[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Payback / Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
aature: Careful / Adamant / Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 31 Spe or 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======
Bulk Up lets Conkeldurr boost its already massive Attack and solid Defense, making it an effective tank. Combined with Guts, it becomes a status-absorbing powerhouse, able to take hits from physical attackers while increasing its own offensive presence. It can often set up against common Pokémon like Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, and Rotom-W lacking Trick. Drain Punch serves as its primary STAB move, providing reliable damage and consistent recovery. Mach Punch is a crucial priority move, allowing it to pick off faster threats like Terrakion and Excadrill, as well as weakened foes. Payback gives Conkeldurr a way to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types like Jellicent, Latios, and Starmie, which otherwise resist or are immune to its Fighting-type STAB moves. Thanks to Conkeldurr's low Speed, Payback often hits with double its Base Power, which, after a Bulk Up, KOes offensive Psychic-types such as Latios and Starmie with a follow up Mach Punch. Ice Punch is a strong alternative that lets Conkeldurr threaten Flying- and Dragon-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite, which can otherwise check it or set up on it.
Set Details
=====
Maximizing bulk lets Conkeldurr function as a durable tank that can set up and trade effectively. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Careful nature significantly improves its poor special bulk, allowing it to handle special attackers more effectively by letting it live attacks like Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Latios while becoming physically bulkier over time. This investment, combined with its natural bulk, Leftovers recovery, and especially its moveset, makes it difficult to wear down. An Adamant nature is an alternative for more immediate power but sacrifices special bulk, making it easier to break through before it sets up. A Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs is another alternative with Payback, allowing Conkeldurr to underspeed Reuniclus and Slowbro to maximize Payback's damage. Guts allows Conkeldurr to absorb status without hindrance, turning burns and paralyses into an advantage rather than a setback while providing its team a valuable switch-in to Scald. Leftovers provides passive healing, and negates weather chip damage, mitigates burn or poison damage, and helps Conkeldurr stay healthy throughout the match.
Team Options
=======
Since Conkeldurr struggles against faster threats and strong special attackers, it benefits from teammates that can help it enter battle safely and support its setup. Conkeldurr appreciates pivots that can bring it in safely against favorable matchups. Landorus-T and Rotom-W are excellent choices, using U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, to maintain momentum while checking physical attackers that threaten Conkeldurr, but Jirachi is Conkeldurr's best and most prominent partner. In addition to its capability to check and force out Psychic-types with its excellent typing and U-turn, Jirachi can cripple its answers that are also potential roadblocks to Conkeldurr such as Skarmory, Politoed, and Tentacruel by using Trick to give them a Choice Scarf. Healing Wish is also an incredible boon to Conkeldurr, giving it a second chance at a sweep after it has weakened its own answers in its first sweep attempt. On more balanced teams, Jirachi also provides paralysis support to slow down faster threats that could otherwise outspeed and KO Conkeldurr. Latias is another Healing Wish use that checks Keldeo and other notable rain-boosted threats such as Thundurus-T while making offensive progress with its strong Draco Meteor. While Conkeldurr takes advantage of Ferrothorn as an entry point, it dislikes Spikes chipping away at its HP. Starmie is an excellent Rapid Spin user that can keep entry hazards off the field. Starmie also provides an offensive presence, forcing out physical walls like Skarmory that trouble Conkeldurr. The aforementioned Psychic-types like Latios, Reuniclus, and Starmie can be problematic for Conkeldurr. Tyranitar can trap and remove them with Pursuit, preventing them from switching freely. Scizor is a much more offensive option, as it can pick off weakened Psychic-types with Bullet Punch while trapping them with Pursuit or threatening to set up a Swords Dance on the Psychic-types that struggle to do damage to it.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/strictsceptile.583025/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/chomp29.265410/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/magialice.624724/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Payback / Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
aature: Careful / Adamant / Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 31 Spe or 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======
Bulk Up lets Conkeldurr boost its already massive Attack and solid Defense, making it an effective tank. Combined with Guts, it becomes a status-absorbing powerhouse, able to take hits from physical attackers while increasing its own offensive presence. It can often set up against common Pokémon like Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, and Rotom-W lacking Trick. Drain Punch serves as its primary STAB move, providing reliable damage and consistent recovery. Mach Punch is a crucial priority move, allowing it to pick off faster threats like Terrakion and Excadrill, as well as weakened foes. Payback gives Conkeldurr a way to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types like Jellicent, Latios, and Starmie, which otherwise resist or are immune to its Fighting-type STAB moves. Thanks to Conkeldurr's low Speed, Payback often hits with double its Base Power, which, after a Bulk Up, KOes offensive Psychic-types such as Latios and Starmie with a follow up Mach Punch. Ice Punch is a strong alternative that lets Conkeldurr threaten Flying- and Dragon-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite, which can otherwise check it or set up on it.
Set Details
=====
Maximizing bulk lets Conkeldurr function as a durable tank that can set up and trade effectively. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Careful nature significantly improves its poor special bulk, allowing it to handle special attackers more effectively by letting it live attacks like Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Latios while becoming physically bulkier over time. This investment, combined with its natural bulk, Leftovers recovery, and especially its moveset, makes it difficult to wear down. An Adamant nature is an alternative for more immediate power but sacrifices special bulk, making it easier to break through before it sets up. A Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs is another alternative with Payback, allowing Conkeldurr to underspeed Reuniclus and Slowbro to maximize Payback's damage. Guts allows Conkeldurr to absorb status without hindrance, turning burns and paralyses into an advantage rather than a setback while providing its team a valuable switch-in to Scald. Leftovers provides passive healing
Team Options
=======
Since Conkeldurr struggles against faster threats and strong special attackers, it benefits from teammates that can help it enter battle safely and support its setup. Conkeldurr appreciates pivots that can bring it in safely against favorable matchups. Landorus-T and Rotom-W are excellent choices, using U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, to maintain momentum while checking physical attackers that threaten Conkeldurr, but Jirachi is Conkeldurr's best and most prominent partner. In addition to its capability to check and force out Psychic-types with its excellent typing and U-turn, Jirachi can cripple its answers that are also potential roadblocks to Conkeldurr such as Skarmory, Politoed, and Tentacruel by using Trick to give them a Choice Scarf. Healing Wish is also an incredible boon to Conkeldurr, giving it a second chance at a sweep after it has weakened its own answers in its first sweep attempt. On more balanced teams, Jirachi also provides paralysis support to slow down faster threats that could otherwise outspeed and KO Conkeldurr. Latias is another Healing Wish use that checks Keldeo and other notable rain-boosted threats such as Thundurus-T while making offensive progress with its strong Draco Meteor. While Conkeldurr takes advantage of Ferrothorn as an entry point, it dislikes Spikes chipping away at its HP. Starmie is an excellent Rapid Spin user that can keep entry hazards off the field. Starmie also provides an offensive presence, forcing out physical walls like Skarmory that trouble Conkeldurr. The aforementioned Psychic-types like Latios, Reuniclus, and Starmie can be problematic for Conkeldurr. Tyranitar can trap and remove them with Pursuit, preventing them from switching freely. Scizor is a much more offensive option, as it can pick off weakened Psychic-types with Bullet Punch while trapping them with Pursuit or threatening to set up a Swords Dance on the Psychic-types that struggle to do damage to it.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/strictsceptile.583025/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/chomp29.265410/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/magialice.624724/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
