My baby
QC: Spirit / 49 / EonX
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / P Squared
[Overview]
Durant has a high Attack stat and the ability Hustle, which further boosts its Attack. Durant also sits in a great Speed tier that allows it to outspeed key threats such as Virizion, Cobalion, Flygon, and Houndoom. Furthermore, Durant has an excellent typing that grants it many resistances. Durant also has access to a great boosting move in Hone Claws, which can mitigate the accuracy drop caused by Hustle and increases its already amazing Attack stat. To add icing on the cake, Durant has decent physical bulk that lets it switch into several physical attacks safely and eases setup. Unfortunately, Durant has poor special bulk and thus is very vulnerable to common special attackers in the tier such as Noivern and Meloetta. Even resisted special hits deal a lot of damage to Durant. In addition, Hustle is like a double-edged sword in that it boosts Durant's Attack but gives its attacks a nasty chance to miss, which can be crucial. Even though Durant only has a weakness to Fire-types, they are very common in the tier in Pokemon such as Emboar, Houndoom, and Mega Camerupt.
[SET]
name: Hone Claws
move 1: Hone Claws
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hone Claws is used to boost Durant's already high Attack stat by one stage as well as its accuracy, which can remedy Hustle misses. Iron Head is used for a powerful STAB move and to hit Fairy- and Ice-types such as Togetic and Mega Glalie. Superpower has great coverage with Iron Head, as it nails Steel-types such as Cobalion and Mega Steelix for heavy damage. It also has the added the benefit of hitting Emboar hard, which resists Durant's dual STAB types. X-Scissor is for hitting bulky Psychic- and Grass-types such as Reuniclus and Tangrowth.
Set Details
========
Hustle is the ability of choice, as it can amplify Durant's already high Attack stat, though at the cost of having a nasty default accuracy of 80% on attacking moves. Lum Berry provides a one-time safety net to status moves as well as Scald burns that could potentially cripple Durant. Life Orb could be used over Lum Berry for more damage output, but it forces Durant to take recoil damage. Maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature are used to make use of Durant's fantastic Speed tier in order to outspeed key threats such as Cobalion. Maximum Attack investment is used to maximize damage output.
Usage Tips
========
Durant should set up Hone Claws on passive Pokemon such as Aromatisse, and Bronzong, as they are unable to do much against it. This set can be used to punch holes in opposing teams early- or mid-game if Durant is not your win condition. Durant should only attempt to sweep late-game, when its checks and counters have been eliminated, as otherwise Durant would be stopped cold.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard support is nice for Durant, as this allows it to pick up crucial KOs. For example, physically defensive Aromatisse is OHKOed by Iron Head after one layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock. Entry hazard setters such as Rhyperior and Qwilfish are good partners for their ability to soften up Durant's checks and counters. Uxie is also a nice partner that can provide much utility outside of Stealth Rock; it can use Yawn + U-turn to possibly give Durant a free switch or Thunder Wave to cripple Durant's revenge killers. Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Alomomola are also great partners, as they are able to take care of Fire-types that plague Durant, while it can deal with Grass-types for them. Durant appreciates Healing Wish support from Mesprit in order to get a second chance to sweep teams; Mesprit can also provide Stealth Rock support. Noivern, in particular, is a fantastic partner for Durant, as they have nearly perfect defensive synergy; Noivern resists Fire-type moves that annoy Durant, while Durant resists Fairy- and Dragon-type moves that KO Noivern.
[SET]
name: SubPass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: X-Scissor / Superpower
move 4: Iron Head / Superpower
item: Insect Plate / Wide Lens
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Substitute is used to ease prediction and block status. Baton Pass allows players to send Durant's Substitutes to its teammates and can be used for pivoting out. X-Scissor is for hitting bulky Psychic- and Grass-types such as Reuniclus and Tangrowth. Superpower nails Steel-types such as Cobalion and Mega Steelix for heavy damage. It also has the added benefit of hitting Emboar hard, which resists Durant's dual STAB combination. Iron Head has great coverage with Superpower and is used for a powerful STAB move and to hit Fairy-types such as Togetic and Mega Audino.
Set Details
========
Hustle is the ability of choice, as it can amplify Durant's already high Attack stat, though at the cost of having a nasty default accuracy of 80% on attacking moves. Insect Plate ensures that Durant can OHKO offensive Tangrowth with X-Scissor and 2HKO defensive Amoonguss after Stealth Rock. Wide Lens is an option if X-Scissor is not used and can somewhat compensate for Hustle misses because it increases Durant's 80% accuracy moves to 88%. Salac Berry is an option to make Durant outspeed Pokemon such as Noivern and Choice Scarf Emboar. It also allows Durant to pass a Speed boost to a teammate. Swarm is an option as an ability if Salac Berry is chosen, as it can give Durant a powerful X-Scissor boost when its HP is low from using Substitute. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature makes use of Durant's fantastic Speed tier, letting it outspeed key threats such as Cobalion. Maximum Attack investment is used for as much damage output as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This set is primarily used on offensive teams that appreciate support from Substitute. Durant should set up Substitutes on predicted switches, which is not too difficult because Durant can force out many Pokemon. This set can also be used as a fearsome late-game sweeper with Substitutes helping it ease prediction. Durant should pivot out of threats with Baton Pass and provide momentum for the team.
Team Options
========
Durant greatly benefits from wallbreakers such as Mega Glalie and Emboar to weaken its checks and counters. Noivern also makes for a good partner, as it likes being behind a Substitute and can also dent physically defensive pokemon for Durant. Setup sweepers such as Calm Mind Meloetta and Swords Dance Virizion are great partners, as they are usually vulnerable to status but can safely set up behind a Substitute. Stealth Rock support from Seismitoad and Cobalion greatly aids Durant, and Cobalion has Volt Switch to bring Durant onto the field safely. Uxie is also a nice partner that can provide much utility outside of Stealth Rock; it can use Yawn + U-turn to possibly give Durant a free switch or Thunder Wave to cripple Durant's revenge killers. Durant also likes partners that are able to beat Noivern, such as Bronzong, Togetic, and Aromatisse, as it is able to attack through Substitute.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Superpower
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Thunder Fang / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Iron Head is used for a powerful STAB move and to hit Rock- and Ice-types such as Rhyperior and Mega Glalie. Superpower has great coverage with Iron Head, as it nails Steel-types such as Cobalion and Mega Steelix for heavy damage. It also has the added the benefit of hitting Emboar hard, which resists Durant's dual STAB combination. X-Scissor is for hitting bulky Psychic- and Grass-types such as Reuniclus and Tangrowth. Thunder Fang is used to hit bulky Water-types such as Pelipper, Alomomola, and Qwilfish harder. Baton Pass allows Durant to pivot out safely and provides momentum for the team.
Set Details
========
Hustle is the ability of choice, as it can amplify Durant's already high Attack stat, though at the cost of having a nasty 20% accuracy drop on attacking moves. Life Orb is used for a nice power boost and the ability to freely use any of Durant's moves. Choice Band is an option for a huge power boost at the cost of locking Durant into a move. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature is used to make use of Durant's fantastic Speed tier in order to outspeed key threats such as Cobalion. Maximum Attack investment is used for as much damage output as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This set is mainly used as a wallbreaker in order to weaken defensive cores, but it can also threaten offensive teams due to its high Speed. Try to play Durant aggressively by double switching, as Durant does not like taking unnecessary damage. If Choice Band is used, it is advised for players to not always lock Durant into Superpower, as it gives the opponent ample opportunity to send in a Pokemon that can take advantage of Durant being locked into it and set up on it, such as Swords Dance Fletchinder or Calm Mind Reuniclus.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can handle bulky Water-types, such as Rotom-C and Virizion, make for good partners. Setup sweepers such as Reuniclus and Scrafty are also excellent partners, as they benefit from Durant's ability to weaken defensive Pokemon. Clerics such as Aromatisse and Roselia are also good partners, as they can provide Heal Bell and Aromatherapy support, respectively, to cure Durant of any annoying statuses. Druddigon makes for a particularly nice partner, as it has great synergy with Durant and can provide Stealth Rock support. Uxie can provide much utility outside of Stealth Rock; it can use Yawn + U-turn to possibly give Durant a free switch or Thunder Wave to cripple Durant's revenge killers. Swords Dance Cobalion is a great partner, as it likes Durant's ability to dismantle defensive cores and weaken them to the point where Cobalion can KO them. Choice Scarf users such as Medicham, Hitmonlee, and Flygon can clean up late-game whentheir Durant has severely weakened or eliminated their checks and counters. Qwilfish is also a great partner, as it can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes support.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thunder Wave can be used in order to cripple faster threats, but Durant then loses out on coverage. Rock Slide can also be used in order to heavily damage Fletchinder and Noivern, but it only has 72% accuracy and Noivern is already taking heavy damage from Iron Head. Rock Polish can be used to make Durant a fearsome late-game sweeper, as it can outspeed the entire tier after a boost. A set with Substitute + Endeavor and Salac Berry is also an option in order to surprise defensive Pokemon, but Durant then loses out on important coverage. Lastly, Crunch is a viable option in order to get a harder hit on Jellicent. A set with Truant + Entrainment should not be used, as it is a bad and gimmicky set.
Checks & Counters
===================
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola, Seismitoad, and Quagsire all can easily take a hit from Durant and can retaliate with Scald, which can even burn and cripple Durant, though the former has to be careful of Thunder Fang variants. Quagsire needs a special mention for its ability to beat the Hone Claws set reliably due to Unaware. Bulky Poison-types such as Qwilfish, Garbodor, and Weezing are able to take a hit from Durant and can set up their entry hazards freely. It should be noted that Garbodor cannot do much offensively against Durant. Bulky Ghost-types such as Jellicent, Spiritomb, and Cofagrigus all cannot get OHKOed by Durant and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp, which cripples it for the entirety of the match.
**Special Attackers**: Because of Durant's low Special Defense, it is extremely susceptible to special attacks from powerful special attackers such as Exploud, Seismitoad, and Noivern. Even resisted hits can deal a lot of damage to it.
**Revenge Killers**: Pokemon that naturally outspeed Durant such as Jolteon and Noivern can heavily damage Durant or even OHKO it with their attacks, and the latter is able to beat every set one-on-one, as its ability Infiltrator allows its moves to go through Substitute. Choice Scarf users such as Medicham, Flygon, and Meloetta sometimes carry Fire-type move coverage to OHKO Durant, making them reliable revenge killers. Priority moves from the likes of Houndoom, Hitmonlee, and Spiritomb, while they may not KO it, can pick Durant off when it is weakened or not behind a Substitute. Spiritomb, in particular, is able to bypass Substitute due to Infiltrator.
**Fire-type Moves**: Due to Durant's 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, many Pokemon that carry Fire-type moves can threaten it. Fire-types such as Emboar, Mega Camerupt, and Houndoom all can threaten Durant with their super effective Fire-type STAB moves. Pokemon that carry Fire-type coverage moves such as Fire Punch from Flygon and Hidden Power Fire from Tangrowth are also something players should be aware of.
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