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[Overview]
<p>Haxorus's name isn't the only cool thing about him. Sporting a massive base 147 Attack, Haxorus has the ability to OHKO or 2HKO nearly everything in the game, even without entry hazard support. In addition, access to amazing moves like Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, Outrage, and several great coverage moves like Superpower and Aqua Tail, make him both devastating and unpredictable. Unfortunately, he has meager defenses and a disappointing Speed stat which can sometimes cause him to be brushed aside in favor of his Dragon-type brethren, namely Garchomp, Salamence, Dragonite, and Kyurem-B. Haxorus faces considerable competition from Kyurem-B in particular, as both Pokemon are strikingly similar; possessing overkill Attack stats and similar Speed stats, but Kyurem-B possesses far greater durability and a great Special Attack stat. Despite these shortcomings, Haxorus's sheer power and incredible offensive coverage often merits him a spot on a team, as very little can safely switch into this behemoth.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Superpower / Low Kick
move 4: Substitute / Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Fighting Gem / Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In a metagame filled with increasingly powerful physical threats, Swords Dance Haxorus still represents the absolute gold standard for one-turn power in OU. Haxorus is flat out uncounterable at +2—to put things in perspective, even Skarmory can't stop Haxorus once it gets going. When the opportunity presents itself, set up Swords Dance on something he can force out, usually by bluffing a Choice Band set. +2 Outrage will devastate anything that's unlucky enough to switch in; everything in OU (barring Skarmory and Forretress) is flat out 2HKOed by +2 Outrage at worst. Prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Tangrowth all face potential OHKOes from +2 Outrage with a bit of prior damage (or none if Life Orb is used). Superpower might seem counter-productive on a boosting set, but you need its high Base Power in order to defeat any Skarmory or Forretress that might switch in. Fighting Gem temporarily gives Haxorus Fighting STAB on Superpower, which lets him overcome the Steel-types that aren't fazed by Outrage or Earthquake such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress. Substitute offers Haxorus protection against status and also grants him (a few) set up opportunities. It also provides Haxorus utility against faster paced offensive teams, since he isn't going to get very far with just Swords Dance. Since those teams are less likely to use pure defensive Pokemon, he doesn't even need the power boost from Swords Dance and you can do some damage with just Substitute.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail gets an exceptional power boost in the rain, and is a staple for Haxorus on rain teams. You can forget about using Superpower Fighting Gem alongside Aqua Tail, as Skarmory and Forretress are effortlessly 2HKOed by +2 Life Orb Aqua Tail in the rain and some other Steel-types like Jirachi or Scizor are actually OHKOed. Low Kick makes for a great alternative to Superpower, as its capable of dealing with most of the Steel-types that trouble Haxorus, and Aqua Tail can still cover Steel-types that take negligible damage from Low Kick. Earthquake nets you a little bit more coverage, and is more potent against Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Bronzong. It's also useful in situations where you don't want to use up the Fighting Gem.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are several alternatives to the items listed on the Swords Dance set; Draco Plate provides a power boost to Outrage that is almost comparable to Life Orb, but without the recoil, notably allowing Haxorus to always OHKO Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Tangrowth with +2 Outrage and a layer of Spikes. Mystic Water strengthens Aqua Tail and makes it frighteningly powerful under rain, granting Haxorus the 2HKO on Skarmory and OHKOes on both Landorus-T and Gliscor after a Swords Dance. Salac Berry can boost Haxorus's Speed, but it can tricky to actually pull it off in a match, although if you can get Haxorus to take one strong hit that won't OHKO him, or if you can spam Substitute into Salac Berry range, you can potentially have a +2 Attack, +1 Speed sweeper on your hands. You can opt for a bulkier spread consisting of 92 HP / 200 Atk / 216 Spe, which noticeably increases Haxorus's durability while keeping his Attack and Speed stat mostly intact. Keep in mind however, that if you lower Haxorus's Attack, he'll lose some potential OHKOes (most notable against Skarmory at 87% HP), and by lowering his speed, he risks getting outsped by Kyurem-B. Taunt will ensure that no matter what Skarmory will lose to Haxorus in a one-on-one match-up. It's also somewhat effective against Forretress, since it prevents it from setting up.</p>
<p>Wobbuffet is a fantastic partner to Haxorus; it grants him set up opportunities with Encore, and can remove faster Choice Scarf Pokemon. Entry hazards from Pokemon like Deoxys-D are appreciated, since they push physical walls like Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Forretress into OHKO range. U-turn users that lure out Skarmory are great partners to this set, as even the non-existent damage that U-turn deals to Skarmory (in addition to Stealth Rock damage when it switches out) can make the difference in OHKOing Skarmory when it switches into Haxorus later in the game. Swords Dance Haxorus is a great partner to most Dragon-types, since he can lure and weaken/KO most, if not all, of of their checks. Latios, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B are some of the Dragon-types that love having their checks and counters weakened or eliminated before going wild. A Haxorus with a Swords Dance under its belt is a huge threat—you almost always devastate slower Pokemon with Haxorus's overkill Attack stat and he is effective against stall teams or teams with strong defensive cores. Of course when all is said and done, Haxorus is still utterly useless in the face of faster Pokemon. Remember to use this set with discretion, as a Choice Band set might be the better choice for your team. It's a matter of ease of use versus potential; Choice Band is easier to use, and is much more effective early on, but can be easily stopped by hard counters or revenge killed. Swords Dance requires a bit more finesse and might not be useful early on, but it can rewarding when pulled off correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Aqua Tail / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus and Choice Band go together like peanut butter and jelly, as it boosts Haxorus's already amazing Attack stat to an absurd 648. There are very few Pokemon that can claim to counter Choice Band Haxorus, as virtually everything gets at most 2HKOed by an appropriate attack. Even the bulkiest physical walls such as Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Tangrowth will be unable to keep up with Haxorus's onslaught, and since many Steel-types are 2HKOed by him as well, Haxorus is as close to "uncounterable" as they come.</p>
<p>Even though Choice Band Outrage is incredibly powerful, you should use Haxorus's coverage moves to weaken his checks before really cutting lose with Outrage. One of the strongest physical Fighting-type moves, Superpower, has been made available to Haxorus, and with it comes the ability to utterly destroy most Steel-type switch-ins. For example, Ferrothorn, a Pokemon that was once a good check to Choice Band Haxorus, is now hard pressed to switch into Haxorus, as Superpower will easily OHKO with a bit of prior damage. Superpower is actually about as strong as a STAB Dragon Claw, so it's a good idea to use it in situations where you intend to deal high damage, but don't want to trap Haxorus by using Outrage. Earthquake is a bit weaker than Superpower, but complements Outrage well by nailing grounded Steel-types, and thanks to Mold Breaker, Levitate users such as Bronzong, Gengar, and Rotom-W must think twice about switching in. Aqua Tail is used solely to get deal heavy damage to Skarmory, Forretress, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, each of which face 2HKOes from switching into rain-boosted Aqua Tail. It should go without saying, however, that Aqua Tail demands the use of Politoed as a partner to function and is practically useless without the boost from rain. Dragon Claw exists as a weaker alternative to Outrage; it may not kill everything, but it's still a damaging move option that doesn't lock Haxorus in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In order to appreciate the sheer power of Choice Band Haxorus's Outrage, here are some damage calculations against some of the premier physical walls and Steel-types that resist it:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>-1 Outrage vs. 200/244 Landorus-T: 54.74 - 64.49%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/184+ Gliscor: 64.69% - 76.27%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/252+ Hippowdon: 54.29% - 63.81%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 248/252+ Vaporeon: 75.16% - 88.77%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/48+ Ferrothorn: 34.94% - 40.91%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Jirachi: 43.81% - 51.49%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 0/0 Heatran: 52.01% - 61.30%</li>
</ul>
<p>A Jolly nature allows Haxorus to always outspeed Kyurem-B and most variants of opposing Haxorus and Hydreigon. In truth, there isn't much point to using a Jolly nature on Choice Band Haxorus, as the extra Speed isn't worth the large drop in power, nor is it worth the irreparable damage to your pride. Haxorus's movepool is sparse, but Dual Chop and Rock Slide are worth considering over Dragon Claw. Dual Chop can be used to break opposing Substitutes, but its accuracy can be off-putting. Rock Slide lets Haxorus hit Gyarados, Volcarona, and Zapdos without locking himself into Outrage, but they are still hit hard by Dragon Claw, and Rock Slide can give Steel-types free switches. Another option that should be considered is Rivalry. Although Mold Breaker is great when used with Earthquake, Rivalry can be used for an extra boost. The 25% increase in power is very significant considering Haxorus's amazing Attack—for example, with one layer of Spikes, Outrage will usually 2HKO the standard Relaxed Ferrothorn. However, this can easily backfire, as the 25% penalty in Attack can prevent Haxorus from getting the OHKO on Pokemon who would ordinarily be OHKOed by Mold Breaker Haxorus.</p>
<p>Although Haxorus is going to be hitting everything hard with Outrage, it still has trouble with the bane of most physical attackers: Skarmory. Skarmory can come in on any of Haxorus's attacks and proceed to Roost off the damage or set up Spikes thanks to its amazing Defense. Other than Skarmory, there aren't really any other true Haxorus counters. Bronzong, Ferrothorn, and defensive Jirachi are decent checks, but although they can usually take two Outrages, they will fall to a well-predicted Earthquake or Superpower. Magnezone is one of the best partners for Haxorus because it can easily trap and kill most Steel-types with Magnet Pull. It also has solid synergy with Haxorus, since it can take Ice- and Dragon-type attacks aimed at the giant salamander. Haxorus is prone to being revenge killed by the likes of Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor thanks to their powerful priority attacks. A Scizor of your own can be helpful in this situation to take Ice Shards and Bullet Punches aimed at Haxorus. You also might want to consider pairing Haxorus with Pokemon that can take advantage of Haxorus's ability to KO most Steel-types and physical walls. Pokemon such as Latios will absolutely love having Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Heatran out of the picture so it can spam Draco Meteor with little to fear. Choice Band Haxorus tends to get picked off after it has KOed a Pokemon, though smart play and proper positioning can allow Haxorus to stick around longer and potentially get even more KOs.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Low Kick / Earthquake
item: Lum Berry / Draco Plate
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While it should be fairly obvious that Haxorus makes great use of either Dragon Dance or Swords Dance, each set is somewhat ineffective against specific types of teams, which limits Haxorus's utility if certain threats haven't been eliminated. By using both moves on the same set, however, Haxorus gains the ability to set up flexibly and destroy almost any team after the appropriate boost. For instance, using Swords Dance enables Haxorus to break through walls and bulky attackers on slower defensive teams, while Dragon Dance is reserved for offensive teams with faster Pokemon. If possible, Haxorus should find opportunities to use both boosting moves to become faster and even stronger, though his sweep might be at risk if he attempts to boost again. After either dance, practically every Pokemon in OU is 2HKOed, if not instantly vaporized, by any combination of Outrage, Low Kick, or Earthquake (except for Skarmory).</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set can be tweaked in a few ways; if you desire some bulk, 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe is a viable alternative, as it allows Haxorus to outspeed positive base 130s after a Dragon Dance boost. Since setting up is more crucial than ever, Lum Berry is ideal to heal off status and Outrage-induced confusion, giving Haxorus opportunities to set up in front of status-reliant foes. As far as power-boosting items are concerned, Draco Plate is the preferred item, compromising between Haxorus's decent bulk and Life Orb's detrimental recoil. Even then, Lum Berry tends to be the better choice in most instances because of the popularity of defensive status users in the metagame, especially Ferrothorn and Rotom-W. Seeing as you can choose whichever boosting move to use for the appropriate situation, very little is completely safe from this set. To play this set correctly and avoid Outrage-induced confusion, however, bulky Steel-types, especially Skarmory and Forretress, in addition to Jirachi if Low Kick is used, need to be eliminated beforehand. For starters, Magnezone is an instant solution to these threats due to its ability to trap and eliminate them immediately. Dual screens support from the likes of Latios and Espeon (preferably with Hidden Power Fire to weaken Steel-type counters) is still a good team option to consider, providing more setup opportunities and a form of insurance against possible revenge killers. It would also be advisable to pair Haxorus with alternative offensive teammates that can take advantage of the damage that Haxorus causes if the dragon he finds himself attacking and fainting too early in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Earthquake
item: Lum Berry / Yache Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus is by no means slow, but his awkward base 97 Speed means he'll always be outpaced by common Pokemon such as Garchomp, Latios, Terrakion, and Keldeo. As such, Haxorus can make great use of Dragon Dance to boost its already sky-high Attack along with its mediocre Speed in order to outpace and KO faster threats that he would otherwise lose to. Although finding an opportunity to setup may be difficult for a fragile Pokemon like Haxorus, and other Dragon Dance users are generally better, the benefits to setting up with Haxorus can be quite substantial, as the combination of speed and power make Haxorus incredibly hard to stop. After a single Dragon Dance, Haxorus reaches a terrifying 648 Attack and 427 Speed, enough to outpace every common Pokemon without a Choice Scarf. With a Dragon Dance under his belt, Outrage will 2HKO virtually everything in the game. Low Kick trashes Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran, while Earthquake will nail all other Steel-types besides Skarmory—even Bronzong isn't safe thanks to Mold Breaker. Lum Berry is a great item that allows Haxorus to avoid being hit by status, or to immediately snap out of its confusion after using Outrage. Yache Berry is handy for weakening Ice-type moves and preventing Haxorus from being picked off by Ice Shard users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is a powerful, albeit risky item for this set. Haxorus's teammates should focus on either eliminating its counters or creating an opportunity for him to set up a Dragon Dance. Magnezone deserves an obvious mention for its ability to turn Skarmory into fried chicken through the use of Magnet Pull and Thunderbolt. Choice Scarf Rotom-W is also an excellent partner because it has little to fear from Skarmory, Bronzong, and most other Haxorus checks. Rotom-W can also use Trick to cripple an incoming Pokemon, which will subsequently give Haxorus a chance to use Dragon Dance as the Tricked Pokemon is forced to switch out. Haxorus is extremely susceptible to revenge killing by priority users such as Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor, all of which Rotom-W can check decently as well. A Skarmory of your own can add some more insurance since most priority users are physically inclined, while Haxorus will appreciate Skarmory's ability to set up Spikes. Pokemon that can set up dual screens will be immensely useful for Haxorus due to his poor defenses. Azelf, Latios, and Espeon are all very good choices thanks to their great Speed, and with the proper investment, they still possess the bulk to set up dual screens more than once. Wobbuffet support is worth considering for Haxorus because it can eliminate Choice Scarf Pokemon with either Counter or Mirror Coat, and it can also Encore a support move such as Stealth Rock to give Haxorus a free switch in to use Dragon Dance.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Choice Scarf was once a staple on Haxorus, but has been made largely unnecessary with the introduction of Kyurem-B. It still takes neutral damage from Stealth Rock, and it isn't weak to common priority moves, so if you're pining for a strong and fast physical Dragon-type, feel free to use it. Haban Berry might seem attractive on paper, but it's rather underwhelming in practice as Haxorus is still usually OHKOed by most Dragon-type moves. As mentioned earlier, you can gamble with Haxorus by using Rivalry and hoping for a potential Attack boost. If an Attack boost is achieved, Haxorus is capable of potentially 2HKOing Pokemon it wouldn't dream of 2HKOing with Choice Band Outrage, such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock. The inverse is also true, and Haxorus loses out on many potential OHKOes if Rivalry is used. Since genders are randomized, your odds of achieving an Attack boost is 50% at best (keep in mind that some players selectively choose their genders for each Pokemon), so it isn't a very good ability to use in a serious match. Unnerve is completely worthless on Haxorus, since he doesn't face Pokemon that typically use resist Berries. Haxorus's movepool is fairly limited, and most viable options have already been covered. Dragon Tail is a decent option on the Choice Band set, but its negative priority coupled with Haxorus's poor defenses makes it a relatively risky choice. Roar can be used on the Choice Band set to disrupt Baton Pass teams that utilize Espeon. Other than that, there aren't many other useful moves for Haxorus to take advantage of.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The list of Pokemon that can switch into Haxorus safely is unfortunately (or fortunately!) quite sparse due to his ridiculous Attack and powerful STAB. Skarmory is as close to a counter as they come, as it can come in on most Outrages and Roost off the damage. Skarmory should watch out for the Swords Dance set however, as it risks getting OHKOed by +2 Fighting Gem Superpower after a bit of prior damage or 2HKOed by +2 Aqua Tail in the rain. Other Steel-types such as Scizor, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Forretress are also fine choices to take Haxorus's Outrages, although they all lack Skarmory's combination of stellar Defense and reliable recovery and can be picked off by Haxorus's coverage moves. Revenge killing Haxorus with a faster Pokemon is often the safest way to take him out. There are numerous fast and strong Pokemon such as Latios, Garchomp, Salamence, and Terrakion that can reliably revenge kill Haxorus assuming they avoid a super effective attack. Flying-types such as Tornadus can come in unharmed if Haxorus is lured into using Earthquake, and OHKO back with an appropriate attack. Strong priority moves like Bullet Punch, Mach Punch, and Ice Shard can damage Haxorus quite badly as well. Mamoswine and Weavile get special mentions because Haxorus is weak to their STAB priority Ice Shard, while Scizor is another fine choice because it resists Haxorus's STAB Outrage.</p>
<p>Haxorus's name isn't the only cool thing about him. Sporting a massive base 147 Attack, Haxorus has the ability to OHKO or 2HKO nearly everything in the game, even without entry hazard support. In addition, access to amazing moves like Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, Outrage, and several great coverage moves like Superpower and Aqua Tail, make him both devastating and unpredictable. Unfortunately, he has meager defenses and a disappointing Speed stat which can sometimes cause him to be brushed aside in favor of his Dragon-type brethren, namely Garchomp, Salamence, Dragonite, and Kyurem-B. Haxorus faces considerable competition from Kyurem-B in particular, as both Pokemon are strikingly similar; possessing overkill Attack stats and similar Speed stats, but Kyurem-B possesses far greater durability and a great Special Attack stat. Despite these shortcomings, Haxorus's sheer power and incredible offensive coverage often merits him a spot on a team, as very little can safely switch into this behemoth.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Superpower / Low Kick
move 4: Substitute / Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Fighting Gem / Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In a metagame filled with increasingly powerful physical threats, Swords Dance Haxorus still represents the absolute gold standard for one-turn power in OU. Haxorus is flat out uncounterable at +2—to put things in perspective, even Skarmory can't stop Haxorus once it gets going. When the opportunity presents itself, set up Swords Dance on something he can force out, usually by bluffing a Choice Band set. +2 Outrage will devastate anything that's unlucky enough to switch in; everything in OU (barring Skarmory and Forretress) is flat out 2HKOed by +2 Outrage at worst. Prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Tangrowth all face potential OHKOes from +2 Outrage with a bit of prior damage (or none if Life Orb is used). Superpower might seem counter-productive on a boosting set, but you need its high Base Power in order to defeat any Skarmory or Forretress that might switch in. Fighting Gem temporarily gives Haxorus Fighting STAB on Superpower, which lets him overcome the Steel-types that aren't fazed by Outrage or Earthquake such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress. Substitute offers Haxorus protection against status and also grants him (a few) set up opportunities. It also provides Haxorus utility against faster paced offensive teams, since he isn't going to get very far with just Swords Dance. Since those teams are less likely to use pure defensive Pokemon, he doesn't even need the power boost from Swords Dance and you can do some damage with just Substitute.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail gets an exceptional power boost in the rain, and is a staple for Haxorus on rain teams. You can forget about using Superpower Fighting Gem alongside Aqua Tail, as Skarmory and Forretress are effortlessly 2HKOed by +2 Life Orb Aqua Tail in the rain and some other Steel-types like Jirachi or Scizor are actually OHKOed. Low Kick makes for a great alternative to Superpower, as its capable of dealing with most of the Steel-types that trouble Haxorus, and Aqua Tail can still cover Steel-types that take negligible damage from Low Kick. Earthquake nets you a little bit more coverage, and is more potent against Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Bronzong. It's also useful in situations where you don't want to use up the Fighting Gem.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are several alternatives to the items listed on the Swords Dance set; Draco Plate provides a power boost to Outrage that is almost comparable to Life Orb, but without the recoil, notably allowing Haxorus to always OHKO Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Tangrowth with +2 Outrage and a layer of Spikes. Mystic Water strengthens Aqua Tail and makes it frighteningly powerful under rain, granting Haxorus the 2HKO on Skarmory and OHKOes on both Landorus-T and Gliscor after a Swords Dance. Salac Berry can boost Haxorus's Speed, but it can tricky to actually pull it off in a match, although if you can get Haxorus to take one strong hit that won't OHKO him, or if you can spam Substitute into Salac Berry range, you can potentially have a +2 Attack, +1 Speed sweeper on your hands. You can opt for a bulkier spread consisting of 92 HP / 200 Atk / 216 Spe, which noticeably increases Haxorus's durability while keeping his Attack and Speed stat mostly intact. Keep in mind however, that if you lower Haxorus's Attack, he'll lose some potential OHKOes (most notable against Skarmory at 87% HP), and by lowering his speed, he risks getting outsped by Kyurem-B. Taunt will ensure that no matter what Skarmory will lose to Haxorus in a one-on-one match-up. It's also somewhat effective against Forretress, since it prevents it from setting up.</p>
<p>Wobbuffet is a fantastic partner to Haxorus; it grants him set up opportunities with Encore, and can remove faster Choice Scarf Pokemon. Entry hazards from Pokemon like Deoxys-D are appreciated, since they push physical walls like Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Forretress into OHKO range. U-turn users that lure out Skarmory are great partners to this set, as even the non-existent damage that U-turn deals to Skarmory (in addition to Stealth Rock damage when it switches out) can make the difference in OHKOing Skarmory when it switches into Haxorus later in the game. Swords Dance Haxorus is a great partner to most Dragon-types, since he can lure and weaken/KO most, if not all, of of their checks. Latios, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B are some of the Dragon-types that love having their checks and counters weakened or eliminated before going wild. A Haxorus with a Swords Dance under its belt is a huge threat—you almost always devastate slower Pokemon with Haxorus's overkill Attack stat and he is effective against stall teams or teams with strong defensive cores. Of course when all is said and done, Haxorus is still utterly useless in the face of faster Pokemon. Remember to use this set with discretion, as a Choice Band set might be the better choice for your team. It's a matter of ease of use versus potential; Choice Band is easier to use, and is much more effective early on, but can be easily stopped by hard counters or revenge killed. Swords Dance requires a bit more finesse and might not be useful early on, but it can rewarding when pulled off correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Aqua Tail / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus and Choice Band go together like peanut butter and jelly, as it boosts Haxorus's already amazing Attack stat to an absurd 648. There are very few Pokemon that can claim to counter Choice Band Haxorus, as virtually everything gets at most 2HKOed by an appropriate attack. Even the bulkiest physical walls such as Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Tangrowth will be unable to keep up with Haxorus's onslaught, and since many Steel-types are 2HKOed by him as well, Haxorus is as close to "uncounterable" as they come.</p>
<p>Even though Choice Band Outrage is incredibly powerful, you should use Haxorus's coverage moves to weaken his checks before really cutting lose with Outrage. One of the strongest physical Fighting-type moves, Superpower, has been made available to Haxorus, and with it comes the ability to utterly destroy most Steel-type switch-ins. For example, Ferrothorn, a Pokemon that was once a good check to Choice Band Haxorus, is now hard pressed to switch into Haxorus, as Superpower will easily OHKO with a bit of prior damage. Superpower is actually about as strong as a STAB Dragon Claw, so it's a good idea to use it in situations where you intend to deal high damage, but don't want to trap Haxorus by using Outrage. Earthquake is a bit weaker than Superpower, but complements Outrage well by nailing grounded Steel-types, and thanks to Mold Breaker, Levitate users such as Bronzong, Gengar, and Rotom-W must think twice about switching in. Aqua Tail is used solely to get deal heavy damage to Skarmory, Forretress, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, each of which face 2HKOes from switching into rain-boosted Aqua Tail. It should go without saying, however, that Aqua Tail demands the use of Politoed as a partner to function and is practically useless without the boost from rain. Dragon Claw exists as a weaker alternative to Outrage; it may not kill everything, but it's still a damaging move option that doesn't lock Haxorus in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In order to appreciate the sheer power of Choice Band Haxorus's Outrage, here are some damage calculations against some of the premier physical walls and Steel-types that resist it:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>-1 Outrage vs. 200/244 Landorus-T: 54.74 - 64.49%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/184+ Gliscor: 64.69% - 76.27%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/252+ Hippowdon: 54.29% - 63.81%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 248/252+ Vaporeon: 75.16% - 88.77%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/48+ Ferrothorn: 34.94% - 40.91%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Jirachi: 43.81% - 51.49%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 0/0 Heatran: 52.01% - 61.30%</li>
</ul>
<p>A Jolly nature allows Haxorus to always outspeed Kyurem-B and most variants of opposing Haxorus and Hydreigon. In truth, there isn't much point to using a Jolly nature on Choice Band Haxorus, as the extra Speed isn't worth the large drop in power, nor is it worth the irreparable damage to your pride. Haxorus's movepool is sparse, but Dual Chop and Rock Slide are worth considering over Dragon Claw. Dual Chop can be used to break opposing Substitutes, but its accuracy can be off-putting. Rock Slide lets Haxorus hit Gyarados, Volcarona, and Zapdos without locking himself into Outrage, but they are still hit hard by Dragon Claw, and Rock Slide can give Steel-types free switches. Another option that should be considered is Rivalry. Although Mold Breaker is great when used with Earthquake, Rivalry can be used for an extra boost. The 25% increase in power is very significant considering Haxorus's amazing Attack—for example, with one layer of Spikes, Outrage will usually 2HKO the standard Relaxed Ferrothorn. However, this can easily backfire, as the 25% penalty in Attack can prevent Haxorus from getting the OHKO on Pokemon who would ordinarily be OHKOed by Mold Breaker Haxorus.</p>
<p>Although Haxorus is going to be hitting everything hard with Outrage, it still has trouble with the bane of most physical attackers: Skarmory. Skarmory can come in on any of Haxorus's attacks and proceed to Roost off the damage or set up Spikes thanks to its amazing Defense. Other than Skarmory, there aren't really any other true Haxorus counters. Bronzong, Ferrothorn, and defensive Jirachi are decent checks, but although they can usually take two Outrages, they will fall to a well-predicted Earthquake or Superpower. Magnezone is one of the best partners for Haxorus because it can easily trap and kill most Steel-types with Magnet Pull. It also has solid synergy with Haxorus, since it can take Ice- and Dragon-type attacks aimed at the giant salamander. Haxorus is prone to being revenge killed by the likes of Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor thanks to their powerful priority attacks. A Scizor of your own can be helpful in this situation to take Ice Shards and Bullet Punches aimed at Haxorus. You also might want to consider pairing Haxorus with Pokemon that can take advantage of Haxorus's ability to KO most Steel-types and physical walls. Pokemon such as Latios will absolutely love having Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Heatran out of the picture so it can spam Draco Meteor with little to fear. Choice Band Haxorus tends to get picked off after it has KOed a Pokemon, though smart play and proper positioning can allow Haxorus to stick around longer and potentially get even more KOs.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Low Kick / Earthquake
item: Lum Berry / Draco Plate
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While it should be fairly obvious that Haxorus makes great use of either Dragon Dance or Swords Dance, each set is somewhat ineffective against specific types of teams, which limits Haxorus's utility if certain threats haven't been eliminated. By using both moves on the same set, however, Haxorus gains the ability to set up flexibly and destroy almost any team after the appropriate boost. For instance, using Swords Dance enables Haxorus to break through walls and bulky attackers on slower defensive teams, while Dragon Dance is reserved for offensive teams with faster Pokemon. If possible, Haxorus should find opportunities to use both boosting moves to become faster and even stronger, though his sweep might be at risk if he attempts to boost again. After either dance, practically every Pokemon in OU is 2HKOed, if not instantly vaporized, by any combination of Outrage, Low Kick, or Earthquake (except for Skarmory).</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set can be tweaked in a few ways; if you desire some bulk, 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe is a viable alternative, as it allows Haxorus to outspeed positive base 130s after a Dragon Dance boost. Since setting up is more crucial than ever, Lum Berry is ideal to heal off status and Outrage-induced confusion, giving Haxorus opportunities to set up in front of status-reliant foes. As far as power-boosting items are concerned, Draco Plate is the preferred item, compromising between Haxorus's decent bulk and Life Orb's detrimental recoil. Even then, Lum Berry tends to be the better choice in most instances because of the popularity of defensive status users in the metagame, especially Ferrothorn and Rotom-W. Seeing as you can choose whichever boosting move to use for the appropriate situation, very little is completely safe from this set. To play this set correctly and avoid Outrage-induced confusion, however, bulky Steel-types, especially Skarmory and Forretress, in addition to Jirachi if Low Kick is used, need to be eliminated beforehand. For starters, Magnezone is an instant solution to these threats due to its ability to trap and eliminate them immediately. Dual screens support from the likes of Latios and Espeon (preferably with Hidden Power Fire to weaken Steel-type counters) is still a good team option to consider, providing more setup opportunities and a form of insurance against possible revenge killers. It would also be advisable to pair Haxorus with alternative offensive teammates that can take advantage of the damage that Haxorus causes if the dragon he finds himself attacking and fainting too early in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Earthquake
item: Lum Berry / Yache Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus is by no means slow, but his awkward base 97 Speed means he'll always be outpaced by common Pokemon such as Garchomp, Latios, Terrakion, and Keldeo. As such, Haxorus can make great use of Dragon Dance to boost its already sky-high Attack along with its mediocre Speed in order to outpace and KO faster threats that he would otherwise lose to. Although finding an opportunity to setup may be difficult for a fragile Pokemon like Haxorus, and other Dragon Dance users are generally better, the benefits to setting up with Haxorus can be quite substantial, as the combination of speed and power make Haxorus incredibly hard to stop. After a single Dragon Dance, Haxorus reaches a terrifying 648 Attack and 427 Speed, enough to outpace every common Pokemon without a Choice Scarf. With a Dragon Dance under his belt, Outrage will 2HKO virtually everything in the game. Low Kick trashes Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran, while Earthquake will nail all other Steel-types besides Skarmory—even Bronzong isn't safe thanks to Mold Breaker. Lum Berry is a great item that allows Haxorus to avoid being hit by status, or to immediately snap out of its confusion after using Outrage. Yache Berry is handy for weakening Ice-type moves and preventing Haxorus from being picked off by Ice Shard users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is a powerful, albeit risky item for this set. Haxorus's teammates should focus on either eliminating its counters or creating an opportunity for him to set up a Dragon Dance. Magnezone deserves an obvious mention for its ability to turn Skarmory into fried chicken through the use of Magnet Pull and Thunderbolt. Choice Scarf Rotom-W is also an excellent partner because it has little to fear from Skarmory, Bronzong, and most other Haxorus checks. Rotom-W can also use Trick to cripple an incoming Pokemon, which will subsequently give Haxorus a chance to use Dragon Dance as the Tricked Pokemon is forced to switch out. Haxorus is extremely susceptible to revenge killing by priority users such as Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor, all of which Rotom-W can check decently as well. A Skarmory of your own can add some more insurance since most priority users are physically inclined, while Haxorus will appreciate Skarmory's ability to set up Spikes. Pokemon that can set up dual screens will be immensely useful for Haxorus due to his poor defenses. Azelf, Latios, and Espeon are all very good choices thanks to their great Speed, and with the proper investment, they still possess the bulk to set up dual screens more than once. Wobbuffet support is worth considering for Haxorus because it can eliminate Choice Scarf Pokemon with either Counter or Mirror Coat, and it can also Encore a support move such as Stealth Rock to give Haxorus a free switch in to use Dragon Dance.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Choice Scarf was once a staple on Haxorus, but has been made largely unnecessary with the introduction of Kyurem-B. It still takes neutral damage from Stealth Rock, and it isn't weak to common priority moves, so if you're pining for a strong and fast physical Dragon-type, feel free to use it. Haban Berry might seem attractive on paper, but it's rather underwhelming in practice as Haxorus is still usually OHKOed by most Dragon-type moves. As mentioned earlier, you can gamble with Haxorus by using Rivalry and hoping for a potential Attack boost. If an Attack boost is achieved, Haxorus is capable of potentially 2HKOing Pokemon it wouldn't dream of 2HKOing with Choice Band Outrage, such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock. The inverse is also true, and Haxorus loses out on many potential OHKOes if Rivalry is used. Since genders are randomized, your odds of achieving an Attack boost is 50% at best (keep in mind that some players selectively choose their genders for each Pokemon), so it isn't a very good ability to use in a serious match. Unnerve is completely worthless on Haxorus, since he doesn't face Pokemon that typically use resist Berries. Haxorus's movepool is fairly limited, and most viable options have already been covered. Dragon Tail is a decent option on the Choice Band set, but its negative priority coupled with Haxorus's poor defenses makes it a relatively risky choice. Roar can be used on the Choice Band set to disrupt Baton Pass teams that utilize Espeon. Other than that, there aren't many other useful moves for Haxorus to take advantage of.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The list of Pokemon that can switch into Haxorus safely is unfortunately (or fortunately!) quite sparse due to his ridiculous Attack and powerful STAB. Skarmory is as close to a counter as they come, as it can come in on most Outrages and Roost off the damage. Skarmory should watch out for the Swords Dance set however, as it risks getting OHKOed by +2 Fighting Gem Superpower after a bit of prior damage or 2HKOed by +2 Aqua Tail in the rain. Other Steel-types such as Scizor, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Forretress are also fine choices to take Haxorus's Outrages, although they all lack Skarmory's combination of stellar Defense and reliable recovery and can be picked off by Haxorus's coverage moves. Revenge killing Haxorus with a faster Pokemon is often the safest way to take him out. There are numerous fast and strong Pokemon such as Latios, Garchomp, Salamence, and Terrakion that can reliably revenge kill Haxorus assuming they avoid a super effective attack. Flying-types such as Tornadus can come in unharmed if Haxorus is lured into using Earthquake, and OHKO back with an appropriate attack. Strong priority moves like Bullet Punch, Mach Punch, and Ice Shard can damage Haxorus quite badly as well. Mamoswine and Weavile get special mentions because Haxorus is weak to their STAB priority Ice Shard, while Scizor is another fine choice because it resists Haxorus's STAB Outrage.</p>
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