Darmanitan
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Darmanitan has a monstrous Attack stat, and when augmented by its ability Sheer Force, its STAB Flare Blitz, even unboosted, easily OHKOes almost anything it hits for neutral damage. It also has access to Rock Slide and Earthquake, making it a very versatile physical attacker. However, its defenses are poor, and after factoring in the recoil from Flare Blitz, it often finds itself dying far too quickly. Overall, though, with the right support, Darmanitan can be an absolute wrecking ball, smashing holes in many teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Superpower
nature: Adamant
ability: Sheer Force
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf attached, Darmanitan outspeeds the entire metagame except for opposing Scarf users, and also outspeeds many Pokemon under Tailwind. With Darmanitan's relatively high Speed stat, it even outspeeds most opposing Choice Scarf users such as Chandelure and Vanilluxe. A Sheer Force-boosted Flare Blitz is outrageously powerful, OHKOing every offensive Pokemon that doesn't resist the move, and doing severe damage to almost everything else. Earthquake complements Flare Blitz by hitting the Rock- and Water-types that resist it for good damage, and allows Darmanitan to provide some powerful spread coverage in conjunction with Rock Slide, hitting everything in the metagame for at least neutral damage. Superpower allows Darmanitan to take out Pokemon such as Terrakion and Hydreigon which resist Flare Blitz, OHKOing any set not holding a Chople Berry or Focus Sash. The EVs and nature allow Darmanitan to hit as hard as possible, and to outspeed almost everything on the field.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is also an option, allowing Darmanitan to outspeed Adamant Scarf Haxorus and Adamant Scarf Terrakion, but is generally not necessary. An alternative EV spread of 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe is a viable option, as it increases Darmanitan's bulk and reduces the amount of recoil it takes from Flare Blitz, while still allowing it to outspeed the genies. However, in that case, Darmanitan won't be able to outspeed the entire metagame or check Tailwind teams as easily. A spread of 76 Def / 252 Atk / 180 Spe is also an option, allowing Darmanitan to always survive an Adamant Choice Scarf Terrakion's Rock Slide and OHKO back with Superpower. Choice Scarf Darmanitan's incredible power and excellent Speed with the boost from Choice Scarf makes it a good partner to anything struggling with the genies, and especially helps Focus Sash users with its ability to quickly remove an opponent from the match. It also easily takes out Amoonguss that lack Focus Sash or Occa Berry, making it helpful against many Trick Room teams. Its ability to remove many common users of Earthquake or Rock Slide makes it much easier for Flying- and Fire-types to function, so Chandelure and Tornadus can also benefit from Choice Scarf Darmanitan as a partner. Choice Scarf Darmanitan can check opposing Tailwind teams because of its high speed, OHKOing almost everything they commonly carry.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Protect / Fire Punch
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Instead of being a fast attacker with a Choice Scarf, this set intends to do as much damage to the opposing team as is humanly possible. Sheer Force negates Life Orb recoil on moves it boosts, so Darmanitan only really has to worry about the recoil from using Flare Blitz. A Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz is stupidly powerful; it always OHKOes 252 HP Musharna, and does severe damage to almost everything else, making Darmanitan an extremely potent offensive force. Earthquake hits the Rock- and Water-types that resist Flare Blitz for good damage, and provides powerful spread support with good coverage in conjunction with Rock Slide. Protect allows Darmanitan to avoid taking damage from its many weaknesses, and give its partner a turn to take out Pokemon that might threaten it. The EVs and nature allow Darmanitan to hit as hard as possible, and to retain its spot on the Speed tier, outspeeding Pokemon such as Krookodile and Chandelure.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Fire Punch is a second STAB option, allowing Darmanitan to still OHKO many offensive Pokemon while avoiding the recoil from Flare Blitz. However, there is a noticeable difference in power. A Jolly nature does dampen Darmanitan's attacking power, but allows it to outspeed Adamant Haxorus, Modest Hydreigon, and Adamant Landorus, all of which it can OHKO or do severe damage to with a Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz. Life Orb Darmanitan can OHKO almost anything remotely offensive, and as such makes a great member of a Tailwind team, with its ability to constantly keep up the offensive pressure on the opposing team. Its ability to OHKO or do severe damage to Trick Room users means that it makes an excellent partner for Tornadus, which has no way of stopping Trick Room from being set up outside of the unreliable Taunt. A partner to set up Tailwind can help Darmanitan outspeed and KO many of the Pokemon that trouble it, so Whimsicott, Tornadus, and Braviary make good partners, although the latter two are also weak to Rock Slide. A Fake Out user can also be useful, allowing Darmanitan to eliminate Pokemon that trouble it without being KOed. Darmanitan has some trouble with Dragon- and Water-types, as they resist Flare Blitz, so a Thundurus with Hidden Power Ice can make a very useful partner, hitting both for super effective damage.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Belly Drum may seem enticing, allowing Darmanitan to completely wreck anything in its path, but the 50% HP lost, along with Darmanitan's frailty, means that it will almost definitely die while using it. Roar allows Darmanitan to stop Trick Room from being set up, but with Darmanitan's frailty and Roar's negative priority, it will almost definitely die if the Trick Room user decides to attack instead, and is generally a poor option when Darmanitan has so much attacking power at its disposal. Focus Sash is an alternative option for Darmanitan due to its frailty, allowing it to always survive a hit and retaliate. However, Fire Punch must be used over Flare Blitz if Focus Sash is being used, because the recoil damage will kill Darmanitan. Taunt is an option to stop Trick Room from being set up, but Darmanitan hits so hard with Flare Blitz that it's almost always an inferior choice to outright attacking, especially with the ubiquity of Mental Herb. Flame Charge does not provide the Speed boost due to Sheer Force, and as such is useless on Darmanitan. Darmanitan's Dream World ability Zen Mode is completely useless and should not be used.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>In the limited sense of the word, Darmanitan cannot be said to have any counters, because its Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz 2HKOs everything in the metagame. However, almost any Pokemon that outspeeds Darmanitan can do severe damage to or even KO it due to its frailty and the recoil from Flare Blitz. Landorus, Tornadus, Archeops, Durant, and Terrakion can outspeed Darmanitan and OHKO or do severe damage to it before it moves. If Tailwind is up or Darmanitan has a Choice Scarf, however, Darmanitan will be able to outspeed these Pokemon and KO them with the appropriate move. Most Dragon- and Water-types can cause problems for Darmanitan, as they resist Flare Blitz and are not hit for super effective damage by its other moves, but even so, the incredible power of Darmanitan's Flare Blitz allows it to take them out if they cannot OHKO it in return.</p>
