A personal Favorite! Some comments in bold
Conkeldurr
[Overview]
Usually things sporting big red noses offer a large amounts of amusement, but oddly enough it will not be the case when certain opponents face Conkeldurr. In BW, Conkeldurr is a force to be reckon with a large 140 base attack stat which is the 3rd highest in OU. Not only does Conkeldurr have a great attack stat to dish hits out, but also has a great HP stat and decent defenses to take them in. Two other great assets Conkeldurr has are Guts and Mach Punch, allowing it to be a great team player by providing priority and status absorption. In the transition to BW2 Conkeldurr
gained the elemental punches, the most important being Ice Punch for being able to hit Gliscor extremely hard. However, BW2 has not been entirely too kind to Conkeldurr. The introduction of Tornadus-T and its large popularity can make it very difficult for Conkeldurr to sweep. The large popularity of rain tied to Tornadus-T is not kind to Conkeldurr either as he will struggle more against bulky waters that it could normally get past. If your team is looking for a bulky tank that requires little support that provides a little utility, look into Conkeldurr.
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Mach Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe IV's
[SET COMMENTS]
p>With the ability to raise its already massive attack stat and enhance its defense in one move, it is easy to see why Bulk Up has become one of Conkeldurr's most popular sets. Even with only one Bulk Up, Conkeldurr's attack reaches terrifying heights that is high enough to sweep teams. However, Conkeldurr's power is respectable enough for it to fire off attacks even without a boost; a great tactic for getting off damage early game and to regain health with Drain Punch. Conkeldurr has great bulk to find setup opportunities throughout the match and with Leftovers it has the ability to preserve that ability throughout a match. A key aspect to Conkeldurr's success is its ability to take advantage of opposing status with Guts. Guts allows Conkeldurr to act as a teamplayer by becoming a designated status absorber. In addition Guts allows Conkeldurr to avoid the attack drop from Burn which allows it to confront certain defensive Pokemon that might otherwise stop its sweep, especially bulky waters. Drain Punch is a lovely STAB move that works great in conjunction with Bulk Up because of its decent power and more importantly its ability to heal Conkeldurr half the HP of the target it just attacked. Meanwhile, Conkeldurr has two great coverage moves to pair with Drain Punch which hit a different targets. First there is Ice Punch which can smack Gliscor, a premier Conkeldurr check, right out of the sky. The wider of variety of targets that Ice Punch can hit, especially Dragons that litter the OU tier, makes it first option. However, with Ice Punch Conkeldurr will have the inability to take on Tentacruel, Jellicent, and bulky Psychic-types. On the other hand, Conkeldurr can use Payback which can easily get past Jellicent and hit bulky Psychic-types hard. Note that many of the Pokemon that run moves that can inflict burn are hit harder by Payback like Tentacruel, Jellicent, and Mew. Thus, if Conkeldurr is aimed to having a status-absorbing role on a team, Payback might be the better option. Finnally, Conkeldurr has access to an ever useful priority move in STAB Mach Punch. Mach Punch mitigates Conkeldurr's lack of speed in some capacity and is useful to clean up weakened teams if Conkeldurr needs to avoid being hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>To allow Conkeldurr to be immediately threatening with only one Bulk Up (and even without one), 252 Atk EV's and an Adamant nature are used. To put in perspective on how powerful Conkeldur is with max attack: it is at the same level of power as a +1 neutral attack nature base 90 like Scrafty. If one is using Payback, a Brave nature should be used to underspeed as many Pokemon as possible in order for Payback to reach its full 100 base power. The other 252 EV's are placed into HP and Special Defense to strike a balance between physical and special bulk, with a slight bias to special defense since Conkeldurr can boost its Defense with Bulk Up. However, Conkeldurr's EV spread is not set in stone and is open to being optimized in a variety of ways. For starters, a spread of </p>
[SET]
name: Status Orb
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Facade / Ice Punch
move 4: Mach Punch
item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
[Checks and Counters]
Conkeldurr
[Overview]
Usually things sporting big red noses offer a large amounts of amusement, but oddly enough it will not be the case when certain opponents face Conkeldurr. In BW, Conkeldurr is a force to be reckon with a large 140 base attack stat which is the 3rd highest in OU. Not only does Conkeldurr have a great attack stat to dish hits out, but also has a great HP stat and decent defenses to take them in. Two other great assets Conkeldurr has are Guts and Mach Punch, allowing it to be a great team player by providing priority and status absorption. In the transition to BW2 Conkeldurr
gained the elemental punches, the most important being Ice Punch for being able to hit Gliscor extremely hard. However, BW2 has not been entirely too kind to Conkeldurr. The introduction of Tornadus-T and its large popularity can make it very difficult for Conkeldurr to sweep. The large popularity of rain tied to Tornadus-T is not kind to Conkeldurr either as he will struggle more against bulky waters that it could normally get past. If your team is looking for a bulky tank that requires little support that provides a little utility, look into Conkeldurr.
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Mach Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe IV's
[SET COMMENTS]
p>With the ability to raise its already massive attack stat and enhance its defense in one move, it is easy to see why Bulk Up has become one of Conkeldurr's most popular sets. Even with only one Bulk Up, Conkeldurr's attack reaches terrifying heights that is high enough to sweep teams. However, Conkeldurr's power is respectable enough for it to fire off attacks even without a boost; a great tactic for getting off damage early game and to regain health with Drain Punch. Conkeldurr has great bulk to find setup opportunities throughout the match and with Leftovers it has the ability to preserve that ability throughout a match. A key aspect to Conkeldurr's success is its ability to take advantage of opposing status with Guts. Guts allows Conkeldurr to act as a teamplayer by becoming a designated status absorber. In addition Guts allows Conkeldurr to avoid the attack drop from Burn which allows it to confront certain defensive Pokemon that might otherwise stop its sweep, especially bulky waters. Drain Punch is a lovely STAB move that works great in conjunction with Bulk Up because of its decent power and more importantly its ability to heal Conkeldurr half the HP of the target it just attacked. Meanwhile, Conkeldurr has two great coverage moves to pair with Drain Punch which hit a different targets. First there is Ice Punch which can smack Gliscor, a premier Conkeldurr check, right out of the sky. The wider of variety of targets that Ice Punch can hit, especially Dragons that litter the OU tier, makes it first option. However, with Ice Punch Conkeldurr will have the inability to take on Tentacruel, Jellicent, and bulky Psychic-types. On the other hand, Conkeldurr can use Payback which can easily get past Jellicent and hit bulky Psychic-types hard. Note that many of the Pokemon that run moves that can inflict burn are hit harder by Payback like Tentacruel, Jellicent, and Mew. Thus, if Conkeldurr is aimed to having a status-absorbing role on a team, Payback might be the better option. Finnally, Conkeldurr has access to an ever useful priority move in STAB Mach Punch. Mach Punch mitigates Conkeldurr's lack of speed in some capacity and is useful to clean up weakened teams if Conkeldurr needs to avoid being hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>To allow Conkeldurr to be immediately threatening with only one Bulk Up (and even without one), 252 Atk EV's and an Adamant nature are used. To put in perspective on how powerful Conkeldur is with max attack: it is at the same level of power as a +1 neutral attack nature base 90 like Scrafty. If one is using Payback, a Brave nature should be used to underspeed as many Pokemon as possible in order for Payback to reach its full 100 base power. The other 252 EV's are placed into HP and Special Defense to strike a balance between physical and special bulk, with a slight bias to special defense since Conkeldurr can boost its Defense with Bulk Up. However, Conkeldurr's EV spread is not set in stone and is open to being optimized in a variety of ways. For starters, a spread of </p>
- 0 Speed IV's to ensure Payback hits the most amount of targets for higher damage
- Conkeldurr's EV spread can be played around with. Large amount of special defense investment can be used, but cuts on power
- A coverage move can be used over Mach Punch, but not reccomended
- Team mates that can sponge special attacks are appreciated, especially Psychic-type attacks.
- Gengar (removes Gliscor), Reuniclus, and Scizor (removes Reuniclus/Lati@s) are good offensive team mates.
- When running Ice Punch team mates that can remove Tentacruel, Slowbro, Jellicent are appreciated. These include Roserade, Celebi, Jolteon, Thunderus-T, and
[SET]
name: Status Orb
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Facade / Ice Punch
move 4: Mach Punch
item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Makes use of Guts to provide a boost in power. Power of Choice Band with the freedom to switch moves
- Provides a large amount of immediate (right word to use for waiting 1 turn?) power to wallbreak
- Longevity is a bit shorter than other Conkeldurr sets
- Conkeldurr affords an extra slot for a coverage move
- Flame Orb is preferred due to Conkeldurr being able to stay in for a longer period of time. Toxic Orb is better if you are in for less than 3 turns.
- Drain Punch is a reliable STAB move that mitigates status damage
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- EV's allow reduces the amount of burn damage each turn for Flame Orb
- Alternatively 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 SpD can be used for more physical bulk
- Faster spread that can outspeed Skarmory and Jellicent can be used. 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spd
- Payback is used to target Jellicent and other Ghost-types
- Facade is slashed with
bothIce Punch as it is Conkeldurr's strongest move. Useful for Reuniclus and other bulky psychics. Ice Punch to target Gliscor and Dragons more specifically
[*]Mach Punch acts as a powerful priority. Gives an oppurtunity to activate Flame Orb
[*]Hammer Arm can be used for a stronger STAB but it losses out on mitigating status recoil
[*]Enjoys Pokemon that can extend its longevity: specifically wish passers. Jirachi, Vaporeon, and Blissey are all great choices
[*]Depending on the coverage move team mates should target a certain threat. For example, no Ice Punch means something should be used for Gliscor like Gengar
[OTHER OPTIONS]
- CB Set
- RestTalk set that can activate Guts while asleep
- SubPunch set
- Thunder Punch for taking out Slowbro, Tentacruel, Jellicent, and Skarmory
- Sheer Force+Life Orb. Slight power increase, but loss of burn immunity and secondary effects is too much
- All-out-attacking set with Lefties. Longevity, but doesn't have the power of Status Orb or Choice Band
[Checks and Counters]
- Counter list is narrower due to the new elemental punches. Counters are dependent on what moves it carries
- Conkeldurr lacking Ice Punch will struggle against Gliscor while those lacking Payback struggle against Jellicent
- Reuniclus makes an excellent counter due to being slower and only receiving half the full power of Payback. In a similar fashion so is Slowbro
- Anything faster that isn't weak to Mach Punch with a large special attack can overwhelm Conkeldurr, paticularly Psychic types. Latios, Tornadus-T, and Alakazahm are all excellent examples of this.