Edited with analysis. I'm not too sure about the Dancer though, mainly because almost no one uses it. Some of the sets didn't receive a whole lot of change. There is a degree of rushing on this so there might be some stuff I left out
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Focus Blast / Substitute
move 4: Dark Void
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Spe / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Nasty Plot Darkrai is arguably one of the most threatening sweepers in Uber tier and very little is able to truly counter it. Sporting a blindingly fast 125 base Speed, coupled with a monstrous base 135 Special Attack, Darkrai can quickly decimate weakened teams. Dark Void is a move unique to Darkrai; it is a reliable sleep move that aids in setting up a Nasty Plot and effectively cripples an opponent's team member. Dark Pulse is a fairly obvious option; it gets STAB and hits a number of Ubers super effective thanks to their Psychic typing (or in Giratina’s case, its Ghost typing). Focus Blast complements Dark Pulse well, hitting Steel and Dark-types super effectively, thus providing Darkrai a quick way to tear Dialga, Tyranitar, and in some cases, a weakened Blissey. However, its 70% accuracy should be watched out for, and one should use Dark Pulse whenever the results are just as favorable. If one feels that the accuracy is very unappealing, he or she can opt for Substitute. Substitute scouts for switch ins and thus eases Darkrai’s prediction game. It is also a great weapon against Sleep Talkers, for most of them only carry one attack; Darkrai can safely hide behind the Substitute and set up Nasty Plots until the opponent breaks it with an attack, in which Darkrai can set up another Substitute and repeat the process.</p>
<p>The item choice is dependent on Darkrai’s team placement and purpose. With Focus Sash, Darkrai makes a very suitable lead, surviving any attack and then putting the opposing Pokemon to a good slumber with Dark Void. Darkrai’s ability, Bad Dreams, complements Dark Void pretty well, rendering the Focus Sash held by leads such as Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S utterly useless. If one decides to keep Darkrai into late game, most of the time Life Orb becomes a superior option as it provides Darkrai with extra power that might be needed to break down opponents such as Blissey and Kyogre. The continuous HP depletion from picking an attack is not much to really worry about when it’s in a situation of “sweep or die” anyways. When using Substitute, Leftovers is to be used; obviously Focus Sash does not work with Substitute and Life Orb recoil is too much to add to Darkrai’s short life after its health is chipped away by Substitute.</p>
<p> Darkrai’s EVs are fairly straightforward. Maximum Speed ensures that it ties with other Darkrai at worst, and outruns Latios/Latias, Modest Mewtwo and if the battle allows it, Arceus. Maximum Special Attack gives Darkrai maximum power in its attacks; although one can opt for more HP or defenses if he or she feels the need to survive a particular move, such as a Swords Danced, Life Orb boosted ExtremeSpeed from Rayquaza after certain amounts of damage. In such case Leftovers should be used and the EVs should be dropped from Special Attack, because Darkrai has Nasty Plot to boost it up and losing points in Speed can be more detrimental in winning or losing a match, especially if one decides to move a fairly significant amount of EVs to HP or defenses.</p>
<p>While Darkrai has access to moves that easily complement each other, adding predictions on whether to use Nasty Plot or Dark Void can be very helpful. For instance, if Darkrai’s user predicts that a Sleep Talker will swap in to take the Dark Void, he or she can put up a Nasty Plot and then hopefully destroy the Sleep Talker with Dark Pulse or Focus Blast. With the Sleep Talker gone Darkrai can put another member to sleep with Dark Void, effectively disposing a Pokemon and crippling another. Remember that this is a double edged sword, as while the possible outcomes are more amazing than playing safely, a misprediction can end Darkrai’s life quickly because of its average defenses.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick or Treat
move 1: Trick
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Dark Void
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Spe / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Trick Darkrai is truly a nasty surprise for its opposition. Tricking a Choice Scarf onto an opponent can cripple their Sleep Talkers and can sometimes help against boosted Pokemon while in a pinch. After crippling a Sleep Talker with Trick, Darkrai is free to put it to sleep with Dark Void. As Sleep Talk malfunctions with Choice Scarf, most of the time Darkrai is capable of pulling off a free Nasty Plot or two assuming that the opponent is still slower than it with Choice Scarf Tricked onto it. Dark Pulse is obvious as it is STABed and packs a fairly decent coverage with no Pokemon being immune to it.</p>
<p>Trick Darkrai is an amazing lead; its blindingly fast Speed allows it to outpace Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A leads, either sleeping them with Dark Void, or Tricking them so that they’re stuck on one move, allowing for easy pickings from Pursuiting Pokemon such as Scizor. Its amazing Speed also allows it to outpace Choice Scarf Azelf leads, which sometimes make an appearance in the Uber metagame. Despite these amazing qualities as a lead Darkrai can still be used in late game where it holds more of a surprise as people may not expect a Trick Darkrai late game. Also, it is important to note that Giratina-O, the most used Trick absorber in Ubers, can not switch into Darkrai due to STAB Dark Pulse.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSalac
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast / Dark Void
item: Salac Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP / 30 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Since Nasty Plot Darkrai is a very threatening monster in the Uber metagame, people often deal with it by revenge killing it with faster Pokemon such as Mewtwo and Choice Scarf Palkia. By making use of Substitute and the Salac Berry, Darkrai can avoid this. Simply Nasty Plot and then Substitute down to activate the Salac Berry. While only being able to use two attacks does put some limitations on this Darkrai, with STAB Dark Pulse and Focus Blast you'll still find it to be a quite fearsome sweeper. Focus Blast can also be replaced with Dark Void to sleep potential counters that Focus Blast would normally cover, such as Scizor and Dialga, and allow for more free turns to set up while your opponent is sleeping. After the boost, Darkrai will outrun just about everything and can sweep with its boosted Speed and Special Attack.</p>
<p>The given EVs are rather intuitive for a sweeper but the 30 HP and 30 Defense IV allow for a legal spread in ShoddyBattle where the HP stat is divisible by four, allowing the Salac Berry to activate after three Substitutes.</p>
[SET]
Name: Mixed Sweeper
Move 1: Dark Void
Move 2: Dark Pulse
Move 3: Focus Punch
Move 4: Thunder / Substitute
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Expert Belt
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 156 Atk / 176 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Darkrai relies on some prediction but can be quite effective if pulled off. Dark Void is an obvious choice as it puts the opponent to sleep, allowing Bad Dreams to activate or force a switch. Dark Pulse is its most powerful method of attacking, so it should be used whenever possible. With Life Orb, a Focus Punch to a 4 HP / 252 Def Blissey (the most physically defensive Blissey in Ubers) deals 92%-100% on the switch, and the remaining damage is easily siphoned off with Dark Pulse. Focus Punch also hits Dialga and other Darkrai (if for some reason one tries to switch into you) super effectively and does 52% minimum to a -Def nature Palkia. Thunder hits Kyogre and, if you're lucky, Ho-oh. Substitute can scout against an incoming Sleep Talk Giratina who actually wants to absorb the sleep, but the damage from Life Orb and Substitute damage can add up and drain Darkrai's HP rather quickly. Hasty is ordinarily the recommended nature, as most Ubers are based on special attacks, but Naive is occasionally useful for taking something random like a Metagross's or Scizor’s Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>The choice between Life Orb and Expert Belt is mainly up to preference. The loss of power from Expert Belt for no HP loss can be more appealing for some users. Leftovers is obviously to be used with Substitute, as it allows Darkrai to live for quite a while with the help of prediction.</p>
<p> With Stealth Rock being a common factor in the Uber metagame nowadays, one can drop some EVs in Attack to Special Attack or Speed. With just 112 EVs in Attack, Darkrai can OHKO a 4 HP / 252 Defense Blissey with Focus Punch if Stealth Rock is factored in. With Expert Belt, Darkrai needs only about 124 EVs in Attack for Focus Punch to put Blissey into Dark Pulse’s KO range. Mess around with the EVs and try to find what is most suitable for you. </p>
[SET]
name: Scarf
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Darkrai functions almost identically in Ubers as Choice Scarf Gengar does in standard, that role being a versatile and effective revenge killer. Darkrai's great Special Attack, Speed, and STAB Dark Pulse make him a natural candidate for the role as a revenge killer in the Uber metagame and allows Darkrai to take out dangerous threats such as SubSalac Groudon, once Dragon Danced Rayquaza, Scarf Palkia, and many others.</p>
<p>Dark Pulse is for obligatory STAB and helps to take out usually faster Pokemon such as Deoxys-A. Spacial Rend will allow Darkrai to take out the innumerate dragons in the Uber tier and Thunder is useful for Kyogre and Manaphy coverage. Focus Blast allows Darkrai to take out Dialga and Tyranitar effectively and at least give some response against Blissey.</p>
<p>The EVs are such that Darkrai's Special Attack is maximized and the 204 speed EVs allow Darkrai to outrun maximum speed Deoxys-S. If Deoxys-S isn't a concern then an alternative EV spread that can be used is 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe which allows Darkrai to outrun positive natured, Choice Scarf Palkia. Maximum Speed is obviously an option</p>
<p>If a fast sleep is necessary on your team Dark Void can be put on the moveset in place of Thunder, although this is not recommended. Focus Punch can be used in the last slot over Focus Blast to effectively take out Blissey on the predicted switch-in while still hitting Dialga and Tyranitar. If you opt for Focus Punch a Rash or Mild nature is recommended and feel free to shift the HP EVs over to Attack.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Focus Punch / Brick Break
move 4: Dark Void / Taunt / Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance Darkrai can pack quite a punch to numerous offensive teams nowadays. Swords Danced Sucker Punch is not really something to be scoffed at; it is more powerful than Rayquaza’s ExtremeSpeed, and with the help of Stealth Rock, decimates Palkia after a Swords Dance. Sucker Punch helps against faster Pokemon such as Deoxys-A and Mewtwo. Focus Punch complements Sucker Punch decently, for if they decide not to attack, they will eat a Focus Punch, whereas if they do, they eat a Sucker Punch. However, as good as it sounds in theory Dark-resisting Pokemon can simply attack Darkrai without worrying about Focus Punch or Sucker Punch. A good example of this is Dialga, whose massive base Defense scoffs at Sucker Punch and can KO Darkrai pretty quickly with access to powerful attacks and having high base stats on its offense. In such cases Brick Break can sometimes be more reliable. The last option is almost a handful and these moves are mostly up to what the user feels to be most effective for their team or Darkrai’s sweep. Dark Void can place a Pokemon to sleep and enables a free Swords Dance, but it leaves Darkrai open to be ironically walled by Psychics and Ghosts. Taunt allows Darkrai to force Lugia, Giratina and physically defensive Mewtwo to attack, thus preventing them from otherwise walling the set. Substitute eases the prediction in using this set, but be aware that Darkrai can lose a bit of health from Substitute and Life Orb damage, and does not prevent the likes of Lugia and Giratina from phazing Darkrai away with Whirlwind and
Roar, respectively.</p>
<p>The choice between Jolly and Adamant is very much up to user preference. With Adamant, Darkrai packs more of a punch and deals over 50% to Groudon with Sucker Punch after a Swords Dance. Jolly can be used to tie with other Darkrai at worst, and outpaces Adamant Darkrai, allowing it to KO with Brick Break. Due to Sucker Punch’s and Focus Punch’s abnormal priorities Adamant is often preferred as Darkrai either outruns or is outpaced either way.</p>
<p>The EVs seem a bit contradictory with the priorities, but putting the Speed EVs into Defenses or HP doesn’t help it a whole lot considering its pretty frail already and Life Orb cuts its health even more. Obviously, though the EVs do not contradict when using Jolly nature and Brick Break.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Darkrai, while capable of packing quite a punch, is often regarded as almost a gimmick. This is simply because while the positive priority in Sucker Punch can tear up offensive teams towards the ending should all of the remaining Pokemon have attacks, it can be walled by quite a number of Pokemon. Furthermore, it is extremely reliant on prediction, much more than the mixed set, and with Darkrai’s mediocre defensive capabilities it can be KOed because of a single misprediction. Finally, base 90 Attack isn’t impressive at all, and some Pokemon do not need to resist Sucker Punch to wall it, such as Groudon.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Will-O-Wisp is nice for catching Rayquaza / Palkia / Groudon / Scizor on the switch after the Dark Void, burning them and making them harder to utilize. Psychic can be funny and allows it to hit a Heracross / Fighting Arceus switch in, although aside from that, the move is useless. Faint Attack serves as a more reliable option on the Swords Dancer, but it is quite weak and does not have the +1 priority of Sucker Punch, and Pursuit can be used to catch fleeing Pokemon after it has been slept by Dark Void. Calm Mind can be used if one prefers the Special Defense boost over the sharp Special Attack boost, and allows Darkrai to take Giratina’s Dragon Pulses much easier. After a Calm Mind Darkrai can survive an Aura Sphere from Mewtwo as long as Choice Specs is absent, and can help in lategame sweeps. Taunt can be used in conjunction with Dark Void to prevent a Sleep Talker from striking back. Ice Beam destroys Groudon and Rayquaza. Rock Slide can be used on the Swords Dancer to beat down Ho-oh, Lugia and Rayquaza</p>
[EVs]
<p>Each set has its own EVs, as mentioned. Darkrai's Speed can be lowered to 360, 361 or 374 if running a +Speed Nature. If not, then you can lower your Speed down to 340 or even 330 to outspeed neutral Speed Arceus or Timid / Hasty Palkia, respectively. Darkrai should generally not be used without a +Speed nature, as doing so will risk it being outsped by Latias and Latios, and neutral Speed natured Mewtwo.</p>
[OPINION]
<p>Darkrai is an extremely versatile Pokémon, and the opponent will need more than one Pokémon to safely counter this thing, just like Gengar. Dark Void and Bad Dreams are the reasons why pretty much every team needs someone to absorb sleep as the Uber tier is a fast paced game, and losing one important guy can sometimes mean the end. Absorbing sleep does not always mean having a Sleep Talker, though; it can mean letting the most useless or bulky Pokemon in a team take the sleep. Darkrai’s movepool allows it to gain control of the opponent’s team very effectively. However, Darkrai is also rather frail and dies VERY easily, although not as easily as Deoxys-A. It can survive an Ice Beam, or even Aura Sphere from Mewtwo with enough HP / Special Defense, but that isn't its area of importance.</p>
[COUNTERS]
<p>Darkrai does not have a true counter, due to most counters' fear of Dark Void and the possibility of being Taunted, as well as the unpleasant Bad Dreams, or Darkrai getting a Nasty Plot on them. After Sleep Clause is activated, hopefully by the sleep's being absorbed by a Sleep Talker, Darkrai becomes much easier to stop. For the Nasty Plotter Scarf Palkia can swap in and OHKO with Draco Meteor without worries of Dark Pulse flinching it, although one must be careful of Spacial Rend. Scarf Palkia can swap in on Trick and laugh as Darkrai receives a Choice Scarf. Kyogre can take a Nasty Plotted Dark Pulse with its base 140 Special Defense and deliver swift annihilation with Surf. Ho-oh is in a similar vein, but it isn’t quite as effective due to the abundance of Stealth Rock in the Uber metagame. Sleep Talk Choice Scarf Heracross can come in and scare it off as long as it doesn't have Psychic. Scizor can take on anything besides Nasty Plotted, Life Orb Focus Blast and U-turn away to a faster Pokemon to finish off any remaining HP should Darkrai not die from it. Toxicroak resists both Dark Pulse and Focus Blast and OHKOes Darkrai with Cross Chop. Fighting or Bug Arceus is the closest thing to a "true counter". It shrugs off Darkrai's hits pretty well and OHKOs it with Judgment. However, Arceus is currently unreleased </p>
<p>The mixed attacker is countered by Scizor, who doesn’t mind taking its attacks and can deliver a powerful Bullet Punch or U-turn. Should Thunder be absent from the set, Kyogre, Ho-oh and Forretress destroys it.</p>
<p>The Swords Dancer is very easily walled by Skarmory, Scizor and Forretress, as they resist Sucker Punch and doesn’t mind Brick Break. They can always attack to plow through Focus Punch as well. Dialga resists Sucker Punch and can quickly KO Darkrai, but must be careful of Focus Punch or Brick Break. Groudon and its massive base 140 Defense does not mind taking a Swords Danced Sucker Punch as long as it is above 60% in health, and OHKOes Darkrai back with Earthquake. A healthy bulky Kyogre can accomplish the same as Groudon. Any Ghost with at least one move that is not an attack can wall Swords Dance Darkrai as long as Taunt or Faint Attack is not present. As long as Taunt is not present Lugia laughs at it, having a base 130 Defense, 106 HP and a 4x resist to Fighting. Physical wall Mewtwo resists Focus Punch and can Burn Darkrai assuming that Taunt is not present. Dragon Dance Rayquaza with ExtremeSpeed can strike before Sucker Punch and can KO Darkrai with ease, while resisting Brick Break or Focus Punch. The Swords Dancer is countered by many things and should not be too much of a problem to stop. Generally all it takes is to be able to either absorb or bypass Sucker Punch, and at the same time resisting Brick Break or Focus Punch, or having enough defense to take them. Beware of Taunt, however.</p>
<p>In general, one needs two Pokémon to stop Darkrai: one to absorb sleep, and the other to withstand its moves and annihilate or scare Darkrai out of the battlefield. It is definitely not as simple as it sounds, because Darkrai can psyche the Sleep Talker out with Nasty Plot or Trick and still have the advantage in combat.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Focus Blast / Substitute
move 4: Dark Void
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Spe / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Nasty Plot Darkrai is arguably one of the most threatening sweepers in Uber tier and very little is able to truly counter it. Sporting a blindingly fast 125 base Speed, coupled with a monstrous base 135 Special Attack, Darkrai can quickly decimate weakened teams. Dark Void is a move unique to Darkrai; it is a reliable sleep move that aids in setting up a Nasty Plot and effectively cripples an opponent's team member. Dark Pulse is a fairly obvious option; it gets STAB and hits a number of Ubers super effective thanks to their Psychic typing (or in Giratina’s case, its Ghost typing). Focus Blast complements Dark Pulse well, hitting Steel and Dark-types super effectively, thus providing Darkrai a quick way to tear Dialga, Tyranitar, and in some cases, a weakened Blissey. However, its 70% accuracy should be watched out for, and one should use Dark Pulse whenever the results are just as favorable. If one feels that the accuracy is very unappealing, he or she can opt for Substitute. Substitute scouts for switch ins and thus eases Darkrai’s prediction game. It is also a great weapon against Sleep Talkers, for most of them only carry one attack; Darkrai can safely hide behind the Substitute and set up Nasty Plots until the opponent breaks it with an attack, in which Darkrai can set up another Substitute and repeat the process.</p>
<p>The item choice is dependent on Darkrai’s team placement and purpose. With Focus Sash, Darkrai makes a very suitable lead, surviving any attack and then putting the opposing Pokemon to a good slumber with Dark Void. Darkrai’s ability, Bad Dreams, complements Dark Void pretty well, rendering the Focus Sash held by leads such as Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S utterly useless. If one decides to keep Darkrai into late game, most of the time Life Orb becomes a superior option as it provides Darkrai with extra power that might be needed to break down opponents such as Blissey and Kyogre. The continuous HP depletion from picking an attack is not much to really worry about when it’s in a situation of “sweep or die” anyways. When using Substitute, Leftovers is to be used; obviously Focus Sash does not work with Substitute and Life Orb recoil is too much to add to Darkrai’s short life after its health is chipped away by Substitute.</p>
<p> Darkrai’s EVs are fairly straightforward. Maximum Speed ensures that it ties with other Darkrai at worst, and outruns Latios/Latias, Modest Mewtwo and if the battle allows it, Arceus. Maximum Special Attack gives Darkrai maximum power in its attacks; although one can opt for more HP or defenses if he or she feels the need to survive a particular move, such as a Swords Danced, Life Orb boosted ExtremeSpeed from Rayquaza after certain amounts of damage. In such case Leftovers should be used and the EVs should be dropped from Special Attack, because Darkrai has Nasty Plot to boost it up and losing points in Speed can be more detrimental in winning or losing a match, especially if one decides to move a fairly significant amount of EVs to HP or defenses.</p>
<p>While Darkrai has access to moves that easily complement each other, adding predictions on whether to use Nasty Plot or Dark Void can be very helpful. For instance, if Darkrai’s user predicts that a Sleep Talker will swap in to take the Dark Void, he or she can put up a Nasty Plot and then hopefully destroy the Sleep Talker with Dark Pulse or Focus Blast. With the Sleep Talker gone Darkrai can put another member to sleep with Dark Void, effectively disposing a Pokemon and crippling another. Remember that this is a double edged sword, as while the possible outcomes are more amazing than playing safely, a misprediction can end Darkrai’s life quickly because of its average defenses.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick or Treat
move 1: Trick
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Dark Void
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Spe / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Trick Darkrai is truly a nasty surprise for its opposition. Tricking a Choice Scarf onto an opponent can cripple their Sleep Talkers and can sometimes help against boosted Pokemon while in a pinch. After crippling a Sleep Talker with Trick, Darkrai is free to put it to sleep with Dark Void. As Sleep Talk malfunctions with Choice Scarf, most of the time Darkrai is capable of pulling off a free Nasty Plot or two assuming that the opponent is still slower than it with Choice Scarf Tricked onto it. Dark Pulse is obvious as it is STABed and packs a fairly decent coverage with no Pokemon being immune to it.</p>
<p>Trick Darkrai is an amazing lead; its blindingly fast Speed allows it to outpace Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A leads, either sleeping them with Dark Void, or Tricking them so that they’re stuck on one move, allowing for easy pickings from Pursuiting Pokemon such as Scizor. Its amazing Speed also allows it to outpace Choice Scarf Azelf leads, which sometimes make an appearance in the Uber metagame. Despite these amazing qualities as a lead Darkrai can still be used in late game where it holds more of a surprise as people may not expect a Trick Darkrai late game. Also, it is important to note that Giratina-O, the most used Trick absorber in Ubers, can not switch into Darkrai due to STAB Dark Pulse.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSalac
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast / Dark Void
item: Salac Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP / 30 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Since Nasty Plot Darkrai is a very threatening monster in the Uber metagame, people often deal with it by revenge killing it with faster Pokemon such as Mewtwo and Choice Scarf Palkia. By making use of Substitute and the Salac Berry, Darkrai can avoid this. Simply Nasty Plot and then Substitute down to activate the Salac Berry. While only being able to use two attacks does put some limitations on this Darkrai, with STAB Dark Pulse and Focus Blast you'll still find it to be a quite fearsome sweeper. Focus Blast can also be replaced with Dark Void to sleep potential counters that Focus Blast would normally cover, such as Scizor and Dialga, and allow for more free turns to set up while your opponent is sleeping. After the boost, Darkrai will outrun just about everything and can sweep with its boosted Speed and Special Attack.</p>
<p>The given EVs are rather intuitive for a sweeper but the 30 HP and 30 Defense IV allow for a legal spread in ShoddyBattle where the HP stat is divisible by four, allowing the Salac Berry to activate after three Substitutes.</p>
[SET]
Name: Mixed Sweeper
Move 1: Dark Void
Move 2: Dark Pulse
Move 3: Focus Punch
Move 4: Thunder / Substitute
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers / Expert Belt
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 156 Atk / 176 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Darkrai relies on some prediction but can be quite effective if pulled off. Dark Void is an obvious choice as it puts the opponent to sleep, allowing Bad Dreams to activate or force a switch. Dark Pulse is its most powerful method of attacking, so it should be used whenever possible. With Life Orb, a Focus Punch to a 4 HP / 252 Def Blissey (the most physically defensive Blissey in Ubers) deals 92%-100% on the switch, and the remaining damage is easily siphoned off with Dark Pulse. Focus Punch also hits Dialga and other Darkrai (if for some reason one tries to switch into you) super effectively and does 52% minimum to a -Def nature Palkia. Thunder hits Kyogre and, if you're lucky, Ho-oh. Substitute can scout against an incoming Sleep Talk Giratina who actually wants to absorb the sleep, but the damage from Life Orb and Substitute damage can add up and drain Darkrai's HP rather quickly. Hasty is ordinarily the recommended nature, as most Ubers are based on special attacks, but Naive is occasionally useful for taking something random like a Metagross's or Scizor’s Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>The choice between Life Orb and Expert Belt is mainly up to preference. The loss of power from Expert Belt for no HP loss can be more appealing for some users. Leftovers is obviously to be used with Substitute, as it allows Darkrai to live for quite a while with the help of prediction.</p>
<p> With Stealth Rock being a common factor in the Uber metagame nowadays, one can drop some EVs in Attack to Special Attack or Speed. With just 112 EVs in Attack, Darkrai can OHKO a 4 HP / 252 Defense Blissey with Focus Punch if Stealth Rock is factored in. With Expert Belt, Darkrai needs only about 124 EVs in Attack for Focus Punch to put Blissey into Dark Pulse’s KO range. Mess around with the EVs and try to find what is most suitable for you. </p>
[SET]
name: Scarf
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Darkrai functions almost identically in Ubers as Choice Scarf Gengar does in standard, that role being a versatile and effective revenge killer. Darkrai's great Special Attack, Speed, and STAB Dark Pulse make him a natural candidate for the role as a revenge killer in the Uber metagame and allows Darkrai to take out dangerous threats such as SubSalac Groudon, once Dragon Danced Rayquaza, Scarf Palkia, and many others.</p>
<p>Dark Pulse is for obligatory STAB and helps to take out usually faster Pokemon such as Deoxys-A. Spacial Rend will allow Darkrai to take out the innumerate dragons in the Uber tier and Thunder is useful for Kyogre and Manaphy coverage. Focus Blast allows Darkrai to take out Dialga and Tyranitar effectively and at least give some response against Blissey.</p>
<p>The EVs are such that Darkrai's Special Attack is maximized and the 204 speed EVs allow Darkrai to outrun maximum speed Deoxys-S. If Deoxys-S isn't a concern then an alternative EV spread that can be used is 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe which allows Darkrai to outrun positive natured, Choice Scarf Palkia. Maximum Speed is obviously an option</p>
<p>If a fast sleep is necessary on your team Dark Void can be put on the moveset in place of Thunder, although this is not recommended. Focus Punch can be used in the last slot over Focus Blast to effectively take out Blissey on the predicted switch-in while still hitting Dialga and Tyranitar. If you opt for Focus Punch a Rash or Mild nature is recommended and feel free to shift the HP EVs over to Attack.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Focus Punch / Brick Break
move 4: Dark Void / Taunt / Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance Darkrai can pack quite a punch to numerous offensive teams nowadays. Swords Danced Sucker Punch is not really something to be scoffed at; it is more powerful than Rayquaza’s ExtremeSpeed, and with the help of Stealth Rock, decimates Palkia after a Swords Dance. Sucker Punch helps against faster Pokemon such as Deoxys-A and Mewtwo. Focus Punch complements Sucker Punch decently, for if they decide not to attack, they will eat a Focus Punch, whereas if they do, they eat a Sucker Punch. However, as good as it sounds in theory Dark-resisting Pokemon can simply attack Darkrai without worrying about Focus Punch or Sucker Punch. A good example of this is Dialga, whose massive base Defense scoffs at Sucker Punch and can KO Darkrai pretty quickly with access to powerful attacks and having high base stats on its offense. In such cases Brick Break can sometimes be more reliable. The last option is almost a handful and these moves are mostly up to what the user feels to be most effective for their team or Darkrai’s sweep. Dark Void can place a Pokemon to sleep and enables a free Swords Dance, but it leaves Darkrai open to be ironically walled by Psychics and Ghosts. Taunt allows Darkrai to force Lugia, Giratina and physically defensive Mewtwo to attack, thus preventing them from otherwise walling the set. Substitute eases the prediction in using this set, but be aware that Darkrai can lose a bit of health from Substitute and Life Orb damage, and does not prevent the likes of Lugia and Giratina from phazing Darkrai away with Whirlwind and
Roar, respectively.</p>
<p>The choice between Jolly and Adamant is very much up to user preference. With Adamant, Darkrai packs more of a punch and deals over 50% to Groudon with Sucker Punch after a Swords Dance. Jolly can be used to tie with other Darkrai at worst, and outpaces Adamant Darkrai, allowing it to KO with Brick Break. Due to Sucker Punch’s and Focus Punch’s abnormal priorities Adamant is often preferred as Darkrai either outruns or is outpaced either way.</p>
<p>The EVs seem a bit contradictory with the priorities, but putting the Speed EVs into Defenses or HP doesn’t help it a whole lot considering its pretty frail already and Life Orb cuts its health even more. Obviously, though the EVs do not contradict when using Jolly nature and Brick Break.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Darkrai, while capable of packing quite a punch, is often regarded as almost a gimmick. This is simply because while the positive priority in Sucker Punch can tear up offensive teams towards the ending should all of the remaining Pokemon have attacks, it can be walled by quite a number of Pokemon. Furthermore, it is extremely reliant on prediction, much more than the mixed set, and with Darkrai’s mediocre defensive capabilities it can be KOed because of a single misprediction. Finally, base 90 Attack isn’t impressive at all, and some Pokemon do not need to resist Sucker Punch to wall it, such as Groudon.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Will-O-Wisp is nice for catching Rayquaza / Palkia / Groudon / Scizor on the switch after the Dark Void, burning them and making them harder to utilize. Psychic can be funny and allows it to hit a Heracross / Fighting Arceus switch in, although aside from that, the move is useless. Faint Attack serves as a more reliable option on the Swords Dancer, but it is quite weak and does not have the +1 priority of Sucker Punch, and Pursuit can be used to catch fleeing Pokemon after it has been slept by Dark Void. Calm Mind can be used if one prefers the Special Defense boost over the sharp Special Attack boost, and allows Darkrai to take Giratina’s Dragon Pulses much easier. After a Calm Mind Darkrai can survive an Aura Sphere from Mewtwo as long as Choice Specs is absent, and can help in lategame sweeps. Taunt can be used in conjunction with Dark Void to prevent a Sleep Talker from striking back. Ice Beam destroys Groudon and Rayquaza. Rock Slide can be used on the Swords Dancer to beat down Ho-oh, Lugia and Rayquaza</p>
[EVs]
<p>Each set has its own EVs, as mentioned. Darkrai's Speed can be lowered to 360, 361 or 374 if running a +Speed Nature. If not, then you can lower your Speed down to 340 or even 330 to outspeed neutral Speed Arceus or Timid / Hasty Palkia, respectively. Darkrai should generally not be used without a +Speed nature, as doing so will risk it being outsped by Latias and Latios, and neutral Speed natured Mewtwo.</p>
[OPINION]
<p>Darkrai is an extremely versatile Pokémon, and the opponent will need more than one Pokémon to safely counter this thing, just like Gengar. Dark Void and Bad Dreams are the reasons why pretty much every team needs someone to absorb sleep as the Uber tier is a fast paced game, and losing one important guy can sometimes mean the end. Absorbing sleep does not always mean having a Sleep Talker, though; it can mean letting the most useless or bulky Pokemon in a team take the sleep. Darkrai’s movepool allows it to gain control of the opponent’s team very effectively. However, Darkrai is also rather frail and dies VERY easily, although not as easily as Deoxys-A. It can survive an Ice Beam, or even Aura Sphere from Mewtwo with enough HP / Special Defense, but that isn't its area of importance.</p>
[COUNTERS]
<p>Darkrai does not have a true counter, due to most counters' fear of Dark Void and the possibility of being Taunted, as well as the unpleasant Bad Dreams, or Darkrai getting a Nasty Plot on them. After Sleep Clause is activated, hopefully by the sleep's being absorbed by a Sleep Talker, Darkrai becomes much easier to stop. For the Nasty Plotter Scarf Palkia can swap in and OHKO with Draco Meteor without worries of Dark Pulse flinching it, although one must be careful of Spacial Rend. Scarf Palkia can swap in on Trick and laugh as Darkrai receives a Choice Scarf. Kyogre can take a Nasty Plotted Dark Pulse with its base 140 Special Defense and deliver swift annihilation with Surf. Ho-oh is in a similar vein, but it isn’t quite as effective due to the abundance of Stealth Rock in the Uber metagame. Sleep Talk Choice Scarf Heracross can come in and scare it off as long as it doesn't have Psychic. Scizor can take on anything besides Nasty Plotted, Life Orb Focus Blast and U-turn away to a faster Pokemon to finish off any remaining HP should Darkrai not die from it. Toxicroak resists both Dark Pulse and Focus Blast and OHKOes Darkrai with Cross Chop. Fighting or Bug Arceus is the closest thing to a "true counter". It shrugs off Darkrai's hits pretty well and OHKOs it with Judgment. However, Arceus is currently unreleased </p>
<p>The mixed attacker is countered by Scizor, who doesn’t mind taking its attacks and can deliver a powerful Bullet Punch or U-turn. Should Thunder be absent from the set, Kyogre, Ho-oh and Forretress destroys it.</p>
<p>The Swords Dancer is very easily walled by Skarmory, Scizor and Forretress, as they resist Sucker Punch and doesn’t mind Brick Break. They can always attack to plow through Focus Punch as well. Dialga resists Sucker Punch and can quickly KO Darkrai, but must be careful of Focus Punch or Brick Break. Groudon and its massive base 140 Defense does not mind taking a Swords Danced Sucker Punch as long as it is above 60% in health, and OHKOes Darkrai back with Earthquake. A healthy bulky Kyogre can accomplish the same as Groudon. Any Ghost with at least one move that is not an attack can wall Swords Dance Darkrai as long as Taunt or Faint Attack is not present. As long as Taunt is not present Lugia laughs at it, having a base 130 Defense, 106 HP and a 4x resist to Fighting. Physical wall Mewtwo resists Focus Punch and can Burn Darkrai assuming that Taunt is not present. Dragon Dance Rayquaza with ExtremeSpeed can strike before Sucker Punch and can KO Darkrai with ease, while resisting Brick Break or Focus Punch. The Swords Dancer is countered by many things and should not be too much of a problem to stop. Generally all it takes is to be able to either absorb or bypass Sucker Punch, and at the same time resisting Brick Break or Focus Punch, or having enough defense to take them. Beware of Taunt, however.</p>
<p>In general, one needs two Pokémon to stop Darkrai: one to absorb sleep, and the other to withstand its moves and annihilate or scare Darkrai out of the battlefield. It is definitely not as simple as it sounds, because Darkrai can psyche the Sleep Talker out with Nasty Plot or Trick and still have the advantage in combat.</p>
