without lowering its stats unlike Superpower. Fire Punch can be used as a STAB move without recoil, but it is significantly weaker than Flare Blitz. Darmanitan can use Choice Band instead of Life Orb, but the extra power generally isn't worth the inability to switch moves. Darmanitan should be paired with a Pokemon that beats the bulky Water-types that wall it. Roserade beats almost every bulky Water-type one-on-one and even provides Spikes support to help Darmanitan break the opponent's team. Raikou and Zapdos threaten bulky Water-types as well and can force them out, providing an opportunity to sweep or start blasting the opponent's team with powerful Electric-type attacks. If your team lacks the offensive pressure to keep Stealth Rock off the field, a Rapid Spin user is necessary to keep Darmanitan from losing a quarter of its health just from switching into battle. Blastoise is arguably the best spinner, and Xatu can bounce Stealth Rock back with Magic Bounce.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Rock Slide / Earthquake
move 4: Superpower / Fire Punch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Darmanitan can run through offensive teams with its heightened Speed. Flare Blitz is incredibly powerful with a Sheer Force boost added to its already high Base Power, and offensive teams often lack a good switch-in to it. U-turn allows Darmanitan to keep momentum on its side and does decent damage to Slowbro, who would otherwise be a great switch-in to Darmanitan. Rock Slide gets decent coverage beside Flare Blitz, hitting for super effective damage on both Fire-types that resist Flare Blitz and Flying-types without inflicting recoil damage. Earthquake gets even better coverage with Flare Blitz, as it hits both Rock-types and Fire-types that resist Darmanitan's Fire-type STAB for super effective damage. Superpower also hits Rock-types hard and comes with the benefit of breaking bulky Normal-types such as Snorlax and Porygon2. Fire Punch can be used alongside Earthquake as a reliable STAB without recoil. However, Darmanitan then lacks a reliable way to beat Snorlax.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set maximize Darmanitan's offensive power, while giving Download Pokemon, such as Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, a less favorable Attack boost. A Jolly nature is very important, as it allows Darmanitan to outspeed Choice Scarf Heracross, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. However, an Adamant nature does increase Darmanitan's monstrous power even more, and is worth a mention. Choice Scarf Darmanitan runs through offensive teams, so it appreciates Pokemon that can break defensive teams. Swords Dance Heracross, defensive Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Mew can all set up and break through defensive teams. Rapid Spin support is needed if your team cannot keep Stealth Rock off the field. As the best spinner, Blastoise makes a great teammate, or Xatu can be used to keep hazards off the field with Magic Bounce. Darmanitan can break through teams easier with hazards and appreciates Spikes in particular, as its counters are generally grounded. Roserade not only sets Spikes but also handles bulky Water-types that would otherwise counter Darmanitan.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>While Darmanitan only has a couple effective sets, it has a huge movepool. Encore can lock defensive Pokemon into a support move and prevent them from walling Darmanitan. Yawn can cripple a potential counter and possibly remove it from the battle due to the resetting sleep mechanics. Will-O-Wisp can ruin physical attackers that might switch into Darmanitan, such as Rhyperior and Swampert. Darmanitan can try a Substitute + Focus Punch set, but it lacks the power of its other sets. Belly Drum is very risky, but also very powerful, and it can turn Darmanitan into a powerful sweeper. Zen Mode is an interesting gimmick, but the low Speed makes it very bad.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-types are the best answer to Darmanitan as they resist its powerful Flare Blitz and have the bulk to take any of its coverage moves. Milotic and Slowbro are the best with their reliable recovery, though Slowbro must be wary of U-turn. Blastoise, Suicune, and Swampert all make great checks, but they can be worn down over time. Rhyperior is a good Darmanitan check as well, but it must be careful about repeated switches into Earthquake or Superpower. Darmanitan is easy to revenge kill, as it's very frail. Almost any faster Pokemon, such as Flygon and Mienshao, can check it.</p>