HypnoEmpire
Yokatta...
QC: Arikado, Arifeen, EonX
GP: GatoDelFuego. CryoGyro
[OVERVIEW]
Donphan is one of the few viable Rapid Spin users in the tier thanks to its great Defense and ability to easily beat the most popular spinblocker in the tier, Doublade. Its bulk and typing give it an ample number of opportunities to use Rapid Spin over the course of a match, as it can do so against most physical attackers lacking super effective STAB moves. Donphan's above-average Attack stat also greatly benefits Donphan in spinning, as it can scare out a number of frail Pokemon and Pokemon weak to its attacks. It isn't easily spinblocked either, as its strong Earthquake and Knock Off make it troublesome for most Ghost-types to take more than one hit from it. However, while Donphan does resist Stealth Rock, it is vulnerable to all other forms of entry hazards. It also heavily competes with Gligar for a teamslot, as Gligar has access to reliable recovery in Roost, is significantly faster, doesn't drain momentum nearly as much thanks to U-turn, and has a more reliable way of removing hazards in Defog.
[SET]
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Toxic / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin is Donphan's primary niche and removes entry hazards from its side of the field. Earthquake is Donphan's strongest STAB move, and it hits most of the tier's Stealth Rock setters for super effective damage. Knock Off hits most Ghost-types super effectively and disrupts opposing Pokemon by removing their items. It also hits Bronzong, a Stealth Rock setter immune to Earthquake, for super effective damage. Toxic hits a wide range of Pokemon that Donphan would otherwise not be able to do much against such as Gligar, Chesnaught, and Milotic. Roar forces out Pokemon that could otherwise set up on Donphan such as Snorlax, Reuniclus, and Cloyster.
Stealth Rock and Ice Shard are both viable options over Toxic or Roar on Donphan. Stealth Rock can be beneficial if the team Donphan is used on cannot afford to delegate the moveslot to another Pokemon, but it leaves Donphan much more vulnerable and easy-to-wall. Ice Shard has some uses such as revenge killing Flygon, Honchkrow, Venusaur, and other Pokemon weak to Ice-type moves after a variable amount of prior damage. It also prevents Froslass from getting up more than one layer of Spikes in a one-on-one situation.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature are used to give Donphan more offensive presence and allow it to do a significant amount of damage to targets such as Mismagius and Dhelmise. Leftovers and maximum HP EVs help it take hits from Pokemon such as Tyrantrum and Toxicroak in order to use Rapid Spin more often. Sturdy can give Donphan the opportunity to take a strong hit that it otherwise wouldn't be able to from full HP in a pinch, but this can prove to be difficult to achieve in a match due to Donphan needing to switch into entry hazards in order to spin them away.
Usage Tips
========
Take advantage of Donphan's typing and bulk to switch it into Stealth Rock setters such as Registeel, Bronzong, and Gigalith, since they don't threaten it too much and Stealth Rock can be kept off of the field in this way. Donphan functions primarily as a spinner, so it should be kept reasonably healthy if the opponent still has a hazard setter available. If the opponent is employing a Ghost-type, be wary of going for Rapid Spin and instead use Knock Off unless the Ghost-type in question is Doublade, which is very unlikely to switch into Donphan; Rapid Spin can be used rather safely in this case. Donphan is a huge momentum sink, so making aggressive plays and double switches may be necessary in order to avoid forfeiting momentum to the opponent. For example, if you have entry hazards up and Donphan as your active Pokemon facing a team with Mantine as a hazard remover, consider double switching into a Pokemon that deals with Mantine such as Tyrantrum or Rotom-C to keep your hazards up.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that are weak to Stealth Rock but benefit from entry hazards staying on the other side of the field, including Salazzle, Yanmega, Moltres, and Swellow, appreciate Rapid Spin. Fortunately, the majority of these Pokemon can also take on the Grass-types that Donphan is weak to. Pokemon such as Shaymin, Roserade, and Rotom-C can take on many of the Water-types that Donphan is weak to reasonably well, with Roserade being notable because it can take advantage of the use of Rapid Spin instead of Defog as hazard removal with its access to Spikes. Pokemon such as Heracross and Toxicroak appreciate Donphan's ability to consistently switch into Doublade for them. A Stealth Rock setter is always great as a teammate, as it alleviates the pressure that would otherwise be on Donphan to spin and set up Stealth Rock. Registeel and Bronzong are notable Stealth Rock setters, as they take on the Grass-types that Donphan is weak to while appreciating Donphan's ability to take on Doublade.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band Donphan is a unique option, as it hits very hard and has good coverage options such as Gunk Shot and Seed Bomb, which most other Ground-types don't have access to. Sturdy in tandem with Counter or Endeavor and Ice Shard is a gimmicky option but can get a surprise KO on a lot of Pokemon if it isn't anticipated. However, Sturdy is broken after switching into entry hazards, which makes this strategy counterintuitive to use on Donphan. Stone Edge can be run on Donphan to hit Pokemon such as Mantine, Moltres, and Honchkrow for super effective damage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon invested in Defense or just generally bulky such as Umbreon, Chesnaught, and Gligar can take advantage of Donphan by using Wish or Heal Bell, setting up Spikes, and using Defog, respectively. Snorlax and Reuniclus can threaten to set up on Donphan if it lacks Roar.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong special attackers such as Swellow, Nidoqueen, Kommo-o, and Gardevoir can OHKO Donphan after Stealth Rock or a small amount of prior damage, but none of these Pokemon can switch into Donphan too well. However, Gardevoir can trace Sturdy from Donphan in a pinch to take a hit.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Milotic, Mantine, and Slowbro can easily stomach hits from Donphan and threaten it back with their Water-type STAB moves while only fearing a potential Toxic. Cloyster can set up on it and proceed to KO despite Sturdy with Icicle Spear, especially if Donphan lacks Roar, and other offensive Water-types such as Kingdra and Sharpedo can threaten to OHKO it after Sturdy is broken.
**Grass-types**: Chesnaught doesn't care much about Donphan and can threaten it out with Leech Seed or Wood Hammer and can even use Taunt to prevent Toxic. Roserade and Shaymin scare it out with their strong Grass-type STAB moves, as they both OHKO it after Sturdy is broken, but Roserade has a hard time switching into Donphan due to its poor Defense and Earthquake neutrality.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types in general prevent Donphan from doing its job, which is spinning. Doublade and other Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Hoopa don't switch in too well, but some Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Dhelmise have a better matchup versus Donphan, as they don't take as much from Knock Off and threaten to inflict heavy damage with their secondary STAB moves.
GP: GatoDelFuego. CryoGyro
[OVERVIEW]
Donphan is one of the few viable Rapid Spin users in the tier thanks to its great Defense and ability to easily beat the most popular spinblocker in the tier, Doublade. Its bulk and typing give it an ample number of opportunities to use Rapid Spin over the course of a match, as it can do so against most physical attackers lacking super effective STAB moves. Donphan's above-average Attack stat also greatly benefits Donphan in spinning, as it can scare out a number of frail Pokemon and Pokemon weak to its attacks. It isn't easily spinblocked either, as its strong Earthquake and Knock Off make it troublesome for most Ghost-types to take more than one hit from it. However, while Donphan does resist Stealth Rock, it is vulnerable to all other forms of entry hazards. It also heavily competes with Gligar for a teamslot, as Gligar has access to reliable recovery in Roost, is significantly faster, doesn't drain momentum nearly as much thanks to U-turn, and has a more reliable way of removing hazards in Defog.
[SET]
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Toxic / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin is Donphan's primary niche and removes entry hazards from its side of the field. Earthquake is Donphan's strongest STAB move, and it hits most of the tier's Stealth Rock setters for super effective damage. Knock Off hits most Ghost-types super effectively and disrupts opposing Pokemon by removing their items. It also hits Bronzong, a Stealth Rock setter immune to Earthquake, for super effective damage. Toxic hits a wide range of Pokemon that Donphan would otherwise not be able to do much against such as Gligar, Chesnaught, and Milotic. Roar forces out Pokemon that could otherwise set up on Donphan such as Snorlax, Reuniclus, and Cloyster.
Stealth Rock and Ice Shard are both viable options over Toxic or Roar on Donphan. Stealth Rock can be beneficial if the team Donphan is used on cannot afford to delegate the moveslot to another Pokemon, but it leaves Donphan much more vulnerable and easy-to-wall. Ice Shard has some uses such as revenge killing Flygon, Honchkrow, Venusaur, and other Pokemon weak to Ice-type moves after a variable amount of prior damage. It also prevents Froslass from getting up more than one layer of Spikes in a one-on-one situation.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature are used to give Donphan more offensive presence and allow it to do a significant amount of damage to targets such as Mismagius and Dhelmise. Leftovers and maximum HP EVs help it take hits from Pokemon such as Tyrantrum and Toxicroak in order to use Rapid Spin more often. Sturdy can give Donphan the opportunity to take a strong hit that it otherwise wouldn't be able to from full HP in a pinch, but this can prove to be difficult to achieve in a match due to Donphan needing to switch into entry hazards in order to spin them away.
Usage Tips
========
Take advantage of Donphan's typing and bulk to switch it into Stealth Rock setters such as Registeel, Bronzong, and Gigalith, since they don't threaten it too much and Stealth Rock can be kept off of the field in this way. Donphan functions primarily as a spinner, so it should be kept reasonably healthy if the opponent still has a hazard setter available. If the opponent is employing a Ghost-type, be wary of going for Rapid Spin and instead use Knock Off unless the Ghost-type in question is Doublade, which is very unlikely to switch into Donphan; Rapid Spin can be used rather safely in this case. Donphan is a huge momentum sink, so making aggressive plays and double switches may be necessary in order to avoid forfeiting momentum to the opponent. For example, if you have entry hazards up and Donphan as your active Pokemon facing a team with Mantine as a hazard remover, consider double switching into a Pokemon that deals with Mantine such as Tyrantrum or Rotom-C to keep your hazards up.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that are weak to Stealth Rock but benefit from entry hazards staying on the other side of the field, including Salazzle, Yanmega, Moltres, and Swellow, appreciate Rapid Spin. Fortunately, the majority of these Pokemon can also take on the Grass-types that Donphan is weak to. Pokemon such as Shaymin, Roserade, and Rotom-C can take on many of the Water-types that Donphan is weak to reasonably well, with Roserade being notable because it can take advantage of the use of Rapid Spin instead of Defog as hazard removal with its access to Spikes. Pokemon such as Heracross and Toxicroak appreciate Donphan's ability to consistently switch into Doublade for them. A Stealth Rock setter is always great as a teammate, as it alleviates the pressure that would otherwise be on Donphan to spin and set up Stealth Rock. Registeel and Bronzong are notable Stealth Rock setters, as they take on the Grass-types that Donphan is weak to while appreciating Donphan's ability to take on Doublade.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band Donphan is a unique option, as it hits very hard and has good coverage options such as Gunk Shot and Seed Bomb, which most other Ground-types don't have access to. Sturdy in tandem with Counter or Endeavor and Ice Shard is a gimmicky option but can get a surprise KO on a lot of Pokemon if it isn't anticipated. However, Sturdy is broken after switching into entry hazards, which makes this strategy counterintuitive to use on Donphan. Stone Edge can be run on Donphan to hit Pokemon such as Mantine, Moltres, and Honchkrow for super effective damage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon invested in Defense or just generally bulky such as Umbreon, Chesnaught, and Gligar can take advantage of Donphan by using Wish or Heal Bell, setting up Spikes, and using Defog, respectively. Snorlax and Reuniclus can threaten to set up on Donphan if it lacks Roar.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Strong special attackers such as Swellow, Nidoqueen, Kommo-o, and Gardevoir can OHKO Donphan after Stealth Rock or a small amount of prior damage, but none of these Pokemon can switch into Donphan too well. However, Gardevoir can trace Sturdy from Donphan in a pinch to take a hit.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Milotic, Mantine, and Slowbro can easily stomach hits from Donphan and threaten it back with their Water-type STAB moves while only fearing a potential Toxic. Cloyster can set up on it and proceed to KO despite Sturdy with Icicle Spear, especially if Donphan lacks Roar, and other offensive Water-types such as Kingdra and Sharpedo can threaten to OHKO it after Sturdy is broken.
**Grass-types**: Chesnaught doesn't care much about Donphan and can threaten it out with Leech Seed or Wood Hammer and can even use Taunt to prevent Toxic. Roserade and Shaymin scare it out with their strong Grass-type STAB moves, as they both OHKO it after Sturdy is broken, but Roserade has a hard time switching into Donphan due to its poor Defense and Earthquake neutrality.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types in general prevent Donphan from doing its job, which is spinning. Doublade and other Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Hoopa don't switch in too well, but some Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Dhelmise have a better matchup versus Donphan, as they don't take as much from Knock Off and threaten to inflict heavy damage with their secondary STAB moves.
Last edited:
