http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/donphan
I'll get around to this.
[Overview]
<p>Donphan is a reliable Pokémon who can spin away entry hazards that are common in UU. Donphan has the ability to beat the most common Ghost-types you are likely to encounter in UU, ranging from Mismagius to Rotom. However, the lack of a reliable recovery move,and a low Special Defense stat really does hamper Donphan's ability to tank hits repeatedly. Outside of Stealth Rock, Donphan has very few support moves to take advantage of. Either way, the sturdy elephant is a solid and reliable supporter who can hit hard when the need arises.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Assurance / Stone Edge
move 4: Stealth Rock / Stone Edge / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[Set Comments]
<p>Donphan is one of the few viable Rapid Spin users in UU. His huge base 120 Attack and Defense stats are what sets him apart from Claydol and Hitmontop, two other common Rapid Spinners. He also has the ability to hit Ghost-types with Assurance. Donphan also acts as a counter to physical threats such as Swords Dance Drapion, Swords Dance Toxicroak, and Swords Dance Scyther (assuming you are running Stone Edge).</p>
<p>Rapid Spin removes any entry hazards your opponent might have laid down during the match, while Earthquake deals hefty damage to any switch-in who doesn't resist or have an immunity to it; even Spiritomb has a chance to be 2HKOed after taking damage from Stealth Rock. Assurance hits Levitating Ghost-types, namely Rotom and Mismagius, who will inevitably switch in to block Rapid Spin, dealing in excess of 75% factoring in damage from Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is another decent option as it allows Donphan to hit the likes of Moltres who are immune to Earthquake. Stealth Rock is a useful support option on Donphan, as it gets many opportunities to switch in and cause further trouble for the opponent.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Max Attack gives Donphan the ability to immediately threaten Ghost-types who attempt to switch in to block Rapid Spin. 252 HP EVs allow Donphan to take physical hits; when you consider his already huge Defense, Donphan becomes a very bulky Pokemon. As an alternative, 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe can also be run on this set, along with moves like Roar, Rest, or Knock Off, but the lower physical Defense of Pokémon in UU makes maxing out Attack a better option.</p>
<p>An alternative spread Donphan can use is 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD with Stone Edge instead of Assurance. This lets Donphan survive many special hits that would ordinarily OHKO, allowing him to check Pokemon like Alakazam, Blaziken, Moltres, and Houndoom. The additional Special Defense also lets Donphan survive a hit from defensive Milotic and Blastoise in order to spin away entry hazards in an emergency. Roar can be used with this spread as it allows Donphan to phaze Rock Polish Torterra and SubPunch Aggron, removing any stat boosts they may have accumulated</p>
<p>Donphan is best paired with teammates who can switch into Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type moves. Milotic can switch into Water- and Ice-type attacks, and her access to recovery allows her to also counter some other special attackers who give Donphan trouble, such as Life Orb Blaziken and Calm Mind Mismagius; granted, the aforementioned Pokemon are unlikely to switch into Donphan to begin with, but they can still threaten him nonetheless Grass-type attacks are covered by Scyther and Moltres, both of whom pack a 4x resistance. Although both are dangerously weak to Stealth Rock, pairing either Scyther or Moltres with Donphan is extremely beneficial because of Donphan's ability to spin away Stealth Rock, essentially nullifying said weakness.</p>
<p>If you wish to use Donphan on a more defensive team, there are several noteworthy teammates you can consider. Chansey is useful because she can switch into special attacks that threaten Donphan and can use Wish to restore Donphan's HP, who otherwise lacks recovery of his own. Venusaur has the benefit of carrying resistances to the Grass- and Water-type attacks directed at Donphan and can absorb Toxic Spikes, which cause Donphan trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Assurance
move 3: Stone Edge / Ice Shard
move 4: Rapid Spin / Ice Shard
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Donphan's base 120 Attack stat. Choice Band provides Donphan with an Attack stat of 558, which is simply overwhelming against some of the previous set's counters. For example, Spiritomb is always outsped and 2HKOed by Earthquake, while Rotom and Mismagius are always OHKOed by a 100 Base Power Assurance after Stealth Rock. When coupled with an already great physical Defense and an even higher Attack (with Choice Band equipped), Donphan is capable of putting large holes in the opponent's team with little effort.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's primary attacking option, and puts a serious dent in anyone who doesn't resist or is not immune to it. Assurance is needed to hit Levitating Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for at least 75% after factoring in Stealth Rock. The third moveslot gives Donphan an option to hit Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake. Stone Edge has a much higher Base Power than Ice Shard, making it the preferred option despite its shaky accuracy; nevertheless, Ice Shard is a useful option for its 100% accuracy and ability to prevent Torterra from walling you with ease. For the last moveslot, Rapid Spin eliminates the opponent's entry hazards, which is capitalized by this set's ability to beat any Ghost-type one-on-one. If your team does not have an issue with entry hazards, then Ice Shard can be used over Rapid Spin as well.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs maximize Donphan's offensive capabilities. Max Attack is obvious, while the rest of the EVs are placed into HP since Donphan doesn't need to outrun anyone with his mediocre base 50 Speed. The 4 Speed EVs allow Donphan to outrun base 50s, such as Chansey and Registeel, who do not investment in Speed. However, you may run 20 Speed EVs to outspeed 16 Speed Azumarill.</p>
<p>This set's teammates should handle Flying-types, Torterra, and Milotic, all of whom can switch into Donphan's Earthquake with impunity. Registeel counters most Flying-types in UU and can set up Stealth Rock to cripple the ones it doesn't. It also provides Thunder Wave support to make up for Donphan's poor Speed, though Earthquake won't 2HKO Milotic with Marvel Scale activated. Venusaur is a good counter for Milotic if your team does not have paralysis support, as he can switch into Milotic's Water-type attacks with ease and threaten her with an STAB Leaf Storm or Power Whip or set up Swords Dance as Milotic deals minimal damage. Spikes support is useful since Donphan is great at forcing switches; they can easily be set up by Omastar. Torterra is a bit trickier to handle, as not many Pokémon can switch into Torterra without the risk of getting outsped after a Rock Polish; however, having a Pokémon who can bypass Torterra's Speed with priority, such as Hitmontop, or simply having a revenge killer, such as Choice Scarf Rotom with Hidden Power Ice, is often the best response to Torterra. Defensive versions are easier to handle since you don't have to worry about taking too much damage from either Earthquake / Wood Hammer and getting outsped, but it's often best if you can just force Torterra to switch out by switching in a Pokémon likely to carry an Ice-type move. Moltres is an overall good counter, provided Torterra doesn't carry a Rock-type move, and also benefits from Donphan's ability to remove Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Offensively, Moltres is one of the best partners to this set, as it can usually sweep through a team that has been weakened by Donphan's Earthquake and entry hazard support. As mentioned many times before, Donphan has the ability to remove Stealth Rock, meaning Moltres has little reason to worry about taking any Stealth Rock damage as it switches in, something that's the bane of almost any Moltres set. Mismagius carrying Taunt is also an interesting option for an offensive partner, as with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, he gets multiple opportunities to benefit from the holes in the opponent's team made by Donphan and sweep. For example, Milotic, normally a counter to Mismagius, will often be weakened enough by Donphan's Earthquake to where she can no longer switch in and Haze away Mismagius's stat boosts.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Donphan appreciates entry hazard support since he forces many switches. Donphan is capable of setting up Stealth Rock on his own; however, Donphan can be paired with other Stealth Rock users, such as Uxie, if you'd rather have the fourth moveslot open for another attack. Spikes support works even better than Stealth Rock, since with three layers of Spikes set up, incoming foes will lose a quarter of their maximum health each time upon switching in, provided they aren't part Flying or have the Levitate ability. Omastar is a good choice to consider for laying down Spikes, since he has excellent defensive stats and can switch into a variety of UU's physical attackers, like Scyther and Drapion. Dual screen support could be helpful, but it is largely unneeded as Donphan already has a massive Defense stat and won't be switching into special attacks anytime soon.</p>
<p>Offensively, Donphan has trouble getting past bulky Water-types, Flying-types who can switch into Earthquake, and Torterra. Milotic is best handled by a Grass-type such as Venusaur, who has no problem coming into Milotic's Water-type attacks and forcing her to switch out. Venusaur can either take the opportunity to set up Swords Dance, use Sleep Powder to incapacitate Milotic, or simply attack her with Leaf Storm or Power Whip. He can easily plow through most of Donphan's counters after a Salac Berry boost as well, while Donphan is capable of handling common priority users who put an end to Venusaur's sweep. A combination of a Water- and Steel-type on your team will ensure that you can take on the majority of Flying-types in UU. Defensive Milotic is a good choice to consider for the bulky Water-type role, as Ice Beam can handle Altaria, and and Surf hits Moltres; Hidden Power Grass is an added bonus that helps Milotic take on the aforementioned Water-types. Registeel ensures both Swellow and Scyther are stopped cold, and can even provide paralysis support, making it easier for Donphan to weaken opponents who could previously outspeed. Torterra can be checked by a Choice Scarf Pokémon running an Ice-type attack, such as Rotom, as long as he's capable of outpacing max Speed Adamant Torterra after a Rock Polish; be careful when switching into Wood Hammers, though. Weezing is the best counter to Torterra in UU due to his immunity to Ground-type attacks and resistance to Grass-type attacks, along with the ability to use Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Defensively, Donphan has trouble taking Grass-, Water-, and Ice-type attacks that often bypass Donphan's poor Special Defense stat and 2HKO or OHKO. Grass-type attacks are easily resisted by Steel-, Poison-, Fire-, and Flying-types, so there are a myraid of teammates who you can use to remedy this weakness. However, the most common Grass-type, Venusaur, also has STAB Sludge Bomb in his arsenal. Scyther is a decent choice here as he can survive a single Life Orb-boosted Sludge Bomb and takes less than 30% from Leaf Storm. It should also be emphasized that Scyther pairs well with Donphan offensively, as Scyther can easily sweep after Donphan softens up the opponent's team. For example, Donphan's Earthquake can wear down defensive Steel-types, while Assurance and Stone Edge wears down Flying-types who give Scyther trouble.</p>
<p>As far as checking special attackers goes, Chansey is the best choice, as she can take on both Venusaur and Milotic at the same time. Other common teammates seen alongside Milotic and Venusaur are Registeel and Mismagius. Registeel is easily countered by Donphan as long as you avoid Toxic, as even the base 150 Defense stat won't save it from Donphan's 100 Base Power STAB Earthquake. The best way to counter Mismagius depends on the moveset he's running. Calm Mind or Nasty Plot variants running Hidden Power Fighting are easily stopped by Milotic with Haze, while Thunderbolt variants are easily countered by Steelix and Registeel. Taunt + Will-O-Wisp Mismagius is a bit trickier to handle. Life Orb Moltres is a good counter because it doesn't take much from Shadow Ball and can immediately threaten Mismagius with its powerful STAB Fire Blast. Moltres, like Scyther, greatly benefits from Donphan's ability to spin away Stealth Rock. Torterra, a counter previously addressed, is most commonly seen paired with Uxie. Any good Pursuit user who can outspeed defensive variants, such as Drapion or Absol, is a decent choice in dealing with it. Hitting Uxie with status is an alternative option in wearing it down, since it poses no immediate offensive presence and is quite easily stalled out itself.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>A combination of Rest + Sleep Talk can be utilized if your team is in essential need of a defensive tank who is guaranteed to last, but the mediocre type coverage between Earthquake and either Assurance and Stone Edge is not enough in consideration of the amount of Pokémon who can potentially set up on Donphan while asleep. Donphan can run Toxic in the fourth moveslot of either of the two sets, but it is largely unneeded when Donphan can simply eliminate common switch-ins with Earthquake or Assurance. A Rock Polish set can be considered, but Donphan lacks the Speed and type coverage to pull off a sweep most of the time. Body Slam can be used to paralyze opponents if you're lucky, but the lack of power makes it a lesser option. Poison Jab can hit Tangrowth for super effective damage, but Tangrowth's massive Defense stat makes it a worthless option. Counter can nab a surprise KO against physical attackers like Altaria. Endeavor and Flail are gimmicky options at best.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Most Water-types are capable of switching into Donphan with ease and threatening him with an STAB Surf. Both Milotic and Slowbro have enough physical Defense to withstand an Earthquake or two, with the former outpacing Donphan. Ludicolo resists Earthquake and can threaten Donphan with either of his STAB moves. Azumarill can survive one Earthquake and deal heavy damage with boosted Waterfalls. Even Blastoise can come in a few times and KO Donphan with Surf, although his lack of recovery hurts. Poliwrath can also switch into Earthquake with little trouble and deal huge damage with Waterfall.</p>
<p>Flying-types are capable of switching into Donphan's Earthquake with immunity and threatening him with boosted attacks, provided Donphan does not have Stone Edge or Ice Shard in the fourth moveslot. Moltres can scorch Donphan with a Life Orb-boosted Fire Blast, Swellow can easily wear down Donphan with a Guts-boosted STAB Facade, and Altaria can set up on Donphan with Dragon Dance and deal heavy damage with Outrage.</p>
<p>Torterra and Tangrowth can switch into any of Donphan's sets with ease due to their mighty physical Defense and KO with a super effective Grass-type attack or stall out Donphan with Leech Seed. Venusaur, while he doesn't resist Earthquake, can switch in and KO Donphan with Leaf Storm, set up Swords Dance, or put someone to sleep with Sleep Powder. Outside of Torterra and Tangrowth, Weezing is the most reliable counter to Donphan, as his high Defense and immunity to Earthquake means that Donphan will hardly be able to scratch him. Will-O-Wisp also shuts down Donphan completely, further nullifying his attempts to weaken Weezing. With some EV investment in Special Attack, Weezing can even 3HKO Donphan with Flamethrower or Fire Blast.</p>
I'll get around to this.
[Overview]
<p>Donphan is a reliable Pokémon who can spin away entry hazards that are common in UU. Donphan has the ability to beat the most common Ghost-types you are likely to encounter in UU, ranging from Mismagius to Rotom. However, the lack of a reliable recovery move,and a low Special Defense stat really does hamper Donphan's ability to tank hits repeatedly. Outside of Stealth Rock, Donphan has very few support moves to take advantage of. Either way, the sturdy elephant is a solid and reliable supporter who can hit hard when the need arises.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Assurance / Stone Edge
move 4: Stealth Rock / Stone Edge / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[Set Comments]
<p>Donphan is one of the few viable Rapid Spin users in UU. His huge base 120 Attack and Defense stats are what sets him apart from Claydol and Hitmontop, two other common Rapid Spinners. He also has the ability to hit Ghost-types with Assurance. Donphan also acts as a counter to physical threats such as Swords Dance Drapion, Swords Dance Toxicroak, and Swords Dance Scyther (assuming you are running Stone Edge).</p>
<p>Rapid Spin removes any entry hazards your opponent might have laid down during the match, while Earthquake deals hefty damage to any switch-in who doesn't resist or have an immunity to it; even Spiritomb has a chance to be 2HKOed after taking damage from Stealth Rock. Assurance hits Levitating Ghost-types, namely Rotom and Mismagius, who will inevitably switch in to block Rapid Spin, dealing in excess of 75% factoring in damage from Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is another decent option as it allows Donphan to hit the likes of Moltres who are immune to Earthquake. Stealth Rock is a useful support option on Donphan, as it gets many opportunities to switch in and cause further trouble for the opponent.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Max Attack gives Donphan the ability to immediately threaten Ghost-types who attempt to switch in to block Rapid Spin. 252 HP EVs allow Donphan to take physical hits; when you consider his already huge Defense, Donphan becomes a very bulky Pokemon. As an alternative, 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe can also be run on this set, along with moves like Roar, Rest, or Knock Off, but the lower physical Defense of Pokémon in UU makes maxing out Attack a better option.</p>
<p>An alternative spread Donphan can use is 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD with Stone Edge instead of Assurance. This lets Donphan survive many special hits that would ordinarily OHKO, allowing him to check Pokemon like Alakazam, Blaziken, Moltres, and Houndoom. The additional Special Defense also lets Donphan survive a hit from defensive Milotic and Blastoise in order to spin away entry hazards in an emergency. Roar can be used with this spread as it allows Donphan to phaze Rock Polish Torterra and SubPunch Aggron, removing any stat boosts they may have accumulated</p>
<p>Donphan is best paired with teammates who can switch into Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type moves. Milotic can switch into Water- and Ice-type attacks, and her access to recovery allows her to also counter some other special attackers who give Donphan trouble, such as Life Orb Blaziken and Calm Mind Mismagius; granted, the aforementioned Pokemon are unlikely to switch into Donphan to begin with, but they can still threaten him nonetheless Grass-type attacks are covered by Scyther and Moltres, both of whom pack a 4x resistance. Although both are dangerously weak to Stealth Rock, pairing either Scyther or Moltres with Donphan is extremely beneficial because of Donphan's ability to spin away Stealth Rock, essentially nullifying said weakness.</p>
<p>If you wish to use Donphan on a more defensive team, there are several noteworthy teammates you can consider. Chansey is useful because she can switch into special attacks that threaten Donphan and can use Wish to restore Donphan's HP, who otherwise lacks recovery of his own. Venusaur has the benefit of carrying resistances to the Grass- and Water-type attacks directed at Donphan and can absorb Toxic Spikes, which cause Donphan trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Assurance
move 3: Stone Edge / Ice Shard
move 4: Rapid Spin / Ice Shard
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Donphan's base 120 Attack stat. Choice Band provides Donphan with an Attack stat of 558, which is simply overwhelming against some of the previous set's counters. For example, Spiritomb is always outsped and 2HKOed by Earthquake, while Rotom and Mismagius are always OHKOed by a 100 Base Power Assurance after Stealth Rock. When coupled with an already great physical Defense and an even higher Attack (with Choice Band equipped), Donphan is capable of putting large holes in the opponent's team with little effort.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's primary attacking option, and puts a serious dent in anyone who doesn't resist or is not immune to it. Assurance is needed to hit Levitating Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for at least 75% after factoring in Stealth Rock. The third moveslot gives Donphan an option to hit Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake. Stone Edge has a much higher Base Power than Ice Shard, making it the preferred option despite its shaky accuracy; nevertheless, Ice Shard is a useful option for its 100% accuracy and ability to prevent Torterra from walling you with ease. For the last moveslot, Rapid Spin eliminates the opponent's entry hazards, which is capitalized by this set's ability to beat any Ghost-type one-on-one. If your team does not have an issue with entry hazards, then Ice Shard can be used over Rapid Spin as well.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs maximize Donphan's offensive capabilities. Max Attack is obvious, while the rest of the EVs are placed into HP since Donphan doesn't need to outrun anyone with his mediocre base 50 Speed. The 4 Speed EVs allow Donphan to outrun base 50s, such as Chansey and Registeel, who do not investment in Speed. However, you may run 20 Speed EVs to outspeed 16 Speed Azumarill.</p>
<p>This set's teammates should handle Flying-types, Torterra, and Milotic, all of whom can switch into Donphan's Earthquake with impunity. Registeel counters most Flying-types in UU and can set up Stealth Rock to cripple the ones it doesn't. It also provides Thunder Wave support to make up for Donphan's poor Speed, though Earthquake won't 2HKO Milotic with Marvel Scale activated. Venusaur is a good counter for Milotic if your team does not have paralysis support, as he can switch into Milotic's Water-type attacks with ease and threaten her with an STAB Leaf Storm or Power Whip or set up Swords Dance as Milotic deals minimal damage. Spikes support is useful since Donphan is great at forcing switches; they can easily be set up by Omastar. Torterra is a bit trickier to handle, as not many Pokémon can switch into Torterra without the risk of getting outsped after a Rock Polish; however, having a Pokémon who can bypass Torterra's Speed with priority, such as Hitmontop, or simply having a revenge killer, such as Choice Scarf Rotom with Hidden Power Ice, is often the best response to Torterra. Defensive versions are easier to handle since you don't have to worry about taking too much damage from either Earthquake / Wood Hammer and getting outsped, but it's often best if you can just force Torterra to switch out by switching in a Pokémon likely to carry an Ice-type move. Moltres is an overall good counter, provided Torterra doesn't carry a Rock-type move, and also benefits from Donphan's ability to remove Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Offensively, Moltres is one of the best partners to this set, as it can usually sweep through a team that has been weakened by Donphan's Earthquake and entry hazard support. As mentioned many times before, Donphan has the ability to remove Stealth Rock, meaning Moltres has little reason to worry about taking any Stealth Rock damage as it switches in, something that's the bane of almost any Moltres set. Mismagius carrying Taunt is also an interesting option for an offensive partner, as with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, he gets multiple opportunities to benefit from the holes in the opponent's team made by Donphan and sweep. For example, Milotic, normally a counter to Mismagius, will often be weakened enough by Donphan's Earthquake to where she can no longer switch in and Haze away Mismagius's stat boosts.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Donphan appreciates entry hazard support since he forces many switches. Donphan is capable of setting up Stealth Rock on his own; however, Donphan can be paired with other Stealth Rock users, such as Uxie, if you'd rather have the fourth moveslot open for another attack. Spikes support works even better than Stealth Rock, since with three layers of Spikes set up, incoming foes will lose a quarter of their maximum health each time upon switching in, provided they aren't part Flying or have the Levitate ability. Omastar is a good choice to consider for laying down Spikes, since he has excellent defensive stats and can switch into a variety of UU's physical attackers, like Scyther and Drapion. Dual screen support could be helpful, but it is largely unneeded as Donphan already has a massive Defense stat and won't be switching into special attacks anytime soon.</p>
<p>Offensively, Donphan has trouble getting past bulky Water-types, Flying-types who can switch into Earthquake, and Torterra. Milotic is best handled by a Grass-type such as Venusaur, who has no problem coming into Milotic's Water-type attacks and forcing her to switch out. Venusaur can either take the opportunity to set up Swords Dance, use Sleep Powder to incapacitate Milotic, or simply attack her with Leaf Storm or Power Whip. He can easily plow through most of Donphan's counters after a Salac Berry boost as well, while Donphan is capable of handling common priority users who put an end to Venusaur's sweep. A combination of a Water- and Steel-type on your team will ensure that you can take on the majority of Flying-types in UU. Defensive Milotic is a good choice to consider for the bulky Water-type role, as Ice Beam can handle Altaria, and and Surf hits Moltres; Hidden Power Grass is an added bonus that helps Milotic take on the aforementioned Water-types. Registeel ensures both Swellow and Scyther are stopped cold, and can even provide paralysis support, making it easier for Donphan to weaken opponents who could previously outspeed. Torterra can be checked by a Choice Scarf Pokémon running an Ice-type attack, such as Rotom, as long as he's capable of outpacing max Speed Adamant Torterra after a Rock Polish; be careful when switching into Wood Hammers, though. Weezing is the best counter to Torterra in UU due to his immunity to Ground-type attacks and resistance to Grass-type attacks, along with the ability to use Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Defensively, Donphan has trouble taking Grass-, Water-, and Ice-type attacks that often bypass Donphan's poor Special Defense stat and 2HKO or OHKO. Grass-type attacks are easily resisted by Steel-, Poison-, Fire-, and Flying-types, so there are a myraid of teammates who you can use to remedy this weakness. However, the most common Grass-type, Venusaur, also has STAB Sludge Bomb in his arsenal. Scyther is a decent choice here as he can survive a single Life Orb-boosted Sludge Bomb and takes less than 30% from Leaf Storm. It should also be emphasized that Scyther pairs well with Donphan offensively, as Scyther can easily sweep after Donphan softens up the opponent's team. For example, Donphan's Earthquake can wear down defensive Steel-types, while Assurance and Stone Edge wears down Flying-types who give Scyther trouble.</p>
<p>As far as checking special attackers goes, Chansey is the best choice, as she can take on both Venusaur and Milotic at the same time. Other common teammates seen alongside Milotic and Venusaur are Registeel and Mismagius. Registeel is easily countered by Donphan as long as you avoid Toxic, as even the base 150 Defense stat won't save it from Donphan's 100 Base Power STAB Earthquake. The best way to counter Mismagius depends on the moveset he's running. Calm Mind or Nasty Plot variants running Hidden Power Fighting are easily stopped by Milotic with Haze, while Thunderbolt variants are easily countered by Steelix and Registeel. Taunt + Will-O-Wisp Mismagius is a bit trickier to handle. Life Orb Moltres is a good counter because it doesn't take much from Shadow Ball and can immediately threaten Mismagius with its powerful STAB Fire Blast. Moltres, like Scyther, greatly benefits from Donphan's ability to spin away Stealth Rock. Torterra, a counter previously addressed, is most commonly seen paired with Uxie. Any good Pursuit user who can outspeed defensive variants, such as Drapion or Absol, is a decent choice in dealing with it. Hitting Uxie with status is an alternative option in wearing it down, since it poses no immediate offensive presence and is quite easily stalled out itself.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>A combination of Rest + Sleep Talk can be utilized if your team is in essential need of a defensive tank who is guaranteed to last, but the mediocre type coverage between Earthquake and either Assurance and Stone Edge is not enough in consideration of the amount of Pokémon who can potentially set up on Donphan while asleep. Donphan can run Toxic in the fourth moveslot of either of the two sets, but it is largely unneeded when Donphan can simply eliminate common switch-ins with Earthquake or Assurance. A Rock Polish set can be considered, but Donphan lacks the Speed and type coverage to pull off a sweep most of the time. Body Slam can be used to paralyze opponents if you're lucky, but the lack of power makes it a lesser option. Poison Jab can hit Tangrowth for super effective damage, but Tangrowth's massive Defense stat makes it a worthless option. Counter can nab a surprise KO against physical attackers like Altaria. Endeavor and Flail are gimmicky options at best.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Most Water-types are capable of switching into Donphan with ease and threatening him with an STAB Surf. Both Milotic and Slowbro have enough physical Defense to withstand an Earthquake or two, with the former outpacing Donphan. Ludicolo resists Earthquake and can threaten Donphan with either of his STAB moves. Azumarill can survive one Earthquake and deal heavy damage with boosted Waterfalls. Even Blastoise can come in a few times and KO Donphan with Surf, although his lack of recovery hurts. Poliwrath can also switch into Earthquake with little trouble and deal huge damage with Waterfall.</p>
<p>Flying-types are capable of switching into Donphan's Earthquake with immunity and threatening him with boosted attacks, provided Donphan does not have Stone Edge or Ice Shard in the fourth moveslot. Moltres can scorch Donphan with a Life Orb-boosted Fire Blast, Swellow can easily wear down Donphan with a Guts-boosted STAB Facade, and Altaria can set up on Donphan with Dragon Dance and deal heavy damage with Outrage.</p>
<p>Torterra and Tangrowth can switch into any of Donphan's sets with ease due to their mighty physical Defense and KO with a super effective Grass-type attack or stall out Donphan with Leech Seed. Venusaur, while he doesn't resist Earthquake, can switch in and KO Donphan with Leaf Storm, set up Swords Dance, or put someone to sleep with Sleep Powder. Outside of Torterra and Tangrowth, Weezing is the most reliable counter to Donphan, as his high Defense and immunity to Earthquake means that Donphan will hardly be able to scratch him. Will-O-Wisp also shuts down Donphan completely, further nullifying his attempts to weaken Weezing. With some EV investment in Special Attack, Weezing can even 3HKO Donphan with Flamethrower or Fire Blast.</p>
