[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Offensive Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin is the most important move in this set because it removes entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and Spikes for its team. Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful STAB move that deals with Pokemon such as Metagross, Arcanine, and Tyrantrum. Knock Off further supports Donphan's team by crippling Pokemon reliant on their items such as Bronzong, Porygon2, and Registeel. It is also great against Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mismagius, Alolan Marowak, and Hoopa that try to switch in on Rapid Spin. Ice Shard is crucial so that Donphan can check weakened offensive threats such as Roserade, Virizion, and Noivern. The move is also a guaranteed OHKO against Zygarde-10% after Stealth Rock. Gunk Shot can be utilized to gain momentum against any Grass-type Pokemon that tries to switch into Donphan such as Shaymin and Virizion, as well as to damage Gardevoir and Florges more. Stealth Rock can be utilized if Donphan’s team lacks a dedicated user of the move.
Set Details
========
The listed EV set allows Donphan to be as strong and sturdy as possible. The 4 EVs in Speed allow Donphan to outspeed Registeel. Leftovers gives Donphan a little extra health back every turn so that it has an easier time checking Pokemon such as Zygarde-10%, Tyrantrum, and Toxicroak, allowing Donphan to Rapid Spin more often by restoring its Sturdy if it comes in on Stealth Rock.
Usage Tips
========
Donphan is a Rapid Spinner designed to tank hits from physically attacking Pokemon such as Zygarde-10%, Tyrantrum, and Toxicroak, so it needs to be as healthy as possible throughout the match. This is especially true if the opponent still has an entry hazard setter and if Donphan has a teammate that needs hazard control. Donphan can easily come in on Stealth Rock users that do not threaten it very much, such as Metagross, Registeel, or Tank Rhyperior. It can also come into battle with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch if a teammate has fainted or from an aggressive double switch. From there, Donphan can threaten the opponent out with a powerful Earthquake or revenge kill with Ice Shard if the foe is weakened enough. If the opponent has a Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mismagius or Hoopa and switches them in on Donphan expecting it to go for Rapid Spin, then it is advised to go for Knock Off, as the move does massive damage to these Pokemon, OHKOing Hoopa on the switch and putting Mismagius within Ice Shard KO range. Do not let Donphan take any status conditions. Poison from Toxic severely limits its longevity and the amount of times it can switch in on Pokemon it is supposed to check. Being burned from Will-O-Wisp, meanwhile, makes Donphan lose offensive pressure.
Team Options
========
Donphan appreciates support from clerics such as Umbreon or Vaporeon or Healing Wish users such as Shaymin and Gardevoir, as Donphan itself lacks a reliable form of recovery. Pokemon such as Ninetales, Noivern, Salazzle, and Swellow appreciate Donphan's ability to clear entry hazards away and threaten Stealth Rock users. These Pokemon also appreciate Donphan's ability to threaten out Zygarde-10%. Teammates that can absorb Water-type attacks aimed at Donphan such as Virizion, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad are needed. On that note, partners like Roserade, Shaymin, and Raikou can also keep Water-type Pokemon in check. Donphan also needs partners that can take Grass-type attacks such as Ninetales, Metagross, or Registeel. Metagross and Registeel also provide entry hazards for Donphan's team. Donphan, in return, can check Ground-types for Metagross and Registeel. Spikes setters such as Roserade and Golisopod love that Donphan can remove entry hazards without removing their own Spikes. Slow pivots such as Mega Ampharos, Mandibuzz, or Forretress can help bring Donphan safely into battle. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Snorlax, Florges, and Goodra can help take attacks that target Donphan's weaker Special Defense.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic can be used so Donphan has a better match up against physically defensive Pokemon such as Milotic without Refresh and Mandibuzz. Choice Band is a decent option that gives Donphan more immediate power. Donphan also has interesting coverage options such as Gunk Shot and Seed Bomb to hit targets that other Ground-types cannot. However, this set is largely outclassed by Rhyperior thanks to its higher Attack, better coverage options, and stronger defensive presence thanks to its Solid Rock ability taking super effective hits that Donphan cannot. Stone Edge can be used on the main set to hit Flying-type Pokemon such as Noivern, Honchkrow, and Mandibuzz for super effective damage, but the utility provided by Ice Shard and Knock Off are much more useful. A defensive set can be appealing thanks to Donphan's solid bulk. However, this set is lackluster because Donphan lacks reliable recovery and sacrifices its power.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Residual Damage**: As Donphan lacks a reliable way to recover its HP, it is easily worn down by entry hazards and status conditions such as poison from Toxic. Burns from Will-O-Wisp not only chip away at Donphan's HP, but they also halve its Attack, making it lose a lot of offensive pressure against the foe. Poison from Toxic puts Donphan on a timer, and the residual damage stacks up.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: While Donphan has great raw power, it still fails to dent Pokemon with high Defense stats such as Milotic, Mandibuzz, and Tangela because all of these Pokemon can shrug off a hit from Donphan and recover their HP. Golisopod resists all of Donphan's attacks and retaliates back with Liquidation. Cloyster also survives any attack Donphan uses on it and sets up Shell Smash against it.
**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir, and Espeon target Donphan's much weaker Special Defense stat, forcing it out of battle.
**Water- and Grass-type Pokemon**: Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Feraligatr threaten out Donphan with their powerful STAB moves. Similarly, Grass-type Pokemon such as Virizion and Shaymin resist Earthquake and also threaten to KO Donphan. However, most of the Water-type Pokemon and Roserade do not want to switch into Donphan's Earthquake, and weakened Grass-types do not want to stay in on Donphan's Ice Shard or even the rare Gunk Shot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[phantom, 180300], [Averardo, 409096], [zizalith, 410251]]
- Grammar checked by: [[frostration, 447027], [Electrolyte, 148071]]
With its solid typing and great Attack and Defense, Donphan is a reliable tank in RarelyUsed that can check top threats in the tier such as Zygarde-10%, Noivern, and Tyrantrum. Donphan is also unique in that it has access to Rapid Spin to clear away entry hazards and Ice Shard as a priority move to pick off weakened threats such as Zygarde-10%, Roserade, and Noivern. Despite these solid traits, Donphan's biggest issue is that it is easy to wear down with weak attacks and status conditions thanks to a lack of reliable recovery. This is especially bad considering Donphan has to repeatedly switch into Pokemon it is supposed to check and entry hazards to clear them away, breaking its Sturdy ability every time. Donphan may have a high Attack, but it has issues breaking common defensive Pokemon such as Milotic, Mandibuzz, and Mantine. Donphan's low Speed and Special Defense are easily exploited by Pokemon that can hit it with super effective attacks such as Mega Blastoise, Roserade, and Milotic. While Donphan's typing and bulk allows it to check Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-types, it is still largely outclassed by other entry hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise, Mandibuzz, and Mantine thanks to either stronger offensive presences with Mega Blastoise or better resistances and recovery with Mandibuzz and Mantine. It also has competition as an offensive Ground-type from the likes of Zygarde-10% and Rhyperior. Zygarde-10% is much faster and has a better STAB move with Thousand Arrows, while Rhyperior has a higher Attack and better typing both offensively and defensively.[SET]
name: Offensive Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Leftovers
ability: Sturdy
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin is the most important move in this set because it removes entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and Spikes for its team. Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful STAB move that deals with Pokemon such as Metagross, Arcanine, and Tyrantrum. Knock Off further supports Donphan's team by crippling Pokemon reliant on their items such as Bronzong, Porygon2, and Registeel. It is also great against Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mismagius, Alolan Marowak, and Hoopa that try to switch in on Rapid Spin. Ice Shard is crucial so that Donphan can check weakened offensive threats such as Roserade, Virizion, and Noivern. The move is also a guaranteed OHKO against Zygarde-10% after Stealth Rock. Gunk Shot can be utilized to gain momentum against any Grass-type Pokemon that tries to switch into Donphan such as Shaymin and Virizion, as well as to damage Gardevoir and Florges more. Stealth Rock can be utilized if Donphan’s team lacks a dedicated user of the move.
Set Details
========
The listed EV set allows Donphan to be as strong and sturdy as possible. The 4 EVs in Speed allow Donphan to outspeed Registeel. Leftovers gives Donphan a little extra health back every turn so that it has an easier time checking Pokemon such as Zygarde-10%, Tyrantrum, and Toxicroak, allowing Donphan to Rapid Spin more often by restoring its Sturdy if it comes in on Stealth Rock.
Usage Tips
========
Donphan is a Rapid Spinner designed to tank hits from physically attacking Pokemon such as Zygarde-10%, Tyrantrum, and Toxicroak, so it needs to be as healthy as possible throughout the match. This is especially true if the opponent still has an entry hazard setter and if Donphan has a teammate that needs hazard control. Donphan can easily come in on Stealth Rock users that do not threaten it very much, such as Metagross, Registeel, or Tank Rhyperior. It can also come into battle with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch if a teammate has fainted or from an aggressive double switch. From there, Donphan can threaten the opponent out with a powerful Earthquake or revenge kill with Ice Shard if the foe is weakened enough. If the opponent has a Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mismagius or Hoopa and switches them in on Donphan expecting it to go for Rapid Spin, then it is advised to go for Knock Off, as the move does massive damage to these Pokemon, OHKOing Hoopa on the switch and putting Mismagius within Ice Shard KO range. Do not let Donphan take any status conditions. Poison from Toxic severely limits its longevity and the amount of times it can switch in on Pokemon it is supposed to check. Being burned from Will-O-Wisp, meanwhile, makes Donphan lose offensive pressure.
Team Options
========
Donphan appreciates support from clerics such as Umbreon or Vaporeon or Healing Wish users such as Shaymin and Gardevoir, as Donphan itself lacks a reliable form of recovery. Pokemon such as Ninetales, Noivern, Salazzle, and Swellow appreciate Donphan's ability to clear entry hazards away and threaten Stealth Rock users. These Pokemon also appreciate Donphan's ability to threaten out Zygarde-10%. Teammates that can absorb Water-type attacks aimed at Donphan such as Virizion, Toxicroak, Mantine, and Seismitoad are needed. On that note, partners like Roserade, Shaymin, and Raikou can also keep Water-type Pokemon in check. Donphan also needs partners that can take Grass-type attacks such as Ninetales, Metagross, or Registeel. Metagross and Registeel also provide entry hazards for Donphan's team. Donphan, in return, can check Ground-types for Metagross and Registeel. Spikes setters such as Roserade and Golisopod love that Donphan can remove entry hazards without removing their own Spikes. Slow pivots such as Mega Ampharos, Mandibuzz, or Forretress can help bring Donphan safely into battle. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Snorlax, Florges, and Goodra can help take attacks that target Donphan's weaker Special Defense.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic can be used so Donphan has a better match up against physically defensive Pokemon such as Milotic without Refresh and Mandibuzz. Choice Band is a decent option that gives Donphan more immediate power. Donphan also has interesting coverage options such as Gunk Shot and Seed Bomb to hit targets that other Ground-types cannot. However, this set is largely outclassed by Rhyperior thanks to its higher Attack, better coverage options, and stronger defensive presence thanks to its Solid Rock ability taking super effective hits that Donphan cannot. Stone Edge can be used on the main set to hit Flying-type Pokemon such as Noivern, Honchkrow, and Mandibuzz for super effective damage, but the utility provided by Ice Shard and Knock Off are much more useful. A defensive set can be appealing thanks to Donphan's solid bulk. However, this set is lackluster because Donphan lacks reliable recovery and sacrifices its power.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Residual Damage**: As Donphan lacks a reliable way to recover its HP, it is easily worn down by entry hazards and status conditions such as poison from Toxic. Burns from Will-O-Wisp not only chip away at Donphan's HP, but they also halve its Attack, making it lose a lot of offensive pressure against the foe. Poison from Toxic puts Donphan on a timer, and the residual damage stacks up.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: While Donphan has great raw power, it still fails to dent Pokemon with high Defense stats such as Milotic, Mandibuzz, and Tangela because all of these Pokemon can shrug off a hit from Donphan and recover their HP. Golisopod resists all of Donphan's attacks and retaliates back with Liquidation. Cloyster also survives any attack Donphan uses on it and sets up Shell Smash against it.
**Special Attackers**: Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir, and Espeon target Donphan's much weaker Special Defense stat, forcing it out of battle.
**Water- and Grass-type Pokemon**: Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mantine, and Feraligatr threaten out Donphan with their powerful STAB moves. Similarly, Grass-type Pokemon such as Virizion and Shaymin resist Earthquake and also threaten to KO Donphan. However, most of the Water-type Pokemon and Roserade do not want to switch into Donphan's Earthquake, and weakened Grass-types do not want to stay in on Donphan's Ice Shard or even the rare Gunk Shot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[phantom, 180300], [Averardo, 409096], [zizalith, 410251]]
- Grammar checked by: [[frostration, 447027], [Electrolyte, 148071]]
Attachments
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