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

Gary

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*Originally owned by Arcticblast*


QC Approved: 3/3

GP Checked: 2/2​

[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything that Donphan does, something else can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a physically defensive Ground-type from Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their accesses to recovery and more useful typing or abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side, Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and the presence of weather does not bode well for Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense, and combined with terrible Speed, Donphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacks, and the only useful resistance it has is against Rock-type moves. Donphan is even outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other than just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>There is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, however, but it is quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important ability to remove entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk, but also the ability to be offensive. Sporting a great base 120 Attack and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash, Donphan can function decently as a bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use Ice Shard, which is a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus that sets it apart from most bulky spinners. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability that allows Donphan to always survive an attack while at full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges quite nicely. Its overall great physical bulk lets it function as not only a sponge, but also as a check against Dragon-types, a feat that most spinners fail to achieve. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It is widely out classed by other spinners and finds it difficult to stay alive. Overall, Donphan is a very niche Pokemon, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the only set Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory on this set. As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves, Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of its base 120 Attack, it hits pretty hard. As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Donphan is also a really good check to Choice Band Tyranitar, and it is easily capable of 2HKOing Tyranitar with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it more of an offensive presence instead of just Earthquake alone, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority, so it will go first most of the time, which somewhat helps offset Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread, Donphan can avoid the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat and +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving it an Adamant nature, but Donphan will become more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe, Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-O-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple Donphan with. Head Smash is quite a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users, such as Forretress and Ferrothorn, that may try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent set up sweepers from boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to bypass spinblockers, but Donphan will lose out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon, such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus, while providing Rapid Spin support. Still, Donphan is still quite viable on other weather based teams, such as hail, sand, and even rain, because of its ability to check Dragon-types so well. Most spinners find it easy to wall Dragon-types, but find it hard to do anything to harm them. Donphan, on the other hand, has priority Ice Shard, which can easily check most of the Dragon-types in the tier including Salamence and Garchomp. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner and or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners for Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices power in exchange for no recoil. Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense as well as Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can chip Donphan's health away or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defense against Donphan, as any rain-boosted Water move will certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types, such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Sableye can burn Donphan with Will-O-Wisp, and can also take at least one Head Smash it if has to from the rare Lum Berry variants. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and can OHKO Donphan with their respective STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Latias can set up Calm Minds on Donphan, as Ice Shard fails to even 5HKO it, and Latias can just recover back the damage anyways. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO Donphan.</p>
 

GatoDelFuego

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REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything Donphan does something can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a physically defensive Ground-type from Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their access to recovery an instant recovery move and more useful typing or abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side as well, Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and the presence of weather does not cope well with Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense stat, and combined with terrible Speed Donphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacks, and Rock-type moves are really the only useful resist that it has. Donphan is even primarily outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other then just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>There is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, (AC) however, but it is quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important capability of removing entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk, (RC) but also the ability to be quite offensive. Sporting a great base 120 Attack stat and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, (AC) and Head Smash, Donphan can function as a decent bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use the move Ice Shard, (AC) which is quite a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability to always survive an attack from full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges quite nicely. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It it widely outclassed by other spinners and finds it really hard to stay alive. Overall Donphan is a very niche Pokemon, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock / Head Smash / Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set attempts to use everything good about Donphan at once, and for such a conglomeration it does quite well. Donphan's high HP and Defense let it take physical hits that some Pokemon wouldn't even dream of. It can take Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat, OHKO back with Earthquake, and have enough HP remaining to survive coming back in on a layer of Spikes. Rapid Spin is obviously the most important move on this set, providing rarely-seen team support. Earthquake is an obligatory STAB move, (RC) and hits quite hard coming off of base 120 Attack. Stealth Rock is another great move on Donphan, providing the most important entry hazard in the game. Head Smash is a powerful alternative to hit hit Flying-types on the switch while also beating out Gengar, which will commonly switch into Donphan to keep him it from spinning, however but the recoil is a huge letdown that only hinders adds to Donphan's limited survival. Ice Shard is a nice move to pick off weakened opponents and Dragon-types before they can hit Donphan.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Adamant nature is highly recommended to maximize Donphan's overall bulk while letting Donphan hit quite hard. The 4 Speed EVs let it outrun Chansey before she can hit Donphan it with Toxic. A much bulkier spread 252 HP / 56 Atk / 200 Def with an Impish nature can be used to take physical hits much more effectively, capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. The 56 Attack EVs is are just enough to 2HKO Landorus and Salamence with Ice Shard. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users such as Ferrothorn and Forretress who may that might try to set up on Donphan. Stone Edge is an option over Head Smash to still deal significant damage but avoid the massive recoil, however but Head Smash is preferred to handle spinblockers more effectively.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, (AC) because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Heatran, (AC) and physical Landorus while also providing Rapid Spin support. Since As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or Specially Defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but then it essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types things like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Its support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy makes allow it able to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out to take on numerous physical threats that can potentially deal huge damage to it.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can all of them who can also chip Donphan's health or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defense against Donphan, as since any rain-boosted Water move can certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and both can OHKO Donphan with their respectable STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO Donphan.</p>


[gp]1/2[/gp]
 

ginganinja

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This is NOT GP ready since arcticblast did not actually add the changes QC wanted him to do (which were the conditions of approving). Refer this back to QC stage please.

For reference, this is what QC wanted from Donphan:

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef

In the AC

Toxic
Fire Fang
Head Smash
Roar
128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe with Lum Berry?
Odor Sleuth

In OO

Seed Bomb
Stone Edge
Knock Off

Go
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
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Well sorry for the miss communication guys. The original Analysis stated it was GP ready and I was also informed by another Moderator that I could ask for GPs, but I guess there needed to be some changes that I was not informed of. I will finish fixing this up. I greatly apologize.
 
Add in how Donphan has a special niche on sun teams because of it's water-type weakness negated and Starime and Tentacruel water-type STAB being negated making Donphan a superior choice. I know you wrote that, but explain it more because Donphan should never be used on a rain-team obviously, sand (there is sandslash who is way better) and forretress, you have forretress and blizzmie on hail. Weatherless should always use Starmie or Forretress so bye bye. In the overview, I would actually say one of the wort pokemon in OU. This thing should be BL3/UU even RU. Also mention in the overview that it has access to Ice Shard splits itself from Starmie and Tentacruel because they all lose to Landorus-T and I after Rock Polish, and DD.
 
I disagree with many of the things stated above, especially the fact that Donphan should only be used in Sun. I have used Donphan successfully in Rain, Sun, and Hail. Unlike any of the other spinners, Donphan actually can switch into Dragonite and Salamence and threaten with a—albeit rather weak—Ice Shard. Forretress cannot achieve this due to the fact that it is OHKO'd by any Fire-type move, and both of the Water-type spinners don't have a shot in hell of tanking these moves. Donphan's Rock-resistance comes in handy as well since it can switch into Band Stone Edge's from Terrakion with relative ease and can even tank a Close Combat or two. Forretress is a far shakier switch-in due to the fact that it doesn't resist either move. Unlike any other spinner, Donphan can actually check Tyranitar very well. Forretress is nailed by a Fire Blast while Starmie and Tentacruel have to rely on Scald burns. Ice Beam can 2HKO, but that is a rare move on Tyranitar. This makes it a solid option on both Rain and Hail teams along with Sun teams. Donphan is practically KO'd by all the Water-type moves in Rain anyways due to the fact they are all Special, so having it in Rain isn't a big deal. It's the same kind of concept as having Forretress in Sun. Speaking of using Donphan on Rain teams, it actually is a great check to CM Rachi's lacking Water Pulse as they are growing more common. Even a +1 Flash Cannon or Psychic cannot OHKO after Stealth Rock. Ice Shard without STAB may seem relatively useless, but in reality it threatens Dragon-types which none of the spinners can boast. Obviously it's only a 2HKO on Dragonite (after SR), Salamence, or Landorus, but it can effectively switch into the first two and it can pick off any of them. Donphan isn't as bad as you all are making it out to be, but I agree it isn't the best Pokémon either. I wouldn't be /so/ harsh about it. Also, you mentioned that it can check Heatran in Sun. That's a negative. Please make these changes in your writing.

[qc]2/3[/qc]
 

Gary

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Thanks guys! I'll make some of those changes Princess Bri.
 
Ctrl+F "Sableye". 0 results.

Though Sableye is rare, it's an important thing to mention. Sableye can completely halt Donphan from doing anything that it's supposed to by simultaneously Spinblocking and Taunting SR set-up, then burning-stalling to oblivion or making setup for a teammate much easier.

Edit: Yes I'm Sableye-biased. Shut up. :3
 

Arcticblast

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This is NOT GP ready since arcticblast did not actually add the changes QC wanted him to do (which were the conditions of approving). Refer this back to QC stage please.
Late, but I only remember being told to make it max HP / max Attack Adamant... then again in my ignorance I could have easily missed something.
 

Pocket

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Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace Specially Defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Head Smash. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-o-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with.
Nah, bro, Donphan 2HKOs with Earthquake - if SR is up physically defensive Jellicent can be 2HKOed by Assurance (on the switch) and Earthquake. Lum Berry also helps vs Sableye, who will die to 2 EQs without the burn.
 

Arcticblast

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Technically STAB EQ and Head Smash both have 150 BP, so while he might be better saying EQ and not Head Smash, he isn't incorrect.
 

GatoDelFuego

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REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is one of the only sets that Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. Since As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves like Stone Edge and Close Combat fairly well, Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is his Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of base 120 Attack it hits pretty hard. Since As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it him a little more offensive presence instead of just Earthquake, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority so it will always go first, which somewhat helps soften the blow of Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread Donphan is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat, (RC) and also +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rocks. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving his its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving him it an Adamant nature, however he but Donphan becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake As per pocket's post Head Smash. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-O-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with. Speaking of Head Smash, it is quite a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users such as Forretress and Ferrothorn who may that might try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent setup sweepers from setting boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers, however but Donphan loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>
Space here
<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus while providing Rapid Spin support. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Its Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, (AC) but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>


Make sure you make your gender (he/it) consistent!
Also pls no more "since", it only refers to time :S

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Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is one of the only sets that Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. Since As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves like Stone Edge and Close Combat fairly well, Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is his Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of base 120 Attack it hits pretty hard. Since As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it him a little more offensive presence instead of just Earthquake, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority so it will always go first, which somewhat helps soften the blow of Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread Donphan is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat, (RC) and also +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rocks. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving his its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving him it an Adamant nature, however he but Donphan becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake As per pocket's post Head Smash. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-O-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with. Speaking of Head Smash, it is quite a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users such as Forretress and Ferrothorn who may that might try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent setup sweepers from setting boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers, however but Donphan loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>
Space here
<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus while providing Rapid Spin support. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Its Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, (AC) but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>


Make sure you make your gender (he/it) consistent!
Also pls no more "since", it only refers to time :S

[gp]1/2[/gp]
Thanks again Gato. I'm sorry for the stupid gender thing going on, I write too many RMTs lol. I'll make sure to take note of that in my next Analysis. Fixed the mistakes by the way.
 
Hi, you failed to mention any of my points including how Donphan has the best matchup against Dragons out of all the spinners, Donphan's use in Rain and Hail, and checking Tyranitar. Please do this before the 2nd GP check as adding some of that information was part of getting the QC check.
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Hi, you failed to mention any of my points including how Donphan has the best matchup against Dragons out of all the spinners, Donphan's use in Rain and Hail, and checking Tyranitar. Please do this before the 2nd GP check as adding some of that information was part of getting the QC check.
Fixed Bri. Sorry about that, I had a lot to fix on here today.
 

Governess

A Beautiful Blossom Waiting to Bloom
is a Researcher Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Hihi, this is excellent writing, very few mistakes.

Additions are Blue
Removes are Red
Comments are Purple.

Gary2346 said:
[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything that Donphan does, something can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a physically defensive Ground-type from Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their access to recovery and more useful typing or abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side as well, Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and presence of weather does not cope well with Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense, and combined with terrible Speed, Donphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacks, and Rock-type moves are really the only useful resistance that it has. Donphan is even primarily outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other then just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>There is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, however, but it is quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important capability of removing entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk, but also the ability to be quite offensive. Sporting a great base 120 base Attack and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash, Donphan can function as a decent bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use Ice Shard, which is quite a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus, which is something that sets it apart from most bulky spinners. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability to always survive an attack fromat full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges quite nicely. Its overall great physical bulk lets it function as not only a sponge, but also a check against Dragon-types, a feat that most spinners fail to achieve. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It is widely out classed by other spinners and finds it really harddifficult to stay alive. Overall, Donphan is a very niche Pokemon, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the only set Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above -average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves like Stone Edge and Close Combat fairly well,(You mentioned Donphan can take Stone Edge and Close Combat already in the previous paragraph; I'm not sure if you should repeat it as a general statement.) Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of its base 120 Attack, it hits pretty hard. As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Donphan is also a really good check to Choice Banded Tyranitar, and it is easily capable of 2HKOing Tyranitar with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it a little more of an offensive presence instead of just Earthquake alone, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority so it will always go first, which somewhat helps soften the blow of Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread, Donphan is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat and +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving it an Adamant nature, but Donphan becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe, Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-oO-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with. Head Smash is quitealso a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users such as Forretress and Ferrothorn that may try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent set -up sweepers from boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers, but Donphan loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus while providing Rapid Spin support. Still, Donphan is still quite viable on other weather based teams such as hail, sand, and even rain because of its ability to check Dragon-types so well. Most spinners find it easy to wall Dragon-types, but find it hard to do anything to harm them. Donphan, on the other hand, has priority Ice Shard, which can easily check most of the Dragon-types in the tier such as Salamence and Garchomp. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can all chip Donphan's health away or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defensecounter against Donphan, as any rain-boosted Water move can certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Sableye can burn it with Will-oO-Wisp first turn, and can also take at least one Head Smash it if has to from the rare Lum Berry variants. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and can OHKO Donphan with their respectable STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO Donphan.</p>

I honestly couldn't find much; this was nicely written. Nice work. :)
 

Neliel

Sacred Sword
Im probably late, however i think its worth mention the fact that max atk max speed donphan can be used in sun teams; if you are using it you probably dont have dugtrio, so you need something to beat sp def tran, and max speed donphan often catches off guard heatran. It also outspeed all those things around that speed, such as cb tar, defensive toed and fast jellicent, all things you dont want to have alive if you are using a sun team.
 

GatoDelFuego

The Antimonymph of the Internet
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Hi, just going over governess' check, there are some things to implement and some things not to. Anything I don't highlight, assume that it should be implemented

governess said:
[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything that Donphan does, (AC) Be sure to get this something can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a physically defensive Ground-type from Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their access to recovery and more useful typing or abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side as well, Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and presence of weather does not cope well with Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense, and combined with terrible Speed, (AC) This as wellDonphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacks, and Rock-type moves are really the only useful resistance that it has. Donphan is even primarily outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other then just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>There is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, however, but it is quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important capability of removing entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk, but also the ability to be quite offensive. Sporting a great base Leave base in here, base should come before the number120 base Remove this base Attack and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash, Donphan can function as a decent bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use Ice Shard, which is quite a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus, which is something that sets it apart from most bulky spinners. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability to always survive an attack from while at implement this instead full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges Don't remove the extra s at the end of these quite nicely. Its overall great physical bulk lets it function as not only a sponge, but also a check against Dragon-types, a feat that most spinners fail to achieve. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It is widely outclassed by other spinners and finds it really harddifficult Implement to stay alive. Overall, Donphan is a very niche Pokemon, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the only set Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above-average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves like Stone Edge and Close Combat fairly well,(You mentioned Donphan can take Stone Edge and Close Combat already in the previous paragraph; I'm not sure if you should repeat it as a general statement.) Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of its base 120 Attack, it hits pretty hard. As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Donphan is also a really good check to Choice Banded Tyranitar, and it is easily capable of 2HKOing Tyranitar with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it Implement and remove the "a" I highlighted a little more of an offensive presence instead of just Earthquake alone, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority so it will always go first, which somewhat helps soften the blow of Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread, Implement Donphan is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat and +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving it an Adamant nature, but Donphan becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe, Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-oO-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with. Head Smash is quitealso a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users such as Forretress and Ferrothorn that may try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent set-up sweepers from boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers, but Donphan loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus while providing Rapid Spin support. Still, Donphan is still quite viable on other weather based teams such as hail, sand, and even rain because of its ability to check Dragon-types so well. Most spinners find it easy to wall Dragon-types, but find it hard to do anything to harm them. Donphan, on the other hand, has priority Ice Shard, which can easily check most of the Dragon-types in the tier such as Salamence and Garchomp. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can all chip Donphan's health away or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defensecounter Leave this as "defense"against Donphan, as any rain-boosted Water move can certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Sableye can burn it with Will-oO-Wisp first turn, and can also take at least one Head Smash it if has to from the rare Lum Berry variants. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and can OHKO Donphan with their respectable STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO Donphan.</p>
I'm not going to stamp this because as a 2nd GP check, I'd prefer to have another GP member go through rather than me, as I already checked this. Be sure to implement these above changes, though.
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Hi, just going over governess' check, there are some things to implement and some things not to. Anything I don't highlight, assume that it should be implemented



I'm not going to stamp this because as a 2nd GP check, I'd prefer to have another GP member go through rather than me, as I already checked this. Be sure to implement these above changes, though.
Thanks a lot you two. This should hopefully be fully ready to be GP checked one last time.
 
Additions = Blue
Subtractions = Red
Comments = Underlined

[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything that Donphan does, something can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a with other physically defensive Ground-types fromsuch as Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their access to recovery and more useful typing orand abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side as well, making Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and presence of weather does not copepair well with Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense, and combined Why are there two space here? with terrible Speed, Donphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacksWater- and Ice-type attacks, and Rock-type moves are reallyis really the only useful resistance that it has. Donphan is even primarily outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other thenthan just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>However, there is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, however, but it is though quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important capability of removing entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk but also the ability to be quite offensive. Sporting a great base 120 Attack and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash, Donphan can function as a decent bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use Ice Shard, which is quite a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus, which is something that sets it apart from most bulky spinners. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability to always survive an attack while at full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges quite nicely. Its overall great physical bulk lets it function as not only a sponge, but also a check against Dragon-types, a feat that most spinners fail to achieve. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It is widely out classed by other spinners and finds it difficult to stay alive. Overall, Donphan is a very niche Pokemon with a small niche especially with the transition to BW2, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on ayour team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the only set Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for athe majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves, Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of its base 120 Attack, it hits pretty hard. As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Donphan is also a really good check to Choice Banded Tyranitar, and it is easily capable of 2HKOing Tyranitar with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is the most important moveone of the most importantReally? in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it more of an offensive presence instead of just Earthquake alone, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority so it will always go first, which somewhat helps soften the blow of Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread, Donphan is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat and +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving it an Adamant nature, but Donphan becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe, Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-O-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple it with. Head Smash is quite a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait surprise Spikes users such as Forretress and Ferrothorn that may try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent set up sweepers from boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers just like Hitmontop uses Foresight, but Donphan loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus while providing Rapid Spin support. Still, Donphan is still quite viable on other weather based teams such as hail, sand, and even rain because of its ability to check Dragon-types so well. Most spinners find it easy to wall Dragon-types, but find it hard to do anything to harm them. Donphan on the other hand, has priority Ice Shard, which can easily check most of the Dragon-types in the tier such as Salamence and Garchomp. AsBecause Donphan is the only spinner that'sthat is actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily. Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners to Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augmentboost its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin plus it is outclassed by almost every other Choice Bander. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Rotom-W on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined with Sturdy allow it to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can all chip Donphan's health away or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defense against Donphan, as any rain-boosted Water move can certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Sableye can burn it with Will-O-Wisp first turn, and can also take at least one Head Smash it if has to from the rare Lum Berry variants. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and can OHKO Donphan with their respectable STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Latias can set up Calm Minds on Donphan, as Ice Shard fails to even 5HKO it, and Latias can just recover back the damage anyways. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO DonphanDue to its sad special defense, any decently strong special attacking move can wipe Donphan off the map.</p>
[/QUOTE]


Took 20 minutes to check. Okay, I didn't want to switch this in the revamp because it would take forever, but you use the word Donphan a lot. Try using it or vary the sentence but in a formal way to avoid using it. However, make sure half of the revamp says Donphan or it will look and sound weird.
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Donphan may seem used more often then needed, but most of the time it's to clarify who I'm directly speaking to. If I'm comparing Donphan in a sentence to something else, if I keep saying "it" to describe two things, it can get quite confusing. Also, words such as "however" shouldn't really be used more than twice in a sentence as you stated above, as it makes it sound repetitive. Thank you for taking the time to write this and I have indeed included a few of your things, but this analysis has been GP proof read to death, and a lot of changes you made were recommended by previous proof readers. I felt like you changed a little too much, and although your changes still fit, I feel that the current ones work just fine. Grammar checks and changing of wording is one thing, but rephrasing an entire sentence seems a little unnecessary when most of the changes you made seemed fine before.
 
[Overview]

<p>If Donphan could be described in one word, it would be mediocre. It seems like everything that Donphan does, something else can always do it better. Donphan faces stiff competition as a physically defensive Ground-type from Gliscor, Hippowdon, and even Gastrodon due to their accesses to recovery and more useful typing or abilities. It also faces competition on the offensive side as well, Landorus-T being the much better choice. To top it off, the plethora of powerful special attackers and the presence of weather does not copbode well withfor Donphan's pathetic base 60 Special Defense, and combined with terrible Speed, Donphan never has a chance to even fight back against them. Its typing leaves it wide open to common Water and Ice attacks, and Rock-type moves are really the only useful resistance it hat it has is against Rock-type moves. Donphan is even primarily outclassed as a Rapid Spinner by Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel due to their more useful attributes other thean just Rapid Spin.</p>

<p>There is still light at the end of the tunnel for Donphan, however, but it is quite a small light indeed. Donphan has access to Rapid Spin, a move that is commonly sought out for because of its important capability tof removinge entry hazards from the field. Donphan separates itself from most Rapid Spinners by not only having bulk,(comma) but also the ability to be quite offensive. Sporting a great base 120 Attack and powerful moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Head Smash, Donphan can function as a decently as a bulky offensive spinner. Strangely enough, Donphan can even use Ice Shard, which is quite a useful tool against Dragon-types and Landorus, which is something that sets it apart from most bulky spinners. Sturdy is a pretty useful ability that allows Donphan to always survive an attack while at full health, which sort of makes up for its measly Speed stat. Donphan can also be a great check to most variants of Terrakion, capable of taking Close Combats and Stone Edges quite nicely. Its overall great physical bulk lets it function as not only a sponge, but also as a check against Dragon-types, a feat that most spinners fail to achieve. Even though Donphan has a few useful traits, Donphan is by no means a good Pokemon. It is widely out classed by other spinners and finds it difficult to stay alive. Overall, Donphan is a very niche Pokemon, and should always be considered as a last resort if none of the other spinners seem to work on a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is the only set Donphan should ever be running in this current metagame. The main purpose of this set is to take advantage of Donphan's above average physical bulk in order to take as many hits as possible, which in turn should hopefully keep Donphan alive for a majority of the match. Rapid Spin is the only reason to use Donphan, so it is obligatory to use on this set. As Donphan is surprisingly bulky, and is quite capable of taking powerful physical moves, Donphan finds it quite easy to come into these attacks in order to use Rapid Spin. Earthquake is Donphan's only STAB move, and coming off of its base 120 Attack, it hits pretty hard. As Donphan is a great Terrakion check, Earthquake is a great move to KO Terrakion with. Donphan is also a really good check to Choice Banded Tyranitar, and it is easily capable of 2HKOing Tyranitar with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is the most important move in the game, and thankfully Donphan can use it to make itself a little more useful than just a spinner. Ice Shard is another great move to have on Donphan to give it more of an offensive presence instead of just Earthquake alone, and it is a great move to deal solid damage to Salamence, Landorus, and Gliscor. Not only that, but Ice Shard has priority,(comma) so it will always go first most of the time, which somewhat helps soften the blow offset Donphan's terrible Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Donphan's EV spread can be tailored to fit your needs, but the given EV spread and an Impish nature are highly recommended in order to keep Donphan alive for as long as possible. With this spread, Donphan is capable ofn avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat and +2 Lucario's Close Combat after Stealth Rock. It is possible to make Donphan more offensive with the simple change of moving its EVs in Defense to Attack and giving it an Adamant nature, but Donphan will becomes more susceptible to physical attacks. Another strange but viable EV spread Donphan can run is 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe, Adamant Nature with Lum Berry, which allows Donphan to outpace specially defensive Jellicent and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Lum Berry is used to bypass the possible Will-O-Wisp that Jellicent will most likely try to cripple itDonphan with. Head Smash is quite a powerful move to use as an alternative to Stealth Rock if you do not need it, and it deals huge damage to Flying-types and easily 2HKOes Gengar. Fire Fang can be used to bait Spikes users,(comma) such as Forretress and Ferrothorn,(comma) that may try to set up on Donphan. Toxic is an option to cripple common switch-ins such as Politoed and Jellicent, while Roar can be used to prevent set up sweepers from boosting up on Donphan. Odor Sleuth can be used to completely bypass spinblockers, but Donphan will loses out on a valuable coverage or support move.</p>

<p>Donphan is best used on a sun team, because it can check a great deal of problematic Pokemon,(comma) such as Terrakion, Salamence, and physical Landorus,(comma) while providing Rapid Spin support. Still, Donphan is still quite viable on other weather based teams,(comma) such as hail, sand, and even rain,(comma) because of its ability to check Dragon-types so well. Most spinners find it easy to wall Dragon-types, but find it hard to do anything to harm them. Donphan,(comma) on the other hand, has priority Ice Shard, which can easily check most of the Dragon-types in the tier such asincluding Salamence and Garchomp. As Donphan is the only spinner that's actually vulnerable to Toxic Spikes(Jellicent?), a grounded Poison-type partner or Blissey with Heal Bell can fix that problem quite easily(switch back in and you get toxiced again?). Due to Donphan's poor Special Defense, Jirachi or specially defensive Jellicent can be great partners tofor Donphan, Jellicent having the additional bonus of blocking spinners from removing Donphan's Stealth Rock. Volcarona and Victini will greatly appreciate the help from Rapid Spin and the resistance to Rock attacks. Heatran is also a viable partner to protect Donphan from Grass and Ice attacks.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Donphan gets a few other toys in addition to the set listed above. It can augment its nice Attack with a Choice Band, but essentially loses its niche as a user of Rapid Spin. Its physical movepool is actually pretty neat, even including Seed Bomb, which can be used to hit bulky Water-types like,(comma) such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W,(comma) on the switch. Stone Edge is always an alternative to Head Smash, as it sacrifices accuracy and power in exchange for no recoil. Donphan's support movepool is rather nice as well. Toxic and Roar rack up residual damage and mess with many of Donphan's common switch-ins. Counter is surprisingly good on Donphan as well; Donphan's great Defense combined withas well as Sturdy allow itDonphan to absorb huge amounts of damage from physical attackers and dish it right back out. Knock Off is very situational, but can be useful against walls carrying Leftovers (this can be ignored, but what makes knocking off a leftovers more useful than a LO) and Eviolite users such as Chansey.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Donphan is pathetically easy to handle, which is why Donphan is often considered a bad Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory can all set up on Donphan if it lacks Fire Fang, and can all chip Donphan's health away or phaze it out. Rain teams are easily the biggest defense against Donphan, as any rain-boosted Water move canwill certainly OHKO Donphan once Sturdy is broken. Water-types,(comma) such as Politoed, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and physically defensive Jellicent,(comma) can easily handle Donphan with their powerful Water moves. Sableye can burn itDonphan with Will-O-Wisp first turn,(not sure what you're trying to say here) and can also take at least one Head Smash it if has to from the rare Lum Berry variants. Breloom and Celebi laugh at all of Donphan's moves, even Ice Shard, and can OHKO Donphan with their respectablive STAB Grass moves. Kyurem-B is a great check because it ignores Sturdy with Teravolt and can KO Donphan with Ice Beam. Air Balloon Heatran can actually check Donphan as well, doing massive damage with Fire Blast in the process. Latias can set up Calm Minds on Donphan, as Ice Shard fails to even 5HKO it, and Latias can just recover back the damage anyways. Any powerful special move has the potential to pretty much always 2HKO Donphan.</p>


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