Epikhairz
Anything goes
Conkeldurr #534
Type:
Abilities: Guts / Sheer Force / Iron Fist
Base Stats: 105 / 140 / 95 / 55 / 65 / 45
Notable Moves (in no particular order):
Knock Off
Drain Punch
Mach Punch
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Fire Punch
Superpower
Poison Jab
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Bulk Up
Poison Jab
Payback
Analysis:
Since Conkeldurr was introduced in BW, it has always been a brutal attacker. It boasted a nearly unrivaled Attack stat of 140 and decent bulk of 105 HP / 95 Def, and also had access to the coveted priority attack Mach Punch. It is also complimented by its amazing three abilities which it can take advantage of in different ways, and its low Speed can be mitigated slightly by using Mach Punch, or simply slapping it onto a Trick Room team. However, for the very reason that its Speed is low, as well as its Special Defense, and the fact that it lacks another typing, Conkeldurr can find itself struggling to compete with fellow Fighting-types like Mega Lucario, similar to last generation. Also, the new Fairy-type also causes lots of troubles for Conkeldurr, as another type has been thrown in to take on Fighting.
However, in XY, Conkeldurr got some new toys to play with. The biggest change with the generation shift was the buff that Knock Off received. Now, nothing can safely switch into Conkeldurr bar Dark-resisting Mega Pokemon because there is a high chance it will use Knock Off, causing the loss of an item that could be crucial to success. Also, the new item Assault Vest allows Conkeldurr to remedy its previously debilitating Special Defense stat and make it somewhat usable. Conkeldurr won't be able to use non-attacking moves, but that's a small price to pay to turn Conkeldurr into one of the best well-rounded bulky Fighting-types in the tier. Here is Conkeldurr's most commonly run set that capitalizes on these two buffs:
Assault Vest
Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD - suggested by November Blue (post #7)
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch / Thunder Punch / Poison Jab
With an Assault Vest attached to it, Conkeldurr actually becomes pretty sturdy on the special side as well and can come it on lots of attacks. When this variant of Conkeldurr comes in, switching out can be an extremely scary ordeal because Knock Off has the potential of crippling a Pokemon for the match, as well as being extremely strong. Drain Punch is Conkeldurr's primary STAB and is really its only way of independent recovery; therefore, if you wish to keep Conkeldurr alive longer, you may want to bring a WishPasser. Mach Punch is a strong priority STAB and mitigates Conkeldurr's poor Speed stat slightly; it can pick off foes easily and packs a powerful punch. Finally, the last moveslot is mostly for coverage. Have a problem with Dragons? Use Ice Punch. Have a problem with Gyarados and miscellaneous Flying and Water-types (Tentacruel)? Use Thunder Punch. Have a problem with those pesky Fairies? Use Poison Jab, though you won't get an Iron Fist boost from it.
I really like Conkeldurr in XY OU. A bulky Fighting-type with access to Knock Off, Mach Punch, and great coverage with the elemental punches are just some of the many reasons to use Conkeldurr. I can't really explain it with a full paragraph so I'll just end things here.
Questions for Discussion
- Is Conkeldurr outclassed by anything
- Is Conkeldurr worth using in OU despite having to compete with powerhouses like Mega Lucario
- Are there any other viable Conkeldurr sets
- Any other questions
Type:
Abilities: Guts / Sheer Force / Iron Fist
Base Stats: 105 / 140 / 95 / 55 / 65 / 45
Notable Moves (in no particular order):
Knock Off
Drain Punch
Mach Punch
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Fire Punch
Superpower
Poison Jab
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Bulk Up
Poison Jab
Payback
Analysis:
Since Conkeldurr was introduced in BW, it has always been a brutal attacker. It boasted a nearly unrivaled Attack stat of 140 and decent bulk of 105 HP / 95 Def, and also had access to the coveted priority attack Mach Punch. It is also complimented by its amazing three abilities which it can take advantage of in different ways, and its low Speed can be mitigated slightly by using Mach Punch, or simply slapping it onto a Trick Room team. However, for the very reason that its Speed is low, as well as its Special Defense, and the fact that it lacks another typing, Conkeldurr can find itself struggling to compete with fellow Fighting-types like Mega Lucario, similar to last generation. Also, the new Fairy-type also causes lots of troubles for Conkeldurr, as another type has been thrown in to take on Fighting.
However, in XY, Conkeldurr got some new toys to play with. The biggest change with the generation shift was the buff that Knock Off received. Now, nothing can safely switch into Conkeldurr bar Dark-resisting Mega Pokemon because there is a high chance it will use Knock Off, causing the loss of an item that could be crucial to success. Also, the new item Assault Vest allows Conkeldurr to remedy its previously debilitating Special Defense stat and make it somewhat usable. Conkeldurr won't be able to use non-attacking moves, but that's a small price to pay to turn Conkeldurr into one of the best well-rounded bulky Fighting-types in the tier. Here is Conkeldurr's most commonly run set that capitalizes on these two buffs:
Assault Vest
Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD - suggested by November Blue (post #7)
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch / Thunder Punch / Poison Jab
With an Assault Vest attached to it, Conkeldurr actually becomes pretty sturdy on the special side as well and can come it on lots of attacks. When this variant of Conkeldurr comes in, switching out can be an extremely scary ordeal because Knock Off has the potential of crippling a Pokemon for the match, as well as being extremely strong. Drain Punch is Conkeldurr's primary STAB and is really its only way of independent recovery; therefore, if you wish to keep Conkeldurr alive longer, you may want to bring a WishPasser. Mach Punch is a strong priority STAB and mitigates Conkeldurr's poor Speed stat slightly; it can pick off foes easily and packs a powerful punch. Finally, the last moveslot is mostly for coverage. Have a problem with Dragons? Use Ice Punch. Have a problem with Gyarados and miscellaneous Flying and Water-types (Tentacruel)? Use Thunder Punch. Have a problem with those pesky Fairies? Use Poison Jab, though you won't get an Iron Fist boost from it.
Personal AnalysisNovember Blue said:This set provides the best special bulk, and doesn't compromise physical bulk as much as you'd expect. Max power is essential because Conkeldurr's main role is to hit hard, and the stronger the hits the higher the Drain Punch recovery.
I really like Conkeldurr in XY OU. A bulky Fighting-type with access to Knock Off, Mach Punch, and great coverage with the elemental punches are just some of the many reasons to use Conkeldurr. I can't really explain it with a full paragraph so I'll just end things here.
Bulk Up - by Sir Heru (post #6)
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
Drain Punch
Mach Punch
Ice Punch
Bulk Up
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Protect
- Earthquake
CroConk - by 13_luckynumber (post #38)
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Atk OR 252 Atk / 252 SpD/ 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch / Knock Off
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers / Black Belt
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs:252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch / Drain Punch
(Conkeldurr) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Mach Punch
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
Drain Punch
Mach Punch
Ice Punch
Bulk Up
3 Attacks + Protect - by Cheatingtaco (post #12)Sir Heru said:To explain why it is really good against Rotom-W:
In my experience over the last couple of months, Rotoms just spam Will-O-Wisp as they want to. Here is where it gets interesting. I can either just bring in Conkeldurr or, if it is already in, just go for a Bulk Up. At a good amount of HP, a Hydro Pump will not knock me out and I can get a good amount of HP back. Usually followed up by a Mach Punch I knock it out. Unless there is a Talonflame on the team, this leads to a crucial sweep. I have Leftovers over Assault Vest, because once I get the burn, I'm on a timer. Regenerating half of the burn damage every turn really helps me out a ton.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Protect
- Earthquake
CroConk - by 13_luckynumber (post #38)
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Atk OR 252 Atk / 252 SpD/ 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch / Knock Off
SubPunch - by losedude (post #42)13_luckynumber said:Guts is activated by Sleep. Bulk Up is to get past tough defensive mons. Your attacking move depends on your team: Drain Punch if you can get rid of Ghost and Knock Off hits common switch ins like Celebi, Jellicent, Jirachi. Recovery from Drain Punch + Leftovers + Rest makes Conkeldurr ridiculously hard to kill so it is the preferred move.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers / Black Belt
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs:252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch / Drain Punch
All Out Attacker (Iron Fist) - by Jack B. (post #54)losedude said:Most of it is self explanatory, knock off is there for ghost types and general coverage blah blah blah. For the 4th slot, you could run Ice punch for stuff like Gliscor and Landorus(or some other stuff thats 4x weak to it if you are protected by a sub) and if you choose this, you should use the leftovers item to gain hp from all the substitutes. Another option is to run Drain punch for a better, quicker way of recovering health and if you do this, the Black belt item is now viable and your Focus punches will now recieve STAB, Iron fist boost AND Black belt boost so uh yeah thats cool.
(Conkeldurr) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Mach Punch
Jack B. said:The stat spread focuses on increasing his already massive attack and substantial bulk. I think putting 252 on HP makes sense as damage from Life Orb isn’t quite as costly. Trying to increase speed is somewhat pointless IMO as Conk already has access to a great priority move and suffers from a debilitating base 45 stat anyway.
As for the movepool itself, each punch attack helps to deal with some of the top threats in the OU metagame. Mach Punch is boosted to a solid 80 power between STAB, Iron Fist and Life Orb while also having priority. This is great for dealing with bulky Heatrans, Mamoswines, Mega T-tars or Blisseys while also being a great attack to fall back on for neutral damage against pokemon like Rotom Wash.
Fire punch has great use in getting rid of Galvantula and Ferrothron early on before they establish too many hazards, should you choose to lead with Conk. It is also useful for dealing with viable steel types like Aegislash, Scizor, and Bisharp who wouldn’t expect to see FP on Conkledurr. Ice punch gives great coverage against Garchomp, Dragonite, Landorus and Gliscor who all have 4x weakness while Thunder punch deals with Gyarados, Manaphy and pesky Keldeos who Conk can check quite well. Overall, the use of the three elemental punches helps Conkeldurr be unpredictable in battle while also hitting a large percentage of popular threats for super effective damage and possible, albeit slim, status ailments.
As usual, Conk can’t deal with flying and psychic types. This means even though he has a movepool that would let him hit Talonflame and Latios/Latias super effectively, they still out speed him and will OHKO with Brave Bird and Psyshock respectively. Other pokemon can be troublesome here as well like Extrasensory Greninja. Although he could hit with TP or MP for a OHKO, Greninja outspeeds Conk and can use Protean to his advantage. That being said, Greninja also makes a great teammate for Conkledurr as he can absorb psychic attacks for no damage and return a Dark Pulse to Latios, Latias, or Slowbro. In this sense, this set is utilized best on hyper offensive teams or on teams that lack enough ice, fire or electric attacks.
Overall, this set can be great to lead off with as the movepool is diverse and provides great coverage. Conk can also act as a great pivot as he can switch in to a wide variety of attacks and shrug off the damage with his bulky HP. An alternative option would be to use Guts and Flame Orb over Iron fist and Life Orb, resulting in the same 1.5x total boost. However, the difference here would be that instead of losing 1/10 max HP Conk is taking 1/8 per turn regardless of whether he deals damage. This can be beneficial for absorbing status moves like Rotom-W’s Wil-o-Wisp as Conk is already statused and lacks an attack drop from his ability.
I have been using this set with a great deal of success and, although I am still relatively new to competitive play, I think Conk is underutilized in the metagame. While flying types like Talonflame are rampant and can single handedly deal with Conk, he is still an effective addition to any team so long as he is given the support needed to neutralize his main threats.
- Is Conkeldurr outclassed by anything
- Is Conkeldurr worth using in OU despite having to compete with powerhouses like Mega Lucario
- Are there any other viable Conkeldurr sets
- Any other questions
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