Dodrio (GP 2/2)

marilli

With you
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
[Overview]

<p>Dodrio is average as a Flying-type goes. Its physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave it hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is too frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types. The bottom line is, don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STAB Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, so Toxic is an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band is often the superior item choice; it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird, and Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits. Make sure the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP, as otherwise Dodrio will not be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>

<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol. Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be helpful teammates; Magneton is especially notable, as it resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, so you would have to be content with the weaker power of Drill Peck instead.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt, and although it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, it does have the speed. Taunt and Roost let Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks many other options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use, as it can deny game-changing setup from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If you dislike Taunt on such a frail Pokemon, Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs and Nature are again self explanatory. Life Orb is the preferred item for its significant power boost, but Sharp Beak can be used if you do not desire strong recoil on Brave Bird. Even with the increased damage from Life Orb, Dodrio will still be hard countered by Rock- and Steel-types. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar, and will allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this this set. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmonchan helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat or a consistent +2 boost in Speed. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high risk and low reward strategy.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird. However, these walls need to watch out for Taunt, since they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>

<p>Dodrio can threaten to trample over your team should it lack a Flying-type resist. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>

Them birds

[Overview]

• Bird types
• Spam Brave Bird until it dies, the opponent dies, or a steel-type comes in
• Receives competiton from Braviary and other bird-types

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Hi. I’m Dodrio. And I spam Brave Birds.
• Dual-STAB because he doesn’t have options. At least Brave Bird hits hard
• Pursuit is there for hitting physically frail things that switch out in fear of brave bird
• Scarf Pursuit is depressingly weak, though so it's understandable running Toxic or other move instead.
• Quick Attack is strong priority for revenging Sharpedo and stuff

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Simple 252/252 spread, no HP because otherwise it’s divisible by 4 which sucks. Not that it matters anyway with recoil damage.
• Early bird gives a significant chance at a 1-turn sleep or even 0-turn sleep so if you're into rng's then you can switch into sleep powders and hope for the best.
• Weak to SR and spinning is appreciated
• Band is better because only thing that prevents Braviary from running band is its subpar speed. Base 100 isn’t a terrible speed to run Choice Band.
• Scarf is pretty darn fast, though. But kinda weak, too.
• Appreciates hazards, appreciates something to combat Aggron, Steelix & co.

[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Taunt+Roost lets it beat otherwise troublesome mons such as Alomomola, Gligar, Ferroseed (idk how much he does back?), etc.
• Brave Bird is again the attacking move of choice due to high power. Return because. QA is viable, i guess, to bypass sucker punchers but sharp beaked qa is possibly the weakest attack you've ever seen from a mon as frail as dodrio (doesn't 2hko Honchkrow after rocks).
• Dodrio's pretty darn frail so Taunt and Roost is truly limited to stallbreaking
• Easier to use than the first set: the opponent can easily put the band set in an awkward position by saving his shell smash Omastar or the like until Dodrio gets a kill. B/c offensive Omastar isn't his defensive response, it's going to be hard to remove it via Dugtrio or whatever. Prevents game winning sweeps & setups, etc. at the cost of some power.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Life Orb > Sharp Beak, according to Nails during an irc discussion, and changed accordingly. idk but w/e
• Can prevent set-up by Rockmons, though it's rather precarious.
• Takes half from Uxie & Qwilfish, and other defensive mons, so you can shut them down but needs good prediction. They have a hard time switching in, actually, so you can still break through with good play
• Still unable to get past Steelix, Aggron & co. so help is needed.

[Other Options]

• The given sets literally have all of Dodrio’s competitive movepool
• Accupressure Baton Passing is its other ‘niche’ but that kinda sucks
• Dry Passing on Choice set is OK, but requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird.

[Checks and Counters]

• SR
• Steel-types, Rock-types, or even both!
• Anything faster
• Priority
• Recoil
• Super bulky stuff, Ghosts with Will-O-Wisp. These generally need to watch out for the Taunt set.
 
imo, a work up set is also viable, seeing as Dodrio gets Taunt

name: Work Up
move 1: Work Up
move 2: Return
move 3: Drill Peck/Brave Bird
move 4: Taunt
item: Life Orb/Leftovers
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

this, and i've been using the utility set in NU a bit

name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb/Leftovers
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
 
Wouldn't you go slightly special with the work up set and use tri attack?

Oh and why is HP that is divisible 4 terrible? (not questioning it, just never heard that)

I also think that Tangled feet is viable.

Add burn and para to CC. I know you already mentioned will o wisp.

Agility / endeavor / thrash?

Substitute+ brave bird?
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Wouldn't you go slightly special with the work up set and use tri attack?

Oh and why is HP that is divisible 4 terrible? (not questioning it, just never heard that)

I also think that Tangled feet is viable.

Add burn and para to CC. I know you already mentioned will o wisp.

Agility / endeavor / thrash?

Substitute+ brave bird?
ugh, Dodrio's special attack is horrible, it will never be able to abuse tri attack.

cause you can only switch into stealth rock three times

burn and para are obvious

no one uses confusion anymore

again with the thrash, its just a bad move, even with STAB

to much recoil without roost.

oh, speaking of roost, maybe add a life orb set in there with roost?

it could work.
 
yeah, life orb with roost and taunt is probs his best set imo, since it distinguishes itself from the other birds (taunt). obviously mention dugtrio/magneton support
 

marilli

With you
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
Well I'm questioning the viability of that set, but stalling out Steelix Stone Edges with Taunt + Roost is something, I guess. So I put it on OP and will wait for QC to say something. IMO Sharp Beak > Life Orb on that set because Brave Bird is really the only attack you'll use, and I really don't like the big recoil. Not to mention, he'll get walled by Rockmons and Steels Life Orbed or not.
 

Honko

he of many honks
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Go ahead and slash Pursuit after Baton Pass on the CB set. It was rejected on Fearow because Fearow has a wider movepool and less power, but on Dodrio it could be useful to catch Cryogonal and Rotom (who is frail enough to fear Brave Bird), and some people just don't like dry passing even though it's probably Dodrio's best option.

The second set was good last gen, haven't tried it this gen, but theoretically with Taunt+Roost it should beat things like Gligar/Cofagrigus/Ferroseed/Alomomola that could otherwise be annoying (Steelix should have Gyro Ball so you'd still lose there). I agree with you that Sharp Beak is the better item. I'm gonna go ahead and approve it.

QC APPROVED 1/3
 
Brave Bird is illegal with Baton Pass (Egg Move vs. XD Exclusive), make note of that on the CB Set. Should you run BP, your best Flying STAB would be Drill Peck.
 

marilli

With you
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
Knew there was a reason why I didn't replace Pursuit with Baton Pass despite the fact that I rarely even used Pursuit to begin with ==. I thought that I was just being lazy because my PO for some reason gets stuck in a pop-up box if I put in an illegal moveset, so editing teams become a gigantic hassel. I've fixed that on the OP .

Yeah sorry about that. I was under the impression that Brave Bird would be a Level-up move, but that's what I get for not playing cartridge anymore since rse.
 
Add Remove

[Overview]

<p>Dodrio is as average as a Flying-type goes. Dodrio’s physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave Dodrio hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is rather frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after with its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types; don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Dodrio has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STABbed Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a fully powered Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, and so Toxic is left as an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band is often the superior Iitem choice, (comma) as it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird; Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits; make sure that the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP in order to be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>

<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol; Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be a helpful teammate; Magneton in particular resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, and so you will have to be content with the weaker Drill Peck instead.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Sharp Beak / Life Orb
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt. Though it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, Dodrio can certainly attempt a utility set with Taunt. Taunt and Roost lets Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use because it can deny game-changing set-(hyphen)up from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If Taunt does not float your boat, Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>It shouldn’t be too surprising that this set also cannot damage Rock- and Steel-types significantly. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar and allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this Dodrio. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmontop helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, and but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high-(hyphen)risk and low-(hyphen)reward strategy.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird, but they need to watch out for Taunt, (comma) since : (colon) as surprising as that may sound, they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>

<p>Without a Flying-type resist, Dodrio can threaten to trample down your team. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>



GP Approved 1/2
 
you can do accupressure + baton pass, with natural speed and substitute it can set up on defensives. works once in a blue moon but hey it works.
 

marilli

With you
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
Okay took the edits and fixed up some silly mistakes on my own. I'm not gonna be around for idk-how-long so if it gets a second gp check really feel free to take that check and edit the op or just upload or something.

Oh I forgot to do this, but Nails said Life Orb > Sharp Beak on irc so i'm changing that. If anyone really disagrees then feel free to argue but nails is good so i'll take his word for it.

@topah: accupressure baton pass has been on oo since day 1. your point? really if you want [insert stat] boosts to pass, then baton pass [swords dance, agility, tail glow, w/e] instead. There are good baton passers in RU and really accupressure kinda sucks. Do tell me a reason to baton pass accupressure when there are tail glow volbeat, speed boost ninjask, smeargle, dp durant, etc? So yeah Accupressure's staying in oo and it deserves to.
 
Amateur check
Remove Add Change Case

[Overview]

<p>Dodrio is average as a Flying-type goes. Dodrio’s physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave Dodrio hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is rather too frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types; don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Dodrio has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STAB Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a fully powered Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, so Toxic is left as an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band is often the superior item choice, as it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird; Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits; make sure that the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP in order to be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>

<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol; Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be a helpful teammate; Magneton in particular resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, so you will have to be content with the weaker Drill Peck instead.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt. Though Although it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, Dodrio can certainly attempt a utility set with Taunt. Taunt and Roost lets Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use because it can deny game-changing setup from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If Taunt does not float your boat, Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs and Nature are again self explanatory. Life Orb is the preferred item for its significant power boost, but Sharp Beak can be used if you do not desire strong recoil on Brave Bird; even with the increased damage from Life Orb, Dodrio will still be hard countered by Rock- and Steel-types. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar and allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this Dodrio. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmonchan helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high risk and low reward strategy.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird, but they need to watch out for Taunt, since as surprising as that may sound, they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>

<p>Dodrio can threaten to trample over your team should it lack a Flying-type resist. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>
 

Shame That

TAKE IT ALL OR LEAVE IT
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I'm gonna go ahead and work on top of Trollmonchan's amateur check.
My additions are in purple, my Removals are in orange, and my Comments are in green.
(Bad colours, I know, but Trollmonchan stole mine ;-;)

Amateur check
Remove Add Change Case

[Overview]

<p>Dodrio is average as a Flying-type goes. Dodrio’s Its physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave Dodrio it hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is rather too frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types;.[Remove Semicolon / Add Period] The bottom line is; don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Dodrio set has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STAB Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a fully powered Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, so Toxic is left as an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band is often the superior item choice,;[Remove Comma / Add Semicolon] as it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird;,[Remove Semicolon / Add Comma] and Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits;.[Remove Semicolon / Add Period] Make sure that the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP,[Add Comma] in order as otherwise Dodrio will not to be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>

<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol;.[Remove Semicolon / Add Period] Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be a helpful teammates; Magneton in particular is especially notable, as it resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, so you will would have to be content with the weaker power of Drill Peck instead.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt.,[Remove Period / Add Comma] Though and although it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, Dodrio it does have the speed. can certainly attempt a utility set with Taunt. Taunt and Roost lets Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks many other options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use,[Add Comma] because as it can deny game-changing setup from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If Taunt does not float your boat [Consider changing this], Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs and Nature are again self explanatory. Life Orb is the preferred item for its significant power boost, but Sharp Beak can be used if you do not desire strong recoil on Brave Bird;.[Remove Semicolon / Add Period] Even with the increased damage from Life Orb, Dodrio will still be hard countered by Rock- and Steel-types. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar,[Add Comma] and will allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this Dodrio this set. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmonchan helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat [That sounds a bit strange, fitting Agility in the middle then going back to Accupressure. Consider rephrasing?]. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high risk and low reward strategy.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird, but.[Add Period] However, these walls they need to watch out for Taunt, since as surprising as that may sound, they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>

<p>Dodrio can threaten to trample over your team should it lack a Flying-type resist. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>
Good work on the check Trollmonchan, and good work on the analysis Ama rillo. Looks great to me. :)



GP 2/2
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top