Governess
A Beautiful Blossom Waiting to Bloom
[box]
[qc]1/3[/qc]
[Lavos Spawn]
[gp]0/2[/gp]
QC Rejected: 0/3
Current State: Skeleton[/box]
[qc]1/3[/qc]
[Lavos Spawn]
[gp]0/2[/gp]
QC Rejected: 0/3
Current State: Skeleton[/box]
[Overview]
- High Risk, High Reward Pokemon.
- Generally outclassed by Scizor due to Scizor having priority moves, better bulk, and overall better base stats.
- Horrible HP and Special Defense; rarely can he take a Special Attack hit.
- Poor movepool, only one viable set fit for OU.
- BW2 has introduced even more threats to Durant; Keldeo notably.
- Durant's ability Hustle is one of the few reasons Durant is useful in OU; his base Attack stat is raised to outstanding heights, one of the highest in the game.
- 109 Speed is enough to outspeed most of the OU metagame, such as Thundurus-T and Infernape, along with barely outpacing Terrakion and Keldeo.
- While he has his pros and cons, Durant is an unique Pokemon in the OU tier to use; he usually won't last long, so it's all or nothing.
[SET]
name: Hone Claws
move 1: Hone Claws / X-Scissor
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Thunder Fang / Rock Slide
item: Life Orb
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Only viable set in the OU metagame.
- Takes advantage of Hustle's immense power boost and great speed.
- Durant works as a late-game sweeper with Hone Claws to raise accuracy in attacks and potentially sweep.
- Hone Claws is the crux of this set. Increasing the accuracy lost from Hustle, Durant becomes a very effective late-game sweeper.
- X-Scissor could also be used for an All-Out Attacker set. Though X-Scissor doesn't offer much coverage to the OU environment outside of Celebi, it's a powerful STAB move.
- Iron Head as STAB move, powering through most of the metagame.
- Superpower; great coverage move, especially against Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Magnezone, and Ferrothorn.
- Final moveslot depends on your preference. Thunder Fang is useful for Pokemon such as Jellicent, Politoed, and Keldeo, that Durant would usually have issues with. Rock Slide, on the other hand, can check Thundurus-T, (Who is unaffected by Thunder Fang, and merely 2HKO'd by Iron Head) Volcarona, and Ninetales, all of which Durant can outspeed, considering they aren't equipped with a Choice Scarf.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Durant has great attacking potential, as his Hustle ability raises his Attack stat high above the clouds. Here are some calculations of Durant's power versus the top-tier defenses and threats of OU:
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 304-359 (86.36 - 101.98%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO</li>
<li>+1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Thunder Fang vs. 224 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 208-247 (63.6 - 75.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Thunder Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 268-317 (82.97 - 98.14%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 232 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 213-251 (71.23 - 83.94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Hippowdon: 292-344 (69.52 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 96 Def Magnezone: 367-434 (106.68 - 126.16%) -- guaranteed OHKO</li>
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 232 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 213-251 (71.23 - 83.94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 218-257 (51.9 - 61.19%) -- 94.92% chance to 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Gliscor: 220-259 (62.14 - 73.16%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
</ul>
- 252 EVs on Attack to increase Durant's offensive power.
- Despite the fac that 109 is an unique speed in OU, he still needs 252 in speed to speed tie with opposing Durant.
- Jolly nature to outspeed any Pokemon under base Speed 109. Adamant can be used for maximizing Durant's Attack, however, Jolly Terrakion and Keldeo can then outspeed Durant, and proceed to KO him.
- Life Orb is the preferred item, to be more versatile with it's move selection.
- Lum Berry is an option to avoid status effects that would otherwise cripple Durant. The loss in raw power from Life Orb is noticeable, however.
- Pokemon like Hippowdon and Tyranitar are great partners, as they can produce sand that can aid Durant in weakening the opponent and attacking. Heatran also has good synergy with Durant, absorbing the Fire-type attacks.
- Blissey/Chansey: Special Defensive monsters that can work well with Durant, as they take all the Special Defensive attacks that would otherwise destroy Durant.
- Terrakion is also a good Pokemon partner, handling Thundurus-T and Volcarona, both of which are part of Durant's top threats.
- Choice Scarfers are also good to Durant, as every Pokemon who outspeeds Durant can easily KO him. Having speedy Scarfers such as Starmie helps against revenge killers.
- Keldeo has risen in BW2 as one of Durant's biggest threats. Rotom-W is a great partner to counter Keldeo.
[Other Options]
- Very pitiful movepool; very few viable options left to consider.
- Traunt + Entertainment combination could be used for Choice Scarf Durant; it cripples the opponent by causing them to waste a turn in recovery
- Baton Passing moves, such as Agility and Hone Claws seem promising, but as mentioned before, Durant rarely has a chance to setup in the OU environment.
- Support moves, such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, could also be used to cripple the opponent. Though, Durant is better off at just attacking the opponent than crippling it.
- Substitute - Good for setting up and attempting to setup with Hone Claws.
- Choice Scarf is also an option over Choice Band, for more speed to revenge kill, though, the loss in power is easily noticed.
[Checks and Counters]
- Choice Scarfers; generally anything that outspeeds Durant and can take a hit from him can proceed to KO him.
- Bulky physical walls, such as Hippowdon, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Gliscor, can all fare well against Durant, as long as it doesn't carry Hone Claws.
- Fire-types, specifically Volcarona and Heatran, can easily rid of Durant. However, the former must watch out for Rock Slide, and the latter must be wary of Superpower.
- Choice Scarf Magnezone can not only trap Durant, it can also outspeed him, and 1HKO him with Hidden Power Fire.
- Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Jellicent, Politoed, Rotom-W, and Tentacruel, can take a Thunder Fang from Durant, and could either Scald or Surf Durant to get a KO.
- Opposing Steel-types, such as Magnezone, Scizor and Lucario, can check Durant; though, Lucario and Magnezone are easily handled by Superpower.
- Keldeo is a big threat to Durant; it can easily 1HKO Durant, take a Thunder Fang from him, and can easily outspeed him with a Choice Scarf.
- Special Attackers in general, such as Alakazam, Gengar, and Starmie, can easily dispose of Durant due to his pitiful defenses. Thundurus-T and Volcarona are also placed in this category, though, Durant can outspeed/check both of them with Rock Slide.