B-Lulz
Now Rusty and Old
[Overview]
<p>UU is a lot less ferocious than OU, and this is largely due to the fact that most of the Dragon-types reside in the upper tiers. As a result, Druddigon has a niche as a bulky Dragon-type in UU, possessing more overall bulk than both Kingdra and Flygon, the other two main Dragon-types used in the tier. Druddigon also gets access to Glare, making it a more than viable addition to a team looking for a reliable paralysis inducer. It does have its problems though, as its lack of reliable recovery coupled with only average defensive stats mean that Druddigon can get worn down and defeated fairly quickly. Another problem is that while it does have a great Attack stat, it doesn't have the Speed or movepool necessary in order to sweep properly. That being said, Druddigon's bulk, unique mono-Dragon typing, high Attack stat, and access to support moves such as Stealth Rock and Glare make it a worthy replacement over Flygon or Kingdra for many teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Dragon Claw / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is all about power. Outrage is insanely powerful with a Choice Band equipped, and with the lack of Steel-types in the tier, it makes it all the more easy to spam and net some easy kills. Earthquake, with Mold Breaker, hits every Steel that resists Dragon for super effective damage, including Pokemon such as Bronzong who would normally wall a Dragon-type attack easily. Sucker Punch is there for priority, and can be used primarily as a way to bypass Druddigon's terrible Speed. It also helps by KOing fast sweepers such as Azelf and Raikou easily, and can even pick off Heracross if it has used Close Combat. Lastly, Dragon Claw provides a more reliable and less risky, albeit less potent, STAB attack while Superpower is good for Empoleon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The Speed EVs outspeed minimum base 60 Speed Pokemon such as Empoleon and Porygon2, and whilst Druddigon's Speed is awful, it is fairly close to some common bulky Pokemon that are worth outspeeding, especially if you plan on getting stuck into Outrage. Sheer Force and Fire Punch can be used but are overall less effective than Earthquake and Mold Breaker. As far as teammates go, this set is great at getting past most opposing walls, so a Pokemon that can benefit from this would be in your best interest. Heracross can be a good teammate as it appreciates having common physical walls such as Bronzong, Blastoise, and Slowbro weakened, allowing it to possibly start up a Moxie sweep. In fact, most strong physical attackers benefit from Druddigon's presence simply because there aren't many that can take a barrage of attacks from such a combination. On top of this, Spikes and Stealth Rock are very beneficial thanks to their ability to turn 2HKOs into OHKOs and 3HKOs into 2HKOs, so Froslass becomes a good teammate. Bronzong resists all of Druddigon's weaknesses and can set up Stealth Rock while wearing down the enemy with Toxic.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Paralysis Shuffler
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Dragon Tail / Roar
move 3: Glare
move 4: Dragon Claw
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is surprisingly effective at coming in on physical attackers, setting up Stealth Rock, and shuffling the team around for extra hazard damage. When coupled with Rough Skin, this makes for an annoying way for passive damage to be put onto the opponent's Pokemon, and can help wear down Pokemon to the point where a sweep can be initiated. Dragon Tail racks up extra residual damage on the foe by forcing switches as well as hitting it, whilst Roar is more useful for its perfect accuracy and hitting through Substitute. Glare paralyzes the enemy, possibly prolonging Druddigon's and its teammates' lives, as well as letting Druddigon gain the much-needed advantage in Speed. Dragon Claw is there as a fourth move in order to dish out extra damage, and serves as a reliable STAB move. Leftovers is the preferred item here, but Rocky Helmet can be used if you want to spread more damage at the cost of survivability.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs above maximize Druddigon's physical bulk, letting it take physical hits effectively from anything that isn't super effective against it. You can place more EVs in Attack if you want, but this is not recommended as a Druddigon in this role best serves as a shuffler, not an attacker. As you can probably imagine, this set loves entry hazards on the opposing side of the field, so a Spikes user and a Ghost-type Pokemon are necessary to really make the most out of this set. Froslass is an ideal teammate here, being both a Spikes user and a Ghost-type at the same time, as well as resisting Ice-type moves while being able to OHKO Flygon. Qwilfish is a good teammate as it resists Ice as well, whereas Dusclops can take any hit aimed at Druddigon while performing well as a bulky spinblocker. Finally, Steel-types make for good teammates thanks to their resistance to Dragon-type attacks.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Outside of what has already been mentioned, Druddigon can't do much else thanks to its low Speed. Life Orb can be used over Choice Band, but the drop of power and the diminishing HP is noticeable. Toxic can be used over Dragon Claw on the paralysis shuffler set, but it will get more use out of having a reliable attack. The same goes for using both Roar and Dragon Tail on the same set, as this makes Druddigon a great phazer and can prevent any manner of setup, be it Taunt or Substitute. Druddigon also receives gimmicky options such as Torment and Protect, which can annoy the opponent and force more switches if you like, but this is far less effective than paralysis shuffling. Hone Claws can also be used as a way of boosting Druddigon's Attack stat without locking it into a single move.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Druddigon's counters are entirely dependent on the set. For the paralysis shuffler set, the best course of action is to either use Taunt or Substitute. Substitute prevents your Pokemon from being shuffled by Dragon Tail and blocks Glare, while Taunt stops Stealth Rock, Glare, and Roar. Suicune in general is a good counter to Druddigon with its huge bulk and access to Ice Beam, as well as always being faster. If you can get them in unharmed, both Kingdra and Flygon will KO Druddigon with Outrage (Flygon doesn't KO with Dragon Claw against the paralysis shuffler). Porygon2 can status Druddigon and hit it with Ice Beam, making a decent counter for both sets. Steel-types are good counters to Druddigon in general, but against the Choice Band set you definitely have to be wary of Earthquake. The Choice Band set can be predicted around though, as Outrage has the side effect of being locked into it and Earthquake can be sponged by a Levitating Pokemon. Sucker Punch fails if the opponent doesn't attack as well, so Druddigon can be used as setup bait quite easily.