[OVERVIEW]
While often less favored over Musharna, Duosion sets itself apart through Magic Guard, allowing it not to be hindered by Toxic and other forms of residual damage, unlike other Calm Mind users. As opposed to Musharna, Duosion's recovery is not hindered by weather conditions such as rain and hail and has more PP, allowing it to set up for a longer period of time. Said characteristics with the combination of Calm Mind and Acid Armor make Duosion very difficult to take down, causing it to be a terror against more balance- or defense-inclined teams. Duosion is also less passive compared to most Calm Mind users thanks to its naturally high Special Attack stat, being able to hit fairly hard after a boost or two. However, reliance on Eviolite plus its pure Psychic typing means that it's more vulnerable to Knock Off than most Pokemon. The Pursuit weakness only makes matters worse when it's matched up against Skuntank in particular, which is able to shut down Duosion with Taunt as well. Duosion also faces competition from other Psychic-types, particularly Musharna and Xatu, as the former has much greater bulk before setting up, has access to Stored Power, and is not nearly as weak to Knock Off, while the latter has Magic Bounce, which provides pseudo-hazard control.
[SET]
name: Acid Armor + Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Acid Armor
move 4: Recover
item: Eviolite
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind allows Duosion to simultaneously boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, making it even harder to take down. Psyshock is Duosion's best STAB option, as it allows it to break through other Calm Mind users such as Audino, Xatu, and non-Barrier Musharna. Acid Armor makes Duosion incredibly difficult to break through with physical attacks, ensuring it can set up against the likes of Steelix, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Kabutops, and Archeops, as well as ensure it wins Calm Mind war against other Psyshock users. Recover keeps Duosion healthy so that it can keep setting up throughout the match.
Set Details
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The given EV spread plus a Bold nature maximizes Duosion's physical bulk, allowing it to set up Calm Mind more comfortably on physical attackers. The 4 remaining EVs are put into Speed to allow Duosion to outspeed standard Steelix. Eviolite increases its defenses even further, making more difficult to take down. Magic Guard is key, as it gives Duosion an immunity to entry hazards and other forms of residual damage, most notably Toxic, which ensures it cannot be shut down as it sets up.
Usage Tips
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Duosion should steer clear of setting up if Dark-types are present on the opponent's team, as it has no ways of dealing damage to them. It should also be used as more of a mid- to late-game cleaner, as it has little impact early on the match, especially with Pokemon that resist Psychic being healthy. Once its checks and counters are eliminated, initiate Duosion's sweep by using the appropriate boosting move, depending on what it's up against. However, do not get greedy with setting up Calm Mind or Acid Armor unless it's necessary, as the longer Duosion spends setting up, the more likely it is to be struck by an untimely critical hit, ending its sweep prematurely. Thanks to Magic Guard, Duosion can serve as a status absorber, making it a good switch-in to Scald and Toxic in particular, though avoid the likes of Hex Rotom, as it can deal significant damage against an unboosted Duosion inflicted with burn. Recover should be used if Duosion's HP is getting too low, but be wary of doing this if the opponent has a Pursuit trapper such as Skuntank or Liepard, as they can put Duosion in an awkward spot. Try to avoid Knock Off at all costs, even weaker ones from the likes of Mega Audino and Clefairy, as Duosion loses a fair sum of its bulk once its Eviolite is removed, making it difficult to set up. When matched up against a potential Pursuit trapper such as Skuntank or Liepard, make double switches to teammates that threaten those two, as Duosion has no other way of dealing with them once they switch in.
Team Options
========
Fighting-types such as Primeape, Throh, and Hitmonchan are able to switch in on and take down problematic Dark-types that would otherwise end Duosion's sweep. In return, Duosion can switch in on the likes of Garbodor, Weezing, and Vileplume and threaten them with Psyshock. Toxic Spikes is devastating for the opponent, as it lets Duosion stall out Pokemon as it's setting up. Weezing and Garbodor are two notable examples, as both of them are able to soft check the likes of Shiftry, Skuntank, and Liepard, with the former crippling them with Will-O-Wisp and the latter wearing them with Rocky Helmet in conjunction with Aftermath. Mega Audino serves as a great Knock Off absorber, since it is able to switch in on the likes of Shiftry and Liepard with impunity once Mega Evolved. In exchange, Duosion absorbs Toxic for non-Heal Bell or Rest variants of Mega Audino and breaks past Poison-types, as well as slowly wearing down Steel-types, both of which are troublesome for Mega Audino. However, Duosion and Mega Audino are vulnerable to Skuntank, so make sure to pair them with solid response to it such as Rhydon or Steelix.
Scyther threatens Skuntank, Shiftry, and Malamar with U-turn, while Duosion can break past the likes of Garbodor, Weezing, and Steelix, all of which prevent Scyther from sweeping with Swords Dance. Rotom is able to check opposing Scyther and burn Pokemon that switch in on it such as Shiftry, Skuntank, and Liepard. Rotom also switches in on Steelix and wears it down with the combination of Will-O-Wisp and Hex, speeding up the process for Duosion to break past it. In general, any Pokemon that uses Will-O-Wisp and doesn't come with clashing synergy works well, as Duosion appreciates the ease of setting up against burned physical attackers. Steelix, Rhydon, and Regirock are all able to freely switch in on Scyther and Pursuit Skuntank, as well as set up Stealth Rock, which is very helpful when combined with Duosion's tendency to force switches as it's setting up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Signal Beam can be used to hit Dark-types such as Malamar, Liepard, and Shiftry on the switch, but it is generally inferior to Acid Armor because Duosion cannot afford to stay in against any of these Pokemon. Psychic is an alternative STAB move that lets Duosion beat Quagsire and break through Steelix more quickly, but it is otherwise inferior to Psyshock. Thunder Wave cripples some of Duosion's checks upon their switch in exchange for Acid Armor or an extra coverage move. Magic Coat has use in reflecting Taunt and other various status moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types such as Skuntank, Liepard, Shiftry, and Malamar all significantly threaten Duosion, as Duosion has no way to hit them unless its running the suboptimal Signal Beam. Skuntank and Liepard get special mentions, as both are capable of trapping Duosion with Pursuit and shutting it down with Taunt and Encore, respectively. Malamar is able to use Duosion as setup fodder and threatens to remove its item with Knock Off. However, non-Swords Dance Life Orb Shiftry can lose due to Acid Armor letting Duosion take repeated hits, causing Shiftry to slowly be worn down by Life Orb recoil.
**Taunt**: Taunt from the likes of Skuntank, Mismagius, and Steelix can stop Duosion from setting up and restoring lost HP with Recover. However, Mismagius should be wary, as an unboosted Psyshock deals a significant amount of damage, making it a less reliable check than the other two.
**Eviolite Removal**: Duosion relies on its Eviolite in order to take hits from Pokemon it could not face otherwise and use them as setup bait. Knock Off from the likes of Shiftry, Malamar, Liepard, and even less common users such as Mega Audino and Clefairy works well in crippling Duosion. Trick from the likes of Rotom, Mesprit, and Jynx is even more effective, as Duosion cannot stand being locked into a move by Choice items.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Rotom, Mismagius, and Haunter all threaten Duosion with their respective STAB moves, while Duosion needs a significant amount of boosts to take their hits. The first two are particularly annoying because Duosion takes a hefty amount of damage from Hex if it has been inflicted with status. However, none of these Pokemon are safe switch-ins because Psyshock, especially when boosted by Calm Mind, hits them incredibly hard, if not taking them down outright.
**Quagsire**: Due to Unaware, Quagsire ignores any stat boosts Duosion has attained and takes little from Psyshock. Quagsire can use Curse to set up on Duosion and eventually take it down, though without Curse, Quagsire is at risk of being PP stalled.
**Offensive Pressure**: Keeping Duosion from setting up too many boosts by bringing in Pokemon that can deal significant damage against an unboosted Duosion such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, Archeops, and Choice Band Scyther is also a decent approach at stopping it from sweeping, though in the long run Duosion can outlast all of these Pokemon if it manages to set up against a Pokemon that cannot do much in return.
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