kill it with fire
QC: IronBullet93 / Bouffalant / dodmen
GP: Rhythms / GatoDelFuego
[OVERVIEW]
With an exceptional Speed tier, Durant is able to outspeed key threats such as Mienshao and Salamence while also Speed tying with Heliolisk. Having access to Hustle, Durant's already solid Attack is buffed massively, giving it grand wallbreaking potential. Durant also has access to Hone Claws, which not only raises its already high Attack, but raises the accuracy of its moves, removing the appalling downside of Hustle. This is backed up with its fantastic typing not only offensively but also defensively, as Durant's typing has only one weakness, one immunity, and many resistances. However, Durant's decent physical bulk and typing is let down by a very poor HP stat and pitiful special bulk, meaning that even resisted hits will do a hefty chunk to it. Durant's typing also leaves it horribly weak to Fire-type attacks, which are quite common on Pokemon such as Entei, Salamence, and Infernape. Hustle also means that the accuracy of all of Durant's attacks will be lowered to 80% at best without a Hone Claws boost, which means any one of its attacks could miss at a crucial moment.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Rock Slide / Thunder Fang
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Iron Head hits astonishingly hard in combination of its decent Base Power and the boosts that Hustle and Life Orb or Choice Band give. X-Scissor hits common Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Krookodile without having to resort to the stat-lowering Superpower. Rock Slide can hit Flying- and Fire-types such as Mega Pidgeot, Salamence, and Chandelure on the predicted switch, although staying in on any of these is not recommended. Thunder Fang is another option to hit bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Vaporeon, and Alomomola for acceptable damage. Superpower hits Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Forretress, as well as Snorlax, although the stat decrease will most likely cause Durant to switch out.
Set Details
========
Hustle boosts Durant's Attack to tremendous levels at the cost of slight accuracy loss, as Swarm and Truant range from being extremely situational to downright detrimental. 252 Attack EVs allow Durant to hit as hard as possible with its attacks, while a Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed a good portion of the UU metagame and Speed tie with non-Choice Scarf Heliolisk. Life Orb gives Durant more power to its attacks with slight recoil each turn, but it allows Durant to have the freedom of switching between its moves. Choice Band removes the recoil effect and gives more wallbreaking power than Life Orb; however, Durant is unable to switch moves while Choice Band is equipped, meaning it can be taken advantage of easier.
Usage Tips
========
Use Durant's decent physical bulk and exceptional typing to its advantages, as, even with its mediocre HP stat, it is able to safely check Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill, Florges, Aromatisse, and Cresselia. However, it's generally difficult to switch Durant in to most offensive Pokemon, as they take a huge chunk out of its health, so, against offensive teams, it is safer to get a free switch from a teammate. Iron Head is a generally safe move to spam, as few Pokemon resist it and it hits incredibly hard. Be wary of Durant's low Special Defense, as common offensive Pokemon such as Mega Pidgeot and Salamence often carry Fire-type coverage. Don't be hasty by keeping Durant on the field when a defensive Pokemon such as Empoleon or Suicune is facing it, as risking a burn from Scald usually isn't worth the result, as status will leave Durant crippled for the remainder of the battle.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can switch into Fire-type attacks such as Arcanine, Entei, and Suicune can easily switch into moves that Durant would normally have to avoid. If Durant is not running Thunder Fang, Pokemon such as Rotom-C, Mega Sceptile, and Shaymin can deal with bulky Water-type Pokemon that Durant would do laughable damage to. Stealth Rock from Pokemon such as Rhyperior, which also shares decent type synergy, helps Durant wear down its checks easier, thanks to the small amount of chip damage the target will take from each switch in.
[SET]
name: Hone Claws
move 1: Hone Claws
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: X-Scissor
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Hustle
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hone Claws boosts Durant's already decent Attack to substantial levels while also resolving the lower accuracy from its ability Hustle. Iron Head not only has a chance to flinch the target, but it also hits Rock-, Ice-, and Fairy-types for super effective damage. X-Scissor is Durant's secondary STAB attack, hitting Pokemon such as Krookodile and Hydregion without having to resort to using the stat-detrimental Superpower. Superpower hits bulky Steel-type Pokemon such as Mega Aggron, Empoleon, and Cobalion while also hitting Snorlax for heavy damage, which would otherwise take little damage from Durant's other attacks.
Set Details
========
Hustle is Durant's best ability, as, thanks to Hone Claws, Hustle gives Durant a large Attack boost while generally ignoring the accuracy drop thanks to the boosts. 252 Attack EVs allow Durant to deal as much damage as possible with its physical attacks, and a Jolly nature allows it to outspeed Mienshao and Speed tie with Heliolisk. Thanks to Hone Claws boosting Durant's attack, an Adamant nature is not needed. Life Orb gives Durant extremely high power behind its attacks while inflicting slight recoil per turn; however, Lum Berry can be used for a one-time immunity to burn and paralysis.
Usage Tips
========
Durant sets up Hone Claws best on Pokemon that cannot harm it easily, such as Mega Beedrill, Florges, Snorlax, and Escavalier; however, do not be risky by switching Durant into attacks, as even certain resisted attacks do large amounts of damage. Be aware that without a Hone Claws boost prior to attacking, each move has a dreadful 20% chance to miss due to Hustle, and that can cleanly stop a sweep and turn the battle around in the opponent's favor. Severely weaken Durant's checks and counters, as Durant has somewhat low bulk, being worn down extremely fast due to possible Life Orb and entry hazard damage, and, because it has no form of reliable recovery, it will most likely not get another attempt at sweeping the opposing team.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Cobalion, and Krookodile give Durant chip damage on the opposing Pokemon as they try to switch in, giving it an easier time attempting to sweep. Pivots such as Mega Beedrill and Rotom-H can U-turn or Volt Switch into Durant, possibly giving it an opportunity to set up an Hone Claws. Pokemon that absorb Fire-type attacks such as Arcanine, Chandelure, and Tentacruel can easily take advantage of a possible Fire-type attack aimed at Durant. Dual screens support, especially from Azelf, as it can also set up Stealth Rock, makes Durant much bulkier and gives it an easier time attempting to set up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thunder Wave is an option to cripple opposing Pokemon such as Chandelure or Mega Pidgeot that attempt to switch in, but Durant has a hard time fitting it onto a moveslot. Wide Lens can be used to rid Durant of Hustle's accuracy drop. Agility boosts Durant's Speed to massive levels, allowing it to outspeed the entire metagame and take many faster Pokemon by surprise. Baton Pass can be used to gain momentum in the team's favor and is great for VoltTurn teams, and it can also pass possible Hone Claws boosts to a teammate. Substitute can be used, allowing Durant to dodge possible status conditions while sacrificing a slight amount of Durant's HP. Crunch can surprise Doublade and Jellicent switch-ins and do a large amount of damage to both. Choice Scarf can be used to boost Durant's Speed; however, it doesn't hit as hard as it needs to on the majority of its targets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Attackers**: Because of Durant's low Special Defense, it is extremely susceptible to special attacks from powerful special attackers such as Heliolisk, Mega Pidgeot, and Chandelure and even resisted hits can deal a lot of damage to it.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Tentacruel can all take a hit from Durant except a Thunder Fang and proceed to use Scald and try to burn it.
**Faster Attackers**: Faster Pokemon such as Mega Pidgeot and Choice Scarf Rotom-C can easily revenge kill Durant. When it is weakened, Choice Scarf Mienshao and Mega Aerodactyl can KO it easily, though they cannot safely switch into it.
**Fire-type Moves**: Due to Durant's 4x weakness to Fire, many Pokemon that carry Fire-type moves can threaten it. Fire-types such as Infernape, Entei, Darmanitan, and Chandelure can threaten Durant with their super effective Fire-type STAB moves. Pokemon that carry Fire-type coverage moves such as Fire Blast Salamence and Heat Wave Mega Pidgeot are also something players should be aware of.
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