Darkrai [Done]

Pocket

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If you're busy, then you shouldn't take on another analysis, especially with 6 WIPs :O
 
Overview
  • I really think the first paragraph is far too vague; there is little discussed about the benefits of its Dark STAB, and a lack of EXAMPLES. Make sure to mention some Pokemon it helps check/KO and mention some of its offensive of supportive movepool.
  • The second paragraph has no mention of how speed control, particularly Trick Room, gives it loads of trouble (I swear I saw this mentioned when I was checking the skeleton awhile back). You also lack examples here, too.
  • You also use a lot of abbreviations here (SpAtk, for example), which need to be fixed
Set
  • By the looks of things, I'm assume "Trick" in slot 3 is supposed to be Taunt?
Set Comments
  • Once again, examples are a good idea here, mention specific threats each move covers; you do it for some attacks, but others you don't
  • "Finally, Protect is basically mandatory on almost every single pokemon in doubles." -I know it seems incredibly obvious why you would run Protect to you (and almost anyone who is doing these write ups), but for the people new to Doubles (aka the people who will read this), it isn't, so explain why we use Protect on everything
Additional Comments
  • "however, you can use a Modest nature if that is not a concern, and still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion." -With only 184 Spe, Darkrai will not outspeed Jolly Terrakion, so you will need to mention an alternative spread for Modest Darkrai that does this
  • Partners seems a bit short; expand on how each partner works alongside Darkrai with a bit more detail
Other Options
  • "The biggest other option that Darkrai has would be the Support set" -Biggest is not always best :)
  • ~Don't have enough time, will finish checking things later~
In general, it looks (to me at least) like you did this very hastily. You seem to have missed a lot of details from the skeleton (or at least the skeleton in my memory given the actual one seems to have disappeared). I'd highly recommend going over the skeleton again to make sure you have everything written.
 

nyttyn

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I gave it a second run-through. Abbrevations fixed, examples added in Cress and Mush, coverage mentioned, and speed control mentioned.

By the looks of things, I'm assume "Trick" in slot 3 is supposed to be Taunt?
Accidental. Fixed.

"however, you can use a Modest nature if that is not a concern, and still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion." -With only 184 Spe, Darkrai will not outspeed Jolly Terrakion, so you will need to mention an alternative spread for Modest Darkrai that does this
This was a accidental relic of switching to Pocket's spread. Fixed.

Set Comments
I elaborated on Protect, but there's nothing to be really added for partners - they just kill things for Darkrai, or Darkrai kills for them. For example, it should be incredibly obvious that Chandelur uses Fire-type attacks, as it's a fire type, and fire attacks murder steel-types etc. The sentence before them describes what they do perfectly well, and unless there is a specific need, further elaboration would be redundant.

Other Options
Changed for most obvious, but more of a G/P thing.



Also, unlss it's something I'm blatantly overlooking, I'm missing no details from the skeleton (and there were a fuckton of things in the skeleton once all was said and done. I even included spacial rend because it was insisted upon. spacial rend.)


p.s. who the hell set darkrai to qc 0/3 and didn't say anything, im switching it back to 2/3 unless there is an actual reason (and if there is you need to tell me)
 
On a quick overview the only thing I see is a misspelling of Politoed in Checks and Counters.
Also, couldn't Breloom be considered a Check? 252 Atk Life Orb Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Darkrai: 281-330 (99.64 - 117.02%) -- 93.75% chance to OHKO, and that's with a Jolly Nature.
 
This is really promising, all the main points are here. Here are my suggested improvements:

[Overview] - Steel-, Fighting- and Dark-types aren't common? In the most recent 1850 usage stats, Tyranitar is #2, Hitmontop is #4, and Heatran is #5.
I'd also say there's absolutely nothing Darkrai can't hit for neutral damage: Dark Pulse and Focus Blast already cover everything bar Heracross and Toxicroak.

[OO] - Explain the spread for the support set.

[C&C] -Virizion is so rare it's barely worth mentioning. Various other Fighting-types possibly are, but you could just say "Fighting-types".
 

Pocket

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I agree with what noobcubed said, except for the last point. I discourage people from simply listing out generalized groups of counter. I want people to list out the specific Pokemon like nyttyn did. nyttyn, your Checks and Counters do lack organization, though. You should start out by stating that Fighting-types counter Darkrai, and follow this by listing and describing these Pokemon.

Remove
Add
Comments


[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
(add Space Here; same goes for Other Options)
While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it, and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scizor, Genesect, and Escalvaier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it in turn dies in one hit from Darkrai. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai and heal at the same time, but falls to Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic. (group Fighting-types, together). Bug / Steel-types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escalvaier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its blazingly fast speed against it, making it easy pickings. Bulky Thundurus-T, and by extention Thunder Wave, cripples Darkrai's speed, leaving it open to death by just about anything. Anything specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, such as Plitoed Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus, and Jirachi also give Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds and deals massive damage, such as the weather sweepers (Excadrill, Kingdra, etc) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it in turn dies in one hit from Darkrai. (move Deoxys-A where you talk about faster Pokemon)

Implement noobcubed and my changes plz
 

nyttyn

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qc 3/3 already pls also virizion still worth mentioning it is a menace (also steels, darks, and fites are common just because of ttar/heaty/top usage alone, with fite also being bosted by fite coverage on everything ever)
 

Pocket

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Oh, sorry, nyttyn!

I added some of the corrections and formatting errors you missed (NOTE: [ADDITIONAL COMMENTS] is all capitalized, whereas [Other Options] and [Checks and Counters] only have their first letters capitalized)

Also wrap every paragraph with <p></p> I did this for you in the overview as an example
 
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GatoDelFuego

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nyttyn

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[OVERVIEW]

<p>Power, Speed, and versatility&mdash;it's hard to find all of these things in a single package, but Darkrai has all three. Possessing an extremely blazingly fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and supportive. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top supportive Pokemon like Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral damage. Plus, it has style.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Drakrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70/90/90, (RC) and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Drakrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to a high-power STAB, or a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermine its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, in spite of the size of its movepool, like every any Pokemon, Darkrai can only use four moves at a time, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thought Darkrai has a lot of tricks, his its standard set is pretty straightforward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB, while Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, as Ice is extremely useful for coverage, especially with many top-tier Doubles threats being weak to Ice. For the third moveslot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Miss Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option, due to Darkrai not being the hugest fan of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt can give you gives access due to the much-coveted BoltBeam coverage combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvaier, and Ferrothorn. Be sure to run 31/2/31/30/31/30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, you can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option, (RC) as well as and useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, you can also use a Chople Berry to keep it from instantly dying when a Fighting-type sneezes on it. The EVs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but however, you can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed EVs if that and the additional bulk are not a concern, (RC) and still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option, as is likewise, Blizzard is an option should you run Darkrai with hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work, as Darkrai is too frail to take a hit. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pesudo-Protect against everything slower then Darkrai (almost all of Doubles), (RC) and to provide it with a shield should you properly predict/use Fake Out/Rage Powder. Psychic is an option, (RC) if you're scared of Fighting-types. Finally, (AC) if you desire more utility, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, who would which appreciate Psychic- and Ghost-types Pokemon removed from the field. Pokemon who that can remove Fighting- and Steel-types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has, in order to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats, would be the a support set, which holds a Sitrus Berry, has 252 HP / 112 SAtk / 144 Spd EVs, a Timid nature, Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-O-Wisp, and Taunt. The EVs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after a Icy Wind drop, (RC) with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team, (RC) and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Sucuine, Raikou, and Cresselia, though its ability to drop Special Attack with a decent STAB move punch behind it is not to be underestimated.</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread option to Darkrai, however but lukewarm its power might not be optimal. Choice Specs with Trick can be a option, (RC) if more power is desired out of the gate. Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-neutral Dragons, (RC) and provides pretty decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis, with Gravity support, is an option. Psych Up can be used in some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and for speed control. Torment, in the right team, could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without the HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it, (RC) and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai and heal at the same time, but falls to Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel - types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escalvaier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its blazingly fast Speed against it, making it easy pickings. Bulky Thundurus-T, and by extention Thunder Wave, cripples Darkrai's Speed, leaving it open to death by just about anything. Anything specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, such as Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus, and Jirachi also give Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds and deals massive damage, such as the weather sweepers (Excadrill, Kingdra, etc) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it in turn dies in one hit from Darkrai.</p>

1/2

Be careful with your spacing when using -types

And change your title!
 
Last edited:
nyttyn
GP check
Same colors

[OVERVIEW]

<p>Power, Speed, and versatility&mdash;it's hard to find all of these things in a single package,(RC) &mdash;but Darkrai has all three. Possessing an extremely fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and supportive. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top supportive support Pokemon like such as Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral damage. Plus, it has <em>style</em>.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Drakrai Darkrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70/90/90 (spaces before and after slashes) and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Drakrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to a high-powered STAB, or a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermine its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, in spite of the size of its movepool, like any Pokemon, Darkrai can only use four moves at a time, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thought Darkrai has a lot of tricks, its standard set is pretty straightforward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB, while Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, as Ice is extremely useful for coverage, especially with many top-tier Doubles threats being weak to Ice. For the third moveslot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option, due to Darkrai not being the hugest fan of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt gives access to the much-coveted BoltBeam combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvaier, and Ferrothorn. Be sure to run 31/2/31/30/31/30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, you Darkrai can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option and useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, you can also use a Chople Berry to keep it from instantly dying when a Fighting-type sneezes on it. The EVs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but you Darkrai can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed EVs if that said Pokemon and the additional bulk are not a concern and to still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option, as is Blizzard should you run Darkrai with hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work, as Darkrai is too frail to take a hit. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pseudo-Protect against everything slower then Darkrai (almost all of Doubles) and to provide it with a shield should you Darkrai properly predict/use Fake Out/Rage Powder use it with Fake Out or Rage Powder support from its teammates. Psychic is an option if you're scared of Fighting-types (mention what they do; wall it? fuck it up? this is a very vague statement). Finally, if you desire for Darkrai to have more utility, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, which appreciate Psychic- and Ghost-types removed from the field. Pokemon that can remove Fighting- and Steel-types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has, in order to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats, would be set, which holds a Sitrus Berry, has a set with a Sitrus Berry and an EV spread of 252 HP / 112 SAtk SpA / 144 Spd Spe EVs, alongside a Timid nature, having the moves Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-O-Wisp, and Taunt. The EVs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after a Icy Wind drop,(AC) with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Suicune, Raikou, and Cresselia, though its ability to drop Special Attack with a decent STAB move is not to be underestimated.</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread option to move for Darkrai to hit foes with, but its power might not be optimal. A Choice Specs set with Trick can be a option if more power is desired out of the gate(cool idiom). Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-neutral Dragons and provides pretty decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis,(RC) in conjunction with Gravity support,(RC) is an option. Psych Up can be used in on some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and for speed control. Torment, in on the right team,(RC) could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens Darkrai with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai with Drain Punch and heal itself at the same time, but falls to a Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escavalier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its fast Speed against it, making it easy pickings. Bulky Thundurus-T(i believe this is what you meant), and by extention Thunder Wave, cripples cuts down on Darkrai's Speed, leaving it open to death a KO by just about anything. Anything that is specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, such as examples being Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus, and Jirachi also gives Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds Darkrai and deals massive damage to it, such as the weather sweepers (particularly Excadrill,(RC) and Kingdra, etc) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it is OHKOed in turn dies in one hit from by Darkrai.</p>

So nyttyn , while the analysis in itself was quite good, I've never seen gato make that many changes, and there were many silly typos (no offence intended). I don't really feel that this fix alone is enough, so I'll keep this at 2/3 or whatever. Sorry, and hope you understand! n_n
i will check this myself or some other gp checker will later
 

Electrolyte

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Third and last GP check, nyttyn

ADD
Remove
(COMMENTS)

[OVERVIEW]

<p>Power, speed, and versatility
&mdash;-(RemoveHyphen)it's hard to find all of these things in a single package, but Darkrai has all three. Possessing a blazingly fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and supportive. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top supportive Pokemon such as like Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many other Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral. Plus, it has style.</p>
(ok so that last bit is kind of weird to see in a formal analysis. You should probably take that off but it's your choice.)

<p>Unfortunately, Drakrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70/90/90
,(RC) and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Drakrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to neither a high-power STAB,(RC) nor a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermining its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (Paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, in spite of the size of its movepool, like every any Pokemon, Darkrai can only use four moves at a time, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Though
t Darkrai has a lot of tricks, his standard set is pretty straight forward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB. Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, as Ice-type is extremely useful for coverage, especially with many top-tier Doubles threats being weak to Ice. For the third move slot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Miss Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option,(RC) due to Darkrai not being the hugest fan of Steel-(removespace)types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt can give you better offensive coverage access due to the much coveted BoltBeam coverage combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-(AddHyphen)types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvalier, and Ferrothorn. Run 31/2/31/30/31/30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, you can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option,(RC) as well as useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves effects such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>
stall out effects, not the moves.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]


<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, you can also use a Chople Berry to keep it from instantly dying when a Fighting-(AddHyphen)type sneezes on it. The evs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar,(RC);(AddSemicolon) however, you can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed evs if that and the additional bulk are not a concern, and still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option,(RC);(AddSemicolon) likewise, Blizzard is an option should you run Darkrai with Hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pesudo-protect against everything slower then than Darkrai (almost all of Doubles), and to provide it with a shield should you properly predict /(RemoveSlash) or use Fake Out/Rage Powder. Psychic is an option,(RC) if you're scared of Fighting-(AddHyphen)types. Finally,(AC) if you desire more utility, Will-o-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, who would appreciate Psychic- and Ghost- type Pokemon removed from the field. Pokemon who can remove Fighting- and Steel- types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has,(RC) to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats,(RC) would be the support set, which holds a Sitrus Berry, has 252 HP / 112 SAtk / 144 Spd evs, a Timid nature, Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-o-Wisp, and Taunt. The evs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after an Icy Wind drop, with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team, and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Sucuine, Raikou, and Cresselia, though its ability to drop Special Attack with a decent punch behind it is not to be underestimated.</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread option to Darkrai, however lukewarm its power might be. Choice Specs with Trick can be an option,(RC) if more power is desired out of the gate. Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-(AddHyphen)neutral dragons, and provides pretty decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis, with Gravity support, is an option. Psych Up can be used in some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and for speed control. Torment, in the right team, could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without the HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it, and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai and heal at the same time, but falls to Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel-types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escalvaier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its blazingly fast speed against it, making it easy pickings to pick off. Bulky Thundurus-T, and by extention Thunder Wave, cripples Darkrai's speed, leaving it open to death by just about anything. Anything specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, such as Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus, and Jirachi also give Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds and deals massive damage, such as the weather sweepers (Excadrill, Kingdra, etc) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it in turn dies in one hit from Darkrai.</p>

Unfortunately, there were still many, many mistakes in this analysis when I looked over it, so it's a good thing kingler requested for another set of eyes to look it over. There were many common grammatical errors- such as not using an (vowel)- and many PokeGrammar mistakes - such as not capitalizing "Pokemon." Nyttyn, I strongly suggest you to read the spelling and grammar standard as well as read over your own works to make sure you clear any simple grammatical mistakes before it goes through GP. Also just be careful to implement every change a GP member suggests; you missed quite a few of Kingler's edits.

Either way, this is GP 3/3



Nice work, everybody.
EDIT: lmao done almost half a year later
 
Last edited:

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
A few things that weren't covered:
  • EVs > evs in AC
  • evs > EVs under [SET]
  • Fix the spelling of Darkrai in the first sentence of the second paragraph in the Overview
  • 70 / 90 / 90 > 70/90/90 (Overview)
  • Bug / Steel types > Bug / Steel-types (in C&C)
  • Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-(AddHyphen)neutral dragons, and provides pretty decent neutral coverage.
  • Change this to "Spacial Rend can be used to hit Dragon-types neutral to Ice, and provides decent neutral coverage in general."
  • paralysis > Paralysis
  • 31 / 2 / 31 / 30 / 31 / 30 > 31/2/31/30/31/30 (In AC)
  • Review over the three checks please, as many changes were not implemented
Use Ctrl+F to help you. Sorry this is a bit unorganized, I'm in a rush :(

So... uhh... I guess this is GP 4/3
 

nyttyn

From Now On, We'll...
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnus
Also just be careful to implement every change a GP member suggests; you missed quite a few of Kingler's edits.
  • Review over the three checks please, as many changes were not implemented
Yes. This is on account of the fact that I haven't actually had a chance until today to even edit the post. As a result, I'm going to have to ask for a final G/P check because A. it was kind of confusing sorting through all 3 and B. I didn't even get a chance to impliment any of them before it reached 3/3.


All changes implimented though (at eleast as far as I could tell)
 
Last edited:

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
nyttyn sorry for the misunderstanding, it's just that you had changed the title to GP 2/3 which made us think that you've implemented the checks. Also, things were also missed from Gato's check when it was implemented. One more thing: it's a good habit to post when you have implemented QC/GP checks, as it makes it easier for others to notice since you one: declared it ready, and two: bumped the thread. Again sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm in a rush (again !_!) so I can't give the final check yet, but I'm sure piikaachu, Zy, or melvni will hop on it asap (if not, then I'll do it once I return). But one thing (the last thing I promise ;-;), please fix Darkrai's spelling in the first sentence of the second paragraph in the Overview (mentioned four times now :O).

~Thanks :)

Edit: c/p Kingler's post for now though :o
 
[Overview]

<p>Power, Speed, and versatility&mdash;it's hard to find all of these things in a single package&mdash;but Darkrai has all three. Possessing an extremely fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and supportive. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top support Pokemon such as Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral damage. Plus, it has <em>style</em>.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Darkrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70 / 90 / 90 and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Drakrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to a high-powered STAB, or a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermine its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, in spite of the its movepool, like any Pokemon, Darkrai can only use four moves at a time, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thought Darkrai has a lot of tricks, its standard set is pretty straightforward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB, while Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, as Ice is extremely useful for coverage, especially with many top-tier Doubles threats being weak to Ice. For the third moveslot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option, due to Darkrai not being the hugest fan of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt gives access to the much-coveted BoltBeam combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvaier, and Ferrothorn. Be sure to run 31 / 2 / 31 / 30 / 31 / 30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, Darkrai can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option and useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, you can also use a Chople Berry to keep it from instantly dying when a Fighting-type sneezes on it. The EVs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Darkrai can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed EVs if said Pokemon and the additional bulk are not a concern and to still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option, as is Blizzard should you run Darkrai with hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work, as Darkrai is too frail to take a hit. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pseudo-Protect against everything slower then Darkrai (almost all of Doubles) and to provide it with a shield should Darkrai properly use it with Fake Out or Rage Powder support from its teammates. Psychic is an option if you're scared of Fighting-types. Finally, if you desire for Darkrai to have more utility, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, which appreciate Psychic- and Ghost-types removed from the field. Pokemon that can remove Fighting- and Steel-types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has, in order to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats, would be a set with a Sitrus Berry and an EV spread of 252 HP / 112 SpA / 144 Spe EVs, alongside a Timid nature, having the moves Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-O-Wisp, and Taunt. The EVs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after a Icy Wind drop, with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Suicune, Raikou, and Cresselia, though its ability to drop Special Attack with a decent STAB move is not to be underestimated.</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread move for Darkrai to hit foes with, but its power might not be optimal. A Choice Specs set with Trick can be a option if more power is desired out of the gate. Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-neutral Dragons and provides pretty decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis in conjunction with Gravity support is an option. Psych Up can be used on some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and for speed control. Torment on the right team could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens Darkrai with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai with Drain Punch and heal itself at the same time, but falls to a Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escavalier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its fast Speed against it, making it easy pickings. Bulky Thundurus, and by extention Thunder Wave, cuts down on Darkrai's Speed, leaving it open to a KO by just about anything. Anything that is specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, examples being Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus, and Jirachi also gives Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds Darkrai and deals massive damage to it, such as the weather sweepers (particularly Excadrill and Kingdra) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it is OHKOed in turn by Darkrai.</p>

This was the one after my gp check, which electrolyte didnt pre implement before checking. I guess the last checker can work off this?
 

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
Working off of Kingler's check

Add Remove Comments

[Overview]
(line)
<p>Power, Speed, and versatility&mdash;it's hard to find all of these things in a single package&mdash;but Darkrai has all three. Possessing an extremely fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and supportive. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top support Pokemon such as Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral damage. Plus, it has <em>style</em>. (Seconding this to be removed, it seems really out of space imo)</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Darkrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70 / 90 / 90 and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Drakrai Darkrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to a high-powered STAB,(RC) or and a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermine its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, in spite of the its movepool, like any Pokemon, Darkrai can only use four moves at a time Darkrai has four-moveslot syndrome, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
EVs evs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thought Although Darkrai has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, its standard set is pretty straightforward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB, while Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, as Ice is extremely useful for coverage, especially with since many top-tier Doubles threats being are weak to Ice. For the third moveslot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option, due to since Darkrai not being the hugest isn't really fan of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt gives access to the much-coveted BoltBeam combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvaier, and Ferrothorn.(RP);(semi) Be be sure to run 31 / 2 / 31 / 30 / 31 / 30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, Darkrai can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option and useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, you can also use a Chople Berry is a viable alternative to keep it Darkrai from instantly dying when a Fighting-type sneezes on it. The EVs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Darkrai can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed EVs if said Pokemon and the additional bulk are not a concern;(semi) plus, it can and to still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option, as is Blizzard should you run Darkrai with hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work, as Darkrai is too frail to take a hit. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pseudo-Protect against everything slower then Darkrai (almost all of Doubles) and to provide it with a shield should Darkrai properly use it with Fake Out or Rage Powder support from its teammates. Psychic is an option if you're scared of Fighting-types. Finally, if you desire for Darkrai to have more utility, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, which appreciate Psychic- and Ghost-types removed from the field. Pokemon that can remove Fighting- and Steel-types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has, in order to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats, would be a set with a Sitrus Berry and an EV spread of 252 HP / 112 SpA / 144 Spe EVs, alongside a Timid nature, having the moves Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-O-Wisp, and Taunt. The EVs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after a an Icy Wind drop, with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Suicune, Raikou, and Cresselia, though its ability to drop Special Attack with a decent STAB move is not to be underestimated. (I'm having a hard time understanding what this statement means, so I recommend rewording to make it a bit clearer)</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread move for Darkrai to hit foes with, but its power might not be optimal. A Choice Specs set with Trick can be a option if more power is desired out of the gate. Spacial Rend can be used to hit Ice-neutral Dragons neutral to Ice, and it also provides pretty decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis in conjunction with Gravity support is an option. Psych Up can be used on some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and for speed control. Torment on the right team could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens Darkrai with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai with Drain Punch and heal itself at the same time, but falls to a Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escavalier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its fast Speed against it, making it easy pickings. Bulky Thundurus, and by extention Thunder Wave from the likes of bulky Thundurus is a good method of dealing with Darkrai, as it cuts down on Darkrai's Speed, leaving it open to a KO by just about anything. Anything that is specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, examples being Politoed, Gastodon, Amoongus Amoonguss, and Jirachi,(AC) also gives Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds Darkrai and deals massive damage to it, such as the weather sweepers (particularly Excadrill and Kingdra) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it is OHKOed in turn by Darkrai.</p>
Some of your sentences were too run-on or just flat-out confusing, so I made some subjective changes to them. If you don't like them however, feel free to reword. Great job overall though, and sorry again for all the mess :)

GP Approved 4/4
 
Last edited:

nyttyn

From Now On, We'll...
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnus
My apologies for that! I honestly don't know why the thread title was set to GP 2/3. I must have made a blunder and meant QC. Thank you guys for your help, GP team is sexy as always. I'll make sure to give the next analysis a more thorough check before sending it out for GP.

This is ready to go onsite.
 
Hey nyttyn
Sorry for posting again, but i still see errors....that were fixed in my check itself
Heres what the final version should look like:

[Overview]

<p>Power, Speed, and versatility&mdash;it's hard to find all of these things in a single package&mdash;but Darkrai has all three. Possessing an extremely fast base Speed of 125 and a monstrous base Special Attack of 135, Darkrai can hit hard and fast. To make things better, it has access to a movepool with a plethora of options, both offensive and support. On top of all of this, it has access to Dark-type STAB, a type that can hit many top support Pokemon such as Cresselia and Musharna for super effective damage, as well as hit many Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Combined with the high number of coverage moves it has, there is very little Darkrai cannot hit for at least neutral damage.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Darkrai isn't perfect. Possessing only passable defensive stats of 70 / 90 / 90 and an annoying weakness to Fighting-type moves (one of the most common coverage types in the game), Darkrai isn't difficult to KO. In addition, it unfortunately lacks access to a high-powered STAB and a powerful spread move, which serves to somewhat undermine its high Special Attack. To further compound matters, speed control of any sort (paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room) from the enemy winds up utterly crippling Darkrai, as it heavily relies on going first in order to take as little damage as possible. Finally, Darkrai has four-moveslot syndrome, which somewhat undermines its versatility.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although Darkrai has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, its standard set is pretty straightforward. Dark Pulse is run for STAB, while Ice Beam is the primary coverage option, since many top-tier Doubles threats are weak to Ice. For the third moveslot, if you desire coverage, you have your choice between Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fire. While Focus Blast is the preferred option, since Darkrai isn't really fan of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Excadrill, Thunderbolt gives access to the coveted BoltBeam combination, as well as help Darkrai with its troubles against bulky Water-types such as Suicuine. Hidden Power Fire is pretty much exclusively for Scizor, Escalvaier, and Ferrothorn; be sure to run 31 / 2 / 31 / 30 / 31 / 30 IVs if you're using Hidden Power Fire. If additional coverage is not of concern, Darkrai can instead run Taunt, which is extremely useful for shutting down all of the supportive moves that fly around in Doubles. Finally, Protect provides Darkrai with both an extremely solid defensive option and useful utility in aiding the stalling out of field moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Life Orb is the item primarily used due to Darkrai requiring all of the power it can get its hands on, Chople Berry is a viable alternative to keep Darkrai from instantly dying when a Fighting-type sneezes on it. The EVs and Timid nature enable Darkrai to just barely outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Darkrai can use a Modest nature and 252 Speed EVs if said Pokemon and the additional bulk are not a concern; plus, it can still outspeed everything up to Jolly Terrakion. If you're running Darkrai with rain support, Thunder is an option, as is Blizzard should you run Darkrai with hail support. If you wish for Darkrai to have even more power, you can use Nasty Plot, but it requires Fake Out/Rage Powder support to work, as Darkrai is too frail to take a hit. Substitute is an option, both to act as a pseudo-Protect against everything slower then Darkrai (almost all of Doubles) and to provide it with a shield should Darkrai properly use it with Fake Out or Rage Powder support from its teammates. Psychic is an option if you're scared of Fighting-types. Finally, if you desire more utility, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Disable are all very useful.</p>

<p>Optimal partners for Darkrai include Pokemon such as Breloom and Conkeldurr, which appreciate Psychic- and Ghost-types removed from the field. Pokemon that can remove Fighting- and Steel-types, such as Chandelure, Tornadus, Latios, and Expert Belt Cresselia, also make for fantastic partners, as they can easily enable Darkrai to wreak some serious havoc with its banes removed.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The most notable other option that Darkrai has, in order to make use of its extensive supportive movepool and passable defensive stats, would be a set with a Sitrus Berry and an EV spread of 252 HP / 112 SpA / 144 Spe EVs, alongside a Timid nature, having the moves Snarl, Icy Wind, Will-O-Wisp, and Taunt. The EVs are set to maximize bulk and outspeed everything notable after a an Icy Wind drop, with the rest put into Special Attack. Though potentially very useful, it can be quite difficult to fit on a team and suffers stiff competition from the likes of Suicune, Raikou, and Cresselia; still, the ability to drop the opposing Pokemon's Special Attack with a decent STAB move is not to be underestimated.</p>

<p>Snarl can be an option on the main set, as it provides a spread move for Darkrai to hit foes with, but its power might not be optimal. A Choice Specs set with Trick can be a option if more power is desired out of the gate. Spacial Rend can be used to hit Dragons neutral to Ice, and it also provides decent neutral coverage. Hypnosis in conjunction with Gravity support is an option. Psych Up can be used on some gimmicky teams. Icy Wind can be used for both a (very weak) spread option and speed control. Torment on the right team could possibly be useful. Finally, Dark Gem can be used for a one-time boost of power without HP loss.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While powerful, Darkrai isn't exactly lacking in checks or counters. Fighting-types pose significant problems to Darkrai. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr can straight out murder it and fear only Psychic. Heracross threatens Darkrai with both STABs, though is threatened by both Psychic and Ice Beam. Scrafty can OHKO Darkrai with Drain Punch and heal itself at the same time, but falls to a Focus Blast. Virizion's Focus Blast is a huge concern, but it falls to both Ice Beam and Psychic.</p>

<p>Bug / Steel types such as Scizor, Genesect, and Escavalier also severely threaten Darkrai and are not threatened by Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, though they fall to Hidden Power Fire. Trick Room is a huge liability to Darkrai, as it turns its fast Speed against it, making it easy pickings. Thunder Wave from the likes of bulky Thundurus is a good method of dealing with Darkrai, as it cuts down on Darkrai's Speed, leaving it open to a KO by just about anything. Anything that is specially bulky and not weak to Dark Pulse, examples being Politoed, Gastodon, Amoonguss, and Jirachi, also gives Darkrai a hard time. Finally, anything that outspeeds Darkrai and deals massive damage to it, such as weather sweepers (particularly Excadrill and Kingdra) and Choice Scarf users with high power can simply KO Darkrai before it gets a chance to act. Deoxys-A can outspeed and OHKO with Superpower, though it is OHKOed in turn by Darkrai.</p>

Now we're done
 

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