Dugtrio (analysis) [QC 4/3]

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ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm reeaaaaally busy with exams (and I'm also writing up another RU analysis) but Komodo was kind enough to take over Dugtrio for me, so please move this to L/O when he starts to write this up.

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[Overview]

  • Dugtrio has two qualities that every revenge killer would die for- an excellent base Speed stat of 120, and perhaps more importantly, its Arena Trap ability.
  • It also has a pretty good movepool.
  • If all of this is true, then why is Dugtrio so uncommonly seen? The problem lies in its piss-poor 35/50/75 defense stats. Dugtrio can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by almost any attack, making it very difficult to bring in outside of revenge-killing. Also, even if Dugtrio is safely on the field, it still needs to watch out for Pursuit.
  • Dugtrio also has a mediocre base 80 Attack stat, forcing him to choose between Choice Band and Life Orb.
  • Despite these shortcomings, Dugtrio can be a very useful teammate if played correctly. With some (or a lot) of practice, you will eventually have enough experience to prevent Dugtrio from fainting too early.
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Shadow Claw / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
nature: Jolly
ability: Arena Trap
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[Set Comments]

  • Using Dugtrio is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Although it has paper-thin defenses, Dugtrio's efficient revenge-killing abilities are, in the opinion of some players, too good to pass up.
  • Earthquake is a very nice STAB move to have. With Stone Edge, the two moves can hit a large number of Pokemon for at least neutral damage.
  • Sucker Punch is a good priority move for Dugtrio to have- even with its blazing fast Speed stat, Dugtrio ties with Alakazam and can be outsped by opposing revenge-killers wielding a Choice Scarf.
  • Shadow Claw rounds this up by hitting Physic- and Ghost-types whenever you feel Sucker Punch would be a bad option to use (such as against Dusknoir, who will usually try to Will-o-Wisp Dugtrio). If you're not too crazy about coverage and are using Life Orb, you can opt to use Substitute instead. Substitute protects Dugtrio from attacks, which is very important given its abysmal defenses.
[Additional Comments]

  • Simple EVs- max out Dugtrio's Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature is used since it is crucial for Dugtrio to attack before its foe. However, Adamant can be used if you have a Life Orb.
  • Life Orb gives Dugtrio a juicy power boost, which is well appreciated since it only has a base 80 Attack stat. Since Dugtrio is pretty frail, though, Focus Sash isn't such a bad option. Just be sure to have Pokemon who can use Rapid Spin, like Kabutops, Claydol, or Sandslash.
  • Entry hazard support is highly recommended. Some good Spikers are Qwilfish, Crustle, Ferroseed, and Omastar. The latter three can also set up Stealth Rock.
  • Dugtrio will have trouble taking down bulky Pokemon, such as Steelix. Therefore, your team should have several hard-hitters. For example, Choice Specs Moltres can tear things into shreds, and Dugtrio can easily pick off weakened survivors. Dugtrio can also switch into Electric- and (most) Rock-type attacks aimed at Moltres.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Focus Sash
nature: Jolly / Adamant
ability: Arena Trap
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[Set Comments]
  • Dugtrio is often viewed as a deadly revenge-killer. However, it can also pull off a decent support set, which may be surprising given its poor defenses.
  • The gem in this set is Arena Trap. By sending Dugtrio a Pokemon who isn't a Rapid Spinner, a faster Taunt user, or can't break Focus Sash and OHKO it in one move, Dugtrio is almost guaranteed to set up Stealth Rock.
  • Sucker Punch useful to use once you (hopefully) set up Stealth Rock and the opponent breaks your Focus Sash.
  • Earthquake and Stone Edge round things up nicely by hitting a large amount of Pokemon for at least neutral damage.

[Additional Comments]
  • Even though this is a support set, you should not invest any EVs in Dugtrio's defenses (except the leftover 4 EVs) due to its poor base HP, Defense, and Special Defense. Just stick to maxing out Dugtrio's Attack and Speed. Use Jolly to speed-tie with other base 120's, or Adamant if you want Dugtrio to do a wee bit more damage.
  • Reversal can go pretty well with this set over Earthquake- since Focus Sash will usually leave Dugtrio at 1 HP, Reversal can do some pretty severe damage.
  • Giving Dugtrio Leftovers and Substitute over Stone Edge is a risky strategy, however, it makes Dugtrio more than just a "imma set up SR maybe do some damage and die" Pokemon. If you trap the right Pokemon, it goes well with Sucker Punch.
  • Good teammates are those that can take advantage of Stealth Rock and gain momentum. Pretty much all offensive or balanced Pokemon can be a good teammate to Dugtrio.
  • The only type of team support that Dugtrio may like is a spinblocker. Offensive Dusknoir, Rotom, and Cofagrigus therefore make great teammates. You can also go for defensive sets or use Sableye and Eviolite Frillish and Misdreavus.
  • Although not required, having a Rapid Spinner is nice because entry hazards can destroy Dugtrio's Focus Sash. If you do not have a Rapid Spinner, then you should try to send out Dugtrio as soon as possible, before your opponent has an opportunity to lay down entry hazards.

[Other Options]

  • Memento is an excellent option to use on either set. Once Dugtrio loses a ton of HP and becomes useless, use Memento to bring in another sweeper safely.
  • Night Slash and Shadow Claw are practically identical. The reason that Shadow Claw is listed and Night Slash is not, though, is that Shadow Claw deals neutral damage to the somewhat numerous Fighting-type Pokemon in RU.
  • Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if you don't like Stone Edge's 80% accuracy. However, this will cause a significant decrease in power.
  • Substitute + Hone Claws is incredibly frustrating for Dugtrio to pull off, but in the off chance that it does, then Dugtrio can easily shred the opposing team.
  • Choice Scarf Dugtrio might sound absurd, but it does have some merit. For example, Dugtrio can now outspeed opposing revenge-killers who also wield a Choice Scarf. However, Dugtrio will sorely miss the power given by Life Orb/Choice Band.
[Checks & Counters]

  • Technically speaking, Dugtrio can't really be countered once it is switched into its prey. However, Dugtrio will have some trouble against bulky Pokemon, who can chip away at its HP, pHaze it, or status it. For example, Tangrowth can survive Dugtrio's attack at full health, and can OHKO it with Power Whip.
  • Another annoying defensive Pokemon is Eviolite Gligar, who can escape Arena Trap, take relatively few damage from Dugtrio's attack, and retaliate with Toxic.
  • After Dugtrio has revenge-killed something, it in turn is in danger from other revenge killers, like Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, Manetric (it can use Hidden Power Grass/Ice to OHKO), or Medicham. Enemy revenge-killers will also have a much easier time if a CB Dugtrio is locked into a bad move.
  • CB Dugtrio is also in danger of being Pursuited from Pokemon.
  • Pokemon who can survive Sucker Punch and retaliate with a priority move make a good check. Sharpedo, for example, takes very little damage from Sucker Punch and can use Aqua Jet to net a KO. Sableye can avoid Sucker Punch completely by using Will-o-Wisp (which, thanks to Prankster, gains priority) and switching out.
  • Honchkrow is a very nifty check to Dugtrio since it has priority (Sucker Punch), Pursuit, and ignores Arena Trap.
  • Scarf Gardevoir is an interesting check since she can Trace Dugtrio's Arena Trap and KO it. However, she will have to watch out for Sucker Punch.
[Dream World]

  • Dugtrio's Dream World ability is Sand Force. Since the only Pokemon who can automatically summon Sandstorm are not in RU, using Sand Force is not recommended.
 
No semi-support set with Stealth Rock? It's one of the fastest users of Stealth Rock, and can usually get it up unless Taunted by Sableye. Something like this:


[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Focus Sash
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
 
Let's see...

80 base attack isn't good. It's mediocre at best and I think this is a main reason why he's not used often. With Life Orb he misses some power to threaten some bulkier threats, while with Choice Band he's an easy set-up bait.

You should mention Honchkrow as a decent check. He can switch on everything except Stone Edge (although it won't happen often, Arena Trap), and when revenge killing/switching in he can force Dugtrio player into mindgames (STAB Sucker Punch OHKOes back or Pursuit on switch at best hurts as hell). It looks even worse on Choice Band, especially when Dugtrio is stuck for example on Earthquake... which pretty much means crippled/dead Dugtrio from Pursuit.

Scarf Gardevoir with Scarf can also revenge kill Dugtrio and checkmate him, tracing his Arena Trap.
 
Added a Support set and mentioned Honchkrow and Scarf Gardevoir as good Dugtrio's check.

Reversal seems a bit too risky to use, so I'll put it under OO I guess.
 
I actually think Reversal should go in AC of the support set over Stone Edge. Itt goes with Focus Sash great especially with SR and Sucker Punch. It gives it a more multi purpose edge. I dont think it deserves a slash but maybe a mention in AC. I would also mention Sub and Leftovers in the AC of the support set. I takes a fair bit of predition but if you trap just the right Pokemon it can be really nice to get around Sucker Punches and such.
 
Pursuit should be at least mentioned in the OO if not in AC of the first set. A SE shadow claw does less damage than a normal effectiveness EQ. You could mention pursuit as a way to checkmate alakazam and rotom normal.
 
Make a mention of Memento somewhere, please; Dugtrio essentially becomes a dead weight after threats to what Dugtrio is aiding the sweep of are eliminated, and memento offers essentially free setup to many dangerous sweepers that partner well with Dugtrio, such as Lilligant.

QC APPROVED 3/3
 
Life Orb / Focus Sash on the RKer. This isn't adv, choice band dugtrio isn't good.

Arena Trap memento is worth an OO slot.

[QC APPROVED 4/3] (post was already typed stfu)
 
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