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Current Analysis
[Overview]
<p>Life is tough for Durant—it gets preyed upon by the NU Pokemon, Heatmor! On a more serious note, Durant struggles to distinguish itself from Scizor, which packs the same typing, higher Attack, an enhanced movepool, and greater overall bulk. However, Durant has a few things that set it apart from not only Scizor, but the rest of the tier as well. It gets access to Hustle, which boosts its Attack to one of the highest in the game. In addition, it sports a base Speed stat of 109, which allows it to just barely outpace Pokemon such as Infernape and Terrakion. Finally, while it has a somewhat shallow movepool, it is enough to cover many relevant threats in OU and 2HKO them all with the appropriate move after a +1 boost from Hone Claws.</p>
<p>Although Durant looks extremely difficult to stop, it has a number of flaws. Its Special Defense is downright awful, and it will almost never take a neutral special hit. While its Speed is good for outpacing some Pokemon, it finds itself barely outsped by many special attackers, including Latios, Gengar, and Starmie. Also, while Hustle is Durant's big selling point, the accuracy drop that comes with it can be fatal. It has Hone Claws to fix this, but this is difficult to set up with Durant's bad special bulk. Overall, Durant is a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon, and must be considered as such when being placed onto a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Thunder Fang
move 4: Hone Claws / X-Scissor
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If Durant has any hope of competing in the OU environment, this is arguably the best set it can have. Thanks to Hustle, it hits very hard, even compared to the titans of OU, and its Speed allows it to outpace common Pokemon such as Terrakion, allowing it to be a formidable offensive threat. Iron Head is the main STAB option, and hits even Pokemon that resist it for considerable damage. Superpower was BW2's gift to Durant—it is Durant's best option against the omnipresent Steel-types in OU, and OHKOes Pokemon that previously could defeat Durant, such as Heatran. Despite Thunder Fang's low Base Power, it hits Tentacruel, Jellicent, and Gyarados for massive damage, and these three are usually Pokemon that Durant struggles against.</p>
<p>The last slot comes down to personal preference, as well as confidence. As mentioned in the overview, Hone Claws is difficult to set up, but it complements Hustle well. After one boost, it fixes Durant's accuracy problems while allowing it to power through some of its usual checks—Thundurus-T, for example, is OHKOed by Iron Head at +1 despite resisting the move. However, Durant finds it hard to set this move up due to the prevalence of Choice Scarf users and faster special attackers that can threaten to destroy it easily due to Durant's bad special bulk. If this is a problem, X-Scissor is another STAB option. While it doesn't gain that much additional coverage, it is still a reliable, powerful STAB move, and can also do a good amount of damage to Psychic-types such as Deoxys-D.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs allow Durant to maximize its offensive prowess. A Jolly nature is mandatory to outspeed fully invested Pokemon at base 108 Speed or lower. Because Durant has a unique Speed tier, it can move the other 4 EVs from Speed to HP to help it take hits slightly better. The choice of item is based off the the 4th move; if Durant has Hone Claws, then it should use a Life Orb to increase its damage output by as much as possible. If the set is only using attacking moves, a Choice Band is a decent alternative, as it allows Durant to hit harder than if it had a Life Orb. A Lum Berry could protect it from status, which otherwise makes Durant nearly useless, but foes can usually just outright KO it with a special move, so its usage is limited at best.</p>
<p>If you didn't get the memo by now, Durant's Special Defense sucks, so naturally its best partners are those that can take special hits. Heatran in particular is a good partner, as it can take special hits well and has Flash Fire to absorb hits from Fire-type moves, Durant's only weakness. Tyranitar is also a good partner, as not only is it incredibly bulky on the special side, but it also sets up a sandstorm which Durant happens to be immune to. Both Pokemon can also learn Stealth Rock, which allows Durant to secure some KOs on Pokemon. Gravity is an interesting option to help Durant out, as it increases the accuracy of its moves without the need of Hone Claws or an item. Both forms of Landorus are the most common users of the move in OU since they get mileage out of the move themselves. Weavile is also an effective partner, as it can defeat several Pokemon that Durant fears, such as Gengar, Starmie, Latios, and Tornadus.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Durant has a shallow movepool, but it has a few other options. Rock Slide and Stone Edge are coverage moves that Durant gets, but Durant covers most Pokemon in OU with its other moves. It does have the advantage of getting a nice hit on Zapdos, however. Agility or Rock Polish are decent options, as Durant isn't weak to any priority moves and the opponent will have a tough time outspeeding it at +2. However, Scizor's access to Bullet Punch and Swords Dance makes Scizor superior in most cases.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is always a useful support option, but Durant's low special bulk makes it hard to use. Baton Pass can be used to pass off a boost at the last minute, but Durant will rarely even have the opportunity to use Hone Claws in the first place. Substitute is useful mainly because it is the only way Durant is going to take a special hit from a Pokemon such as Starmie. As a side note, do not use Wide Lens—even though it somewhat improves Durant's accuracy, it doesn't offer any additional power, which is Durant's main (and really only) advantage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to the immediate power it brings onto the field, Durant can be tricky to stop. Without Rock Slide, defensive Zapdos is the best check, as it avoids a 2HKO from all of Durant's moves other than Rock Slide even at +1. Choice Scarf Magnezone or Magneton can switch into any of Durant's moves other than Superpower and trap and OHKO it with Thunderbolt. Jellicent, Tentacruel, and most other bulky Water-types can switch into an Iron Head, survive one Thunder Fang, and hit hard with Scald, potentially burning or outright OHKOing Durant. However, a much safer way to defeat Durant is by revenge killing it. To put it bluntly, any Pokemon either holding a Choice Scarf or that has a base Speed over 109 with a neutral special attack is going to either force Durant out or destroy it. Examples of these Pokemon include Starmie, Gengar, or Tornadus, and if Durant has Hone Claws, these Pokemon will discourage its setup heavily. Be warned that some of these Pokemon, such as Alakazam and Gengar, must sometimes rely on the inaccurate Focus Blast, while Durant can OHKO some of them in return.</p>
Current Analysis
[Overview]
<p>Life is tough for Durant—it gets preyed upon by the NU Pokemon, Heatmor! On a more serious note, Durant struggles to distinguish itself from Scizor, which packs the same typing, higher Attack, an enhanced movepool, and greater overall bulk. However, Durant has a few things that set it apart from not only Scizor, but the rest of the tier as well. It gets access to Hustle, which boosts its Attack to one of the highest in the game. In addition, it sports a base Speed stat of 109, which allows it to just barely outpace Pokemon such as Infernape and Terrakion. Finally, while it has a somewhat shallow movepool, it is enough to cover many relevant threats in OU and 2HKO them all with the appropriate move after a +1 boost from Hone Claws.</p>
<p>Although Durant looks extremely difficult to stop, it has a number of flaws. Its Special Defense is downright awful, and it will almost never take a neutral special hit. While its Speed is good for outpacing some Pokemon, it finds itself barely outsped by many special attackers, including Latios, Gengar, and Starmie. Also, while Hustle is Durant's big selling point, the accuracy drop that comes with it can be fatal. It has Hone Claws to fix this, but this is difficult to set up with Durant's bad special bulk. Overall, Durant is a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon, and must be considered as such when being placed onto a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Thunder Fang
move 4: Hone Claws / X-Scissor
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If Durant has any hope of competing in the OU environment, this is arguably the best set it can have. Thanks to Hustle, it hits very hard, even compared to the titans of OU, and its Speed allows it to outpace common Pokemon such as Terrakion, allowing it to be a formidable offensive threat. Iron Head is the main STAB option, and hits even Pokemon that resist it for considerable damage. Superpower was BW2's gift to Durant—it is Durant's best option against the omnipresent Steel-types in OU, and OHKOes Pokemon that previously could defeat Durant, such as Heatran. Despite Thunder Fang's low Base Power, it hits Tentacruel, Jellicent, and Gyarados for massive damage, and these three are usually Pokemon that Durant struggles against.</p>
<p>The last slot comes down to personal preference, as well as confidence. As mentioned in the overview, Hone Claws is difficult to set up, but it complements Hustle well. After one boost, it fixes Durant's accuracy problems while allowing it to power through some of its usual checks—Thundurus-T, for example, is OHKOed by Iron Head at +1 despite resisting the move. However, Durant finds it hard to set this move up due to the prevalence of Choice Scarf users and faster special attackers that can threaten to destroy it easily due to Durant's bad special bulk. If this is a problem, X-Scissor is another STAB option. While it doesn't gain that much additional coverage, it is still a reliable, powerful STAB move, and can also do a good amount of damage to Psychic-types such as Deoxys-D.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs allow Durant to maximize its offensive prowess. A Jolly nature is mandatory to outspeed fully invested Pokemon at base 108 Speed or lower. Because Durant has a unique Speed tier, it can move the other 4 EVs from Speed to HP to help it take hits slightly better. The choice of item is based off the the 4th move; if Durant has Hone Claws, then it should use a Life Orb to increase its damage output by as much as possible. If the set is only using attacking moves, a Choice Band is a decent alternative, as it allows Durant to hit harder than if it had a Life Orb. A Lum Berry could protect it from status, which otherwise makes Durant nearly useless, but foes can usually just outright KO it with a special move, so its usage is limited at best.</p>
<p>If you didn't get the memo by now, Durant's Special Defense sucks, so naturally its best partners are those that can take special hits. Heatran in particular is a good partner, as it can take special hits well and has Flash Fire to absorb hits from Fire-type moves, Durant's only weakness. Tyranitar is also a good partner, as not only is it incredibly bulky on the special side, but it also sets up a sandstorm which Durant happens to be immune to. Both Pokemon can also learn Stealth Rock, which allows Durant to secure some KOs on Pokemon. Gravity is an interesting option to help Durant out, as it increases the accuracy of its moves without the need of Hone Claws or an item. Both forms of Landorus are the most common users of the move in OU since they get mileage out of the move themselves. Weavile is also an effective partner, as it can defeat several Pokemon that Durant fears, such as Gengar, Starmie, Latios, and Tornadus.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Durant has a shallow movepool, but it has a few other options. Rock Slide and Stone Edge are coverage moves that Durant gets, but Durant covers most Pokemon in OU with its other moves. It does have the advantage of getting a nice hit on Zapdos, however. Agility or Rock Polish are decent options, as Durant isn't weak to any priority moves and the opponent will have a tough time outspeeding it at +2. However, Scizor's access to Bullet Punch and Swords Dance makes Scizor superior in most cases.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is always a useful support option, but Durant's low special bulk makes it hard to use. Baton Pass can be used to pass off a boost at the last minute, but Durant will rarely even have the opportunity to use Hone Claws in the first place. Substitute is useful mainly because it is the only way Durant is going to take a special hit from a Pokemon such as Starmie. As a side note, do not use Wide Lens—even though it somewhat improves Durant's accuracy, it doesn't offer any additional power, which is Durant's main (and really only) advantage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to the immediate power it brings onto the field, Durant can be tricky to stop. Without Rock Slide, defensive Zapdos is the best check, as it avoids a 2HKO from all of Durant's moves other than Rock Slide even at +1. Choice Scarf Magnezone or Magneton can switch into any of Durant's moves other than Superpower and trap and OHKO it with Thunderbolt. Jellicent, Tentacruel, and most other bulky Water-types can switch into an Iron Head, survive one Thunder Fang, and hit hard with Scald, potentially burning or outright OHKOing Durant. However, a much safer way to defeat Durant is by revenge killing it. To put it bluntly, any Pokemon either holding a Choice Scarf or that has a base Speed over 109 with a neutral special attack is going to either force Durant out or destroy it. Examples of these Pokemon include Starmie, Gengar, or Tornadus, and if Durant has Hone Claws, these Pokemon will discourage its setup heavily. Be warned that some of these Pokemon, such as Alakazam and Gengar, must sometimes rely on the inaccurate Focus Blast, while Durant can OHKO some of them in return.</p>
