mandatory BS HAX
[Overview]
<p>Haxorus's name isn't
the only cool thing about him. Sporting a massive Base 147 Attack, Haxorus has the ability to OHKO or 2HKO nearly everything the game, even without entry hazard support. In addition, access to amazing moves like Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and a STAB Outrage make
him it both devastating and unpredictable. Unfortunately, Haxorus has meager defenses and a disappointing Speed stat, which, when coupled with his shallow attacking movepool, can sometimes cause
him to be neglected for his it to be brushed aside in favor of its fellow Dragon-type
bretheren brethren, namely Garchomp, Salamence, and Dragonite. Despite these shortcomings, Haxorus's sheer power
is often good enough to land him often merits it a spot on a team, as very little can safely switch into this behemoth.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220
Spd Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus and Choice Band go together like peanut butter and jelly, as it boosts Haxorus's already amazing Attack stat to an absurd 648. There are very few Pokemon
that exist that can claim to counter Choice Band Haxorus, as virtually everything at least 2HKOed by an appropriate attack. Even the bulkiest physical walls such as Hippowdon will be unable to keep up with Haxorus's onslaught, and since many Steel-types are 2HKOed by
him it as well, Haxorus is as close to "uncounterable" as they come.</p>
<p>Earthquake complements Outrage well by nailing said Steel-types, and thanks to Mold Breaker, Levitate users such as Bronzong, Gengar, Rotom-W, Latios, and Latias must think twice about switching in. Brick Break is almost exclusively for Ferrothorn, who doesn't take much damage from any of Haxorus's other moves, while Dragon Claw is a nice choice to hit something hard without being locked into Outrage. The listed EVs allow Haxorus to maximize its Attack while outpacing Dragonite, Heatran, and Rotom-W. The additional EVs are thrown into HP to let Haxorus slightly cushion
weak oncoming attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In order to view the sheer power of Choice Band Haxorus's Outrage, here are some damage calculations against
bulky some of the premier physical walls and Steel-types that resist it.</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Outrage vs. 252/184+ Gliscor: 64.69% - 76.27%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/252+ Hippowdon: 54.29% - 63.81%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 248/252+ Vaporeon: 75.16% - 88.77%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 4/0 Excadrill: 73.76% - 87.02%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/48+ Ferrothorn: 34.94% - 40.91%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 252/0 Jirachi: 43.81% - 51.49%</li>
<li>Outrage vs. 0/0 Heatran: 52.01% - 61.30%</li>
</ul>
<p>Haxorus's movepool is sparse, but Dual Chop and Rock Slide are worth considering over Dragon Claw. Dual Chop
is useful can be used to break opposing Substitutes,
Sashes, and Multiscale, but its accuracy can be off-putting. Rock Slide lets Haxorus hit Gyarados and Zapdos without locking
himself itself into Outrage, but they are still hit hard by Dragon Claw, and Rock Slide can give Steel-types and Garchomp free
switch ins switch-ins. Another option that should be considered is
Haxorus's ability Rivalry. Although Mold Breaker is great when used with Earthquake, Rivalry can be used for an extra boost on a simulator because most Pokemon are male by default. The
20% 25% increase in power is very significant considering Haxorus's amazing Attack. For example, with one layer of Spikes, Outrage will usually 2HKO the standard Relaxed Ferrothorn with the help of Rivalry.</p>
<p>Although Haxorus is going to be hitting everything hard with Outrage, it still has troubles with the bane of most physical attackers: Skarmory. Skarmory can come in on any of Haxorus's attacks and proceed to Roost off the damage or set up Spikes thanks to its amazing Defense. Other than Skarmory, there aren't really any other true Haxorus counters. Bronzong, Ferrothorn, and defensive Jirachi are decent checks, but although they can usually take two Outrages, they will fall to well-predicted Earthquake. Magnezone is one of the best partners for Haxorus because it can easily trap and kill most Steel-types thanks to Magnet Pull. It also has solid synergy with Haxorus, since it can take Ice- and Dragon-
types type attacks aimed at the giant salamander. Haxorus is prone to being revenge killed by the likes of Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor thanks to their powerful priority attacks. A Scizor of your own can be helpful in this situation to take Ice Shards and Bullet Punches aimed at Haxorus. You also might want to consider pairing Haxorus with Pokemon that can take advantage of Haxorus's ability to KO most Steel-types and physical walls. Pokemon like Latios will absolutely love having Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Heatran out of the picture so it can spam Draco Meteors with little to fear, while Excadrill will sweep most teams once Haxorus has KOed Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Brick Break / Taunt
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haxorus is by no means slow, but his awkward Base 97 Speed means
he'll always be slower than that it will always be outpaced by common Pokemon like Salamence, Garchomp, Latios, Terrakion, and Virizion. As such, Haxorus can make great use of Dragon Dance
boosting his sky-high Attack and to boost its already sky-high Attack along with its mediocre Speed in order to
beat many of the fast threats that he would otherwise lose against outspeed and KO faster threats that would normally give it trouble. Although finding an opportunity to
set up may be difficult for a fragile Pokemon like Haxorus, the benefits can be quite substantial, as the combination of pace and power
make makes Haxorus incredibly hard to stop.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>After a single Dragon Dance, Haxorus reaches a terrifying 648 Attack and 427 Speed, enough to outpace every common Pokemon without a Choice Scarf, bar Deoxys-S. With a Dragon Dance under his belt and a boost from Life Orb, Outrage will 2HKO virtually everything in the game, with
some notable exceptions including max Defense Skarmory the notable exception being max/max Skarmory. Earthquake will nail all other Steel-types besides the aforementioned Skarmory, as even Bronzong isn't safe thanks to Mold Breaker. Brick Break is mostly for the ubiquitous Ferrothorn, who can survive an Earthquake and nail Haxorus with a powerful Gyro Ball. Although the ability to hit Ferrothorn is extremely important, Taunt is a fine choice in its place to prevent phazing and status moves from hitting Haxorus. Life Orb is the ideal item for this set for the additional power boost, but Lum Berry is a
great alternative to avoid any nasty Will-O-Wisps or Toxics, and it will let Haxorus break out of confusion once after using Outrage solid alternative that allows Haxorus to avoid being statused, or allow it to immediately snap out of its confusion after using Outrage.</p>
<p>Haxorus's teammates should focus on either eliminating its counters or creating up an opportunity for him to set up a Dragon Dance. Magnezone deserves
an obvious mention for its ability to turn Skarmory into fried chicken through the use of Magnet Pull and Thunderbolt. Choice Scarf Rotom-W is
also an excellent partner because it has little to fear from Skarmory, Bronzong, and most other Haxorus counters. Rotom-W can also use Trick to cripple an
incoming Pokemon, which will subsequently give Haxorus a chance to use Dragon Dance as the Tricked Pokemon is forced to switch out. Haxorus is extremely susceptible to revenge killing by priority users like Mamoswine, Weavile, and Scizor, all of which Rotom-W can check decently as well. A Skarmory of your own can add some more insurance since most
prirority priority users are physically inclined, while Haxorus will appreciate Skarmory's ability to set up Spikes. Pokemon that can set up Dual Screens will be immensely useful for Haxorus due to
his paper-thin its mediocre defenses. Deoxys-S, Latios, and Espeon are all very good choices thanks to their great Speed, and with the proper investment, they still possess the bulk to set up Dual Screens more than once. Wobbuffet support is worth considering for Haxorus because Wobbuffet can eliminate Choice Scarf Pokemon with either Counter or Light Screen, and it can also Encore a support move like Stealth Rock to give Haxorus a free switch in and Dragon Dance.</p>