Darmanitan [BW2 Revamp - Taken Over] [QC: 3/3] [GP: 2/2]

[Gary]

*Originally owned by Cygnis*

Status: QC Approved: 3/3

Status: GP Checked: 2/2​

[Overview]

<p>Darmanitan just so happens to have the highest Attack stat of any Fire-type in the game, making it a great choice for sun teams. Sheer Force is a useful ability on Darmanitan that works well in tandem with its main STAB move, Flare Blitz. Combine all that with Drought support, and Darmanitan can flat-out OHKO almost anything that takes neutral damage from Flare Blitz and even some that do resist it.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, rain neuters Darmanitan's Fire-type STAB and makes it more susceptible to Water-type attacks. Darmanitan's Stealth Rock weakness is quite an annoyance as well, chipping away 25% of its health each time it switches in. The combination of Flare Blitz recoil, Life Orb recoil, and possibly residual damage from sandstorm, hail, or Toxic wears down Darmanitan fast. One of its biggest faults is its poor bulk, which means that Darmanitan cannot switch into much and has to rely on free switches to get in safely. Regardless of these setbacks, Darmanitan is a tremendous force to be reckoned with in sun and is always something you have to watch for in Team Preview.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>A Choice Scarf turns Darmanitan into a merciless revenge killer. As Darmanitan is cursed with below-average Speed, a Speed boost is much appreciated, allowing Darmanitan to comfortably use an Adamant nature without having to worry about being outsped by a larger portion of the metagame. Flare Blitz is Darmanitan's main STAB, which nukes anything that decides to stay in on it. Flare Blitz hits extremely hard with the boosts from Sheer Force, STAB, and sun, OHKOing most of the unresistant tier. Superpower is a really important weapon to have against Heatran and Tyranitar, which can comfortably wall Darmanitan, even in the sun. Rock Slide is used to hit Salamence, Gyarados, and Dragonite hard outside of sun while providing all-around better coverage against Flying-types. U-turn is used to gain momentum against Darmanitan's common switch-ins, such as Politoed and Heatran. U-turn also works well with Dugtrio as a partner, as Darmanitan can use U-turn on Heatran and go out to Dugtrio, which can trap it.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is highly recommended on this set because Darmanitan needs all the power it can get. A Jolly nature should only be used if your team has trouble dealing with neutral-natured Salamence, Volcarona, and Haxorus, as it allows Darmanitan to outspeed and OHKO all of them at +1. Earthquake might seem like it would be useful on this set to hit Tentacruel and Fire-types harder, but being locked into Earthquake can be risky.</p>

<p>Ninetales is by far Darmanitan's most valued partner, as sun boosts Flare Blitz's ridiculous power to even higher levels and weakens Water-type moves. Other than Ninetales, a Rapid Spinner is another important teammate. Starmie and Forretress can provide this support; Forretress can set up Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Starmie is a great revenge killer that can also tank Water-type attacks while dealing with a lot of Darmanitan's checks and counters, such as Latias and Keldeo. Dugtrio is an outstanding teammate because it can trap Heatran and Tyranitar, which allows Darmanitan to run Rock Slide or Earthquake instead of Superpower. Xatu is a decent alternative to a Rapid Spinner due to its ability, Magic Bounce, and its all-around good synergy with Drought teams in general.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake / U-Turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set defines power. Actually, it does not just define power, it created the word power itself. Some might say Victini is an all around better physical sun attacker because of the insane power of V-create and its all-around better bulk and Speed tier. This, however, is far from the truth. A Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz honestly is not that far off in terms of power from Victini's Choice Band V-create, which says a lot. Flare Blitz is Sheer Force-, Life Orb-, STAB-, and oftentimes sun-boosted; nothing can tank it easily. Even physically defensive Jellicent is 2HKOed in the sun after Stealth Rock! The same goes for Gliscor, Rotom-W, and Latios. Here are some calculations that prove just how powerful this move is, factoring in a sun boost, Stealth Rock damage, and an Adamant nature:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Flare Blitz vs. 252/0 Latias 86.26 - 101.65% (87.5% chance to OHKO)</li>
<li>Flare Blitz vs 252/252+ Landorus-T 77.23 - 91.1% (25% chance to OHKO)</li>
<li>Flare Blitz vs. 4/0 Garchomp 83.8 - 98.6% (37.5% chance to OHKO)</li>
<li>Flare Blitz vs. 252/64 Tentacruel 102.2 - 120.33%</li>
<li>Flare Blitz vs. 252/224 Jellicent 65.59 - 77.23%</li>

<p>Not even defensive Jellicent and Tentacruel, both of which are commonly used to wall Fire-types, can switch into Darmanitan. If you want a Pokemon that can KO half the tier, you have found it! Choice Band secures the 2HKO on physically defensive Jellicent and Politoed, though Darmanitan still has enough power with Life Orb. Superpower is one of the most important moves in the set because it wrecks both Tyranitar and Heatran. Rock Slide can be useful for Dragonite and Gyarados in the rain. Earthquake is to hit Tentacruel outside of sun harder than anything else. U-turn is a great move to maintain momentum, as although Flare Blitz can decimate most of its switch-ins, U-turn is helpful for obvious Politoed switch-ins.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There really is not too much to say about this set. It breaks walls and then breaks more walls. Other than the fact that it possesses much more firepower, Darmanitan's moveset here is quite similar to its Choice Scarf one. An Adamant nature is more important here, however, as Darmanitan loses out on a lot of OHKOs if it chooses to run a Jolly nature. Still, a Jolly nature has its merits, such as allowing Darmanitan to outspeed everything up to neutral-natured base 100s. Fire Punch is an option over Rock Slide if you want a more reliable move to spam late game when Darmanitan is lacking health.</p>

<p>Darmanitan's best teammates are quite similar to the ones for the Choice Scarf set. Starmie and Forretress are again important so Darmanitan does not have to worry about Stealth Rock or Spikes. Ninetales, however, is <em>really</em> important for this set, as Darmanitan needs every last bit of power. Not only does Drought boost Flare Blitz's power to absurd levels, but it also helps win the weather war against Politoed, Abomasnow, and Tyranitar. Politoed is especially important to stop, as rain lowers the power of Flare Blitz. Overall, this set requires a decent amount of support, but the payoff is huge. KOing more than half the tier without a boosting move is no joke.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Darmanitan actually possesses somewhat decent support moves, such as Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, and Encore. The problem is that Darmanitan is so frail that wasting a turn using one of these moves often leaves it KOed. Taunt is a decent choice on the Life Orb set, but it requires some prediction to use and wastes a valuable moveslot that could have been used for extra coverage. A Bulk Up set sounds tempting, but even at +1 Darmanitan is still very frail. A Substitute + Salac Berry + Belly Drum set is somewhat of a gimmick, but if you manage to pull it off, pretty much nothing can stop Darmanitan from KOing everything in existence. Sleep Talk is actually not that bad of a move on Darmanitan's Choice sets to counter Breloom; Darmanitan generally has room to give up Fire Punch or U-turn for it.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The set you're going up against determines how hard or easy it is to counter or check Darmanitan. As Darmanitan primarily run Choice Scarf or Life Orb sets, it is quite easy to figure out what it is likely to be running based on the Team Preview or how often it has switched in. The Choice Scarf set is probably the harder of the two to deal with, especially when it is used on a sun team. It is not only fast, but also very powerful, so it is not easy to check or counter. Your best bet at properly countering this Darmanitan is with a bulky Water-type or Heatran. Defensive Jellicent is barely ever 3HKOed by Flare Blitz outside of sun, so it requires a bit of luck but you can counter Darmanitan and threaten it with Scald or stall it out with Recover. Heatran is by far the best counter to the Choice Scarf set, but it must be wary of Superpower. Tyranitar is another great counter because it takes away sun upon entry while comfortably walling Flare Blitz and threatening it with its STAB moves. Checking Choice Scarf Darmanitan isn't easy either, but faster users of Choice Scarf, such as Terrakion, Keldeo, Salamence, and Latios, can all outspeed it and threaten it in some way.</p>

<p>The Life Orb set, on the other hand, is quite easy to check. Because most Life Orb Darmanitan sit at a below-average 289 Speed, there are quite a few offensive threats that can outspeed it, including Starmie, Terrakion, Latios, Latias, Hydreigon, and Salamence. With that in mind, Life Orb Darmanitan under the sun is pretty much impossible to counter. One of the few things that can survive a Flare Blitz twice and live to tell the tale is Politoed, as it instantly summons rain upon entry. Even then, there's still a chance of it being 2HKOed. Still, defensive Politoed is generally the best counter to all of Darmanitan's sets.</p>

 

[AccidentalGreed]

QC APPROVED 2/3

Before you write this, I would like to ask you if you had any experience with Darmanitan prior to taking this thread over.

 

[Pocket]

Slash Rock Slide with Superpower instead of Fire Punch; FP is indispensable. Remove Earthquake slash (being locked into EQ isn't the best idea)

 

[Gary]

Slash Rock Slide with Superpower instead of Fire Punch; FP is indispensable. Remove Earthquake slash (being locked into EQ isn't the best idea)

Fixed. I'll add Earthquake as an optional move in the additional comments section, as it still does have its uses on some teams.

Before you write this, I would like to ask you if you had any experience with Darmanitan prior to taking this thread over.

Yes I have! Although I've used him more in UU then in OU, I have indeed tested him out several times over the past few days in order to get a feel for him, and judge his overall potential in OU. I've found that he's amazing when partnered with Ninetails, and can KO more than half the tier with a LO Sun boosted Flare Blitz. He also takes the cake for being one of the greatest users of Choice Scarf on a Sun team, as he can pretty much revenge kill anything with its humongous Attack stat and really nice move coverage, while also having access to U-Turn. Although Victini sort of out classes him by a smudge with V-Create, Darmanitan can still pack a huge punch with his Life Orb set while still retaining the ability to alternate between moves. Overall, he's amazing on a Sun team, but I feel like without any Sun support he's kind of a sitting duck in this Rain infested meta game.

Sorry for my long explanation. Hopefully this proves that I'm pretty knowledgeable towards the big red ape. Thanks for the QC. I'll begin typing it as soon as I can.

 

[Ernesto]

I believe you need to emphasize a bit more Darmanitan's power in the overview. Sheer Force STAB Flare Blitz coming from a base 140 Attack stat is the hardest-hitting physical move outside of Rampardos's Head Smash (LOL). For comparison's sake, neutral clear skies Adamant Flare Blitz hits harder than both Adamant V-create from Victini and Adamant Outrage from Kyurem-B—it hits roughly 10% harder than the former and 12% harder than the latter. Sun is only a necessity on it because of how bad Darm's hurt by the other weathers (especially rain, of course), otherwise it would do fine in OU.
Also as an fyi, Darmanitan has the highest Attack stat of ALL Fire-types, not just in OU. Maybe you meant attacking stat, where it does lose to Chandelure and Reshiram.

As I told Cygnis before, Flare Blitz reaches 156 bp, not 160 since it's a 30% increase, not 1/3 (I believe he forgot to change that). Also, as long as the sunlight is bright, Flare Blitz destroys Salamence and Volcarona with ease, while being only a tad weaker than Rock Slide—and can't miss—, therefore that move's biggest use is to prevent recoil from getting the best of Darm. The calc is simple, 120*1.5*1.5*.5 = 135, 75*2 = 150. Also, U-turn's importance should be clear to trap the stuff that can switch into Flare Blitz, mainly Heatran, Tyranitar, and Politoed—Gothitelle is the best option for the latter.

Just some stuff to keep in mind for when you write this, otherwise I believe you did a good job with taking over this analysis

 

[Cygnis]

You can run 236 Spe in the LO set for extra bulk and basically outspeeding the same things, so i would put that in AC, extra bulk doesn't do crap regardless

thx for taking over

 

[alexwolf]

On the Scarf set i think that Rock Slide should be slashed before Superpower. Superpower is used for Tyranitar, Heatran, and Terakion, Pokemon that are already dealt by a U-turn to Dugtrio, except for Scarf Terrakion, which Superpower can't handle anyway. On the other hand, Rock Slide allows Darmanitan to revenge kill Dragonite, Gyarados, and slow Volcarona regardless of weather, while also not killing itself from recoil damage (Darmanitan will always die from recoil damage after taking a +1 ES from Dragonite if it uses Flare Blitz). Gyarados and Dragonite i feel are very important threats for sun teams to cover, as if sun is not up, there are few things they can do, and even if sun is up those two Pokemon can take a hit from Venusaur and OHKO back.

 

[Gary]

Finished with the anaylsis write up. If there are any mistakes or anything you want me to change, please tell me, and I'll fix it write away. One problem I can't seem to fix is the second paragraph. For some reason, the <p></p> isn't appearing, and I don't know why. I don't know how to fix it, so please let me know. Thanks!

On the Scarf set i think that Rock Slide should be slashed before Superpower. Superpower is used for Tyranitar, Heatran, and Terakion, Pokemon that are already dealt by a U-turn to Dugtrio, except for Scarf Terrakion, which Superpower can't handle anyway. On the other hand, Rock Slide allows Darmanitan to revenge kill Dragonite, Gyarados, and slow Volcarona regardless of weather, while also not killing itself from recoil damage (Darmanitan will always die from recoil damage after taking a +1 ES from Dragonite if it uses Flare Blitz). Gyarados and Dragonite i feel are very important threats for sun teams to cover, as if sun is not up, there are few things they can do, and even if sun is up those two Pokemon can take a hit from Venusaur and OHKO back.

I don't know if slashing Rock Slide before Superpower is a good idea, but I'll makes sure to mention in the analysis that you should always use Superpower unless using Dugtrio. Since Scarfed Darmanitan doesn't HAVE to be used on a Sun team, most weatherless teams wont be packing Dugtrio, thus making Superpower far superior. I'll definitely mention that Rock Slide should always be used over Superpower when using Duggy as a teammate though.

You can run 236 Spe in the LO set for extra bulk and basically outspeeding the same things, so i would put that in AC, extra bulk doesn't do crap regardless

thx for taking over

Then he's out sped by 252 Speed Kyurem-B. Not that common of a Pokemon, but still a threat. Besides, Darmanitan bulk is so pitiful that it's not even worth investing in.

 

[Cygnis]

Nice job though I think you can cut down the overview a bit.

Green = Comments
Red = Fixes
Blue = Deletions

<p>In the OU metagame full of weather, many Pokemon that were once restricted to lower tiers now have a chance to shine. By using the weather to their own advantage, normally lackluster Pokemon can finally step up to the plate, and fight alongside the big dogs of OU. While Rain, Sand, and Hail all got there respective abusers, Sun also allowed a plethora of lower tiered Pokemon to function in OU. Introducing one of the most powerful abusers of Sun in OU, Darmanitan. Darmanitan is an absolute monster when it comes to pure raw power, and it's not hard to see why. Just looking at its base stats, one immediately sees the astounding 140 base Attack stat. Even for an average physical OU Pokemon, that is really impressive. Darmanitan just so happens to also have the highest Attack stat of any Fire type in the game! Even higher then Ho-Oh, who's Uber status. Digging deeper, you'll also notice its ability, Sheer Force. At this point you're probably thinking that this is too good to be true. A Pokemon with 140 base Attack and A 30% extra boost makes that even sweeter. Darmanitan has access to one of the best physically based Fire moves in the game, Flare Blitz, which just so happens to be boosted by Sheer Force. Combined all that with Drought support, and Darmanitan can pretty much flat out OHKO anything that is takes neutral damage to it, while even OHKOing some that do (NO CAPS!) resist it. It still doesn't stop there. Darmanitan has access to really useful moves to round out its coverage, such as Earthquake, Rock Slide, U-Turn, and Superpower. This not only makes him a solid threat all around the board, but it also gives him the coverage to run a nasty Choice Scarf set for revenge killing, or an all out Life Orb set which is capable of even KOing it's common counters under the Sun. (A little too detailed. Remember this an overview not a spoiler. Make it shorter and more vague)</p>

<p> Even with all these amazing things going for Darmanitan, there is a reason why he is UU. First off, Rain really neuters his fire-type STAB. It causes Darmanitan's Flare Blitz to only 2HKO most neutral hits, and Being a fire-type is a con as well. Common Rain teams packing Keldeo, Tentacruel, and Starmie really hinder both his Choice Scarf and Life Orb set's capabilities. Another obvious reason is Darmanitan's Stealth Rock weakness, chipping away 25% of his health each time he switches in (A little too long. Please try something a little shorter and simple). Combined that with Flare Blitz recoil, Life Orb recoil from some of his coverage moves, and possibly residual damage from Sandstorm, Hail, and Toxic can really wear it down fast. One of his biggest glaring downsides however, is his absolutely paper thin defenses. Although his surprisingly large 105 HP seems to somewhat suffice for his poor defenses, it really doesn't actually help that much. 55/55 defense stats means that Darmanitan can never really switch into any attacks, even resisted ones. He also takes at ton of damage from any Rain boosted attacks that don't just out right kill him, and the only way to effectively use Darmanitan is to get him out on a free turn (Like every competitive player should no that, lol). Last but not least, he faces competition from Victini for a team slot on common Sun teams. With all that said however, Darmanitan is a forced to be reckoned with, in our out of Sun, and he's always something you have to watch for on the team preview. If you let your guard down too soon, this big red ape can pretty much mow right through your team.(Long conclusion, try this) Although Darmanitan has these flaws, underestimating the gorilla will be your own mistake</p>

 

[Nutrix]

Just a nitpick, but I think you messed up the Hippowdon calc - Hippo removes Sun upon switching in, so

252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 247-292 (58.8 - 69.52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Not that that's not damn impressive, but you might want to fix it.

 

[Pocket]

I like the fix that Cygnis suggested for the first paragraph. I have a different fix for 2nd paragraph. Mainly avoid using vague adverbs like "really" or "pretty much" to express yourself.

Green = Comments
Red = Fixes
Blue = Deletions

<p> Even with all these amazing things going for Darmanitan, there is a reason why he is UU. First off, Rain fatally neuters his fire power. It causes Darmanitan's Flare Blitz to only 2HKO most neutral hits, and being a Fire type, common Rain teams packing Keldeo, Tentacruel, and Starmie really hinder both his Choice Scarf and Life Orb sets from being successful. Another obvious reason is Darmanitan's Stealth Rock weakness, chipping away 25% of his health each time he switches in. Combined that with Flare Blitz recoil, Life Orb recoil from some of his coverage moves, and possibly residual damage from Sandstorm, Hail, and Toxic wears down Darmanitan fast (Don't use metaphors like red gorilla). One of his biggest glaring downsides however, is his absolutely paper thin defenses. Although his surprisingly large 105 HP seems to somewhat suffice for his poor defenses, it really doesn't actually help that much. 55/55 defense stats means that Darmanitan faces difficulty seizing an opportunity to come out and start its brute rampage. He also takes at ton of damage from any Rain boosted attacks that don't just out right kill him, and the only way to effectively use Darmanitan is to get him out on a free turn. Last but not least, he faces competition from Victini for a team slot on common Sun teams. Regardless of some setbacks, Darmanitan is a tremendous forced to be reckoned with, in our out of Sun, and he is always something you have to watch for on the team preview. If you let your guard down too soon, Darmanitan will mow right through your team.</p>

 

[Gary]

Thank you Pocket and Cygnis. Fixed.

Just a nitpick, but I think you messed up the Hippowdon calc - Hippo removes Sun upon switching in, so

252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 247-292 (58.8 - 69.52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Not that that's not damn impressive, but you might want to fix it.

Made sure to note that in the OP. Thank you.

 

[Gary]

Bump. Can this possibly get the last QC? I've made sure to correct everything that was misspelled or inaccurate. If there's still something that should be fixed, please mention it. Thanks!

 

[Cygnis]

Plz do not use contractions in the analysis as it is informal and the website prefers more formal writing also make sure there are no abbreviations and also avoid also, including, etc and finally I just realized the hippo cancels out sun so it can live twice against LO

 

[Gary]

Thanks Cygnis. I fixed as much as I could find.

 

[alexwolf]

Digging deeper, you will also notice its ability, Sheer Force, which works well in tangent with its main STAB

Add a comma after STAB, and mention with which STAB moves Sheer Force works well with, namely Flare Blitz and Fire Punch. Then remove the next sentence were you talk about Flare Blitz as it is repetitive, and just put a mention of Flare Blitz's high BP when you mention it as a move that is boosted by Sheer Force.

One of its biggest glaring downsides is its absolutely paper thin defenses.

Cut down the hyperbole, Darmanitan is just frail (it actually has similar bulk to Starmie, which is definitely not paper thin, just poor). Also the last bit where you talk about Darmanitan's defenses is unnecessary so cut it. Just mention that it is frail without analyzing why.

A Choice Scarf turns Darmanitan into a lightning fast powerhouse

Once again cut down the hyperbole, as there are plenty of Pokemon that outspeed it such as most Scarf users, DD Salamence, Venusaur in sun, etc.

Although it is not nearly as powerful as his Life Orb boosted Flare Blitz, it still does massive damage to anything, especially since Sheer Force gives Flare Blitz a pseudo Life Orb boost, which is more than enough for a Choice Scarfer.

Remove this. Just mention that Flare Blitz is stupidly strong, especially under sun.

Although it is not extremely powerful, it's an alternative to use when Darmanitan is lacking health. Since it is boosted by Sheer Force, it sits around the same base power as Flamethrower, which is not too shabby at all.

Remove this too. Fire Punch in sun is powerful enough, and in fact OHKOes any offensive Pokemon not resistant to it. Also generally please don't use unnecessary fluff, such as comparing Fire Punch to flamethrower, stick to the point.

Rock Slide is an alternative that can be used to revenge kill Volcarona and Salamence while providing all around better coverage against Flying types, however Superpower is superior in order to handle it's common counters.

Rock Slide is used to revenge kill Salamence, Gyarados, and Dragonite, if sun isn't up or you don't want Darmanitan to suffer recoil damage from Flare Blitz.

Still, Rock Slide is Sheer Force boosted, and hits quite similar in power to Stone Edge.

Remove this.

When talking about U-turn, mention how it allows Damranitan to hit Politoed while keeping momentum, and even trap it with Dugtrio if it was weakened beforehand. Same goes for Heatran, one of the only Pokemon able to take Darmanitan's sun-boosted fire attacks.

A Jolly nature out runs neutral based Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona after a boost, however unless you're running Rock Slide and your sole purpose of this set is to revenge kill DD Salamence or Volcarona, then Adamant should always be used.

Jolly is the inferior option because both Salamence and Volcarona often use +Speed natures which means that they outspeed and OHKO Darmanitan, while DD Haxorus is a very rare threat, not because Darmanitan can't OHKO any of them (Flare Blitz OHKOes Volcarona even outside of sun, while Flare Blitz OHKOes Salamence in sun). So when talking about Jolly mention that the speed boost is rarely worth it.

Also when talking about EQ, if there is any reason to use it mention it, and if it is completely outclassed then remove it from the AC. Just make sure that the reader will know why and when to use it instead of reading ''you think that EQ does this, but his other moves do it better anyway''.

Partners wise, a Rapid Spinner is by far one of the most important teammates Scarfed Darmanitan can have.

Put this in the paragraph were you talk about Rapid Spinners.

while dealing with a lot of Darmanitan's checks and counters.

Such as? Elaborate.

Add Xatu for anti-SR support. Also the first partner that you should mention is Ninetales, which is the only Pokemon that is 100% needed for Scarf Darmanitan to work. Spinners and Dugtrio should be mentioned after Ninetales.

Remove Ferrothorn, he is a terrible pick for sun teams.

 

[Gary]

Fixed. Thanks for the changes Alexwolf.

 

[alexwolf]

One of its biggest glaring downsides is its frail defenses. Although Darmanitan's surprisingly large 105 HP seems to somewhat suffice for its poor defenses, it really doesn't actually help that much. 55/55 defense stats means that Darmanitan can never be switched in on an attack, forcing it to find a free turn to come in.

I already told you to remove unnecessary fluff but seeing as you didn't let me show you:

''One of its biggest downside is its poor bulk, which means that Darmanitan won't be able to switch into much and will rely on free switches to get in safely''

So replace the whole quoted text with the sentence i gave you.

without the harsh repercussions of Flare Blitz.

Just say recoil.

Also when talking about Rock Slide, mention that its use is to OHKO Dragonite, Gyarados, and Salamence outside of sun, which Flare Blitz fails to do, and also OHKO them without taking recoil.

A Jolly nature out runs neutral based Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona after a boost, but Adamant is pretty much always a superior choice.

Rephrase this to ''Adamant is overall the best option unless your team is very weak to the aforementioned threats (Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona)''.

Also when talking about EQ, if there is any reason to use it mention it, and if it is completely outclassed then remove it from the AC. Just make sure that the reader will know why and when to use it instead of reading ''you think that EQ does this, but his other moves do it better anyway''.

I already told you this about EQ, and you still say that EQ is always outclassed. If it is always outclassed why did you even mention it on the AC? Either mention EQ's use on the set or move it to OO.

 

[PK Gaming]

I think the overview needs some work before it can go onsite.

[Overview]
<p>Darmanitan is an absolute monster when it comes to pure raw power, and it is not hard to see why. Just looking at its base stats, one immediately sees the astounding 140 base Attack stat. Darmanitan just so happens to also have the highest Attack stat of any Fire type in the game, making it a great choice for sun teams. Digging deeper, you will also notice its ability, Sheer Force, which works well in tangent with its main STAB move, Flare Blitz. Combined all that with Drought support, and Darmanitan can pretty much flat out OHKO anything that take neutral damage from it, while even OHKOing some that do resist it.</p>

The first 2 sentences are unnecessary. There's nothing wrong with hyping a Pokemon (especially something as strong as Darmanitan) but it does become a problem if its done poorly. The rest is fine, but I personally think there's a better of way of introducing Sheer Force (rather than making it an afterthought)

<p>Even with all these amazing things going for Darmanitan, there is a reason why it is a rare sight in OU. Rain fatally neuters its Fire STAB, as well as making Darmanitan more susceptible to Water attacks. Darmanitan's Stealth Rock weakness is quite an annoyance, chipping away 25% of its health each time it switches in. The combination of Flare Blitz recoil, Life Orb recoil, and possibly residual damage from Sandstorm, Hail, and Toxic wears down Darmanitan fast. One of its biggest glaring downsides is its frail defenses. Although Darmanitan's surprisingly large 105 HP seems to somewhat suffice for its poor defenses, it really doesn't actually help that much. 55/55 defense stats means that Darmanitan can never be switched in on an attack, forcing it to find a free turn to come in. Regardless of some setbacks, Darmanitan is a tremendous force to be reckoned with in Sun, and he is always something you have to watch for on the team preview.

The bolded has to go, it's just pointless padding. The fact it's rare in OU should be obvious to everyone; it's UU! You should skip straight to its flaws, rather than waste time and talk about tiering(Darmanitan is a sun staple, and it should treated as such). The rest is mostly fine.

Your set analyses are fine, but I seriously question not slashing Earthquake on the all-out attacker set.
Earthquake should absolutely slashed over Fire Punch on the all-out attacker set. The ability to OHKO Tentacruel in any weather(especially rain), and OHKO Heatran without lowering your defenses trumps the health saving Fire Punch provides. You'll need to do some re-writting here because Rock Slide is certainly not preferred over Darmanitan lol.

Briefnitpick:

Many may say Victini is an all around better physical sun abuser because of the insane power of V-Create, combined with its all around better bulk and speed tier

I think this sentence would be more accurate/sound better if you said "some"

The rest of the analysis is fine though, you've definitely improved. Consider this approved once my changes have been implemented.

 

[Jukain]

Plz do not use contractions in the analysis as it is informal and the website prefers more formal writing also make sure there are no abbreviations and also avoid also, including, etc and finally I just realized the hippo cancels out sun so it can live twice against LO

These things aren't at all true, btw.

 

[Gary]

I wish I could have taken this over AFTER my last analysis so I could have applied what I learned from that, and made this much better. There are so many mistakes in this analysis that I wish I could honestly just start over. I'll fix everything that you listed PK.

 

[PK Gaming]

[qc]3/3[/qc]

 

[Pocket]

Uh why did you change the All-Out Attacker set - change it to the original moveset plz

move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Rock Slide / U-turn

Earthquake offers redundant and oftentimes unnecessary coverage. Fire Punch in the other hand provides a super-strong STAB move that doesn't kill Darmanitan.

 

[Lavos]

gonna agree with pocket on this one, except you should keep u-turn as the first slash in my opinion because teams you'll be using this on generally benefit more from the offensive momentum than having extra coverage that darm rarely utilizes. other than that i combed through the analysis and it looks pretty good, so nice job on that. we should have this ready for grammar checks as soon as you implement that one change

 

[PK Gaming]

Uh why did you change the All-Out Attacker set - change it to the original moveset plz

move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Rock Slide / U-turn

Earthquake offers redundant and oftentimes unnecessary coverage. Fire Punch in the other hand provides a super-strong STAB move that doesn't kill Darmanitan.

Earthquake let's you kill Tentacruel in any weather. It's worth using over Fire Punch for that reason alone, because you're a sitting duck against Tentacruel when the rain is up, and you don't do enough damage to Tentacruel in neutral weather/sand.

You are rarely going to use Fire Punch on the all out attacker set anyway, I don't really see a point to slashing it. Imo, a player using that Darmanitan shouldn't concern themselves with preserving Darmanitan, rather they should attempt to deal as much damage as possible. There are very few situations where you'll actually get mileage out of using Fire Punch, because you're opponent is likely to switch to a Darmanitan check, and Darmanitan checks take significant damage from Flare Blitz. It's AC at best.

I don't think Rock Slide is hitting anything worth noting either. That claim about it 2HKOing Politoed is unnecessary (your other movies achieve this) and factually incorrect (you "barely" 2hko the specs set) AC it. U-turn is non-negotiable.