[Overview]
<p>Equipped with the highest Attack stat out of all Fighting-types in the game and three amazing abilities to further bolster its offensive presence, Conkeldurr is
known to be a fearsome attacker in OU and one reason why every team needs a reliable Fighting-type answer. Moreover, Conkeldurr is supplied with a vast movepool, including a priority move in Mach Punch and the elemental punches, making it
difficult to wall a difficult threat to not get hit hard by.
Not only is it a monstrous attacker, Conkeldurr is also backed up by its reasonable durability, unlike most other Fighting-types, and a boosting move in Bulk Up to make it even harder to deal with. It also holds a low enough Speed stat to become a formidable Trick Room sweeper. However, despite being
one of the most powerful Fighting-
types type (assuming the first sentence in the Overview is true), Conkeldurr still faces stiff competition
from with its Fighting-type counterparts, such as Breloom, Lucario, Terrakion, and even the special attacking Keldeo
,(change period to comma) all All of which have
an excellent secondary typing to give them an additional STAB attack to use, significantly higher Speed to better fulfill a sweeping role, and Swords Dance in the
former three's cases
of the former three. Additionally, even with Conkeldurr's high base 105 HP, its measly base 65 Special Defense makes it susceptible to the plethora of high-powered special attacks
in OU, such as Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump, and Psychic. Worst of all, however, is Conkeldurr's lack of Close Combat, forcing it to rely on the much weaker Drain Punch and Mach Punch as its notable STAB attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Mach Punch / Fire Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force / Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 116 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Conkeldurr's generic all-out attacking set, pounding the OU metagame with powerful coverage attacks backed up by its gargantuan Attack stat. This Conkeldurr specializes in wallbreaking and can function as an excellent partner for Trick Room teams. While
it is true that its STAB attacks are not boosted by Sheer Force and thus cause Life Orb damage, Drain Punch actually heals said damage
,(change semicolon to comma) and Mach Punch will be used sparingly.</p>
<p>Drain Punch is this set's primary attack,
being backed by STAB and a Life Orb boost while recovering Conkeldurr's HP. ThunderPunch and Ice Punch are Conkeldurr's coverage moves; the former is particularly useful against bulky Water-types, such as Jellicent, while Ice Punch is handy versus bulky Ground- and Grass-types, most notably Hippowdon and Landorus-T, as well as the
plethora of many Dragon-types
in the tier. Mach Punch is used to chip off the last portion of the foe's health without having to take a hit. It also comes in handy when facing faster Pokemon with Fighting-type weaknesses, such as Kyurem-B and Tyranitar. Fire Punch is an alternative to defeat Jirachi, Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Metagross much more easily
,(RC) and is recommended if Conkeldurr is being used on
a Trick Room
team teams.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>20 Speed EVs are used to outpace Hippowdon so that Conkeldurr can 2HKO it before it can use Slack Off. Note that 0 IVs and a Brave nature should be used if there is Trick Room support and that Hammer Arm is a great option if Conkeldurr is used on a Trick Room team to outspeed more enemies.
(are the Special Defense EVs for anything in particular?) Iron Fist is an interesting alternative ability for this set because it boosts all of Conkeldurr's attacks, but it causes Conkeldurr to suffer from recoil. It should be noted, however, that Iron Fist Hammer Arm packs an absurd amount of power, 2HKOing or OHKOing almost everything. It's also possible to run Guts with Flame Orb if you are fearful of potential burn or poison status, making Conkeldurr a reliable status absorber on offensive teams that don't run cleric support.</p>
<p>Reuniclus and Tyranitar pair up great with Conkeldurr; Tyranitar can remove many of Conkeldurr's checks, such as Gengar and Latias, while Reuniclus can set up Trick Room and has good synergy with Conkeldurr. Reuniclus can also absorb detrimental status with its Magic Guard ability. Conkeldurr struggles to defeat Pokemon such as Skarmory, who can retaliate with Brave Bird, and Sableye
,(AC) who can cripple it with Will-O-Wisp, so it is ideal to have Pokemon that can remove these counters.
Any strong Strong special
attackers attacker, such as Latios, Heatran, and Keldeo
,(AC) are decent choices for this, as they can hit both of these Pokemon hard with their
appropriate STAB attacks. Conkeldurr is also vulnerable on its special side, so Pokemon that can tank certain special attacks
,(RC) such as Psychic and Draco Meteor
,(RC) are recommended. Jirachi fits the bill perfectly,
being as it is able to withstand many special attacks aimed at Conkeldurr and
,(RC) in return,(RC) provide it with Wish and paralysis support.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts / Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Bulk Up, Conkeldurr can boost its already sky-high Attack and great Defense to impressive levels. Its natural bulk also makes it easy to boost up against many Pokemon, such as Scizor, Tyranitar, Gliscor, and Mamoswine, making it a challenging threat to take down without powerful super effective attacks.
Due to Conkeldurr
generally taking often takes repeated hits due to its low Speed,
and Drain Punch
serves a great purpose in acting as offers a relatively strong STAB attack and a means to recover the lost HP Conkeldurr takes from boosting up,
which is the main reason why Bulk Up Conkeldurr can be a difficult threat to take out. Mach Punch compensates for Conkeldurr's low Speed and provides a means to pick off weakened foes, and with such a high Attack stat, Conkeldurr hits quite hard with it.
The last slot is dedicated to Ice Punch
is used for its excellent type coverage in tandem with Conkeldurr's STAB moves, disposing of common checks
as seen in such as Gliscor, Celebi, Dragonite, and Landorus-T, among many other Fighting-type resistant Pokemon.</p>
(add line break)
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Max Attack with an Adamant nature is used to ensure Conkeldurr hits as hard as possible and to capitalize on its Bulk Up boosts. The 20 Speed EVs ensure Conkeldurr outpaces defensive Hippowdon to attack it before it can heal with Slack Off or
strike back attack itself (sounded like you were saying before it can hit itself), and the 236 Special Defense EVs compensate for Conkeldurr's low special bulk, specifically allowing it to survive a rain-boosted Hydro Pump from Keldeo 80% of the time
(accuracy factored in) (I think the second one pretty well covers it with the first but keep this if you deem it necessary) and Draco Meteor from Life Orb Latios 66% of the time (accuracy factored in). The lack of HP investment is to maximize Drain Punch healing. However, it is possible to reduce the offensive playstyle and run an EV spread of 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SpD with a Careful nature for the higher special bulk, making Conkeldurr
even harder to take down both specially and physically after Bulk Up boosts; Choice Specs Latios, one of the strongest special attackers in the game, cannot even OHKO Conkeldurr with Draco Meteor with this spread. In terms of other attacking options, Payback is the only notable move over Ice Punch in order to hit Jellicent and Slowbro
,(AC) which otherwise wall Conkeldurr,(AC) super effectively
,(RC) which otherwise wall Conkeldurr.</p>
<p>Guts is the preferred ability for several reasons. It basically acts as Conkeldurr's safety net against
the popularity of paralysis from the likes of Jirachi and Celebi, Toxic Spikes, and Will-O-Wisp and Scald users, turning Conkeldurr into an absolute menace should it get
statused crippled. Guts Conkeldurr is also a great addition
on to offensive teams that don't typically run cleric support to act as a status absorber. However, Iron Fist still holds valuable traits as well. The immediate and consistent 20% power boost to Conkeldurr's entire moveset is useful outside Bulk Up
,(AC) and
,(RC) when Conkeldurr does acquire some boosts, its Mach Punch becomes all the more threatening, capable of OHKOing threats such as Heatran, Terrakion, and Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock damage and one Bulk Up boost.</p>
<p>Jellicent is a massive roadblock to Conkeldurr's success, as it walls all of Conkeldurr's moves outside of the unrecommended Payback
,(RC) and can severely hamper Iron Fist Conkeldurr or stall out Guts Conkeldurr with Will-O-Wisp. For this reason, Celebi works very well
as a partner because it can take status without worry, thanks to Natural Cure, and can provide Thunder Wave support to allow Conkeldurr to outpace naturally faster threats. It can also take on Psychic-type attacks aimed at Conkeldurr from the likes of Starmie and Latias. Swords Dance Scizor with Acrobatics is also an excellent way to take out Jellicent and even Tentacruel, luring them both in to be promptly annihilated. Physically defensive walls, such as Skarmory and Hippowdon, are also going to be problematic. Powerful attackers that can break through these Pokemon work great, such as Hidden Power Fire Latios, Choice Specs Keldeo, and Taunt Gyarados. A more surefire answer to Psychic-type Pokemon is highly recommended, as Celebi often cannot do much back to
Latios, Latias, Alakazam, and Starmie them or is weak to their coverage attacks
,(RC) such as against Latios, Latias, Alakazam, and Starmie. Specially defensive Jirachi is a phenomenal choice to consider, as it can take these Pokemon very well and is generally a great switch-in to the many powerful special attacks that Conkeldurr would rather not take
, such as Draco Meteor and Hydro Pump. It can also provide Wish support in case Conkeldurr is not at sufficient HP to boost up and spread paralysis status in a variety of ways. In terms of more offensive partners, Choice Scarf Tyranitar is an excellent candidate to pair
with Conkeldurr
with, as it can outpace and dispose of Latias, Latios, Gengar, Espeon, and Celebi with its STAB Crunch and Pursuit, all of which can halt Conkeldurr's brutality.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set can become a neat revenge killer with Mach Punch and can hit walls extremely hard with Superpower or Hammer Arm; however, it's not worth it
,(AC) as it's not difficult for the opponent to switch into a Fighting resist
and is thus very reliant on prediction,(RC) so you are forced to constantly make good predictions to make complete use of it. Using Breloom or Terrakion are better options due to their complimentary secondary typing. A Substitute + Focus Punch set with Iron Fist can be done to decent effect, as Conkeldurr
becomes is the strongest SubPunch user in the game. The only downside to this is it's difficult to use because Conkeldurr always has to be behind a Substitute to use its only STAB move
,(RC) a disappointing feature, and when the opponent realizes your strategy, he won't allow Conkeldurr to set up unharmed Substitutes; you're better off to run an offensive set for the immediate power and no reliance on Substitute. In terms of other attacking options, there isn't much to consider. Conkeldurr can use Low Kick for heavier foes but will sorely miss the power against lighter targets, such as Jirachi. Force Palm can also be used for the 30% paralysis chance to make up for Conkeldurr's lack of high Speed, but it's illegal with Mach Punch, a priority move too good to pass up when coming from base 140 Attack.</p>
[Check and Counters]
<p>It's quite difficult to reliably deal with Conkeldurr without potentially taking a lot of damage due to its huge Attack and excellent
type coverage. Bulky Psychic-types, such as Celebi, Latias, Reuniclus, Slowbro, and Mew, are
probably (you can say "some of" or something like that, but I don't think it's too necessary) the best go-to switch-ins, as they take minimal damage from Payback and can retaliate with Psychic;
however,(AC) some of which must be cautious of Conkeldurr's coverage moves
,(RC) however. Physically defensive bulwarks, such as Hippowdon, Skarmory, Jellicent, and Gliscor, are also effective Conkeldurr checks, but
they also need to be wary of its coverage moves. Offensive Gliscor
and Scizor can also pound Conkeldurr with Acrobatics
,(RC) as well as Scizor.
Using strong Strong special attackers to puncture through Conkeldurr's low Special Defense is another method to check Conkeldurr, especially under appropriate weather; these include Latios's Draco Meteor, Keldeo's rain-boosted Hydro Pump, Dragonite's Hurricane, and Volcarona's sun-boosted Fire Blast. It's more difficult to handle Conkeldurr physically due to its high Defense and access to Bulk Up, but using strong Choice Band attackers, such as Garchomp and Dragonite for their powerful Outrage, Landorus-T with its Earthquake, and Breloom with Low Sweep (Breloom can also cripple Conkeldurr with Spore) work well when Conkeldurr is weakened enough,
and they can all all of which can tank a boosted Mach Punch.</p>
