Here I go again~
Dusknoir
[Overview]
<p>Dusknoir is really a jack-of-all-trades, master of none kind of Ghost-type, which isn't the best trait to have in a tier literally running amok with Ghosts. Furthermore, Dusknoir faces direct competition for a team slot with one of the most used and dangerous Pokemon in RU: Cofagrigus. Dusknoir has amazing bulk, but is let down by its super low HP; it's also extremely slow. Fortunately, Dusknoir has a huge movepool that makes it somewhat unpredictable, and also sports the ability to beat Cryogonal one-on-one, something only it and Choice Band Spiritomb can lay claim to as Ghost-types. Still, as far as Ghost-types and spinblockers go, you must decide if reliably beating Cryogonal is something you really want in a team slot, otherwise Cofagrigus, Spiritomb, Golurk, Misdreavus, and Rotom are all usually better choices for your Ghost-type needs.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Pain Split
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Seismic Toss / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set gives Dusknoir the ability to beat as many spinners in RU as possible, including Cryogonal, who can beat nearly every other Ghost-type in the tier one-on-one. Will-O-Wisp is probably the most important move on the set, as it lets Dusknoir easily beat Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Kabutops, and Sandslash, as well as stop dangerous physical sweepers such as Archeops, Aggron, and Drapion. Pain Split is Dusknoir's only semi-reliable way of healing, and even with maximum HP EVs, Dusknoir's HP will be low enough for it to prove useful in most situations. It also makes beating the aforementioned physical sweepers easier, and is Dusknoir's only form of attack against Munchlax and Clefable besides Seismic Toss. Shadow Punch is Dusknoir's best STAB move, and specifically lets it 2HKO the standard 252/252 +SpD Cryogonal. Beware, though, as Cryogonal can still Recover stall Dusknoir, especially if it hits Dusknoir with Toxic. The final slot gives Dusknoir the most coverage possible. Seismic Toss is the primary choice as it is Dusknoir's most reliable attack against the rest of the tier, as well as Dusknoir's strongest attack against Sandslash and Steelix. Seismic Toss is chosen over Night Shade for its ability to hit Normal-types. Additionally, with Seismic Toss and Shadow Punch, Dusknoir is able to break the Substitutes of nearly every Pokemon in the tier. Earthquake can be used in the last slot instead as it gives Dusknoir a stronger hit on Aggron, Drapion, Klinklang, Entei, and Rhydon, as well as an OHKO against Manectric.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is tailor-made to give Dusknoir enough Attack to ensure the 2HKO on 252/252 +SpD Cryogonal; the rest of the EVs are pumped into Dusknoir's physical bulk to allow it to beat most of the other spinners in the tier. With the given EV spread, Dusknoir is also never OHKOed by the likes of Choice Band Aggron, Archeops, and Swords Dance Feraligatr, and can respond with the appropriate move. It's not recommended to use a fully physically or specially defensive EV spread as Dusknoir greatly appreciates the investment in its Attack and doesn't really gain anything from investing fully in its defensive capabilities. With the given EV spread and moveset, Dusknoir is able to deal about 30% to a huge portion of the RU metagame.</p>
<p>Taunt is a cool option for the last slot as it lets Dusknoir stall out slow support Pokemon such as Roselia and Clefable, and also gives it a way to stop dangerous sweepers such as Nasty Plot Cofagrigus from setting up. Be warned though that Taunt requires a ton of prediction to use successfully; opponents must be hit on the switch as Dusknoir is slower than most of the metagame. Toxic is another cool option to cripple Pokemon Dusknoir would rather not or cannot burn, such as Cryogonal and Cofagrigus, as well as other special attackers such as Moltres, Lanturn, and Uxie. Do not be tempted to use Rock Slide or Shadow Sneak, both moves are terrible on this set and leave Dusknoir unable to deal any significant damage to most of the metagame. Finally, the combination of Fire Punch and Earthquake is a usable option for the attacking slots as it gives Dusknoir a stronger hit on Grass-types, particularly Ferroseed, Rotom-C, and Lilligant, as well as on Aggron, Drapion, Kabutops, and Hitmonlee. However, the combination of Fire Punch and Earthquake leaves Dusknoir unable to deal any real damage to very dangerous Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, Archeops, Moltres, Rotom, and Cofagrigus, and also leaves it vulnerable to multiple Substitute users such as Bouffalant, Gallade, and Uxie.</p>
<p>As Dusknoir's role on a team is as a spinblocker, it should be paired with entry hazards. In this respect, Crustle, Accelgor, Omastar, and Uxie make great teammates to set up entry hazards. Though Dusknoir's huge defenses would normally suggest that it would be used on stall teams, in reality Dusknoir works best on defensively inclined balanced teams. Dusknoir is simply too vulnerable to Taunt, Trick, status, and set up sweepers to prove useful on a full stall team, and usually ends up as dead weight. It can also be used effectively on double Ghost teams, where the responsibility of spinblocking isn't placed on Dusknoir alone. Good teammates for Dusknoir include Steelix, Rhydon, and Clefable as they are able to set up Stealth Rock and have good defensive synergy with Dusknoir. Dusknoir is immune to Fighting and can beat most Fighting-types one-on-one; in return, the aforementioned teammates can easily switch into most Dark- and Ghost-types. Pokemon that can sweep easily with entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field are great teammates for Dusknoir, so Pokemon such as Life Orb Moltres, Choice Band Entei, and Swords Dance Gallade make fantastic partners.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Pain Split / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a SubPunch set, Dusknoir is able to both spinblock and deal as much damage as possible. As a bonus, Substitute also blocks status, an otherwise huge detriment to Dusknoir. While SubPunch Dusknoir might seem outclassed by Golurk, Dusknoir is far bulkier, has Pain Split and Will-O-Wisp, and has the element of surprise on its side. Focus Punch is the main attacking move and is actually Dusknoir's strongest usable attack. Shadow Sneak is used for its nice priority, and most Pokemon that aren't OHKOed by Focus Punch will usually be picked off by Shadow Sneak on the next turn. With maximum Attack investment, Shadow Sneak deals about 20% to a large portion of the metagame. The last slot is a tricky decision. Pain Split is probably the most useful move, as it gives Dusknoir some of the health back that it'll lose from using Substitute, and can also push some Pokemon into KO range of Shadow Sneak. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead as it helps Dusknoir set up on physical attackers and beat spinners more easily. Burning Drapion, Spiritomb, and Absol also prevents them from Pursuiting Dusknoir for a ton of damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature make Dusknoir both as powerful and as bulky as possible. Shadow Punch can be used instead of Shadow Sneak for more damage output if priority is unimportant to you. This is especially helpful in situations when Dusknoir is unable to set up a Substitute against the opponent and therefore unable to use Focus Punch. Another attacking move, namely Earthquake or Fire Punch, can be used in the last slot in this regard as well. However, without Pain Split or Will-O-Wisp, Dusknoir becomes even more outclassed by Golurk.</p>
<p>This set works best on a balanced team as an offensive spinblocker akin to Nasty Plot Cofagrigus and SubPunch Golurk. Rhydon, Steelix, and Aerodactyl are great teammates as they both set up Stealth Rock and lure in Fighting-types, which gives Dusknoir the opportunity to switch in and set up a Substitute. Steelix also has an easy time switching into physical Dark-types, who can Taunt Dusknoir and thus prevent it from setting up a Substitute. Qwilfish, Smeargle, Roselia, and Omastar are great teammates to set up Spikes. This set absolutely detests entry hazards on its side of the field, as Dusknoir is not as bulky as the defensive set and will be losing health from making Substitutes. Therefore, Sandslash and Cryogonal are great teammates to spin away the hazards on your side of the field, and both provide good synergy with Dusknoir.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dusknoir's movepool is absolutely gigantic, and it can actually make use of a number of the options available to it. However, unlike the sets above, most are rather gimmicky and inconsistent. A set of Substitute, Calm Mind, Pain Split, and Shadow Ball can make Dusknoir a slow but extremely bulky sweeper, but Dusknoir is typically too slow to set up and is too weak even with multiple Calm Mind boosts under its belt. Dusknoir is probably most apt at setting up field effects for the team, and has a large array of options to support the team, including Gravity, Trick Room, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day. Curse can be used as an effective weapon against stall teams, and Dusknoir is bulky enough to use it consistently. However, losing half of your health in any situation is usually a poor idea, and Dusknoir is already ridiculously easy to revenge kill as it is.</p>
<p>For actual attacking options, Dusknoir has access to all of the elemental punches, though it will only ever really make use of Fire Punch in RU because it hits the large number of Grass-types in the tier for super effective damage. Night Shade is there to hit Ghost-types, but Seismic Toss outclasses it when combined with Shadow Punch or Shadow Sneak for its ability to hit Normal-types, and most Ghost-types will take more damage from Shadow Punch anyway. Return is one of Dusknoir's strongest attacks and can give it good neutral coverage, but Dusknoir will be hard-pressed to find room for it on any set, and the only Pokemon that it hits significantly harder is Moltres (and even then Rock Slide will be a better choice and that sucks in itself). Finally, Torment can be used along with Substitute and Dusknoir's Pressure ability to PP stall the opponent's strongest move, but Dusknoir's Ghost typing provides the opponent with too many neutral hits, and therefore too many strong hits, to prove very useful.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Taunt is probably the best way to put Dusknoir out of commission, as it is then unable to set up a Substitute, use Will-O-Wisp, and heal with Pain Split. Drapion, Mandibuzz, Qwilfish, and Aerodactyl are all great choices who can cripple Dusknoir with Taunt and pummel it with strong attacks, set up on it, or stall it out. Cofagrigus and other strong special attackers, such as Moltres and Omastar, can typically blast through Dusknoir without much trouble, though they all must beware of the appropriate coverage move. Entei and Typhlosion must be wary of Earthquake, but can otherwise freely switch in on Dusknoir, particularly its Will-O-Wisp, and blast it away with their STAB Fire-type attacks. Sigilyph doesn't fear Will-O-Wisp, can burn it in return with Psycho Shift, and can easily set up Cosmic Power on Dusknoir, even if it carries Shadow Punch in most situations (the SubPunch set might leave a bit of a mark). Toxic will slowly but very surely put Dusknoir out of its misery. Along the same vein, Toxic Spikes absolutely cripples Dusknoir, as it hampers its ability to wall effectively. Finally, most Dark-types will easily 2HKO or OHKO Dusknoir, but have to be very careful of Will-O-Wisp. Crawdaunt, Absol, and Spiritomb can all hit Dusknoir for a ton of damage with Pursuit, Crunch, or Night Slash.</p>
Dusknoir
[Overview]
<p>Dusknoir is really a jack-of-all-trades, master of none kind of Ghost-type, which isn't the best trait to have in a tier literally running amok with Ghosts. Furthermore, Dusknoir faces direct competition for a team slot with one of the most used and dangerous Pokemon in RU: Cofagrigus. Dusknoir has amazing bulk, but is let down by its super low HP; it's also extremely slow. Fortunately, Dusknoir has a huge movepool that makes it somewhat unpredictable, and also sports the ability to beat Cryogonal one-on-one, something only it and Choice Band Spiritomb can lay claim to as Ghost-types. Still, as far as Ghost-types and spinblockers go, you must decide if reliably beating Cryogonal is something you really want in a team slot, otherwise Cofagrigus, Spiritomb, Golurk, Misdreavus, and Rotom are all usually better choices for your Ghost-type needs.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Pain Split
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Seismic Toss / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set gives Dusknoir the ability to beat as many spinners in RU as possible, including Cryogonal, who can beat nearly every other Ghost-type in the tier one-on-one. Will-O-Wisp is probably the most important move on the set, as it lets Dusknoir easily beat Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Kabutops, and Sandslash, as well as stop dangerous physical sweepers such as Archeops, Aggron, and Drapion. Pain Split is Dusknoir's only semi-reliable way of healing, and even with maximum HP EVs, Dusknoir's HP will be low enough for it to prove useful in most situations. It also makes beating the aforementioned physical sweepers easier, and is Dusknoir's only form of attack against Munchlax and Clefable besides Seismic Toss. Shadow Punch is Dusknoir's best STAB move, and specifically lets it 2HKO the standard 252/252 +SpD Cryogonal. Beware, though, as Cryogonal can still Recover stall Dusknoir, especially if it hits Dusknoir with Toxic. The final slot gives Dusknoir the most coverage possible. Seismic Toss is the primary choice as it is Dusknoir's most reliable attack against the rest of the tier, as well as Dusknoir's strongest attack against Sandslash and Steelix. Seismic Toss is chosen over Night Shade for its ability to hit Normal-types. Additionally, with Seismic Toss and Shadow Punch, Dusknoir is able to break the Substitutes of nearly every Pokemon in the tier. Earthquake can be used in the last slot instead as it gives Dusknoir a stronger hit on Aggron, Drapion, Klinklang, Entei, and Rhydon, as well as an OHKO against Manectric.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is tailor-made to give Dusknoir enough Attack to ensure the 2HKO on 252/252 +SpD Cryogonal; the rest of the EVs are pumped into Dusknoir's physical bulk to allow it to beat most of the other spinners in the tier. With the given EV spread, Dusknoir is also never OHKOed by the likes of Choice Band Aggron, Archeops, and Swords Dance Feraligatr, and can respond with the appropriate move. It's not recommended to use a fully physically or specially defensive EV spread as Dusknoir greatly appreciates the investment in its Attack and doesn't really gain anything from investing fully in its defensive capabilities. With the given EV spread and moveset, Dusknoir is able to deal about 30% to a huge portion of the RU metagame.</p>
<p>Taunt is a cool option for the last slot as it lets Dusknoir stall out slow support Pokemon such as Roselia and Clefable, and also gives it a way to stop dangerous sweepers such as Nasty Plot Cofagrigus from setting up. Be warned though that Taunt requires a ton of prediction to use successfully; opponents must be hit on the switch as Dusknoir is slower than most of the metagame. Toxic is another cool option to cripple Pokemon Dusknoir would rather not or cannot burn, such as Cryogonal and Cofagrigus, as well as other special attackers such as Moltres, Lanturn, and Uxie. Do not be tempted to use Rock Slide or Shadow Sneak, both moves are terrible on this set and leave Dusknoir unable to deal any significant damage to most of the metagame. Finally, the combination of Fire Punch and Earthquake is a usable option for the attacking slots as it gives Dusknoir a stronger hit on Grass-types, particularly Ferroseed, Rotom-C, and Lilligant, as well as on Aggron, Drapion, Kabutops, and Hitmonlee. However, the combination of Fire Punch and Earthquake leaves Dusknoir unable to deal any real damage to very dangerous Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, Archeops, Moltres, Rotom, and Cofagrigus, and also leaves it vulnerable to multiple Substitute users such as Bouffalant, Gallade, and Uxie.</p>
<p>As Dusknoir's role on a team is as a spinblocker, it should be paired with entry hazards. In this respect, Crustle, Accelgor, Omastar, and Uxie make great teammates to set up entry hazards. Though Dusknoir's huge defenses would normally suggest that it would be used on stall teams, in reality Dusknoir works best on defensively inclined balanced teams. Dusknoir is simply too vulnerable to Taunt, Trick, status, and set up sweepers to prove useful on a full stall team, and usually ends up as dead weight. It can also be used effectively on double Ghost teams, where the responsibility of spinblocking isn't placed on Dusknoir alone. Good teammates for Dusknoir include Steelix, Rhydon, and Clefable as they are able to set up Stealth Rock and have good defensive synergy with Dusknoir. Dusknoir is immune to Fighting and can beat most Fighting-types one-on-one; in return, the aforementioned teammates can easily switch into most Dark- and Ghost-types. Pokemon that can sweep easily with entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field are great teammates for Dusknoir, so Pokemon such as Life Orb Moltres, Choice Band Entei, and Swords Dance Gallade make fantastic partners.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Pain Split / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a SubPunch set, Dusknoir is able to both spinblock and deal as much damage as possible. As a bonus, Substitute also blocks status, an otherwise huge detriment to Dusknoir. While SubPunch Dusknoir might seem outclassed by Golurk, Dusknoir is far bulkier, has Pain Split and Will-O-Wisp, and has the element of surprise on its side. Focus Punch is the main attacking move and is actually Dusknoir's strongest usable attack. Shadow Sneak is used for its nice priority, and most Pokemon that aren't OHKOed by Focus Punch will usually be picked off by Shadow Sneak on the next turn. With maximum Attack investment, Shadow Sneak deals about 20% to a large portion of the metagame. The last slot is a tricky decision. Pain Split is probably the most useful move, as it gives Dusknoir some of the health back that it'll lose from using Substitute, and can also push some Pokemon into KO range of Shadow Sneak. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead as it helps Dusknoir set up on physical attackers and beat spinners more easily. Burning Drapion, Spiritomb, and Absol also prevents them from Pursuiting Dusknoir for a ton of damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature make Dusknoir both as powerful and as bulky as possible. Shadow Punch can be used instead of Shadow Sneak for more damage output if priority is unimportant to you. This is especially helpful in situations when Dusknoir is unable to set up a Substitute against the opponent and therefore unable to use Focus Punch. Another attacking move, namely Earthquake or Fire Punch, can be used in the last slot in this regard as well. However, without Pain Split or Will-O-Wisp, Dusknoir becomes even more outclassed by Golurk.</p>
<p>This set works best on a balanced team as an offensive spinblocker akin to Nasty Plot Cofagrigus and SubPunch Golurk. Rhydon, Steelix, and Aerodactyl are great teammates as they both set up Stealth Rock and lure in Fighting-types, which gives Dusknoir the opportunity to switch in and set up a Substitute. Steelix also has an easy time switching into physical Dark-types, who can Taunt Dusknoir and thus prevent it from setting up a Substitute. Qwilfish, Smeargle, Roselia, and Omastar are great teammates to set up Spikes. This set absolutely detests entry hazards on its side of the field, as Dusknoir is not as bulky as the defensive set and will be losing health from making Substitutes. Therefore, Sandslash and Cryogonal are great teammates to spin away the hazards on your side of the field, and both provide good synergy with Dusknoir.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dusknoir's movepool is absolutely gigantic, and it can actually make use of a number of the options available to it. However, unlike the sets above, most are rather gimmicky and inconsistent. A set of Substitute, Calm Mind, Pain Split, and Shadow Ball can make Dusknoir a slow but extremely bulky sweeper, but Dusknoir is typically too slow to set up and is too weak even with multiple Calm Mind boosts under its belt. Dusknoir is probably most apt at setting up field effects for the team, and has a large array of options to support the team, including Gravity, Trick Room, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day. Curse can be used as an effective weapon against stall teams, and Dusknoir is bulky enough to use it consistently. However, losing half of your health in any situation is usually a poor idea, and Dusknoir is already ridiculously easy to revenge kill as it is.</p>
<p>For actual attacking options, Dusknoir has access to all of the elemental punches, though it will only ever really make use of Fire Punch in RU because it hits the large number of Grass-types in the tier for super effective damage. Night Shade is there to hit Ghost-types, but Seismic Toss outclasses it when combined with Shadow Punch or Shadow Sneak for its ability to hit Normal-types, and most Ghost-types will take more damage from Shadow Punch anyway. Return is one of Dusknoir's strongest attacks and can give it good neutral coverage, but Dusknoir will be hard-pressed to find room for it on any set, and the only Pokemon that it hits significantly harder is Moltres (and even then Rock Slide will be a better choice and that sucks in itself). Finally, Torment can be used along with Substitute and Dusknoir's Pressure ability to PP stall the opponent's strongest move, but Dusknoir's Ghost typing provides the opponent with too many neutral hits, and therefore too many strong hits, to prove very useful.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Taunt is probably the best way to put Dusknoir out of commission, as it is then unable to set up a Substitute, use Will-O-Wisp, and heal with Pain Split. Drapion, Mandibuzz, Qwilfish, and Aerodactyl are all great choices who can cripple Dusknoir with Taunt and pummel it with strong attacks, set up on it, or stall it out. Cofagrigus and other strong special attackers, such as Moltres and Omastar, can typically blast through Dusknoir without much trouble, though they all must beware of the appropriate coverage move. Entei and Typhlosion must be wary of Earthquake, but can otherwise freely switch in on Dusknoir, particularly its Will-O-Wisp, and blast it away with their STAB Fire-type attacks. Sigilyph doesn't fear Will-O-Wisp, can burn it in return with Psycho Shift, and can easily set up Cosmic Power on Dusknoir, even if it carries Shadow Punch in most situations (the SubPunch set might leave a bit of a mark). Toxic will slowly but very surely put Dusknoir out of its misery. Along the same vein, Toxic Spikes absolutely cripples Dusknoir, as it hampers its ability to wall effectively. Finally, most Dark-types will easily 2HKO or OHKO Dusknoir, but have to be very careful of Will-O-Wisp. Crawdaunt, Absol, and Spiritomb can all hit Dusknoir for a ton of damage with Pursuit, Crunch, or Night Slash.</p>
