[Overview]
<p>Despite receiving the Iron Fist ability from the Dream World, Conkeldurr's niche is still largely unchanged from the standard metagame—it still works best as a status-absorbing sweeper with its other ability, Guts. With a base 140 Attack, poor Speed, and decent bulk, Conkeldurr has the perfect build for a slow but bulky sweeper. Thanks to Guts, burning or paralyzing Conkeldurr only adds to its power by essentially giving it a +1 boost. Conkeldurr is one of the few Pokemon that can claim to be an offensive check to Excadrill, and when played right, it is a very dangerous threat in this metagame. Conkeldurr's usefulness does not end there, as with access to Bulk Up, it can set up to pose a formidable threat of its own. Additionally, Conkeldurr makes a decent check to threats such as Genesect and Chandelure, as it can tank a hit or two at high health and KO back. Although Fighting-types such as Breloom and Terrakion boast more Speed and the ability to boost Attack more quickly with Swords Dance, they lack Conkeldurr's natural bulk, difficulty to trap, and ease at stat boosting.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Payback / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on setting up Bulk Up boosts to attempt a sweep. Drain Punch is the primary STAB move on this set, as it allows Conkeldurr to heal off damage it might have taken when setting up. It is preferred over stronger STAB moves such as Superpower and Focus Punch as it is highly reliable; the other STAB options are unreliable or counterproductive to the set. This set also utilizes one of Conkeldurr's biggest boons in Mach Punch; this valuable priority enables it to pick off faster or weakened threats, most importantly Excadrill. Breloom, one of the few other viable Mach Punch users, lacks Conkeldurr's bulk and trades resistances to Water and Ground for weaknesses to Fire and Ice. The choice between Payback and Stone Edge depends almost entirely on your team. Payback deals heavy damage to Latios, Latias, Meloetta, and Gengar, while Stone Edge cleanly OHKOes Thundurus, Multiscale-less Dragonite, and Volcarona.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is pretty simple: Attack is maximized, and the remaining EVs are split between HP and Special Defense, which gives Conkeldurr enough special bulk to avoid OHKOs from threats such as Latios and Chandelure. However, an alternate spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD can be used to maximize Conkeldurr's Special Defense, which is its weaker defensive stat. This would allow Conkeldurr to set up on bulky Water-types much more easily, but the initial power difference is huge, and Conkeldurr would have to gain many more Bulk Up boosts in order to pose a threat. A Brave nature could be used to ensure that Conkeldurr moves second as much as possible, which would power up Payback; however, this means that Conkeldurr will lose to other Conkeldurr one-on-one.</p>
<p>Conkeldurr greatly appreciates Pokemon that can defeat Gliscor, speedy Psychic-types, and fast special attackers such as Tornadus. Mixed Tyranitar can Pursuit trap troublesome Psychic-types and deal heavy damage to Gliscor with Ice Beam to pave the way for a Conkeldurr sweep. Choice Scarf Genesect also makes a great partner as it is able to outspeed and KO most Psychic-types with its STAB Bug-type attacks. With its high Special Attack and bulk, it also makes a reliable check to most Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Status Orb
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Facade
item: Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set trades Conkeldurr's ability to set up for immediate sweeping power; it aims to use Guts-boosted attacks to strike the opponent hard without any setup. Drain Punch is a necessity for this set to heal back HP that Conkeldurr will lose to Flame Orb, while Mach Punch is very valuable priority and has an 87.5% chance to OHKO Excadrill after Stealth Rock damage. Payback hits Gengar, Latios, Latias, and Meloetta hard; they would otherwise wall this set cold. Facade rounds off the set and provides perfect neutral coverage; thanks to Flame Orb, it has a massive 140 Base Power and is Conkeldurr's most powerful neutral attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> The EV spread maximizes Conkeldurr's Attack and hits a HP number to minimize burn damage; the leftover EVs are then invested in Special Defense. Toxic Orb is an option that initially deals less damage. The cumulative damage from Toxic Orb is higher after three turns, though, so use it only if you are running Conkeldurr as a hit-and-run sweeper; if you wish Conkeldurr to stay in for long and attempt a sweep, Flame Orb is the superior option. In terms of other moves, Conkeldurr can also make use of Stone Edge, Superpower, or Hammer Arm. The former is almost exclusively for taking out Dragonite and Volcarona, while the latter two moves are stronger STAB attacks. However, both Drain Punch and Mach Punch are very valuable to this set, and the loss of either move can drastically shorten Conkeldurr's lifespan.</p>
<p>As it is continually worn down by status, Conkeldurr's longevity is greatly reduced, even with Drain Punch. As such, Pokemon that can trap and KO fast special attackers can help pave the way for Conkeldurr to sweep. Choice Scarf Chandelure and Tyranitar both make excellent partners thanks to their ability to trap and KO troublesome Psychic-types. Mixed Tyranitar and Chandelure can also KO or heavily damage Gliscor—who is a hard counter to most Conkeldurr—with their respective Ice-type attacks. Tyranitar can trap and KO opposing Chandelure as well, which greatly threatens weakened Conkeldurr with Psychic. Lastly, Choice Scarf Genesect makes for a valuable partner due to its ability to KO many problematic Pokemon, such as Latios and Tornadus.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Payback
item: Leftovers
ability: Adamant
nature: Iron Fist / Guts
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is one of the few sets that Conkeldurr can effectively use Iron Fist on. Substitute blocks status, particularly burn, and setting one up will not be too difficult considering how easily Conkeldurr forces switches. Conkeldurr can then pummel the switch-in with Focus Punch or a coverage move. Mach Punch provides valuable priority, and like Focus Punch gains a 20% power boost from Iron Fist. The third move is almost entirely dependent on your team's needs; Stone Edge quickly disposes of Thundurus, Volcarona, and Dragonite, and is the superior option if your team already has a Pursuit user or a trapper. Otherwise, Payback is preferred for its ability to hit Ghost-and Psychic-types super effectively, as they would otherwise wall this set.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread simply maximizes Conkeldurr's Attack and HP to give it optimum attacking power and bulk. Drain Punch is an option over Mach Punch to recover HP lost to making Substitutes, but priority will be sorely missed.</p>
<p>This Conkeldurr appreciates Wish support from the likes of Jirachi or Blissey; although it is in no way mandatory, a form of recovery greatly heightens Conkeldurr's effectiveness. Gliscor is one of the few hard counters to this set, as it takes little damage from Conkeldurr and can hit back hard with STAB Earthquake. Therefore, Chandelure, Genesect, and bulky Water-types make excellent partners to Conkeldurr. Choice Scarf Chandelure and Genesect can both outspeed and KO Gliscor with their respective Ice-type attacks, while bulky Water-types only fear SubToxic variants of Gliscor and can threaten back with Ice Beam or a STAB Water-type attack.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Superpower / Hammer Arm
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Adamant
nature: Guts
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Conkeldurr hits as hard as the Status Orb one does, but trades the residual damage for the inability to switch attacks. Hammer Arm and Superpower are Conkeldurr's most powerful STAB attacks, and as this set aims to hit hard and switch out, it does not mind the resulting stat drops. Mach Punch is useful priority as always; it allows Conkeldurr to clean up weakened teams by itself late-game. Due to the lack of setup moves, Conkeldurr can afford to run both Payback and Stone Edge and effectively maximize its coverage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set trades longevity for incredible power; due to that, Drain Punch is a very viable option. Although Superpower or Hammer Arm do more damage, Drain Punch will provide Conkeldurr with a semi-reliable form of healing. Once again, due to Conkeldurr's lack of Speed, the EV spread simply maximizes its Attack and HP. Conkeldurr can use a more defensive EV spread with maximum investment in one of its defensive stats, but do note that the power difference will be noticeable.</p>
<p>As always, Gliscor is the most prominent wall to all Conkeldurr. On rain teams, Manaphy makes a great teammate as it counters Gliscor very well; it can Rest off any damage and ignore status thanks to Hydration. Chandelure also works well due to its ability to trap and KO Gliscor with Hidden Power Ice, while Skarmory can effectively set up entry hazards and Whirlwind Gliscor out if it lacks Taunt. Mixed Tyranitar is an excellent partner for this set as well, as it can lure Gliscor in and deal heavy damage with Ice Beam, and also trap Psychic-types such as Latias. Genesect too can handle Psychic-types and Gliscor with its STAB Bug-type attacks and Ice Beam, respectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Conkeldurr has many other offensive options. Force Palm and Low Kick could be used to paralyze opponents or lower their Speed, respectively, but but when compared to Conkeldurr's other STAB's, they are rather weak. Earthquake is also viable, but is generally redundant with Conkeldurr's STAB attacks. Conkeldurr can make use of the Sheer Force ability to mask Life Orb damage and feign a Choice item, but the moves that benefit from Sheer Force, such as Rock Slide, Force Palm, and Poison Jab, are largely inferior as they are not too powerful even after the boost.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gliscor is the best counter to Conkeldurr, as it resists Fighting-type attacks, can heal off damage from even boosted attacks with Poison Heal, and can deal heavy damage with Acrobatics or a +2 Earthquake. Bulky Psychic-types such as Slowbro and Reuniclus can switch into Conkeldurr fairly easily and threaten a KO with STAB Psychic. Skarmory can Whirlwind out Bulk Up Conkeldurr, but should be careful as a mistimed Roost can be fatal. Flying-types makes good checks to Conkeldurr that lack Stone Edge; Dragonite can set up with Dragon Dance while Tornadus packs STAB Flying-type attacks to quickly take Conkeldurr down. Finally, well-played SubDisable Gengar can hard-counter Conkeldurr as it can Disable Conkeldurr's coverage attack. Chandelure also makes an excellent check to weakened Conkeldurr as it is immune to Mach Punch and can threaten a KO with Psychic.</p>
