NDK
Perpetually Tired
[OVERVIEW]
Darmanitan is a great wallbreaker and revenge killer on sun teams, with its sun-boosted Flare Blitz being extremely difficult to switch into. Under sun, even the sturdiest of Water-types like Slowking and RestTalk Primarina cannot switch in without risking a 2HKO. Its coverage moves also hit most Fire-resistant Pokemon for good damage, with Rock Slide hitting Moltres and Rotom-H, while Earthquake OHKOes Nihilego and lets Darmanitan revenge kill Tentacruel. Both coverage moves also don't have recoil damage. Darmanitan can be difficult to revenge kill, as it resists Scizor's Bullet Punch and many faster threats are unable to switch in safely. However, its poor bulk and Stealth Rock weakness severely limit its entry points, and it is still forced out by Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf Hydreigon once they are in. Flare Blitz, its main STAB attack, has substantial recoil damage that racks up over time, which reduces Darmanitan's overall longevity. It also struggles to break past Fire-resistant Pokemon with recovery if it lacks sun support, like Primarina and Salamence. Darmanitan faces competition as a Choice Scarf user with Diggersby, which has better longevity due to its Stealth Rock resistance and lack of recoil damage.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With a Sheer Force boost and STAB, Flare Blitz hits most Pokemon very hard, OHKOing threats such as Scizor, Azelf, Amoonguss, and Celesteela. U-turn allows Darmanitan to take advantage of the switches it forces and pivot out on Pokemon that aren't 2HKOed by Flare Blitz, like Primarina and Slowking. Rock Slide hits Flying-types such as Salamence and Moltres, and Earthquake OHKOes Nihilego while also hitting Cobalion, Zygarde-10%, and Excadrill without incurring recoil. Choice Scarf ensures that Darmanitan can outspeed Pokemon such as Azelf, Zygarde-10%, and Crobat.
Darmanitan best fits on sun teams, which appreciate its revenge killing while strengthening its nuclear Flare Blitz. Torkoal is the cornerstone of sun teams, providing Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin, and sun. Venusaur sets up on foes that threaten Darmanitan, such as Keldeo and Primarina lacking Psychic. In exchange, Darmanitan can break through Celesteela and trade with Noivern, as well as pivoting out of bad matchups like Primarina and Keldeo to give Venusaur setup opportunities. Defensive Celesteela checks Hydreigon and Excadrill, while Darmanitan breaks through Celesteela checks like Chansey. Hatterene checks Dragon-types such as Salamence and Hydreigon, provides Magic Bounce support, and can heal Darmanitan's chip damage from Stealth Rock with Healing Wish. Swampert and Chansey are great pivots that can bring in Darmanitan safely against Excadrill and Krookodile, with Swampert checking Rotom-W and Chansey checking Hydreigon. Skarmory can provide Spikes support, which is valuable in providing chip damage for Darmanitan. It also handles many physical attackers that threaten Darmanitan, such as Diggersby and Hippowdon, well.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Trick is an option to debilitate defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Chansey, and Primarina. However, it sacrifices the Speed boost from Choice Scarf, so it should only be used when Choice Scarf is no longer necessary, and has to replace a coverage move. Choice Band can further increase Darmanitan's power, but it becomes more vulnerable to revenge killers like Nihilego and Cobalion, and the additional power is mostly unnecessary. Heavy-Duty Boots grants Darmanitan more longevity, letting it fit on different team archetypes, but the loss of Speed prevents it from fulfilling an offensive pivot role that well compared to other options like Azelf.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chip Damage**: Due to not commonly running Heavy-Duty Boots, Darmanitan takes substantial entry hazard damage upon switching in. With that and Flare Blitz recoil, Darmanitan gets worn down very quickly. Hippowdon's summoned sand also wears down Darmanitan and removes sun.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Salamence, Hydreigon, and Zygarde-10% all present problems for Darmanitan. Defensive Salamence is the best counter available, resisting Flare Blitz and also lowering Darmanitan's Attack with Intimidate. Salamence can also use Roost to heal any damage that Darmanitan inflicts. Choice Scarf Hydreigon revenge kills Darmanitan and Zygarde-10% can revenge kill with Extreme Speed, and it can potentially predict Darmanitan switching out to wallbreak.
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primarina, Slowking, Swampert, and Rotom-W are solid checks that can tank a hit and heavily damage Darmanitan with their STAB moves. However, if sun is active, they might struggle to switch in on Flare Blitz. Keldeo acts as an offensive check, but it doesn't like to directly switch in, and Azumarill can revenge kill Darmanitan with Aqua Jet.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[NoahDeKnight, 458971]]
- Quality checked by: [[Monky25, 515132], [Mystras Leoxses, 530118], [Sage, 192277]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Sulo, 528036], [UT, 523866], [Adeleine, 517429]]
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