its funny if you pronounce his name "dduhdigon" like i do
[Overview]
<p>Druddigon certainly stands out from its Dragon-type brethren. The main reason for this is its sluggish base 48 Speed, the lowest of any fully evolved Dragon-type, making it optimal for a Trick Room team. Even though its movepool is relatively shallow, with no Draco Meteor-esque move to strike fear into the hearts of the populace, but it does have two moves its scaly cousins would beg to have: Sucker Punch and Superpower. Resistances to Fire and Water, combined with chip damage in the form of Rough Skin, mean that Druddigon also has acceptable defenses; however, its dependency on Trick Room also gives it a rough time against its Dragon kin, and if your opponent has methods to prevent Trick Room, Druddigon will be fighting an uphill battle.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Dragon Claw
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Rock Slide / Superpower / Earthquake
move 4: Protect
item: Haban Berry / Yache Berry / Life Orb
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like most Trick Room attackers, Druddigon aims to be as slow, powerful, and bulky as possible. Dragon Claw is Druddigon's main STAB move and can usually secure a 2HKO or OHKO on other Dragon-types if Druddigon is holding a Life Orb. Sucker Punch is another of Druddigon's main selling points, as the priority allows it to hit first outside of Trick Room; this is something Druddigon may have to do from time to time, as most teams are prepared for Trick Room. The third slot is mostly coverage, but you can't go wrong with Rock Slide's ability to hit Ice- and Flying-types and 47% chance to flinch at least one Pokemon. Superpower still hits Ice-types and in most cases OHKOes Tyranitar, which can otherwise be a major problem for your Psychic- or Ghost-types. Earthquake is a slightly more powerful spread move, though it requires your partner to have Levitate, a Flying-typing, or to use Protect in order to avoid friendly fire. Protect is mainly filler, but it allows Druddigon to avoid damage while its partner sets up Trick Room if need be.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Life Orb is required for a clean OHKO on Garchomp and Salamence (factoring in Intimidate) a clean OHKO on Latios with Sucker Punch. However, it undermines Druddigon's bulk and leaves Druddigon open to the likes of Haban Berry Kingdra. A simple fix to this is to equip it with its own Haban Berry, which enables it to survive an attack and reliably 2HKO (or in some cases OHKO after Rough Skin damage if they use Dragon Claw) other Dragons. Similar protection can be offered by Yache Berry, buying it time to fire off Superpower or consecutive Rock Slides.</p>
<p>Being a Trick Room sweeper, Druddigon naturally requires Trick Room support. Bronzong is the best user type-wise as it resists Ice- and Dragon-type moves while Druddigon resists Fire-type moves; with proper prediction, this allows Druddigon to enter the battlefield relatively unscathed. Of course, Druddigon isn't picky about where its support comes from, so Pokemon such as Cresselia, Chandelure, Dusclops, and Jellicent can all work as Trick Room supporters. It is also important to support your Trick Room users with Pokemon such as Scrafty, Hariyama, Amoonguss, and Clefable. If you can manage it, Druddigon appreciates Helping Hand support to further boost the destructive potential of Sucker Punch and Dragon Claw. Not only can Gallade provide Trick Room and Helping Hand support, it can attack alongside Druddigon and check Steel- and Ice-types such as Ferrothorn and Rotom-F with its choice of Fighting-type move.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Druddigon may have a shallow movepool, but that doesn't mean it's lacking in good moves. Fire Fang is the only other Fire move Druddigon has outside of Flamethrower, but it's still rather weak and can't hit two Pokemon at once, unlike Rock Slide. Nonetheless, Fire Fang is still a viable option if you're plagued by Ferrothorn. Sunny Day is situational, but it removes hail — and by extension the threat of Blizzard —from the field. Outrage is risky as its target is random, but the 120 Base Power is very appealing compared to Dragon Claw's 80. Crunch is a good move, though outclassed by Sucker Punch. If you want Druddigon to hit supporters such as Cresselia more reliably, it's still an option considering supporters are less likely to attack.</p>
<p>Lum Berry is a more defensive item Druddigon can use; it protects Druddigon from burns and sleep—and to a lesser extent confusion—from common supporters such as Amoonguss and Dusclops. It can even form a Swagger-Lum combination with numerous Pokemon. If you want a guaranteed OHKO on Garchomp and Salamence without Life Orb recoil, a Dragon Gem can cater to your needs, though it's only good for one use. Dark Gem can be used in a similar manner, OHKOing Latios or simply doing more damage without Life Orb recoil.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Cold-blooded creatures notoriously hate winter or other cold conditions, and Druddigon is certainly no exception. Abomasnow is as big of a threat as ever, as it tears through any Druddigon with its mighty Blizzard, and doesn't mind Trick Room as much as Druddigon's other nemeses. Mamoswine is another troubling opponent for Druddigon as it can use Ice Shard to bypass Trick Room, though it and Abomasnow don't like taking Superpower. Dusclops can avoid being hit by Sucker Punch by using Will-O-Wisp, and from then on shrug off Druddigon's feeble attempts to do damage before succumbing to burn or Night Shade. Cresselia can also cripple Druddigon by removing Trick Room, and has Ice Beam to damage it if need be. Ferrothorn gives Druddigon a taste of its own medicine with Iron Barbs and its unbreakable defenses, whittling away its HP with Leech Seed while it fails to do damage with a progressively weaker Superpower. Stalling out Trick Room is probably your best bet if your team lacks all the above Pokemon or moves, especially if you have a Dragon of your own. Intimidate is a big help here as it makes sure Druddigon doesn't KO your Pokemon before it's too late, but at the same time, you should make its Trick Room supporter public enemy number one. Gyarados has access to Taunt and Intimidate, making it an excellent candidate for the job; it can possibly also flinch the supporter with Waterfall.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Mold Breaker is a solid ability in general, but not on Druddigon. The only use Druddigon has for it is hitting through Levitate with Earthquake or through Dragonite's Multiscale with Dragon Claw. In all other situations, Rough Skin's added damage is more valuable.</p>