[OVERVIEW]
Lycanroc-D is a niche wallbreaker that can break through bulky teams with relative ease thanks to its access to Splintered Stormshards and Swords Dance; it can do decently against offense thanks to its access to Accelerock, which also means that it can blanket check two very threatening Pokemon in Mega Pinsir and Volcarona, and not having to account for these Pokemon while teambuilding because of Lycanroc-D can help its team out massively. Stone Edge and Drill Run in tandem with Tough Claws gives Lycanroc-D a slightly stronger EdgeQuake combination because Tough Claws boosts Drill Run, making it stronger than Earthquake. Unfortunately, Lycanroc-D heavily relies on Lycanium Z in conjunction with Swords Dance to break through walls; Lycanium Z can only be used once and after the use of it, Lycanroc-D is rather weak. It also has a hard time finding setup opportunities due to its rather lacking bulk. Other Rock-type breakers like Terrakion and Tyranitar have a lot better bulk and damage output, thus giving Lycanroc-D a lot of competition, but it is able to distinguish itself from the aforementioned Pokemon because of its access to Accelerock and a very strong Z-Move. Its small movepool means it is walled by common Pokemon like Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Rotom-W depending on the moves that it chooses to run, further reducing its effectiveness as a breaker.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Drill Run / Fire Fang
move 4: Accelerock
item: Lycanium Z
ability: Tough Claws
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Lycanroc-D's Attack stat and lets it break through walls. Stone Edge does a lot of damage to any non-resistant Pokemon such as Chansey, Gliscor, and Clefable and with Lycanium Z, it turns into Splintered Stormshards, Lycanroc-D's signature Z-Move. Drill Run is Lycanroc-D's best way to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Mega Mawile, which both resist Stone Edge, and it also hits Toxapex, which is bulky enough to take any other hit from Lycanroc-D, for a good amount of damage. Fire Fang targets Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kartana for super effective damage while still maintaining super effective damage on Magearna and Mega Mawile; however, choosing to use Fire Fang leaves Lycanroc-D walled by Pokemon like Zygarde and Keldeo. Accelerock lets Lycanroc-D revenge kill Mega Pinsir and Volcarona and also provides useful priority against faster, offensively oriented teams.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment in conjunction with a Jolly nature maximize Lycanroc-D's offensive potential, allowingLycanroc-D to always outspeed Swords Dance Kartana, Mega Charizard X, and Blacephalon lacking Choice Scarf, and also allowing it to Speed tie with other base 110 Speed Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Mega Latios, and Gengar. Tough Claws is Lycanroc-D's only ability and boosts its contact moves by 30%. Lycanium Z turns Stone Edge into Splintered Stormshards, a very powerful Z-Move capable of OHKOing Pokemon like defensive Landorus-T, Mega Venusaur, and Celesteela after just one Swords Dance boost; it's also capable of removing terrains like Psychic Terrain, which allows Lycanroc-D to spam Accelerock without having to worry about foes being protected from priority by it.
Usage Tips
========
Lycanroc-D is best used as an early-game wallbreaker for its teammates to clean up after, but it can also be used as a late-game cleaner thanks to its access to Accelerock. Lycanroc-D should be brought in safely via a predicted double switch or with VoltTurn support, since it does not like to take a hit, considering how frail it is. Lycanroc-D can also be brought in on Pokemon it can set a Swords Dance up on, such as Chansey, to start breaking through the opposing team. If the opposing team has a good answer to Lycanroc-D like Quagsire or Hippowdon, it might be wiser to just attack or double switch out into something else to pressure the answer instead of setting up. If Lycanroc-D does set up, it is most likely going to fail to break through the opposing team if the answer has not been KOed or significantly weakened. Pokemon that are known to be equipped with a Choice Scarf like Landorus-T, Kartana, Tapu Lele, and Keldeo should all be scouted out before attempting to sweep with Lycanroc-D, as they can all stop Lycanroc-D in its path. Accelerock should be used minimally and only when a weakened offensive threat is on the field; it can also reliably revenge kill Mega Pinsir and Volcarona from full health.
Team Options
========
Magnezone and Heatran are able to remove Steel-types. The former can do this thanks to Magnet Pull, while the latter can put heavy pressure on them; this means that Lycanroc-D may have a free a moveslot to use an additional coverage move, and they can also break Water- and Grass-types, respectively. Lycanroc-D is able to surprise Steel-type Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Magearna with Fire Fang and Drill Run, respectively. This is especially useful when used with Pokemon that tend to struggle against Steel-types, such as Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Unfortunately, if using Tapu Lele, this has one big downside, and that is if Psychic Terrain is up, Accelerock can't be used, stopping Lycanroc-D from picking off weakened threats. Pokemon like Magearna, Landorus-T, and Mega Scizor can bring in Lycanroc-D with VoltTurn support, enabling it to come in safely without having to take a hit. Mega Venusaur, Tangrowth, Serperior, and Kartana are all able to pressure Water-, Steel-, and Grass-types for Lycanroc-D, while in return Lycanroc-D can threaten Ice- and Flying-type Pokemon like Kyurem-B, Weavile, and Mega Pinsir for them. Kyurem-B and Mega Pinsir can put massive pressure on physically defensive Pokemon, Water-, Steel-, and Grass-types, which Lycanroc-D tends to struggle against. Lycanroc-D can be used on Spikes stacking hyper offense teams, as they are generally very fast-paced and appreciate Lycanroc-D's ability to dispose of common walls.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A suicide lead set consisting of Stealth Rock / Taunt / Endeavor / Accelerock with a Focus Sash can function as an effective lead for hyper offense teams, since it can prevent Stealth Rock from going up with Taunt, set up its own Stealth Rock, bring the foe down to one HP with Endeavor, and potentially finish the foe off with Accelerock before being KOed. Life Orb can be used if Lycanroc-D's team already has a Z-Move user, but Lycanium Z is preferred because of its ability to break bulkier Pokemon, and the recoil damage is also rather undesirable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Quagsire and Hippowdon can wall Lycanroc-D with relative ease and switch in on any move Lycanroc-D might want to go for. Mega Venusaur and defensive Rotom-W can also wall Lycanroc-D after it has used Splintered Stormshards, since when boosted, this will OHKO them.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Mega Alakazam are capable of threatening Lycanroc-D with an OHKO; it also has to watch out for Pokemon that tend to run a Choice Scarf like Tapu Lele, Kartana, Keldeo, and Landorus-T, as they are are capable of OHKOing Lycanroc-D due to its terrible bulk.
**Water-types**: Water-types like Toxapex, Rotom-W, Gastrodon, Keldeo, and Ash-Greninja can threaten Lycanroc-D with their respective STAB moves; however, most of them have to be wary of a boosted Splintered Stormshards.
**Steel-types**: Lycanroc-D gets threatened by Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Kartana, but they have to be wary of Drill Run and Fire Fang.
**Ground-types**: Defensive Landorus-T can check Lycanroc-D once it has baited Lycanroc-D's Z-Move thanks to its access to Intimidate. Gliscor is also capable of taking a +2 Stone Edge and OHKOing Lycanroc-D.
**Priority**: Priority moves like Bullet Punch, Water Shuriken, and Sucker Punch can severely weaken Lycanroc-D due to how frail it is; Bullet Punch and Water Shuriken in particular are capable of OHKOing it.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Amoonguss are all capable of pressuring Lycanroc-D with their respective STAB moves, but they don't like taking a boosted Splintered Stormshards, ultimately making them shaky checks.
Lycanroc-D is a niche wallbreaker that can break through bulky teams with relative ease thanks to its access to Splintered Stormshards and Swords Dance; it can do decently against offense thanks to its access to Accelerock, which also means that it can blanket check two very threatening Pokemon in Mega Pinsir and Volcarona, and not having to account for these Pokemon while teambuilding because of Lycanroc-D can help its team out massively. Stone Edge and Drill Run in tandem with Tough Claws gives Lycanroc-D a slightly stronger EdgeQuake combination because Tough Claws boosts Drill Run, making it stronger than Earthquake. Unfortunately, Lycanroc-D heavily relies on Lycanium Z in conjunction with Swords Dance to break through walls; Lycanium Z can only be used once and after the use of it, Lycanroc-D is rather weak. It also has a hard time finding setup opportunities due to its rather lacking bulk. Other Rock-type breakers like Terrakion and Tyranitar have a lot better bulk and damage output, thus giving Lycanroc-D a lot of competition, but it is able to distinguish itself from the aforementioned Pokemon because of its access to Accelerock and a very strong Z-Move. Its small movepool means it is walled by common Pokemon like Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Rotom-W depending on the moves that it chooses to run, further reducing its effectiveness as a breaker.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Drill Run / Fire Fang
move 4: Accelerock
item: Lycanium Z
ability: Tough Claws
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Lycanroc-D's Attack stat and lets it break through walls. Stone Edge does a lot of damage to any non-resistant Pokemon such as Chansey, Gliscor, and Clefable and with Lycanium Z, it turns into Splintered Stormshards, Lycanroc-D's signature Z-Move. Drill Run is Lycanroc-D's best way to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Mega Mawile, which both resist Stone Edge, and it also hits Toxapex, which is bulky enough to take any other hit from Lycanroc-D, for a good amount of damage. Fire Fang targets Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kartana for super effective damage while still maintaining super effective damage on Magearna and Mega Mawile; however, choosing to use Fire Fang leaves Lycanroc-D walled by Pokemon like Zygarde and Keldeo. Accelerock lets Lycanroc-D revenge kill Mega Pinsir and Volcarona and also provides useful priority against faster, offensively oriented teams.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment in conjunction with a Jolly nature maximize Lycanroc-D's offensive potential, allowingLycanroc-D to always outspeed Swords Dance Kartana, Mega Charizard X, and Blacephalon lacking Choice Scarf, and also allowing it to Speed tie with other base 110 Speed Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Mega Latios, and Gengar. Tough Claws is Lycanroc-D's only ability and boosts its contact moves by 30%. Lycanium Z turns Stone Edge into Splintered Stormshards, a very powerful Z-Move capable of OHKOing Pokemon like defensive Landorus-T, Mega Venusaur, and Celesteela after just one Swords Dance boost; it's also capable of removing terrains like Psychic Terrain, which allows Lycanroc-D to spam Accelerock without having to worry about foes being protected from priority by it.
Usage Tips
========
Lycanroc-D is best used as an early-game wallbreaker for its teammates to clean up after, but it can also be used as a late-game cleaner thanks to its access to Accelerock. Lycanroc-D should be brought in safely via a predicted double switch or with VoltTurn support, since it does not like to take a hit, considering how frail it is. Lycanroc-D can also be brought in on Pokemon it can set a Swords Dance up on, such as Chansey, to start breaking through the opposing team. If the opposing team has a good answer to Lycanroc-D like Quagsire or Hippowdon, it might be wiser to just attack or double switch out into something else to pressure the answer instead of setting up. If Lycanroc-D does set up, it is most likely going to fail to break through the opposing team if the answer has not been KOed or significantly weakened. Pokemon that are known to be equipped with a Choice Scarf like Landorus-T, Kartana, Tapu Lele, and Keldeo should all be scouted out before attempting to sweep with Lycanroc-D, as they can all stop Lycanroc-D in its path. Accelerock should be used minimally and only when a weakened offensive threat is on the field; it can also reliably revenge kill Mega Pinsir and Volcarona from full health.
Team Options
========
Magnezone and Heatran are able to remove Steel-types. The former can do this thanks to Magnet Pull, while the latter can put heavy pressure on them; this means that Lycanroc-D may have a free a moveslot to use an additional coverage move, and they can also break Water- and Grass-types, respectively. Lycanroc-D is able to surprise Steel-type Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Magearna with Fire Fang and Drill Run, respectively. This is especially useful when used with Pokemon that tend to struggle against Steel-types, such as Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Unfortunately, if using Tapu Lele, this has one big downside, and that is if Psychic Terrain is up, Accelerock can't be used, stopping Lycanroc-D from picking off weakened threats. Pokemon like Magearna, Landorus-T, and Mega Scizor can bring in Lycanroc-D with VoltTurn support, enabling it to come in safely without having to take a hit. Mega Venusaur, Tangrowth, Serperior, and Kartana are all able to pressure Water-, Steel-, and Grass-types for Lycanroc-D, while in return Lycanroc-D can threaten Ice- and Flying-type Pokemon like Kyurem-B, Weavile, and Mega Pinsir for them. Kyurem-B and Mega Pinsir can put massive pressure on physically defensive Pokemon, Water-, Steel-, and Grass-types, which Lycanroc-D tends to struggle against. Lycanroc-D can be used on Spikes stacking hyper offense teams, as they are generally very fast-paced and appreciate Lycanroc-D's ability to dispose of common walls.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A suicide lead set consisting of Stealth Rock / Taunt / Endeavor / Accelerock with a Focus Sash can function as an effective lead for hyper offense teams, since it can prevent Stealth Rock from going up with Taunt, set up its own Stealth Rock, bring the foe down to one HP with Endeavor, and potentially finish the foe off with Accelerock before being KOed. Life Orb can be used if Lycanroc-D's team already has a Z-Move user, but Lycanium Z is preferred because of its ability to break bulkier Pokemon, and the recoil damage is also rather undesirable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Quagsire and Hippowdon can wall Lycanroc-D with relative ease and switch in on any move Lycanroc-D might want to go for. Mega Venusaur and defensive Rotom-W can also wall Lycanroc-D after it has used Splintered Stormshards, since when boosted, this will OHKO them.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Mega Alakazam are capable of threatening Lycanroc-D with an OHKO; it also has to watch out for Pokemon that tend to run a Choice Scarf like Tapu Lele, Kartana, Keldeo, and Landorus-T, as they are are capable of OHKOing Lycanroc-D due to its terrible bulk.
**Water-types**: Water-types like Toxapex, Rotom-W, Gastrodon, Keldeo, and Ash-Greninja can threaten Lycanroc-D with their respective STAB moves; however, most of them have to be wary of a boosted Splintered Stormshards.
**Steel-types**: Lycanroc-D gets threatened by Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Kartana, but they have to be wary of Drill Run and Fire Fang.
**Ground-types**: Defensive Landorus-T can check Lycanroc-D once it has baited Lycanroc-D's Z-Move thanks to its access to Intimidate. Gliscor is also capable of taking a +2 Stone Edge and OHKOing Lycanroc-D.
**Priority**: Priority moves like Bullet Punch, Water Shuriken, and Sucker Punch can severely weaken Lycanroc-D due to how frail it is; Bullet Punch and Water Shuriken in particular are capable of OHKOing it.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Amoonguss are all capable of pressuring Lycanroc-D with their respective STAB moves, but they don't like taking a boosted Splintered Stormshards, ultimately making them shaky checks.
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