[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Focus Blast / Trick
move 4: Ice Beam / Trick
item: Choice Specs
tera type: Dark / Poison
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs, Darkrai can boost its already excellent Special Attack and fantastic Speed tier to become a devastating wallbreaker. Sludge Bomb helps to shred Fairy-types like Clefable and Primarina that would switch into Darkrai’s deadly Dark Pulse, as well as common Tera Fairy users like Gholdengo and Garganacl. Focus Blast can tear through Dark-types that try to switch into Dark Pulse like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Hisuian Samurott and is favored to 2HKO Ting-Lu even with Leftovers, while Ice Beam tears through the likes of Dragonite, Great Tusk, and Gliscor. Either of these, usually Ice Beam, can be eschewed for Trick, trading a coverage option for the ability to cripple a would-be wall or setup sweeper like Blissey or Dragonite, as well as allowing Darkrai to freely use its moves in matchups where its power is not needed. Tera Dark can be used to power up Dark Pulse, allowing Darkrai to secure the 2HKO on walls like Garganacl, as well as picking off weakened foes more easily, albeit at the cost of not changing its type defensively. Tera Poison doubles as a defensive Tera type to let Darkrai tank Fighting- and Fairy-type moves like Iron Valiant’s Close Combat and Enamorus’s Moonblast and soak up Toxic and Toxic Spikes while powering up Sludge Bomb to OHKO Clefable and non–Assault Vest Primarina.
Choice Specs Darkrai fits best on bulky offense and balance teams looking for a strong wallbreaker that can still outspeed most offensive threats like Ogerpon-W and Cinderace. Darkrai appreciates slow pivots like Alomomola, Galarian Slowking, Corviknight, Moltres, and Pecharunt that can bring it in easily and give it more entry points to wallbreak. These Pokemon also help form a strong defensive backbone to answer foes that could benefit from whatever move Darkrai is locked into to set up or revenge kill, with Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking helping with Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. Galarian Slowking, in particular, also helps with Primarina and Enamorus, while Moltres helps with Kingambit. Even with Darkrai’s coverage options and power, Ting-Lu still poses a large threat, forcing it to rely more on predictions rather than spamming Dark Pulse, so Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom that can switch into Ting-Lu and threaten it help in that regard. Darkrai also helps physical attackers like the aforementioned Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, as well as Dragonite and Zamazenta, by blowing past physical walls like Pecharunt and bulky Gholdengo. Gholdengo is a great partner that can help overwhelm shared checks like Ting-Lu and Kingambit. It can also switch into and threaten Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, both of which are great at revenge killing Darkrai. With its Choice Scarf set, Gholdengo can cripple walls like Blissey with Trick and outspeed threats that naturally outpace Darkrai, such as Dragapult and Zamazenta. Darkrai’s lack of Heavy-Duty Boots allows it to be chipped down easily by entry hazards, so hazard removal options like Great Tusk, Galarian Weezing, Cinderace, and Iron Treads are paramount.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/duckycrater.637983/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsu.548068/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rahul_3301.537035/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Focus Blast / Trick
move 4: Ice Beam / Trick
item: Choice Specs
tera type: Dark / Poison
ability: Bad Dreams
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs, Darkrai can boost its already excellent Special Attack and fantastic Speed tier to become a devastating wallbreaker. Sludge Bomb helps to shred Fairy-types like Clefable and Primarina that would switch into Darkrai’s deadly Dark Pulse, as well as common Tera Fairy users like Gholdengo and Garganacl. Focus Blast can tear through Dark-types that try to switch into Dark Pulse like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Hisuian Samurott and is favored to 2HKO Ting-Lu even with Leftovers, while Ice Beam tears through the likes of Dragonite, Great Tusk, and Gliscor. Either of these, usually Ice Beam, can be eschewed for Trick, trading a coverage option for the ability to cripple a would-be wall or setup sweeper like Blissey or Dragonite, as well as allowing Darkrai to freely use its moves in matchups where its power is not needed. Tera Dark can be used to power up Dark Pulse, allowing Darkrai to secure the 2HKO on walls like Garganacl, as well as picking off weakened foes more easily, albeit at the cost of not changing its type defensively. Tera Poison doubles as a defensive Tera type to let Darkrai tank Fighting- and Fairy-type moves like Iron Valiant’s Close Combat and Enamorus’s Moonblast and soak up Toxic and Toxic Spikes while powering up Sludge Bomb to OHKO Clefable and non–Assault Vest Primarina.
Choice Specs Darkrai fits best on bulky offense and balance teams looking for a strong wallbreaker that can still outspeed most offensive threats like Ogerpon-W and Cinderace. Darkrai appreciates slow pivots like Alomomola, Galarian Slowking, Corviknight, Moltres, and Pecharunt that can bring it in easily and give it more entry points to wallbreak. These Pokemon also help form a strong defensive backbone to answer foes that could benefit from whatever move Darkrai is locked into to set up or revenge kill, with Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking helping with Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. Galarian Slowking, in particular, also helps with Primarina and Enamorus, while Moltres helps with Kingambit. Even with Darkrai’s coverage options and power, Ting-Lu still poses a large threat, forcing it to rely more on predictions rather than spamming Dark Pulse, so Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom that can switch into Ting-Lu and threaten it help in that regard. Darkrai also helps physical attackers like the aforementioned Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, as well as Dragonite and Zamazenta, by blowing past physical walls like Pecharunt and bulky Gholdengo. Gholdengo is a great partner that can help overwhelm shared checks like Ting-Lu and Kingambit. It can also switch into and threaten Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, both of which are great at revenge killing Darkrai. With its Choice Scarf set, Gholdengo can cripple walls like Blissey with Trick and outspeed threats that naturally outpace Darkrai, such as Dragapult and Zamazenta. Darkrai’s lack of Heavy-Duty Boots allows it to be chipped down easily by entry hazards, so hazard removal options like Great Tusk, Galarian Weezing, Cinderace, and Iron Treads are paramount.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/duckycrater.637983/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsu.548068/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rahul_3301.537035/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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