UU Haxorus

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Not much to say about this. It's the same Pokemon it's always been since BW1.

Dragon of Hard Steel

[OVERVIEW]

Haxorus is a solid physical sweeper and wallbreaker in the UU metagame thanks to its superb Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in Outrage, as well as two setup moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Its typing also grants it good resistances that help it take hits from threats such as Suicune, Rotom-C, and Rotom-H and open up some setup opportunities. Furthermore, a decent physical movepool with coverage such as Earthquake and Poison Jab allows it to go toe-to-toe with Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Togekiss, and its ability Mold Breaker helps it to be a stallbreaker, allowing it to set up and bypass Unaware users Quagsire and Pyukumuku, stall's normal answers to physical setup sweepers, and giving it an edge over other setup sweepers such as Cobalion. However, Haxorus's Speed tier, while good for outspeeding balance and stall teams, renders it slower than many of UU's faster offensive threats such as Latias, Infernape, and Hydreigon. Its mediocre bulk also hinders it by limiting its ability to set up and leaving it prone to being revenge killed by said faster offensive Pokemon or priority such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard. It faces competition as a Dragon-type from Latias, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o, all of which offer more utility due to their better bulk, better typings, and stronger coverage; Kommo-o also has access to powerful Fighting-type STAB move in Close Combat to give it an edge as a Dragon Dance sweeper.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack stat to incredible levels, giving it enough raw firepower to muscle through even the bulkiest of walls, such as Alomomola and Hippowdon. Outrage is a powerful STAB move that deals significant damage to anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Swords Dance boost. Earthquake allows Haxorus to deal heavy damage to opposing Steel-types, such as Cobalion, Stakataka, Mega Aggron, and even Bronzong thanks to Mold Breaker. Poison Jab serves as a reliable coverage move to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss that could otherwise switch into Outrage comfortably.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs along with a Jolly nature allow Haxorus to outspeed Suicune and Kyurem, while 252 Attack EVs maximize its damage output. Mold Breaker allows Haxorus to bypass abilities such as Unaware, Filter, and Levitate, making it fare better against threats such as Quagsire and Mega Aggron, while also preventing Bronzong and Latias from freely switching into Earthquake. Dragonium Z gives Haxorus a one-time nuke in Devastating Drake, allowing it to OHKO Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost and avoid locking itself into Outrage. Lum Berry, on the other hand, allows Haxorus to recover from a status ailment inflicted by a move such as Will-O-Wisp, Scald, or Thunder Wave while setting up or relieve Haxorus of Outrage confusion once after use.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus functions mainly as a wallbreaker, using its sheer power to muscle through bulkier threats on bulky offense, balance, and stall teams. Ideally, Haxorus should be used mid-game to break down or pressure walls such as Suicune and Hippowdon. It should aim to soften such walls so that other teammates can pull off a sweep late-game. Due to its middling bulk, Haxorus often struggles to find setup opportunities, particularly against faster offensive teams. In those cases, Haxorus can afford to immediately use Devastating Drake or wallbreak with its attacks before going down; since it possesses such a high amount of initial power, it can wallbreak competently without a boost. However, against defensive and balanced teams, Lum Berry Haxorus can try to use a weaker defensive threat such as Blissey or Alomomola as setup fodder to enhance its wallbreaking capabilities.

Team Options
========

Haxorus appreciates entry hazard support due to its ability to force switches. Klefki is a very good teammate that can use Spikes to wear down grounded switch-ins and can paralyze faster threats such as Latias and Infernape. Celebi, Cobalion, and Mamoswine also set up hazards very well. VoltTurn users such as Scizor, Mega Manectric, and Hydreigon steadily wear down the opposing team and help Haxorus switch in safely. Infernape is also a good user of U-turn that can check Scizor. Magneton can be used to trap Scizor and Klefki, which can otherwise check Haxorus. Late-game cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo appreciate Haxorus's wallbreaking support and can handle faster offensive teams that Haxorus struggles against. Haxorus appreciates good revenge killers such as Nihilego and Krookodile that can fare well against offensive teams. Entry hazard removal is appreciated, since residual damage cause Haxorus to be easily revenge killed. Starmie, Latias, and Rotom-C make solid candidates; Latias can also heal Haxorus to full health with Healing Wish if the need arises. As a niche option, dual screens and Aurora Veil support is also very useful for Haxorus, as giving it extra bulk to safely obtain a Swords Dance boost will make it much harder to stop. The aforementioned Klefki as well as the combination of Aurorus and Alolan Sandslash are very good candidates to provide such support. To a lesser extent, Uxie also makes a viable dual screens setter that can provide Memento support.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack and Speed stat to high levels, making it a very deadly sweeper that can outspeed most Pokemon after a boost. Outrage serves as a powerful STAB move, 2HKOing or OHKOing the vast majority of the metagame. Earthquake provides coverage for Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, and it can also hit Latias and Hydreigon through Levitate without the need to resort to Outrage. Poison Jab serves as coverage for Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Sylveon, which are immune to Outrage. Iron Tail is a usable alternative over Poison Jab due to its increased power, potentially OHKOing Sylveon and Togekiss after a boost.

Set Details
========

252 EVs in both Attack and Speed along with a Jolly nature maximize Haxorus's initial power and speed. Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, giving it an edge against threats such as Rotom-H, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire by bypassing such as Levitate, Filter, and Unaware. Dragonium Z allows Haxorus to have a one-off nuke with Devastating Drake without locking itself into Outrage, allowing it to potentially OHKO Hippowdon and Swampert after a boost. Lum Berry, however, allows Haxorus to absorb a single Thunder Wave from Klefki, absorb a Scald burn, or undo the confusion from Outrage once.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus can function in two ways: it can sweep late-game with a Dragon Dance boost once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play, or it can function as a competent wallbreaker and lure mid-game. Since Haxorus struggles to find setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk and awkward Speed tier, it can be used to lure in its potential checks and wear them down with Earthquake or Poison Jab, and it can use its raw immediate power to muscle through teams, which can help it sweep late-game. It can wallbreak well overall, as it possesses a solid matchup against more defensive teams. If needed, Devastating Drake allows Haxorus to break past Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost or two without locking itself into Outrage. Devastating Drake is most useful when the raw power is needed but there are still Steel- or Fairy-types on the opposing team to switch into Outrage. Haxorus can find setup opportunities against certain Pokemon such as Celebi and Tsareena, as well as passive threats such as Blissey. VoltTurn support is also appreciated as a means of helping Haxorus get into battle more safely. Haxorus shouldn't try switching into moves, since doing that will leave it more vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority such as Scizor's Bullet Punch or reasonably strong attacks from faster Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Haxorus works very well on offensive teams as an effective sweeper and wallbreaker, so offensively oriented teammates work best for it. Entry hazard support is very valuable in aiding Haxorus's ability to sweep. Klefki can provide Spikes support as well as paralysis with Thunder Wave, and Cobalion can also be useful as a Stealth Rock setter that can get Haxorus in with Volt Switch. VoltTurn users such as Mega Manectric and Scizor can get Haxorus into play more safely, and Scizor is very useful to check Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Altaria. Pokemon that can check Scizor are very useful; Moltres in particular makes a very good teammate that can also check Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Klefki to an extent. Magneton can also work as a means of trapping Scizor. Checks to Fairy-types are also appreciated, since Haxorus fails to OHKO several Fairy-types at +1, so Pokemon such as Scizor are very useful in that regard. Wallbreakers such as Nidoking, Primarina, and Heracross can wear down Haxorus's checks mid-game to help it sweep late-game. Since Haxorus makes for a fairly competent wallbreaker even without setting up, other cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo work well in tandem with Haxorus. Latias can provide Healing Wish support to recover a weakened Haxorus and give it a second shot at sweeping. Since Haxorus isn't particularly bulky and has difficulty setting up, dual screens or Aurora Veil support is generally useful. Klefki, Aurorus + Alolan Sandslash, and even Uxie can provide this well, while the latter can also use Memento to further open up opportunities for Haxorus to set up. Haxorus appreciates entry hazard removal to prevent it from being worn down to a point where it can be revenge killed, so Starmie and Latias make for very useful candidates.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

A Choice item, namely Choice Band or Choice Scarf, could work, but Haxorus is a little too slow to use a Choice Scarf effectively, and it would like to use its coverage effectively to deal with its switch-ins. A Double Dance set with both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance is also a possibility to work against both stall and offense. However, this forces Haxorus to compromise a coverage option, lessening its effectiveness as a wallbreaker or sweeper. Taunt can also be used to disrupt defensive threats such as Alomomola and Blissey, albeit at the expense of potential coverage. Life Orb is also a usable alternative item for Haxorus to give it extra immediate power although Haxorus does not appreciate the recoil damage which cuts into its already limited longevity.

Checks and Counters
========

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely.

**Fairy-types**: Common Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab.

**Priority**: Ice Shard Mamoswine, Bullet Punch Scizor, and Sucker Punch Bisharp can pick off Haxorus will just a little prior damage and revenge kill it both before and after a boost.

**Steel-types**: Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and they can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor and Bisharp can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch or Sucker Punch, respectively. Klefki can also use Magnet Rise to make it invulnerable to all of Haxorus's potential moves bar Iron Tail.

**Offensive Pressure**: Forcing out Haxorus in tandem with entry hazards is useful to wear it down to a point where it can be KOed relatively easily, as well as preventing it from obtaining setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk or preventing it from pulling off any KOs. Pokemon such as Scizor, Latias, and Mamoswine can force Haxorus out easily.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ScraftyIsTheBest, 157610]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Amaroq, 301581]]
- Quality checked by: [[Bouff, 121672], [Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]

 

[Eyan]

ScraftyIsTheBest Get this out of WIP within 48 hours thanks. For the record, though, Choice Scarf really doesn't deserve its own set, so this is honestly almost done.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Alright, managed to wrap up the rest and removed Scarf from a set. This should be ready for QC checks now.

 

[Amane Misa]

This is solely an unofficial check so it is better waiting for a QC member to go over this before implementing anything ^^'.

Overview

• Also has nice resistances that help it take on threats such as Mega Manectric and give it some setup opportunities

  Mega Manectric almost always carries Hidden Power Ice which hits it super effectively, so I really wouldn't give it as an example.

• Mold Breaker is a pretty interesting ability that allows Haxorus to bypass Unaware Quagsire and do heavier damage to Mega Aggron

  Instead of just calling its ability "interesting" and throwing those two as an example, I'd mention how its ability, Mold Breaker, favors it over other set-up sweepers in the tier because it enhances Haxorus' matchup against Stall teams which are reliant on Unaware users, such as Quagsire, to take on set-up sweepers.

• Speed tier is really awkward, 97 Speed is just shy of Hydreigon and is slower than a lot of threats in UU meaning it's prone to being revenge killed

  Firstly, I would mention that Hydreigon can hold a Choice Scarf to revenge kill Haxorus after a single Dragon Dance, and secondly, I'd give more examples of Pokemon that may outspeed it after a Dragon Dance and revenge kill it.

• Its bulk is average which makes setting up harder

  How does it bulk make it harder to set-up? Firstly, I'd mention how neutral hits from faster Pokemon, such as Mega Aerodactyl's Stone Edge and Terrakion's Close Combat do high amounts of damage to it. Secondly, I'd mention how its bulk makes it susceptible to common priorities, such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard and Scizor's Bullet Punch.
• I'd mention how it is reliant on Outrage to deal great damage, which leaves it vulnerable to Fairy-types revenge-killing it somewhat easily.

DRAGON DANCE SET

Moves

• I'd also give Iron Tail as an alternative option here on the 4th moveslot because it hits harder than Poison Jab and allows Haxorus to OHKO Sylveon and Togekiss at +1. The former threatens Haxorus back with a Pixilate boosted Hyper Voice and the latter threatens Haxorus with a Thunder Wave, potentially crippling it. Make sure you mention how the Accuracy drop hurts.

Set Details

• Jolly nature allows Haxorus to naturally outspeed Heracross, Kommo-o, and Entei pre-boost and Choice Scarf Krookodile post-boost, while overall maximizing its Speed for sweeping

  I'd rather mention Gliscor over Entei because It may shut down Haxorus with Taunt. Haxorus resists Entei's STAB moves anyway and is susceptible to a Choice Band-boosted Extreme Speed, no matter how much times it used Dragon Dance.

• Lum Berry can allow Haxorus to absorb one Thunder Wave from Klefki, as well as Scald burns, and undo the confusion from Outrage.

  I'd also give Rotom-W's Will-O-Wisp as an example of status it would love to avoid.

Usage Tips

• Find setup opportunities with Pokemon Haxorus can take a hit from, such as Mega Manectric or Rotom-Wash

  I really don't like Rotom-W as an example here because it threatens Haxorus with a Will-O-Wisp.
• I'd mention how the user shouldn't switch-in Haxorus, even not on resisted moves. That'd only make it more susceptible to Priorities, such as Scizor's Bullet Punch late game.

Team Options

• I'd give hazard removers as an example of good partners because Haxorus is already vulnerable to priorities as it is.

SWORDS DANCE SET

Set Details

• For the reason stated in the Dragon Dance set, I'd replace Entei with Gliscor as an example of Pokemon Haxorus wants to outspeed.
• I'd give Dragonium Z as an item option because it allows Haxorus to OHKO walls like Alomomola and Hippowdon at +2 Attack.

Usage Tips

• For the reasons stated in the Dragon Dance set, I'd mention why you shouldn't switch-in Haxorus on even resisted attacks.

Team Options

• For the reasons stated in the Dragon Dance set, I'd also mention why hazard removers make good partners.
• Because Haxorus breaks through the kinds of Alomomola and Quagsire, I'd mention sweepers that struggle against those, such as Scizor and Cobalion, make good partners.

Other Options

• I'd mention Substitute and Taunt as options because they allow it to block status from stuff like Rotom-W and Alomomola, making its set-up process easier, although the loss in coverage is detrimental.
• Groundium Z sounds interesting because it allows it to nuke stuff like Mega Aggron and Scizor.
• Dragon Claw could be used over Outrage so Haxorus locked into Outrage, hence revenge killed easier by Fairy-types. Although, the loss of power, makes Haxorus miss on some KOs.

Checks and Counters

• Togekiss can't OHKO Haxorus in return. Sylveon, however, lives a +1 Poison Jab and OHKOs Haxorus back with Hyper Voice, so I'd mention that.
• I would split "Revenge Killers" into two points; Choice Scarf users and Priority.

 

[Kreme]

So I'll be going through this analysis with my own check and going through what Amane Misa 's done as well. Whatever I haven't mentioned to be changed or removed from Amane's check can be assumed to be ok in my book and should be implemented.

Overview

Instead of just calling its ability "interesting" and throwing those two as an example, I'd mention how its ability, Mold Breaker, favors it over other set-up sweepers in the tier because it enhances Haxorus' matchup against Stall teams which are reliant on Unaware users, such as Quagsire, to take on set-up sweepers.

• Basically I think this should be changed; You can preface this same point Amane Misa's putting out there by initially mentioning Haxorus as one of the tier's best stallbreakers and that is the main reason it can be considered over other setup sweepers it competes with for slots like Heracross. Then you can mention how it's stallbreaking ability is good mainly due to the fact it has Mold Breaker which gets past Quag; stall's typical answer to setup sweepers. Overall it's essentially the same thing Amane Misa's saying just worded differently (better imo).

Speed tier is really awkward, 97 Speed is just shy of Hydreigon and is slower than a lot of threats in UU meaning it's prone to being revenge killed

Firstly, I would mention that Hydreigon can hold a Choice Scarf to revenge kill Haxorus after a single Dragon Dance, and secondly, I'd give more examples of Pokemon that may outspeed it after a Dragon Dance and revenge kill it.

• Ok so with regards to this I'd honestly just change the wording entirely; I think it's important to mention how 97 base is enough to outspeed pretty much all defensive Pokemon so it's not as easily revenge killed on stalls but has the drawback of being outsped by many of UU's offensive threats. Adding something like "notably Haxorus, even after a boost, is outsped by many common Scarfers, such as..." or something along those lines at the end is a good idea. Examples can be Nape or Dreigon. Just mention how this means it's not the best when fighting offense and once again reiterate how its main purpose on teams is to combat stall or bulkier playstyles.

Dragon Dance

• Honestly the items listed for this set should change; Dragonium Z > Lum. I'm not experienced with Groundium enough to know whether or not it's worth being in slashes or Set Details so I'll leave that for someone else. Either way Life Orb should not be slashed imo, it just makes stall beat you easier and less likely to do as much damage as you would otherwise.

Moves

• Change the Earthquake point, instead of mentioning specific Pokemon just say it provides good coverage in tandem with Outrage by hitting Steel-types for s/e damage, as well as hitting Levitating Pokemon like Rotom-W or Dreigon without resorting to Devastating Drake or Outrage.

Set Details

* Jolly nature allows Haxorus tonaturally outspeed Heracross, Kommo-o, and Entei pre-boost and Choice Scarf Krookodile post-boost, while overall maximizing its Speed for sweeping

'd rather mention Gliscor over Entei because It may shut down Haxorus with Taunt. Haxorus resists Entei's STAB moves anyway and is susceptible to a Choice Band-boosted Extreme Speed, no matter how much times it used Dragon Dance.

• Yeah don't mention Amane's stuff here.
• The main problem with this description of Jolly is specific examples over generalization which is why Jolly is used in the first place. You can just lump Jolly's description in with the EVs description.

Usage Tips

I'd mention how the user shouldn't switch-in Haxorus, even not on resisted moves. That'd only make it more susceptible to Priorities, such as Scizor's Bullet Punch late game.

• Mention this stuff but be sure to say this is only the case if keeping Haxorus healthy is important.
• This leads me into my next point about Usage Tips; I think you need to mention how Haxorus's ability to sweep is most likely limited every game and if it can't sweep easily or find a good setup opportunity then the idea of sweeping with it should be thrown out the window and it should just try to fire off its powerful Z-Move or wallbreak as much as possible in order for its teammates to clean up after it.
• Everything in Usage Tips right now is pretty focused on trying to make Haxorus sweep when in practice more often than not this won't be the case. I'd just try to get that kind of feel in well when this is written up, because I'm not 100% sure how well you can put it in bullet points. This more or less ties into the centrepiece of the previous bullet point.

Team Options

* Choice Scarf Infernape and Latias can revenge kill Choice Scarf Hydreigon and potentially work late-game if needed
* Mega Manectric can check Scizor, Azumarill, and Togekiss while Volt Switch allows it to help Haxorus get in. It can also clean late-game if Haxorus has pressured the team sufficiently thanks to its high Speed and good power

• As it stands these two points are just kinda out there in no man's land. Preface it by saying something like "Haxorus has immense wallbreaking potential, especially after using Dragon Dance, and often punches holes into the opponent's team, making cleaners good Haxorus partners. Choice Scarf Latias is a notable example as, aside from cleaning, it can also use Healing Wish in order to heal Haxorus back up so it can wallbreak even more. Manectric-Mega is yet another good example of a cleaner due to its ability to check many of the Pokemon that Haxorus struggles with such as Scizor and Azumarill while also having inherent synergy with Haxorus due to its ability to safely let Haxorus switch-in through Volt Switch." You get the idea.
• The Scizor mention is also in no man's land. Preface with a general statement like VoltTurn users are good partners then give specific examples. Magneton also fits in here so you can more or less see what I want from my previous bullet point.

Swords Dance

• Items; same as DD.

Moves

• EQ thing; refer to DD.
• Outrage; "at +2" > "especially at +2."

Usage Tips

• Refer to DD.

Team Options

• Refer to DD.

Other Options

• Mention that a set utilizing both SD and DD can be run but sacrificing PJab is generally not worth it.

C&C

I would split "Revenge Killers" into two points; Choice Scarf users and Priority.

• Don't do this. Scarfers and Priority check Haxorus the same way; you can't switch in on Hax but you come in later after something dies and revenge.

1/3 after

 

[guelobowler]

Hello, since Haxorus is my favorite pokemon, I lurk in these analyses often, and I found something that needs to be fixed in the SD set.

Jolly nature is used to outspeed threats such as Entei and Kyurem before a boost, and outspeeds the likes of Choice Scarf Krookodile post boost

This being the SD set, remove the post boost part. Sorry if this isn’t my place to point this out or if I’m doing it wrong. I didn’t see this being specifically addressed in the other replies. Hope this helps.

 

[Kreme]

If this is not updated within a week from now it will be reassigned.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Okay I'm back. Finally managed to get all of that in there. I've updated all of that and this should be ready for another one now.

 

[A Cake Wearing A Hat]

amcheck, don't implement this
Overview:
* Mold Breaker is a very good ability that allows Haxorus to bypass Unaware Quagsire, stall's normal answer to setup sweepers, making it an excellent stallbreaker and gives it an edge over other setup sweepers like Heracross ----- Make sure this mentions PHYSICAL setup sweepers, as the special ones beat quag anyway.

* Its base 97 Speed is very good for outspeeding slower teams, but is slower than a lot of UU's faster offensive threats * Notably, it's prone to being revenge killed by Choice Scarf variants of Infernape and Hydreigon even after a boost * This means Haxorus is best suited for breaking through slower playstyles such as bulky offense and stall ----- Rephrase this to just say it just breaks through the defensive backbones of bulky offense, balance, and stall teams—Bulky offense commonly runs faster scarfers and Scizor, which prevent Haxorus from outright sweeping.

* Its bulk is average which makes setting up harder, since reasonably strong attacks such as Mega Aerodactyl's Stone Edge will do considerable damage to it, while it's also vulnerable to priority from the likes of Scizor and Mamoswine ----- Remove mamo mention, replace w like Breloom or something.

DD
Moves:
* Earthquake is coverage for Steel-types such as Klefki while providing overall good coverage with Outrage. It can also hit Latias and Haxorus through Leviate without having to resort to Outrage. ----- Give examples of Steel-types as Bronzong and Cobalion.

Set Details:
* Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, allowing it to bypass abilities like Levitate, Filter, and Unaware from threats such as Rotom-Wash, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire, aiding it in its breaking/sweeping capabilities ----- Remove rotomw mention and replace with Bronzong

Usage Tips:
* Haxorus is best used mid-game or late-game as a sweeper once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play ----- Replace Mega Altaria example with Breloom and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Offensive malt dies to +1 pjab after rocks. Mention in another sentence that bulkier foes like Mega Aggron and Sylveon need to be worn down to a range where they can be KOed by Haxorus after a dragon dance.

* Find setup opportunities with Pokemon Haxorus can take a hit from, such as Mega Manectric or Serperior ----- Haxorus takes a large amount setting up on mega manectric. Try an example like Azumarill locked into Aqua Jet instead.

Team Options:
In Team Options, Mention in a separate bullet after the line about VoltTurn users that checks to Scizor are appreciated. Include Magneton in this section about Scizor checks, stating that it can trap Scizor. Also include Moltres and Volcanion as examples of Scizor checks. Merge the Mega Manectric line and the Voltturn line, replacing Magneton as the Volt Switch example and then stating the Pokemon that mega mane checks afterwards. Include Rotom-C in examples of VoltTurn users.

* Wallbreakers such as Primarina, Heracross, and Nidoking can either wear down Haxorus's checks or benefit from Haxorus's own ability to wallbreak and sweep to make for a sweep of their own ----- Remove any and all implication that Primarina's primary role is to sweep.

SD
Set Details:
* Mold Breaker is an excellent ability, allows Haxorus to bypass abilities like Unaware and Filter, making it so that Haxorus has a better time against certain threats like Mega Aggron and Quagsire, and prevents Rotom-Wash and Latias from ever having a free switch-in ----- Remove rotomw mention

Usage Tips:
* This Haxorus set is more of a wallbreaker, meant to use sheer power to break through bulkier threats on bulky offense and stall ----- Mention balance too.

Team Options:
Once again, mention more Scizor checks than simply Magneton.

Other Options:
Mention Life Orb here. Decreases its overall longevity, so it's not optimal at all, but the increased power of moves can be useful.

Amane Misa's amcheck stated to add Substitute, Taunt, and Dragon Claw to other options, and Kreme didn't object to it and "Whatever [Kreme hasn't] mentioned to be changed or removed from Amane's check can be assumed to be ok in [his] book and should be implemented." You should probably add them.

Checks and Counters:
Please add a colon after each C&C header.

**Fairy-types** Common Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage, and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab. ----- This is worded pretty badly compared to how things actually play out. Fairy-types are capable of easily revenge killing Haxorus locked into Outrage, but the more offensive fairies die to +1 pjab and the bulkier ones need to be very healthy in order to beat it. Haxorus always carries pjab on its main sets, so there's nothing "potential" about it.

**Steel-types** Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch. ----- Mention Mega Aggron here at the very least, Mega Steelix too if you feel it's relevant enough. They're capable of taking +1 Earthquake.

**Revenge Killers** Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely. Priority from the likes of Zygarde-10% and Mamoswine can also pick off Haxorus with some prior chip damage. ----- remove mamo add breloom

 

[Bouff]

id put sd as the first set, as the meta has developed where kommo-o just does a better job at dd, and sd is a nice pick to make stalls life difficult

i feel like you can compress a lot of what of the overview into just a few bullet points instead of the amount you have right now, though i guess its not a problem when youre writing it up

mention in the overview that it faces competition with other dragons because its mediocre bulk and pure dragon-typing just doesnt let it set up reliably and gives it less defensive utility as compared to latias, hydreigon, or kommo-o

remove any mentions of rotom-w and mamo as its not in the tier anymore as cake said


dd;

earthquake doesnt hit haxorus through levitate, i assume you mean hydreigon there. but id just remove this mention entirely because doing that isnt really a selling point unless theyre already weakened and you already have a boost which is kinda specific

not a fan of the usage tips here, its pretty generalized overall. your examples of mons it can set up vs are kinda awkward. mega manectric doesnt even ohko after rocks but like in most games youre limited to getting a boost once, and its speed tier lets it get rked by scarfers and even puts it in range for it to die to scizors bp, unless theyre bulky sd and you get shit rolls on hp ice. serperior is kinda awkward too depending on the set.

the thing with haxorus is that you will never really find a great opportunity to set up with cus of the attributes i mentioned earlier. at the same time haxorus is still strong as fuck so using it as a breaker early game is an option as well. by doing this it becomes easier for it to clean up later on if it comes to that, and it wont always come to it. haxorus is more complex of a mon than just "boost and try to win at certain point" even if on paper its simple.

* Use teammates such as Scizor to aid in pressuring/wearing down Haxorus's answers

following on that id say you can expand on this a bit more. yes voltturn can do the wearing down, thats the point. but it lets in things that can wear down its checks further, because you can let hazard setters in, or you can just let haxorus in to nuke something immediately without a boost - you need to provide emphasis here, its not a mon reliant on dd even if its the main focus of the set.


id mention scarf chandelure as a teammate because it can check steel-types, latias in a pinch, and most importantly it can provide memento support to make it easier for it to set up. you can do this for sd too but its not as important there because fatter teams are easier for it to boost against anyway


most of the same things i said about dd can be applied to sd as well, though i think the team structures that you would fit it on require it to set up more often than you would for dd

for the c&c i think you should make a section for offensive pressure - what i dont like about your current thing for this section is that it implies that haxorus can only die through offensive means if its by things that are faster, which isnt true; there isnt a whole lot that ohkos haxorus that doesnt hit it super effectively but a bit of chip puts it into range for a lot of things, and sometimes in a situation where haxorus isnt boosted you can ohko it with a slower threat such as azumarill even if it means you're being chunked in the process - forcing it to switch, and potentially take hazard damage if they have it up is one of the best ways to deal with haxorus. if it gets a boost up it is obviously threatening but you have decent legroom to prevent it from happening depending on the team.

ill come back to this when you've updated it since im a bit tired and im probably not covering everything, but i think you should flesh this analysis out a lot before putting it in the writeup stage.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Back after months, sorry for the wait. I fleshed out this analysis a decent amount and swapped Swords Dance and Dragon Dance in the set order (since I find Kommo-o to generally be preferable as a DD sweeper in this meta due to better abilities, typing, and such), and I think this should be ready to be looked at again.

 

[Nuked]

QC 2/3, comments in blue

Hide

Not much to say about this. It's the same Pokemon it's always been since BW1.

Dragon of Hard Steel

[OVERVIEW]

* It's a good physical sweeper and wallbreaker thanks to ridiculous Attack and strong STAB in Outrage
* Has Dragon Dance and Swords Dance to boost power, which helps it wallbreak/sweep better
* Also has nice resistances that help it take on threats such as Serperior and Rotom-Wash and give it some setup opportunities - both of these mons are no longer in the tier, so replace them with Choice Scarf Infernape and the Rotom formes.
* Good coverage options in Earthquake and Poison Jab allow it to have an edge against Steel and Fairy-types - give some examples
* Mold Breaker is a very good ability that allows Haxorus to bypass Unaware Quagsire, stall's normal answer to physical setup sweepers, making it an excellent stallbreaker and gives it an edge over other setup sweepers like Heracross - this isn't really accurate, because heracross breaks through quagsire regardless of setting up or not. replace heracross with cobalion
* Its base 97 Speed is very good for outspeeding balance and stall teams, but is slower than a lot of UU's faster offensive threats
* Notably, it's prone to being revenge killed by Choice Scarf variants of Infernape and Hydreigon even after a boost
* This means Haxorus is best suited for breaking through slower playstyles such as bulky offense and stall
* Its bulk is average which makes setting up harder, since reasonably strong attacks such as Mega Aerodactyl's Stone Edge will do considerable damage to it, while it's also vulnerable to priority from the likes of Scizor and Breloom - i wouldn't even say its bulk is average, it's just flat out bad
* It's highly reliant on Outrage as a means of firepower, which makes it bait for Fairy-types to switch in and revenge kill it
* Also faces a lot of competition from Latias, Kommo-o, and Hydreigon who have more utility overall defensively thanks to better bulk and typing, as well as better coverage - I'd honestly give a special mention to kommo-o here, since kommo has fighting STAB and actual bulk, which gives haxorus a lot of competition as a DD sweeper

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========
* Swords Dance is Haxorus's main setup move here, boosting Haxorus's Attack by a lot and giving it enough power to wallbreak
* Outrage is an extremely strong STAB move that hits hard, especially at a +2 boost
* Earthquake is coverage, hits Steel-types that resist Outrage, such as Bronzong, Cobalion, Stakataka, and Klefki, while providing overall good coverage with Outrage. Replace Klefki with Mega Aggron, since Klefki can be found running Magnet Rise pretty often
* Poison Jab provides coverage for Fairies such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss that block Outrage.

Set Details
========

* Max Attack and Speed EVs to maximize Haxorus's Speed and power
* Jolly nature is used to outspeed threats such as Entei and Kyurem - entei is trash, replace this mention with Suicune
* Mold Breaker is an excellent ability, allows Haxorus to bypass abilities like Unaware and Filter, making it so that Haxorus has a better time against certain threats like Mega Aggron and Quagsire, and prevents Bronzong and Latias from ever having a free switch-in to Earthquake
* Dragonium Z gives Haxorus a one-off nuke that can allow it to OHKO the likes of Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost.
* Lum Berry allows Haxorus to take one Will-O-Wisp, Scald, or Thunder Wave status while setting up, or can relieve Haxorus of Outrage confusion once for another use

Usage Tips
========

* This Haxorus set is more of a wallbreaker, meant to use sheer power to break through bulkier threats on bulky offense, balance, and stall
* You should ideally use it mid-game to break down walls such as Suicune and Hippowdon and overall soften bulkier teams
* It's main use is to weaken down the opposing team with high power so that teammates can clean in the late-game - this sentence is saying somewhat the same thing as the one above it, so merge the two sentences into one bullet
* Haxorus can often find it difficult to set up: in those cases, it would be more ideal to fire a Devastating Drake and/or wallbreak with attacks in general before it goes down. - give some examples where it would be difficult for Haxorus to set up.
* Haxorus hits quite hard even without a boost, so if need be, it can use its immediate power. - is this not just saying the exact same thing as the above sentence? find a way to merge these or remove one
* However, Haxorus can also find a chance to use a weaker defensive threat such as Blissey or Mega Aggron as setup fodder to bolster its wallbreaking prowess with Swords Dance - mega aggron is definitely not a weak defensive threat, replace this with Alomomola but specify only if it's lum berry

Team Options
========

* Hazard support is useful for Haxorus since it can force switches. Klefki is a solid teammate who can also spread paralysis against faster threats such as Infernape, helping with Haxorus's matchup against faster offense - merge this with the bottom bullet
* Swampert, Cobalion, and and Empoleon are all also good choices for hazard setters
* Good VoltTurn users are appreciated to help Haxorus get in more safely. Good examples include Scizor and Hydreigon, and they can also wear down the team with steady chip damage and let Haxorus in to potentially wallbreak. Moltres also makes for a good teammate since it can make a good check to Scizor - u-turn moltres isnt really too noteworthy as a voltturner, mention infernape here instead
* Magneton is a pretty good teammate in particular since it can trap Scizor and Klefki and check Fairies such as Sylveon, Primarina, and Togekiss. It can also get Haxorus in more safely with Volt Switch - magneton is not really even a primarina check, since it just drops to a hydro, so replace this mention with florges or something like that
* Good late-game cleaners such as Serperior, Mega Sharpedo, and Mega Manectric can clean up weakened teams late-game and also handle fast offense for Haxorus. Since Haxorus is a strong wallbreaker, these Pokemon also have the appreciate its ability to pressure and weaken bulkier walls.
- serp is gone, so replace that mention with SD scizor
* Latias again remains notable as it can also heal Haxorus back to full HP with Healing Wish if the need arises - idk what you mean by "again" since this is the first time you have really mentioned latias besides the intro
* Choice Scarf Chandelure can check Scizor, Latias, and Cobalion in a pinch as well and provide Memento support to facilitate setup for Haxorus.
* Nihilego can also clean late-game and take on certain Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss
- mention screens setters, sometimes its worth having a dual screens klefki since that makes haxorus really hard to stop
- mention hazard removers like you did in the below set

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========
* Dragon Dance boost Haxorus's speed and power for sweeping
* Outrage is a strong STAB move that hits hard from Haxorus's immensely high Attack
* Earthquake is coverage for Steel-types such as Klefki while providing overall good coverage with Outrage. It can also hit Latias and Haxorus through Leviate without having to resort to Outrage. -replace klefki with mega aggron, also haxorus through levitate? maybe you meant hydreigon?
* Poison Jab hits Fairies such as Sylveon and Togekiss hard, since they are immune to Outrage
* Iron Tail on the other hand is stronger and OHKOes Sylveon and Togekiss after a boost, but its middling accuracy is a letdown and can cause some very detrimental misses, particularly since Fairies can potentially OHKO Haxorus.

Set Details
========
* Max Attack and Speed investment along with a Jolly nature maximize Haxorus's power and speed
* Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, allowing it to bypass abilities like Levitate, Filter, and Unaware from threats such as Rotom-Wash, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire, aiding it in its breaking/sweeping capabilities - replace Rotom-W example
* Dragonium Z allows Haxorus to have a one-time nuke with Devastating Drake without locking itself into Outrage, and also allows it to OHKO Gliscor after a boost
* Lum Berry can allow Haxorus to absorb one Thunder Wave from Klefki, as well as Scald burns, and undo the confusion from Outrage.
* Life Orb is a decent alternative to give Haxorus a bit more power in its attacks, but the recoil cuts heavily into Haxorus's already limited longevity - cut the life orb mention and put it in OO

Usage Tips
========
* Haxorus can be used mid-game or late-game as a sweeper once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play
* Find setup opportunities with Pokemon Haxorus can take a hit from, such as Celebi or Tsareena
* Generally, it will be hard for Haxorus to find good setup opportunities since it's not particularly bulky and is outsped by a multitide of Pokemon
* Haxorus shouldn't switch in to moves since it makes it more vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority or reasonably strong attacks
* As such, Haxorus can also be used earlier to lure in its checks and wear them down with Poison Jab or Earthquake, as well as using its raw power to break through teams, which can open a leeway for it to sweep later. Its raw power means it's not entirely reliant on Dragon Dance to sweep.
* Another way to use Haxorus if sweeping doesn't work is to fire a Devastating Drake and wallbreak before it goes down - basically saying the same thing as the above sentence, find a way to merge the two or remove one of them
* Use teammates such as Scizor to aid in pressuring/wearing down Haxorus's answers. VoltTurn in general is very useful in wearing down threats such as Mega Slowbro and Hippowdon in tandem with entry hazards. this is a weird line because it's something i would find more often in team options. you can reword this sentence to not mention any specific teammates and it would be better

Team Options
========
* Entry hazard support is very useful for Haxorus to sweep. Klefki can provide Spikes and Thunder Wave support, and Cobalion can also work while getting Haxorus in with Volt Switch
* VoltTurn users are good for getting Haxorus into the battle more safely. Scizor and Magneton in particular make good teammates as they can also take on Fairy-types with Steel-type moves. - also mention that magneton traps scizor and klefki like said previously, or include magneton in the line below, either one works
* Checks to Scizor are generally very useful. Moltres is a good teammate that can check Scizor and to an extent Fairy-types such as Togekiss, Sylveon, and Klefki.
* Wallbreakers such as Primarina, Heracross, and Nidoking can either wear down Haxorus's checks or benefit from Haxorus's own ability to wallbreak and sweep to make for a sweep of their own
* Haxorus has tremendous wallbreaking potential even before setting up, and can use its raw power to punch holes in a team. Cleaners such as Choice Scarf Latias make good teammates. Latias is notable as it can heal Haxorus back up with Healing Wish to allow it to come in and continue wallbreaking against the opposing team. - how are these points related?
* Mega Manectric can check Scizor, Primarina, and Togekiss while it has good synergy with Haxorus thanks to its ability to let Haxorus safely switch in via Volt Switch
* VoltTurn users that check Scizor in general are very useful and can let Haxorus in safely. Magneton can trap Scizor and get Haxorus in safely with Volt Switch. Other (looks like you forgot to add some examples here, please do so
* Entry hazard removal via Defog or Rapid Spin is very valuable since Haxorus is vulnerable to priority and being worn down heavily. Empoleon and Mega Blastoise can remove hazards quite effectively, and the former can also set up Stealth Rock. The aforementioned Scizor and Klefki can also deliver with Defog. - mega blastoise is pretty bad, so replace that with latias
* Choice Scarf Chandelure is a good teammate since it can check Scizor, Latias, and other Steel-types in a pinch and potentially provide Memento support to give Haxorus an easier time obtaining a boost

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

* Very small movepool with very little else to work with - remove this line
* Choice sets such as Band or Scarf could work, but Haxorus is a bit slow to use Scarf effectively and it would like to use its coverage effectively to wallbreak/sweep
* Low Kick could work to hit Mega Aggron a bit harder nah, remove, no way you'd ever use this over earthquake to hit mega aggron 20% harder
* Dual Chop is decent for breaking Substitutes, but it's a pretty weak move overall dont even mention to be honest, replace this line with dragon claw since thats actually worth running sometimes, and its especially bad with serp gone
* A dual-dance set with Swords Dance and Dragon Dance could work, but this forces Haxorus to compromise access to Poison Jab. It also rarely has an opportunity to set up twice to begin with.
* Taunt can be usable to disrupt defensive Pokemon such as Blissey or Alomomola, but forces it to drop coverage moves in the process.
add life orb here as well

Checks and Counters
========

**Fairy-types**: Common Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage, and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab.

give a line for priority, mamo ice shard and scizor BP come to mind among a couple others

**Steel-types**: Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch. also mention klefki can magnet rise, which makes it totally invulnerable to every move haxorus can use

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely. Priority from the likes of Zygarde-10% and Mamoswine can also pick off Haxorus with some prior chip damage. make this line first, haxorus will be dying more often to a scarf hydreigon / latias than a fairy-type since its so strong it can power through most fairies with some chip

**Offensive Pressure**: Forcing out Haxorus in tandem with entry hazards is useful to wear down Haxorus to a point where it can be OHKOed relatively easily, as well as preventing it from obtaining setup opportunities.

 

[Kreme]

Hey sorry ScraftyIsTheBest could you try to get this done within a week max? The analysis has been here for a while and we'd rather it get up there asap.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

I implemented that check and have written it now, so it's ready for a third check.

 

[autumn]

[OVERVIEW]

Haxorus is a solid physical sweeper and wallbeaker in the UU metagame thanks to its superb Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in Outrage, as well as two setup moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Its typing also grants it good resistances that help it take hits from threats such as Choice Scarf Infernape, Rotom-C, and Rotom-H and open up some setup opportunities. (252 Atk Infernape Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Haxorus: 184-217 (62.7 - 74%) -- guaranteed 2HKO so it's not really the best example to use) It also has a decent physical movepool with coverage such as Earthquake and Poison Jab that allow it to go toe-to-toe with Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Togekiss. Its ability, Mold Breaker, also helps it as a wallbreaker (I'd specify stallbreaker here especially when you're mentioning the archetype's staples), allowing it to bypass Unaware Quagsire and Pyukumuku, stall's normal answers to physical setup sweepers, and giving it an edge over other setup sweepers such as Cobalion. (explain "bypass" a little more. what haxorus does is set up and have its boosts ignore unaware, which usually ignores all stat changes, so make that clear. this is the main reason it's good vs stall so explain that too) However, Haxorus's Speed tier, while good for outspeeding balance and stall teams, renders it slower than many of UU's faster offensive threats such as Latias, Infernape, and Hydreigon. Its mediocre bulk also hinders it and limits its ability to set up, also leaving it prone to being revenge killed by moves such as Mega Aerodactyl's Stone Edge (specify revenge killed by faster pokemon. stone edge isn't that necessary to include and it takes the focus away from the point of low speed. in fact, you can marge this with the "it's slower than lati/drei/nape/whatever" point because they revenge it too) or priority such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard. It also faces competition as a Dragon-type from Latias, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o, all of which offer more utility due to their better bulk and typing as well as stronger coverage: the latter of which also has access to powerful Fighting-type STAB in Close Combat. (they all have secondary stabs, not just kommo-o. nuked's point was to mention kommo-o's direct competition as a dd user because of several things including a secondary stab but not just that)

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack stat to incredible levels, giving it enough raw firepower to muscle through even the bulkiest of walls, such as Alomomola and Hippowdon. Outrage is a powerful STAB move that deals significant damage to anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Swords Dance boost. Earthquake allows Haxorus to deal heavy damage to opposing Steel-types, such as Bronzong (newer people will read this and be like ???? what so explain it’s because mold breaker negates levitate which is another positive), Cobalion, Stakataka, and Mega Aggron. Poison Jab serves as a reliable coverage move to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss, that could otherwise switch into Outrage comfortably.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs along with a Jolly nature allow Haxorus to outspeed Suicune and Kyurem, while 252 Attack EVs maximize Haxorus's damage output. Mold Breaker is an excellent ability that allows Haxorus to bypass abilities such as Unaware and Filter, making it fare better against threats such as Quagsire and Mega Aggron, while also preventing Bronzong and Latias from having a free switch into Earthquake. Dragonium Z gives Haxorus a one-time nuke in Devastating Drake, allowing it to OHKO Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost. Lum Berry, on the other hand, allows Haxorus to endure on Will-O-Wisp, Scald, or Thunder Wave while setting up, or relieve Haxorus of Outrage confusion once after use.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus functions mainly as a wallbreaker, using its sheer offensive power to muscle through bulkier threats on bulky offense, balance, and stall teams. Ideally, Haxorus should be used mid-game to break down or pressure walls such as Suicune and Hippowdon. It should aim to soften such walls so that other teammates can pull off a sweep later in the game. Due to its middling bulk, Haxorus often struggles to find setup opportunities in this metagame, particularly against faster offensive teams as well as Pokemon such status such as Klefki. In those cases, Haxorus can afford to immediately fire a Devastating Drake or wallbreak with its immediate attacks before going down: since it possesses such a high amount of initial power, it can wallbreak competently without a boost. However, against defensive and balanced teams, Haxorus can try to use a weaker defensive threat such as Blissey or Alomomola (assuming Haxorus is holding a Lum Berry) (make it clearer that's to avoid toxic/scald because it's just implied rn) as setup fodder to enhance its wallbreaking capabilities. (how do you bring haxorus in? explain the best way to do that (voltturn support thats mentioned in team options/free switches/on passive foes/on double switches because it's fairly frail and can't come into strong attacks much)

Team Options
========

(mention the archetypes haxorus fits on here) Haxorus appreciates entry hazard support due to its ability to force switches. Klefki is a very good teammate (that can set up Spikes to chip all grounded switch-ins) that can also spread paralysis against faster threats such as Latias and Infernape. Swampert, Cobalion, and Empoleon also set up hazards very well. (haxorus works best on more offensive teams which is clear though optons like klefki so try to give more offensive rockers to match that (coba works)) Dual Screens and Aurora Veil support is also very useful for Haxorus to set up: giving it extra bulk to safely obtain a Swords Dance boost will make it much harder to stop. The aforementioned Klefki as well as a combination of Aurorus and Alolan Sandslash are very good candidates to provide such support. To a lesser extent, Uxie also makes a viable Dual Screens user that can provide Memento support. (mention that these playstyles are a niche way to su[pport it + put this part at the bottom of the section to reflect that) Haxorus also appreciates VoltTurn users to help it switch in more safely. Good examples of this include Scizor and Hydreigon, which can wear down the team with steady chip damage and let Haxorus in safely. Infernape is also a good user of U-turn that can check Scizor. Magneton is also a viable teammate for Haxorus, since it can trap Scizor and Klefki as well as check Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss. It can also use a slow Volt Switch to safely get Haxorus in. (magneton isn’t voltturn support at all. it’s a remove scizor slot with minimal other utility. it isn’t a good volt switch user and doesn’t generate much momentum so remove this) Good late-game cleaners such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Mega Manectric (mega manectric isn't really a cleaner at all. it's an offensive pivot and should be added to the voltturn section instead) can clean up weakened teams in the late-game and handle faster offensive teams that Haxorus struggles against. Since Haxorus is a strong wallbreaker, these Pokemon also appreciate its ability to pressure and weaken bulkier walls. Latias is a notable teammate as it can remove entry hazard or heal Haxorus to full health with Healing Wish if the need arises. Choice Scarf Chandelure is also an excellent teammate that can check Scizor, Latias, and Cobalion in a pinch as well as provide Memento support to open up setup opportunities for Haxorus. (scarf chandelure honestly isn't great rn due to krook spam everywhere so i'd move it with other scizor checks to group ideas together while putting less emphasis on it because it's not the best) Nihilego is also a good revenge killer that can revenge kill Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Togekiss. (nihi is a good revenge killer BUT it's not the only one that haxorus appreciates. make the point more general "haxorus appreciates revenge killers such as nihilego (and maybe give another) to give more freedom instead of x is a good partner because y) Entry hazard removal is also appreciated, since Haxorus is very prone to residual damage that can leave it easily revenge killed. Starmie, Empoleon, and Crobat make solid candidates to remove entry hazards. (same deal as with the rockers witn empo, and defog crobat really fell off so i'd pick another example like rotom-c) (mention being locked into outrage and so when to use it and/or the z here)

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack and Speed stat to high levels, making it a very deadly sweeper. (and it can outspeed the whole unboosted meta at +1) Outrage serves as a powerful STAB move that hits incredibly hard from Haxorus, 2HKOing or OHKOing the vast majority of the metagame. Earthquake provides coverage for Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, and can also hit Latias and Hydreigon through Levitate without the need to resort to Outrage. Poison Jab serves as coverage for Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Sylveon, which are immune to Outrage. Iron Tail is a usable alternative over Poison Jab due to its increased power, potentially OHKOing Sylveon and Togekiss after a boost, but its middling accuracy makes it less appealing overall since it can cause some very detrimental misses, leading to Haxorus getting potentially KOed.

Set Details
========

252 EVs in both Attack and Speed along with a Jolly nature maximize Haxorus's initial power and speed. Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, giving it an edge against threats such as Rotom-H, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire due to being able to bypass their abilities such as Levitate, Filter, and Unaware, respectively. Dragonium Z allows Haxorus to have a one-off nuke with Devastating Drake without locking itself into Outrage, allowing it to potentially OHKO Hippowdon and Swampert after a boost. Lum Berry, however, can allows Haxorus to absorb a single Thunder Wave from Klefki as well as Scald burns, or undo the confusion from Outrage once.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus can function in two ways: it can sweep late in the game (with Dragon Dance boosting both attack and speed so it can actually do this here) once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play, or it can function in mid-game as a competent wallbreaker and lure. Since Haxorus struggles to find setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk and awkward Speed tier, it can be used to lure in its potential checks and wear them down with Earthquake or Poison Jab, as well as using its raw immediate power to muscle through teams, which can open a leeway for it to sweep later in the game. (move the pokemon it can set up on to here starting with "however, it can find setup opportunities against..." and mention on forced switches too) Haxorus shouldn't try switching into moves since it will leave it more vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority such as Scizor's Bullet Punch or reasonably strong attacks from faster Pokemon. Haxorus will mainly find setup opportunities against Pokemon it can take at least one hit from, such as Celebi or Tsareena. Haxorus also benefits greatly from offensive pressure via entry hazards and VoltTurn that help it in both of its potential roles. (voltturn doesn't do the same as hazards. voltturn goes with "it shouldn't try switching into moves SO bring it in with voltturn" and hazards are better covered in team options really)
(here you don't actually talk about the matchup vs defensive teams. it's not as good a breaker as sd but it still can break stuff and also mention being locked into outrage and so when to use it and/or the z here as well)

Team Options
========

(mention what teams it works best on here) Entry hazard support is very valuable in aiding Haxorus's ability to sweep. Klefki can provide Spikes support as well as paralysis with Thunder Wave, and Cobalion can also be useful as a Stealth Rock setter that can get Haxorus in with Volt Switch. VoltTurn users such as Scizor and Magneton (maybe use mmane/rotom as an example here because mag is less of a pivot than a dedicated "remove scizor" teamslot. it's valuable but not so much for this + you mention it later too) can get Haxorus into play more safely, and the aforementioned Pokemon are very useful to take on Fairy-types, while Magneton can trap opposing Scizor and Klefki. Pokemon that can check Scizor are very useful: Moltres in particular makes a very good teammate that can check Scizor as well as Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Klefki to an extent. (change the wording so you're not saying fairies are scizor checks. add a part for actual fairy checks because it doesn't have the breaking power of sd + pjab anymore. you can just add scizor checks with magneton instead of making it completely separate) Wallbreakers such as Nidoking, Primarina, and Heracross can wear down Haxorus's checks mid-game to help it sweep later on in the game. Since Haxorus makes for a fairly competent wallbreaker even without setting up, other cleaners such as Choice Scarf Latias (scarf lati isn't really a cleaner as much as things like shark/sd scizor are) work well in tandem with Haxorus: Latias in particular can provide Healing Wish support to recover a weakened Haxorus and give it a second shot at sweeping. Since Haxorus isn't particularly bulky and has difficulty setting up, Dual Screens or Aurora Veil support is generally useful. Klefki and to an extent Uxie can provide this well, while the latter can also use Memento to further open up opportunities for Haxorus to set up. Choice Scarf Chandelure is also a good teammate that can check Scizor and Latias and potentially use Memento to open up a setup opportunity for Haxorus. (same deal as before. this works with scizor checks as a mention the best because it's not good enough to warrant its own section) Finally, Haxorus also appreciates entry hazard removal to prevent it from being worn down to a point where it can be revenge killed, so Empoleon and Latias make for very useful candidates with Defog. (try more offensive removal than empo)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

Equipping Haxorus with a Choice item, namely Choice Band or Choice Scarf, could work, but Haxorus is a little too slow to use a Choice Scarf effectively and it would like to use its coverage effectively to deal with its switch-ins. A dual-dance set with both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance is also a possibility to work against both stall and offense. However, this forces Haxorus to compromise a coverage option, and it rarely has the opportunity to set up twice to begin with. Taunt can also be used to disrupt defensive threats such as Alomomola and Blissey, albeit at the expense of potential coverage. Life Orb is also a usable alternative item for Haxorus to give it extra immediate power, although Haxorus does not appreciate the recoil damage which cuts into its already limited longevity.

Checks and Counters
========

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely.

**Fairy-types**: Common Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage, and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab.

**Priority** Ice Shard Mamoswine and Bullet Punch Scizor can pick off Haxorus will just a little prior damage and revenge kill it both before and after a boost.

**Steel-types**: Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch. Klefki can also use Magnet Rise to make it invulnerable to all of Haxorus's potential moves.

**Offensive Pressure**: Forcing out Haxorus in tandem with entry hazards is useful to wear down Haxorus to a point where it can be OHKOed relatively easily, as well as preventing it from obtaining setup opportunities. (explain this more and give examples of what can force it out)

QC 3/3

 

[Nuked]

ScraftyIsTheBest please try to implement martha's check within 7 days

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Implemented the check now. This is ready for GP.

 

[Amane Misa]

A dual-dance set with both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance is also a possibility to work against both stall and offense. However, this forces Haxorus to compromise a coverage option, and it rarely has the opportunity to set up twice to begin with.

Remove the part in bold before this gets to GP stage, please. Double Dance Haxorus isn't meant to set up twice. The purpose of the set is to improve Haxorus's matchup against a wider variety of team structures, unlike the standard set, whose purpose is to improve Haxorus's matchup against a wider variety of targets.

ScraftyIsTheBest

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Remove the part in bold before this gets to GP stage, please. Double Dance Haxorus isn't meant to set up twice. The purpose of the set is to improve Haxorus's matchup against a wider variety of team structures, unlike the standard set, whose purpose is to improve Haxorus's matchup against a wider variety of targets.

ScraftyIsTheBest

Done.

 

[A Cake Wearing A Hat]

add remove comments

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Haxorus is a solid physical sweeper and wallbeaker wallbreaker in the UU metagame thanks to its superb Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in Outrage, as well as two setup moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Its typing also grants it good resistances that help it take hits from threats such as Suicune, Rotom-C, and Rotom-H and open up some setup opportunities. It also has a decent physical movepool with coverage such as Earthquake and Poison Jab that allow allows (coverage allows) it to go toe-to-toe with Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Togekiss. Its ability, Mold Breaker, also helps it as be a stallbreaker, allowing it to set up and bypass Unaware, (RC) which ignores stat boosts, from (dex info, not entirely necessary here) users Quagsire and Pyukumuku, stall's normal answers to physical setup sweepers, and giving it an edge over other setup sweepers such as Cobalion. However, Haxorus's Speed tier, while good for outspeeding balance and stall teams, renders it slower than many of UU's faster offensive threats such as Latias, Infernape, and Hydreigon. Its mediocre bulk also hinders it and limits its ability to set up, also by limiting its ability to set up and leaving it prone to being revenge killed by said faster offensive Pokemon or priority such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard. It also faces competition as a Dragon-type from Latias, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o, all of which offer more utility due to their better bulk and typing as well as bulk, better typings, and stronger coverage: (remove colon) the latter of which; (ASC) Kommo-o also has access to a powerful Fighting-type STAB move in Close Combat to give it an edge as a Dragon Dance sweeper.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack stat to incredible levels, giving it enough raw firepower to muscle through even the bulkiest of walls, such as Alomomola and Hippowdon. Outrage is a powerful STAB move that deals significant damage to anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Swords Dance boost. Earthquake allows Haxorus to deal heavy damage to opposing Steel-types, such as Bronzong (thanks to Mold Breaker negating Levitate), Cobalion, Stakataka, and Mega Aggron, (AC) and even Bronzong thanks to Mold Breaker. Poison Jab serves as a reliable coverage move to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss, (RC) that could otherwise switch into Outrage comfortably.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs along with a Jolly nature allow Haxorus to outspeed Suicune and Kyurem, while 252 Attack EVs maximize Haxorus's damage output. Mold Breaker is an excellent ability that allows Haxorus to bypass abilities such as Unaware and Filter, making Unaware, Filter, and Levitate, letting it fare better against threats such as Quagsire and Mega Aggron, (RC) while also preventing Bronzong and Latias from having a free switch freely switching into Earthquake. Dragonium Z gives Haxorus a one-time nuke in Devastating Drake, allowing it to OHKO Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost. (QC: mention that Dragonium Z also gives Haxorus a powerful STAB attack it doesn't need to lock into.) Lum Berry, on the other hand, allows Haxorus to endure on recover from a status ailment inflicted by a move such as Will-O-Wisp, Scald, or Thunder Wave while setting up, (RC) or relieve Haxorus of Outrage confusion once after use.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus functions mainly as a wallbreaker, using its sheer offensive power to muscle through bulkier threats on bulky offense, balance, and stall teams. Ideally, Haxorus should be used mid-game to break down or pressure walls such as Suicune and Hippowdon. It should aim to soften such walls so that other teammates can pull off a sweep later in the game late-game. Due to its middling bulk, Haxorus often struggles to find setup opportunities in this metagame, particularly against faster offensive teams as well as Pokemon such status such as Klefki. (i have no idea what this means fix it pls) In those cases, Haxorus can afford to immediately fire a use Devastating Drake or wallbreak with its immediate attacks before going down:; (remove colon add semicolon) since it possesses such a high amount of initial power, it can wallbreak competently without a boost. However, against defensive and balanced teams, Lum Berry Haxorus can try to use a weaker defensive threat such as Blissey or Alomomola (assuming Haxorus is holding a Lum Berry to heal itself from Toxic poison or Scald burns) as setup fodder to enhance its wallbreaking capabilities.

Team Options
========

Haxorus appreciates entry hazard support due to its ability to force switches. Klefki is a very good teammate that can use Spikes to wear down grounded switch-ins as well as also spread paralysis against and can paralyze faster threats such as Latias and Infernape. Celebi, Cobalion, and Mamoswine also set up hazards very well. Haxorus also appreciates VoltTurn users to such as Mega Manectric, Scizor, and Hydreigon steadily wear down the opposing team and help it Haxorus switch in more safely. Good examples of this include Scizor, Mega Manectric, and Hydreigon, which can wear down the team with steady chip damage and let Haxorus in safely. Infernape is also a good user of U-turn that can check Scizor. Magneton can be used to trap Scizor and Klefki, which can otherwise check Haxorus. Good late-game Late-game cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo can clean up weakened teams in the late-game and (we really don't need to be told that late-game cleaners clean late-game) enjoy Haxorus's wallbreaking support and can handle faster offensive teams that Haxorus struggles against. Since Haxorus is a strong wallbreaker, these Pokemon also appreciate its ability to pressure and weaken bulkier walls. Latias is a notable teammate as it can remove entry hazard or heal Haxorus to full health with Healing Wish if the need arises. Haxorus appreciates good revenge killers such as Nihilego and Krookodile that can fare well against offensive teams. Entry hazard removal is also appreciated, since Haxorus is very prone to residual damage that can leave it causes Haxorus to be easily revenge killed. Starmie, Latias, and Rotom-C make solid candidates to remove entry hazards, (AC) and Latias can also heal Haxorus with Healing Wish if the need arises. As a niche option, Dual Screens dual screens and Aurora Veil support is also very useful for Haxorus to set up:, (remove colon add comma) as giving it extra bulk to safely obtain a Swords Dance boost will make it much harder to stop. The aforementioned Klefki as well as a the combination of Aurorus and Alolan Sandslash are very good candidates to provide such support. To a lesser extent, Uxie also makes a viable Dual Screens user dual screens setter that can provide Memento support.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack and Speed stat to high levels, making it a very deadly sweeper that can outspeed most of the unboosted metagame Pokemon after a boost. Outrage serves as a powerful STAB move that hits incredibly hard from Haxorus, 2HKOing or OHKOing the vast majority of the metagame. Earthquake provides coverage for Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, and it can also hit Latias and Hydreigon through Levitate without the need to resort to Outrage. Poison Jab serves as coverage for Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Sylveon, which are immune to Outrage. Iron Tail is a usable alternative over Poison Jab due to its increased power, potentially OHKOing Sylveon and Togekiss after a boost, but its middling accuracy makes it less appealing overall since it can cause some very detrimental misses, leading to Haxorus getting potentially KOed. (you don't need to explain why missing a move is bad)

Set Details
========

252 EVs in both Attack and Speed along with a Jolly nature maximize Haxorus's initial power and speed. Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, giving it an edge against threats such as Rotom-H, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire due to being able to bypass their abilities such as Levitate, Filter, and Unaware, respectively. Dragonium Z allows Haxorus to have a one-off nuke with Devastating Drake without locking itself into Outrage, allowing it to potentially OHKO Hippowdon and Swampert after a boost. Lum Berry, however, can allows Haxorus to absorb a single Thunder Wave from Klefki as well as, (AC) absorb a Scald burns burn, or undo the confusion from Outrage once.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus can function in two ways: it can sweep late in the game late-game with a Dragon Dance boost once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play, or it can function in mid-game as a competent wallbreaker and lure mid-game. Since Haxorus struggles to find setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk and awkward Speed tier, it can be used to lure in its potential checks and wear them down with Earthquake or Poison Jab, as well as using and it can use its raw immediate power to muscle through teams, which can open a leeway for it to sweep later in the game help it sweep late-game. It can wallbreak well overall in addition, as it still possesses a solid match-up matchup against more defensive teams. If needed, Devastating Drake allows Haxorus to break past Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost or two without locking itself into Outrage. Devastating Drake is most useful when the raw power is needed, but there are still Steel- or Fairy-types on the opposing team to switch into Outrage. However, it Haxorus (doesn't play off the previous point > no however) can find setup opportunities against certain Pokemon such as Celebi or and Tsareena, as well as passive threats such as Blissey. VoltTurn support is also appreciated as a means of helping Haxorus get into battle more safely. Haxorus shouldn't try switching into moves, (AC) since it doing that will leave it more vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority such as Scizor's Bullet Punch or reasonably strong attacks from faster Pokemon. Haxorus also benefits greatly from offensive pressure via entry hazards to help it sweep later in the game. (this is not really a usage tip)

Team Options
========

Haxorus works very well on offensive teams as an effective sweeper and wallbreaker, so offensively oriented teammates work best for it. Entry hazard support is very valuable in aiding Haxorus's ability to sweep. Klefki can provide Spikes support as well as paralysis with Thunder Wave, and Cobalion can also be useful as a Stealth Rock setter that can get Haxorus in with Volt Switch. VoltTurn users such as Scizor and Mega Manectric and Scizor can get Haxorus into play more safely, and Scizor is very useful to check Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Altaria. Pokemon that can check Scizor are very useful:; (remove colon add semicolon) Moltres in particular makes a very good teammate that can check Scizor as to an extent as well as Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Klefki, (AC) to an extent. Magneton can also work as a means of trapping Scizor. Checks to Fairy-types are also appreciated, (AC) since Haxorus lacks the raw damage output of the Swords Dance set fails to OHKO several Fairy-types at +1, so Pokemon such as Scizor are very useful in that regard. Wallbreakers such as Nidoking, Primarina, and Heracross can wear down Haxorus's checks mid-game to help it sweep later on in the game late-game. Since Haxorus makes for a fairly competent wallbreaker even without setting up, other cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo work well in tandem with Haxorus. Latias can provide Healing Wish support to recover a weakened Haxorus and give it a second shot at sweeping. Since Haxorus isn't particularly bulky and has difficulty setting up, Dual Screens dual screens or Aurora Veil support is generally useful. Klefki, (AC) Aurorus + Alolan Sandslash, (if you mention veil you need an example of veil setters) and to an extent even Uxie can provide this well, while the latter can also use Memento to further open up opportunities for Haxorus to set up. Finally, Haxorus also appreciates entry hazard removal to prevent it from being worn down to a point where it can be revenge killed, so Starmie and Latias make for very useful candidates with Rapid Spin and Defog, respectively.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

Equipping Haxorus with a A Choice item, namely Choice Band or Choice Scarf, could work, but Haxorus is a little too slow to use a Choice Scarf effectively, (AC) and it would like to use its coverage effectively to deal with its switch-ins. A dual-dance Double Dance set with both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance is also a possibility to work against both stall and offense. However, this forces Haxorus to compromise a coverage option, lessening its effectiveness as a wallbreaker or sweeper. Taunt can also be used to disrupt defensive threats such as Alomomola and Blissey, albeit at the expense of potential coverage. Life Orb is also a usable alternative item for Haxorus to give it extra immediate power, although Haxorus does not appreciate the recoil damage which cuts into its already limited longevity.

Checks and Counters
========

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely.

**Fairy-types**: Common Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage, (RC) and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab.

**Priority** Ice Shard Mamoswine and Bullet Punch Scizor can pick off Haxorus will just a little prior damage and revenge kill it both before and after a boost.

**Steel-types**: Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and they can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch. Klefki can also use Magnet Rise to make it invulnerable to all of Haxorus's potential moves bar Iron Tail.

**Offensive Pressure**: Forcing out Haxorus in tandem with entry hazards is useful to wear down Haxorus to a point where it can be OHKOed relatively easily, as well as preventing it from obtaining setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk or preventing it from pulling off any KOs. Pokemon such as Scizor, Latias, and Mamoswine can force Haxorus out due to threatening it with their ability to revenge kill it easily.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ScraftyIsTheBest, 157610]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Amaroq, 301581]]
- Quality checked by: [[Bouff, 121672], [Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

i added the new credits section for ya
ScraftyIsTheBest implement this please for 1/2

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Check implemented. Just need one more and this'll be done too.

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Haxorus is a solid physical sweeper and wallbreaker in the UU metagame thanks to its superb Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in Outrage, as well as two setup moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Its typing also grants it good resistances that help it take hits from threats such as Suicune, Rotom-C, and Rotom-H and open up some setup opportunities. Furthermore, It has a decent physical movepool with coverage such as Earthquake and Poison Jab that allows it to go toe-to-toe with Steel- and Fairy-types such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Togekiss, (comma) and its ability (RC) Mold Breaker (RC) helps it to be a stallbreaker, allowing it to set up and bypass Unaware users Quagsire and Pyukumuku, stall's normal answers to physical setup sweepers, and giving it an edge over other setup sweepers such as Cobalion. However, Haxorus's Speed tier, while good for outspeeding balance and stall teams, renders it slower than many of UU's faster offensive threats such as Latias, Infernape, and Hydreigon. Its mediocre bulk also hinders it by limiting its ability to set up and leaving it prone to being revenge killed by said faster offensive Pokemon or priority such as Mamoswine's Ice Shard. It faces competition as a Dragon-type from Latias, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o, all of which offer more utility due to their better bulk, better typings, and stronger coverage; Kommo-o also has access to powerful Fighting-type STAB move in Close Combat to give it an edge as a Dragon Dance sweeper.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack stat to incredible levels, giving it enough raw firepower to muscle through even the bulkiest of walls, such as Alomomola and Hippowdon. Outrage is a powerful STAB move that deals significant damage to anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Swords Dance boost. Earthquake allows Haxorus to deal heavy damage to opposing Steel-types, such as Cobalion, Stakataka, Mega Aggron, and even Bronzong thanks to Mold Breakere Breaker. Poison Jab serves as a reliable coverage move to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss that could otherwise switch into Outrage comfortably.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs along with a Jolly nature allow Haxorus to outspeed Suicune and Kyurem, while 252 Attack EVs maximize Haxorus's its damage output. Mold Breaker is an excellent ability that allows Haxorus to bypass abilities such as Unaware, Filter, and Levitate, making it fare better against threats such as Quagsire and Mega Aggron, while also preventing Bronzong and Latias from freely switching into Earthquake. Dragonium Z gives Haxorus a one-time nuke in Devastating Drake, allowing it to OHKO Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost (RC) while not risking and avoid locking itself into Outrage. Lum Berry, on the other hand, allows Haxorus to recover from a status ailment inflicted by a move such as Will-O-Wisp, Scald, or Thunder Wave while setting up or relieve Haxorus of Outrage confusion once after use.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus functions mainly as a wallbreaker, using its sheer offensive power to muscle through bulkier threats on bulky offense, balance, and stall teams. Ideally, Haxorus should be used mid-game to break down or pressure walls such as Suicune and Hippowdon. It should aim to soften such walls so that other teammates can pull off a sweep late-game. Due to its middling bulk, Haxorus often struggles to find setup opportunities, particularly against faster offensive teams. In those cases, Haxorus can afford to immediately use Devastating Drake or wallbreak with its attacks before going down; since it possesses such a high amount of initial power, it can wallbreak competently without a boost. However, against defensive and balanced teams, Lum Berry Haxorus can try to use a weaker defensive threat such as Blissey or Alomomola as setup fodder to enhance its wallbreaking capabilities.

Team Options
========

Haxorus appreciates entry hazard support due to its ability to force switches. Klefki is a very good teammate that can use Spikes to wear down grounded switch-ins and can paralyze faster threats such as Latias and Infernape. Celebi, Cobalion, and Mamoswine also set up hazards very well. VoltTurn users such as Scizor, Mega Manectric, and Hydreigon (RC) to steadily wear down the opposing team and help Haxorus switch in safely. Infernape is also a good user of U-turn that can check Scizor. Magneton can be used to trap Scizor and Klefki, which can otherwise check Haxorus. Late-game cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo appreciate Haxorus's wallbreaking support and can handle faster offensive teams that Haxorus struggles against. Haxorus appreciates good revenge killers such as Nihilego and Krookodile that can fare well against offensive teams. Entry hazard removal is appreciated, since residual damage cause Haxorus to be easily revenge killed. Starmie, Latias, and Rotom-C make solid candidates to remove entry hazards; (SC) And Latias can also heal Haxorus to full health with Healing Wish if the need arises. As a niche option, dual screens and Aurora Veil support is also very useful for Haxorus, as giving it extra bulk to safely obtain a Swords Dance boost will make it much harder to stop. The aforementioned Klefki as well as the combination of Aurorus and Alolan Sandslash are very good candidates to provide such support. To a lesser extent, Uxie also makes a viable dual screens setter that can provide Memento support.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Poison Jab
item: Dragonium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Dragon Dance boosts Haxorus's Attack and Speed stat to high levels, making it a very deadly sweeper that can outspeed most Pokemon after a boost. Outrage serves as a powerful STAB move, 2HKOing or OHKOing the vast majority of the metagame. Earthquake provides coverage for Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, and it can also hit Latias and Hydreigon through Levitate without the need to resort to Outrage. Poison Jab serves as coverage for Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Sylveon, which are immune to Outrage. Iron Tail is a usable alternative over Poison Jab due to its increased power, potentially OHKOing Sylveon and Togekiss after a boost.

Set Details
========

252 EVs in both Attack and Speed along with a Jolly nature maximize Haxorus's initial power and speed. Mold Breaker is Haxorus's most useful ability, giving it an edge against threats such as Rotom-H, Mega Aggron, and Quagsire due to being able to bypass by bypassing their abilities such as Levitate, Filter, and Unaware, respectively. Dragonium Z allows Haxorus to have a one-off nuke with Devastating Drake without locking itself into Outrage, allowing it to potentially OHKO Hippowdon and Swampert after a boost. Lum Berry, however, allows Haxorus to absorb a single Thunder Wave from Klefki, absorb a Scald burn, or undo the confusion from Outrage once.

Usage Tips
========

Haxorus can function in two ways: it can sweep late-game with a Dragon Dance boost once its checks, such as Mega Altaria and Scizor, are removed from play, or it can function as a competent wallbreaker and lure mid-game. Since Haxorus struggles to find setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk and awkward Speed tier, it can be used to lure in its potential checks and wear them down with Earthquake or Poison Jab, and it can use its raw immediate power to muscle through teams, which can help it sweep late-game. It can wallbreak well overall, as it possesses a solid matchup against more defensive teams. If needed, Devastating Drake allows Haxorus to break past Alomomola and Hippowdon after a boost or two without locking itself into Outrage. Devastating Drake is most useful when the raw power is needed (RC) but there are still Steel- or Fairy-types on the opposing team to switch into Outrage. Haxorus can find setup opportunities against certain Pokemon such as Celebi and Tsareena, as well as passive threats such as Blissey. VoltTurn support is also appreciated as a means of helping Haxorus get into battle more safely. Haxorus shouldn't try switching into moves, since doing that will leave it more vulnerable to being revenge killed by priority such as Scizor's Bullet Punch or reasonably strong attacks from faster Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Haxorus works very well on offensive teams as an effective sweeper and wallbreaker, so offensively oriented teammates work best for it. Entry hazard support is very valuable in aiding Haxorus's ability to sweep. Klefki can provide Spikes support as well as paralysis with Thunder Wave, and Cobalion can also be useful as a Stealth Rock setter that can get Haxorus in with Volt Switch. VoltTurn users such as Mega Manectric and Scizor can get Haxorus into play more safely, and Scizor is very useful to check Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Altaria. Pokemon that can check Scizor are very useful; Moltres in particular makes a very good teammate that can also check Scizor as well as Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Klefki (RC) to an extent. Magneton can also work as a means of trapping Scizor. Checks to Fairy-types are also appreciated, since Haxorus fails to OHKO several Fairy-types at +1, so Pokemon such as Scizor are very useful in that regard. Wallbreakers such as Nidoking, Primarina, and Heracross can wear down Haxorus's checks mid-game to help it sweep late-game. Since Haxorus makes for a fairly competent wallbreaker even without setting up, other cleaners such as Scizor and Mega Sharpedo work well in tandem with Haxorus. Latias can provide Healing Wish support to recover a weakened Haxorus and give it a second shot at sweeping. Since Haxorus isn't particularly bulky and has difficulty setting up, dual screens or Aurora Veil support is generally useful. Klefki, Aurorus + Alolan (spacing) Sandslash, and even Uxie can provide this well, while the latter can also use Memento to further open up opportunities for Haxorus to set up. Haxorus appreciates entry hazard removal to prevent it from being worn down to a point where it can be revenge killed, so Starmie and Latias make for very useful candidates with Rapid Spin and Defog, respectively.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

A Choice item, namely Choice Band or Choice Scarf, could work, but Haxorus is a little too slow to use a Choice Scarf effectively, and it would like to use its coverage effectively to deal with its switch-ins. A Double Dance set with both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance is also a possibility to work against both stall and offense. However, this forces Haxorus to compromise a coverage option, lessening its effectiveness as a wallbreaker or sweeper. Taunt can also be used to disrupt defensive threats such as Alomomola and Blissey, albeit at the expense of potential coverage. Life Orb is also a usable alternative item for Haxorus to give it extra immediate power, although Haxorus does not appreciate the recoil damage, (AC) which cuts into its already limited longevity.

Checks and Counters
========

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Hydreigon, Infernape, and Latias can revenge kill Haxorus fairly easy even after a Dragon Dance boost, though they cannot switch in safely.

**Fairy-types**: Common Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss can check Haxorus fairly well, as they are immune to Outrage and can OHKO it in return. However, they must be wary of a potential Poison Jab.

**Priority**: (colon) Ice Shard Mamoswine and Bullet Punch Scizor can pick off Haxorus will just a little prior damage and revenge kill it both before and after a boost.

**Steel-types**: Scizor, Cobalion, and Klefki resist or are immune to Outrage, and they can either retaliate with a strong STAB move or cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave. Scizor can also revenge kill a weakened Haxorus with Bullet Punch. Klefki can also use Magnet Rise to make it invulnerable to all of Haxorus's potential moves bar Iron Tail.

**Offensive Pressure**: Forcing out Haxorus in tandem with entry hazards is useful to wear it down Haxorus to a point where it can be OHKOed relatively easily, as well as preventing it from obtaining setup opportunities due to its mediocre bulk or preventing it from pulling off any KOs. Pokemon such as Scizor, Latias, and Mamoswine can force Haxorus out easily.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ScraftyIsTheBest, 157610]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Amaroq, 301581]]
- Quality checked by: [[Bouff, 121672], [Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Okay, this is done!

I also added bisharp in a bit since it exists now and will most certainly be relevant going forward.