[1v1] Donphan

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Donphan

QC 3/3 GP 2/2

Overview

A good offensive Ground typing allows Donphan to defeat many common Electric-, Steel-, and Fire-type Pokemon, thus letting it check top threats such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, and Mega Metagross. Donphan also has access to a great coverage move in Head Smash, allowing it to hit the Flying-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall Donphan due to its Ground typing. Donphan also sports high Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to both tank physical hits well and hit hard with its physical attacks. It also has access to a useful priority move in Ice Shard, letting it defeat opposing Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle while also allowing it to defeat Pokemon that can survive its first attack. Donphan also has an amazing ability in Sturdy, allowing it to survive any hit that isn't from Mold Breaker and Teravolt Pokemon, letting it safely fire off either Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush despite being quite slow. However, Donphan lacks utility moves such as Taunt, making it susceptible to bulky Pokemon that can easily recover off any damage or boost their Defense, such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D. Donphan's low Speed stat also means that it will almost always take a hit before moving. Donphan also loses to bulky hard hitters such as Celesteela, along with common Air Balloon users such as Magearna. Despite Ground being a good type offensively, it also hurts Donphan quite a bit, as it sports common weaknesses to Water and Ice.

Bulky Attacker
Donphan @ Groundium Z / Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Counter

Set Comments

Moves

Earthquake is Donphan's STAB attack and is boosted to a respectable 180 Base Power with a Groundium Z. Tectonic Rage deals massive damage to most Pokemon and can even get past some bulky Pokemon such as maximum HP Genesect. It is capable of OHKOing every Pokemon that it hits super effectively, barring Sturdy users such as Magnezone and Golem. Head Smash provides Donphan with valuable Rock-type coverage that hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, which are unaffected by Tectonic Rage. In addition, Rockium Z can be used to give Donphan an extremely powerful Continental Crush that does not break Donphan's Sturdy when the foe does not attack while also removing Head Smash's chance to miss. Ice Shard is useful for picking off weakened Pokemon due to Donphan's low Speed stat and can finish off Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle, Golem, and Magnezone. It can also pick off Pokemon that have been severely weakened by Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush. Finally, Counter helps against strong physical attackers such as opposing Donphan, Garchomp, and Mega Metagross (if running Continental Crush) due to Donphan's Sturdy along with its high Defense stat.

Set Details

Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature gives Donphan as much physical power as it can get. Maximum HP investment gives Donphan both physical and special bulk, allowing it to take hits such as Kyurem-B's Ice Beam better and maximize Counter damage. Groundium Z turns Earthquake into an extremely powerful Tectonic Rage, dealing massive damage to most foes. On the other hand, Rockium Z can be used instead with Head Smash and allows Donphan to more reliably check Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir and both Mega Charizard formes. Groundium Z is generally preferred over Rockium Z, as it has STAB and can deal with more threats than Rockium Z can.

Usage Tips

In most matchups, click Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush to deal huge damage to foes. Use Head Smash or Continental Crush against the Pokemon that it hits super effectively, such as Mega Pinsir. Tectonic Rage also has more power than Continental Crush due to STAB and can let Donphan beat Pokemon such as Magearna that Rockium Z cannot. However, Continental Crush can be used to beat Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-B, which Groundium Z Donphan normally loses to. Generally, the EdgeQuake coverage is enough to beat most foes, so both sets are effective and can be fitted to suit different teams. Use Ice Shard to pick off weakened Pokemon after a Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush, especially if the foe has survived due to Sturdy. When up against strong physical attackers such as Kartana, use Counter to deal massive damage after tanking a hit. However, be wary, as some players may predict a Counter and set up instead. It is also wise to use Donphan to scare off potential threats such as Charizard and Mega Metagross, making it easier to bring in Pokemon such as Magearna.

Team Options

Donphan can be used on a myriad of teams due to its ability to check a large majority of the metagame and can be a safe option for teams that are weak to many Pokemon. Due to Sturdy and its solid Ground typing, Donphan checks a lot of top picks like Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Mega Charizard X, which can often defeat many Pokemon on their own. Pokemon such as Kyurem-B also appreciate Donphan scaring off Steel-type Pokemon such as Magearna and Mega Metagross. Donphan mostly relies on its Sturdy to win, so it generally struggles against Mold Breaker and Teravolt Pokemon, namely Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B. As such, checks such as Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Magearna are heavily appreciated by Donphan, as they can scare them off or defeat them. Mega Gyarados in particular easily defeats Donphan due to Intimidate, its Water typing, and its setup move in Dragon Dance, allowing it to bypass Counter. Donphan also generally struggles with Kyurem-B, although Rockium Z sets are better at taking it out, making them less of a threat. Donphan also cannot hit many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro for super effective damage, leaving it unable to deal enough damage before they heal. Due to this, Pokemonsuch as Greninja and Tapu Koko that can deal with bulky walls are valuable towards Donphan's success. Special hard hitters such as Porygon-Z can also deal with physically bulky Pokemon that Donphan would usually lose to such as defensive Mega Charizard X.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Gunk Shot can replace Counter to beat Grass- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Tapu Bulu, but Counter is generally more useful in defeating more common Pokemon. Another option Donphan can run is Fire Fang, which allows it to beat Ferrothorn, but is generally a waste of a moveslot otherwise, as it forces Donphan to forgo one of its other moves. Donphan can also run maximum Speed EVs instead of HP EVs, allowing it to outspeed Air Balloon Magearna, other Donphan, and Golem, but Donphan sacrifices necessary bulk along with any chance of defeating Kyurem-B.

Checks and Counters

Mold Breaker and Teravolt: Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B can utilize their abilities to nullify Donphan's Sturdy, OHKOing it with powerful super effective attacks.

Physically Defensive Pokemon: Physically bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D take very little from Donphan's attacks and can easily heal the damage off. Mega Slowbro can also hit Donphan with super effective Water-type moves, and Deoxys-D can PP stall it.

Ground- and Rock-resistant Pokemon: Pokemon such as Celesteela resist Donphan's high-damaging attacks and can beat Donphan consistently. Some Pokemon such as Magearna and Magnezone, while being weak to Ground, can utilize an Air Balloon, making them immune to Ground while already resisting Donphan's other attacks.

Bulky Special Attackers: Bulky special hard hitters such as Tapu Fini can sponge a few hits from Donphan and KO it with their special attacks. Tapu Lele in particular blocks Ice Shard with Psychic Terrain and can easily 2HKO Donphan due to its low Special Defense.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

lost heros

Meme Master
Donphan

QC 0/3

Overview

  • A good offensive Ground typing allows Donphan to check top threats such as Tapu Koko, Magearna and Mega Metagross.
  • Donphan also has good coverage options such as Head Smash and Ice Shard, allowing Donphan to hit Flying-type Pokemon that would usually wall Donphan due to its Ground typing. Ice shard isn't good because it hits flying types, it's good because it is a priority attack. Head Smash + EQ provides Edgequake coverage.
  • High Defense and Attack stats allow Donphan to both tank physical hits well and hit hard with its STAB moves.
  • A useful priority move in Ice Shard lets Donphan beat opposing Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle while also letting it defeat Pokemon that can survive Tectonic Rage or Head Smash.
  • An amazing ability in Sturdy lets it survive any hit that isn’t from Mold Breaker or Teravolt, allowing it to safely fire off Tectonic Rage or Head Smash despite being slow.
  • Lack of utility moves such as Taunt mean that Donphan has a hard time facing bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D. It also is slow.
  • While Ground is a good offensive typing, it also sports common weaknesses such as Water and Ice.

Groundium Z
Donphan @ Groundium Z Rockium Z should be slashed here. Continental Crush is very powerful and doesn't break Sturdy like Head Smash.
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Counter

Moves
  • Earthquake is Donphan's STAB attack, and is boosted to a respectable 180 Base Power with a Groundium Z. Tectonic Rage deals massive damage to most Pokemon, and can OHKO any Pokemon it hits super effectively.
  • Head Smash is valuable Rock-type coverage that hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir that are unaffected by Tectonic Rage. I'd put Continental Crush here.
  • Ice Shard is useful for picking off weakened Pokemon due to Donphan's low Speed stat. It can finish off Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle and can also pick off Pokemon that have been weakened by Tectonic Rage or Head Smash. Ice Shard also hits Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Dragonite for super effective damage, meaning they don’t need to be weakened by too much before using Ice Shard. Take out the part on coverage. Ice shard will never do much damage it's only use is picking off at the end.
  • Counter helps against strong physical attackers such as Mega Gyarados, due to Donphan's Sturdy ability along with its high Defense.

Set Details
  • Max Attack with an Adamant nature gives Donphan as much physical power as it can get.
  • Max HP investment gives Donphan both physical and special bulk, allowing it to take hits better and maximize Counter damage.
  • A Groundium Z turns Earthquake into an extremely powerful Tectonic Rage, dealing massive damage to most foes.

Usage Tips
  • Use Donphan to scare off potential threats such as Charizard and Mega Metagross, making it easier to bring in Pokemon such as Kartana. You should put this part in the end. First describe how to use Donphan and then how to lure out threats with Donphan.
  • In most situations, use Tectonic Rage to deal massive damage to foes. Change this to Z move.
  • Against Flying- or Bug-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, use Head Smash to deal huge amounts of damage.
  • Here should be when to use EQ over Z-Rock
  • Use Ice Shard to pick off weakened Pokemon after a Tectonic Rage or Head Smash, especially if the foe has lived due to Sturdy.
  • Against strong physical attackers such as Mega Gyarados, use Counter to deal massive damage after tanking a hit. However, some players may predict a Counter and setup instead.

Team Options
  • Donphan's Ground typing can be used to scare off many Pokemon such as Mega Metagross, allowing Pokemon such as Crustle to be used. Crustle and Donphan are very similar Pokémon. Perhaps change this to Kyurem-B who also doesn't like Steel-types.
  • Due to Sturdy and its solid typing, Donphan can check many Pokemon in the metagame such as Mega Charizard X and Y, allowing team mates such as Magearna to be brought in.
  • Checks to Mega Gyarados such as Tapu Koko are appreciated, as Donphan particularly dislikes it due to Intimidate and its Water typing.
  • Donphan also has a hard time against Kyurem-B and only has a slim chance to defeat it, so checks such as Magearna and Mega Metagross can be useful.
  • Donphan can be used on a myriad of teams due to its ability to check a large majority of the metagame, and can be a safe option for teams weak to many Pokemon. This is a general statement. Put this in the beginning.
  • Donphan also cannot hit many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro for super effective damage, leaving it unable to deal enough damage before they heal. Due to this, Pokemon such as Greninja and Tapu Koko that can deal with bulky walls are valuable towards Donphan's success.
  • Hard-hitting special attackers such as Porygon-Z can deal with physically bulky Pokemon such as defensive Mega Charizard X that Donphan would usually lose to. Combine this point and the last. They say the same thing.
Strategy Comments

Other Options

  • Donphan can also utilize a FEAR set with 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EVs. This set mostly uses Endeavor and Ice Shard can be used to lure in Donphan's usual checks, such as Mega Venusaur, in combination with Sturdy to tank an attack and use priority attacks to finish them off. Donphan must be Level 25 for this set to be effective. Level 25 is revealed meaning FEAR isn't a lure. It's just effective against All-out-Attackers.
  • Gunk Shot can replace Counter to beat Grass- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Tapu Bulu, but Counter is generally more useful in defeating more common Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados.
  • Fire Fang can be used as tech to beat Ferrothorn, but has little utility otherwise.
Checks and Counters

Mold Breaker and Teravolt: Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B can utilize their abilities to nullify Donphan's Sturdy, OHKOing it with powerful super effective attacks.

Physically Defensive Pokemon: Physically bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D take very little from Donphan's attacks and can easily heal the damage off. Mega Slowbro can also hit Donphan with super effective Water-type moves, and Deoxys-D can PP stall it.

Ground- and Rock-resistant Pokemon: Pokemon such as Celesteela resist Donphan's high-damaging attacks and can beat Donphan consistently.
Implement in Bold. QC 1/3. I did this on my phone so no umbreon sticker. But you're good to go.
 
Donphan

QC 1/3 (lost heros)

Overview

  • A good offensive Ground typing allows Donphan to check top threats such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, and Mega Metagross. Reword "A good offensive Ground typing". What types does Ground beat and why is this good?
  • Donphan also has good coverage options such as Head Smash, allowing it to hit Flying-type Pokemon that would usually wall Donphan due to its Ground typing. Well, it kinda only has Head Smash and Ice Shard as good coverage moves. It also lets it act as a more reliable counter to Fire types because Continental Crush won't miss.
  • High Defense and Attack stats allow Donphan to both tank physical hits well and hit hard with its STAB moves.
  • A useful priority move in Ice Shard lets Donphan beat opposing Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle while also letting it defeat Pokemon that can survive Tectonic Rage or Head Smash.
  • An amazing ability in Sturdy lets it survive any hit that isn't from Mold Breaker or Teravolt, allowing it to safely fire off Tectonic Rage or Head Smash despite being slow.
  • Lack of utility moves such as Taunt mean that Donphan has a hard time facing bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D. It is also very slow, meaning most of these Pokemon can recover or boost their Defense before Donphan has a chance to attack. It's also weak to Air Balloon and defensive Special Attackers like Tapu Lele and Specs Celesteela.
  • While Ground is a good offensive typing, it also sports common weaknesses such as Water and Ice. Common weaknesses to Water and Ice.

Bulky Attacker
Donphan @ Groundium Z / Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Counter

Set Comments

Moves

  • Earthquake is Donphan's STAB attack, and is boosted to a respectable 180 Base Power with a Groundium Z. Tectonic Rage deals massive damage to most Pokemon, and can OHKO any Pokemon it hits super effectively. Tectonic Rage gets past some bulky pokemon like Primarina and Max HP Genesect.
  • Head Smash is valuable Rock-type coverage that hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir that are unaffected by Tectonic Rage. A Rockium Z can also be used give Donphan an extremely powerful Continental Crush, which does not break Donphan's Sturdy when the foe does not attack. Continental Crush also doesn't miss.
  • Ice Shard is useful for picking off weakened Pokemon due to Donphan's low Speed stat. It can finish off Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle and can also pick off Pokemon that have been weakened by Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush. Golem and Magnezone too.
  • Counter helps against strong physical attackers such as Mega Gyarados, due to Donphan's Sturdy ability along with its high Defense. You're not beating Mega-Gyarados with Counter if they're not bad. You could put Kartana or Dragonite here.

Set Details
  • Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature gives Donphan as much physical power as it can get.
  • Maximum HP investment gives Donphan both physical and special bulk, allowing it to take hits better and maximize Counter damage. Like Scarf Kyurem-B's Ice Beam. It only KOs 30% of the time.
  • A Groundium Z turns Earthquake into an extremely powerful Tectonic Rage, dealing massive damage to most foes.
  • On the other hand, a Rockium Z can be used instead with Head Smash. Expound a little on both of these. Why use one over the other. What pokemon are you trying to beat with Groundium? What mons with Rockium?

Usage Tips
  • In most situations, use Z-Moves such as Tectonic Rage to deal massive damage to foes. This is worded funny.
  • Against Flying- or Bug-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, use Head Smash to deal huge amounts of damage. Perhaps just say against pokemon that Head Smash hits supereffectively.
  • Tectonic Rage has more power than Continental Crush due to STAB, and can let Donphan beat Pokemon such as Mega Metagross that Rockium Z cannot. However, Continental Crush can be used to beat Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-B that Groundium Z Donphan normally loses to. Generally, the EdgeQuake coverage is enough to beat most foes, so both sets are effective and can be fitted to suit different teams. This is a good bullet. You beat Mega-Metagross with Counter anyway though.
  • Use Ice Shard to pick off weakened Pokemon after a Tectonic Rage or Head Smash, especially if the foe has lived due to Sturdy.
  • Against strong physical attackers such as Mega Gyarados, use Counter to deal massive damage after tanking a hit. However, some players may predict a Counter and set up instead. You're not beating Mega-Gyarados with Counter unless they're bad.
  • Use Donphan to scare off potential threats such as Charizard and Mega Metagross, making it easier to bring in Pokemon such as Kartana. Using Donphan/Kartana would make you really weak to Stall. I'd use a different teammate.

Team Options
  • Donphan can be used on a myriad of teams due to its ability to check a large majority of the metagame, and can be a safe option for teams weak to many Pokemon. You need to mention what parts of the meta you're beating and why they are so important to beat. Mega-Metagross, Tapu Koko, Charizard, etc.
  • Donphan's Ground typing can be used to scare off many Pokemon such as Mega Metagross, allowing Pokemon such as Kyurem-B to be used.
  • Due to Sturdy and its solid typing, Donphan can check many Pokemon in the metagame such as Mega Charizard X and Y, allowing teammates such as Magearna to be brought in. Add other pokemon it beats and teammates that appreciate it.
  • Checks to Mega Gyarados such as Tapu Koko are appreciated, as Donphan particularly dislikes it due to Intimidate and its Water typing. Expand on this a little.
  • Donphan also has a hard time against Kyurem-B and only has a slim chance to defeat it, so checks such as Magearna and Mega Metagross can be useful. Rockium-Z has a good chance vs Scarf Kyurem-B. Otherwise, I agree. You could combine to the two Moldbreaker pokemon into one bullet and say you should have checks to both of them as they both have high usage.
  • Donphan also cannot hit many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro for super effective damage, leaving it unable to deal enough damage before they heal. Due to this, Pokemon such as Greninja and Tapu Koko that can deal with bulky walls are valuable towards Donphan's success. Special hard-hitters such as Porygon-Z can also deal with physically bulky Pokemon such as defensive Mega Charizard X that Donphan would usually lose to.
Strategy Comments

Other Options

  • Donphan can also utilize a FEAR set with 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EVs. This set is useful against all-out attackers such as Greninja, and utilizes Endeavor, Ice Shard, and Sturdy to bring down foes. It can also be useful against Donphan's usual checks, such as Mega Venusaur. Donphan must be Level 25 for this set to be effective. I don't think FEAR should be mentioned.
  • Gunk Shot can replace Counter to beat Grass- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Tapu Bulu, but Counter is generally more useful in defeating more common Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados.
  • Fire Fang can be used as tech to beat Ferrothorn, but has little utility otherwise.
  • It can run max speed in order to beat Slow Air Balloons like Magearna, as well as the mirror and Golem.
Checks and Counters

Mold Breaker and Teravolt: Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B can utilize their abilities to nullify Donphan's Sturdy, OHKOing it with powerful super effective attacks.

Physically Defensive Pokemon: Physically bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D take very little from Donphan's attacks and can easily heal the damage off. Mega Slowbro can also hit Donphan with super effective Water-type moves, and Deoxys-D can PP stall it.

Ground- and Rock-resistant Pokemon: Pokemon such as Celesteela resist Donphan's high-damaging attacks and can beat Donphan consistently. Air Balloon also.

Some Bulky Special attackers can beat it, especially if it's Rockium.
Comments in bold.
 

DEG

The night belongs to you
is a Community Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Donphan

QC 2/3 (lost heros, Kentari)

Overview

A good offensive Ground typing allows Donphan to defeat many common Electric-, Steel-, and Fire-type Pokemon, letting it check top threats such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, and Mega Metagross. Donphan also has access to a great coverage move in Head Smash, allowing it to hit Flying-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall Donphan due to its Ground typing. Donphan also sports high Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to both tank physical hits well and hit hard with its physical attacks. It also has access to a useful priority move in Ice Shard, letting Donphan defeat opposing Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle while also allowing it to defeat Pokemon that can survive its first attack. Donphan also has an amazing ability in Sturdy, allowing it to survive any hit that isn't from Mold Breaker or Teravolt, letting it safely fire off Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush despite being quite slow. However, Donphan lacks utility moves such as Taunt, making it susceptible to bulky Pokemon that can easily recover off any damage or boost their Defense, such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D. Donphan's low Speed stat also means that it will almost always take a hit before moving. Donphan also loses to bulky hard hitters such as Celesteela, along with common Air Balloon users such as Magearna. Despite Ground being a good type offensively, it also hurts Donphan quite a bit, as it sports common weaknesses to Water and Ice.

Bulky Attacker
Donphan @ Groundium Z / Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Counter

Set Comments

Moves

Earthquake is Donphan's STAB attack, and is boosted to a respectable 180 Base Power with a Groundium Z. Tectonic Rage deals massive damage to most Pokemon, and can even get past some bulky Pokemon such as maximum HP Genesect. It is capable of OHKOing every Pokemon it hits super effectively, barring Sturdy users such as Magnezone and Golem. Head Smash provides Donphan with valuable Rock-type coverage that hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir that are unaffected by Tectonic Rage. In addition, a Rockium Z can be used to give Donphan an extremely powerful Continental Crush, which does not break Donphan's Sturdy when the foe does not attack, while also removing Head Smash's chance to miss. Ice Shard is useful for picking off weakened Pokemon due to Donphan's low Speed stat, and can finish off Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle, Golem, and Magnezone. It can also pick off Pokemon that have been severely weakened by Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush. Finally, Counter helps against strong physical attackers such as Kartana and Dragonite, due to Donphan's Sturdy ability along with its high Defense stat. [Bad examples since both dies to either Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush + Ice Shard, mention like bulky steel types when u don't have tectonic rage like Mega Metagross or against other ground types like Chomp, opposing donphan]

Set Details

Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature gives Donphan as much physical power as it can get. Maximum HP investment gives Donphan both physical and special bulk, allowing it to take hits such as Kyurem-B's Ice Beam better and maximize Counter damage. A Groundium Z turns Earthquake into an extremely powerful Tectonic Rage, dealing massive damage to most foes. On the other hand, a Rockium Z can be used instead with Head Smash, and allows Donphan to more reliably check Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir and both Mega Charizard formes. Groundium Z is generally preferred over Rockium Z, as it has STAB and can deal with more threats than Rockium Z can.

Usage Tips

In most matchups, click Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush to deal huge damage to foes. Use Head Smash or Continental Crush against Pokemon it hits super effectively, such as Mega Pinsir. Tectonic Rage also has more power than Continental Crush due to STAB, and can let Donphan beat Pokemon such as Magearna that Rockium Z cannot. However, Continental Crush can be used to beat Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-B that Groundium Z Donphan normally loses to. Generally, the EdgeQuake coverage is enough to beat most foes, so both sets are effective and can be fitted to suit different teams. Use Ice Shard to pick off weakened Pokemon after a Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush, especially if the foe has survived due to Sturdy. When up against strong physical attackers such as Kartana, use Counter to deal massive damage after tanking a hit. However, be wary, as some players may predict a Counter and set up instead. It is also wise to use Donphan to scare off potential threats such as Charizard and Mega Metagross, making it easier to bring in Pokemon such as Magearna.

Team Options

Donphan can be used on a myriad of teams due to its ability to check a large majority of the metagame, and can be a safe option for teams weak to many Pokemon. Due to Sturdy and its solid Ground typing, it checks a lot of top picks like Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Mega Charizard X, which can often defeat many Pokemon on their own. Pokemon such as Kyurem-B also appreciate Donphan scaring off Steel-type Pokemon such as Magearna and Mega Metagross. Donphan mostly relies on its Sturdy ability to win, so it generally struggles against Mold Breaker and Teravolt Pokemon, namely Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B. As such, checks such as Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Magearna are heavily appreciated by Donphan as they can scare them off or defeat them. Mega Gyarados in particular easily defeats Donphan due to Intimidate, its Water typing, and set up move in Dragon Dance, allowing it to bypass Counter. Donphan also generally struggles with Kyurem-B, although Rockium Z sets are better at taking it out, making them less of a threat. Donphan also cannot hit many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro for super effective damage, leaving it unable to deal enough damage before they heal. Due to this, Pokemon such as Greninja and Tapu Koko that can deal with bulky walls are valuable towards Donphan's success. Special hard-hitters such as Porygon-Z can also deal with physically bulky Pokemon such as defensive Mega Charizard X that Donphan would usually lose to.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Gunk Shot can replace Counter to beat Grass- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Tapu Bulu, but Counter is generally more useful in defeating more common Pokemon. Another option Donphan can run is Fire Fang, which allows it to beat Ferrothorn, but is generally a waste of a slot otherwise, as it forces Donphan to forgo one of its other moves. Donphan can also run maximum Speed EVs instead of HP EVs, allowing it to outspeed Air Balloon Magearna, other Donphan, and Golem, but Donphan sacrifices necessary bulk along with any chance of defeating Kyurem-B.

Checks and Counters

Mold Breaker and Teravolt: Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B can utilize their abilities to nullify Donphan's Sturdy, OHKOing it with powerful super effective attacks. [I'd say like some mold breaker users or just put dos and kyub, since excadrill has mold breaker but can't beat donphan]

Physically Defensive Pokemon: Physically bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D take very little from Donphan's attacks and can easily heal the damage off. Mega Slowbro can also hit Donphan with super effective Water-type moves, and Deoxys-D can PP stall it.

Ground- and Rock-resistant Pokemon: Pokemon such as Celesteela resist Donphan's high-damaging attacks and can beat Donphan consistently. Some Pokemon such as Magearna and Magnezone, while being weak to Ground, can utilize an Air Balloon, making them immune to Ground while already resisting Donphan's other attacks.

Bulky Special Attackers: Bulky special hard hitters such as Tapu Fini can sponge a few hits from Donphan and KO it with their special attacks. Tapu Lele in particular blocks Ice Shard with Psychic Terrain, and can easily 2HKO Donphan due to its low Special Defense.
QC 3/3. Great job!
 

Sobi

Banned deucer.
Overview
A good offensive Ground typing allows Donphan to defeat many common Electric-, Steel-, and Fire-type Pokemon, letting it check top threats such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, and Mega Metagross. Donphan also has access to a great coverage move in Head Smash, allowing it to hit the Flying-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall Donphan due to its Ground typing. Donphan also sports high Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to both tank physical hits well and hit hard with its physical attacks. It also has access to a useful priority move in Ice Shard, letting Donphan defeat opposing Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle while also allowing it to defeat Pokemon that can survive its first attack. Donphan also has an amazing ability in Sturdy, allowing it to survive any hit that isn't from Mold Breaker or Teravolt Pokemon, letting it safely fire off Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush despite being quite slow. However, Donphan lacks utility moves such as Taunt, making it susceptible to bulky Pokemon that can easily recover off any damage or boost their Defense, such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D. Donphan's low Speed stat also means that it will almost always take a hit before moving. Donphan also loses to bulky hard hitters such as Celesteela, along with common Air Balloon users such as Magearna. Despite Ground being a good type offensively, it also hurts Donphan quite a bit, as it sports common weaknesses to Water and Ice.

Bulky Attacker
Donphan @ Groundium Z / Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Counter

Set Comments

Moves
Earthquake is Donphan's STAB attack, (RC) and is boosted to a respectable 180 Base Power with a Groundium Z. Tectonic Rage deals massive damage to most Pokemon, (RC) and can even get past some bulky Pokemon such as maximum HP Genesect. It is capable of OHKOing every Pokemon it hits super effectively, barring Sturdy users such as Magnezone and Golem. Head Smash provides Donphan with valuable Rock-type coverage that hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir that are unaffected by Tectonic Rage. In addition, a Rockium Z can be used to give Donphan an extremely powerful Continental Crush, (RC) which that does not break Donphan's Sturdy when the foe does not attack,(RC) while also removing Head Smash's chance to miss. Ice Shard is useful for picking off weakened Pokemon due to Donphan's low Speed stat, (RC) and can finish off Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle, Golem, and Magnezone. It can also pick off Pokemon that have been severely weakened by Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush. Finally, Counter helps against strong physical attackers such as opposing Donphan, Garchomp, and Mega Metagross (if running Continental Crush), (RC) due to Donphan's Sturdy ability along with its high Defense stat.

Set Details
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature gives Donphan as much physical power as it can get. Maximum HP investment gives Donphan both physical and special bulk, allowing it to take hits such as Kyurem-B's Ice Beam better and maximize Counter damage. A Groundium Z turns Earthquake into an extremely powerful Tectonic Rage, dealing massive damage to most foes. On the other hand, a Rockium Z can be used instead with Head Smash, (RC) and allows Donphan to more reliably check Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir and both Mega Charizard formes. Groundium Z is generally preferred over Rockium Z, as it has STAB and can deal with more threats than Rockium Z can.

Usage Tips
In most matchups, click Tectonic Rage or Continental Crush to deal huge damage to foes. Use Head Smash or Continental Crush against Pokemon it hits super effectively, such as Mega Pinsir. Tectonic Rage also has more power than Continental Crush due to STAB,(RC) and can let Donphan beat Pokemon such as Magearna that Rockium Z cannot. However, Continental Crush can be used to beat Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-B that Groundium Z Donphan normally loses to. Generally, the EdgeQuake coverage is enough to beat most foes, so both sets are effective and can be fitted to suit different teams. Use Ice Shard to pick off weakened Pokemon after a Tectonic Rage, Head Smash, or Continental Crush, especially if the foe has survived due to Sturdy. When up against strong physical attackers such as Kartana, use Counter to deal massive damage after tanking a hit. However, be wary, as some players may predict a Counter and set up instead. It is also wise to use Donphan to scare off potential threats such as (Mega?) Charizard and Mega Metagross, making it easier to bring in Pokemon such as Magearna.

Team Options
Donphan can be used on a myriad of teams due to its ability to check a large majority of the metagame, (RC) and can be a safe option for teams weak to many Pokemon. Due to Sturdy and its solid Ground typing, it checks a lot of top picks like Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Mega Charizard X, which can often defeat many Pokemon on their own. Pokemon such as Kyurem-B also appreciate Donphan scaring off Steel-type Pokemon such as Magearna and Mega Metagross. Donphan mostly relies on its Sturdy ability to win, so it generally struggles against Mold Breaker and Teravolt Pokemon, namely Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B. As such, checks such as Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, and Magearna are heavily appreciated by Donphan, (AC) as they can scare them off or defeat them. Mega Gyarados in particular easily defeats Donphan due to Intimidate, its Water typing, and its setup move in Dragon Dance, allowing it to bypass Counter. Donphan also generally struggles with Kyurem-B, although Rockium Z sets are better at taking it out, making them less of a threat. Donphan also cannot hit many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro for super effective damage, leaving it unable to deal enough damage before they heal. Due to this, Pokemon such as Greninja and Tapu Koko that can deal with bulky walls are valuable towards Donphan's success. Special hard-hitters hard hitters such as Porygon-Z can also deal with physically bulky Pokemon such as defensive Mega Charizard X that Donphan would usually lose to.

Strategy Comments

Other Options
Gunk Shot can replace Counter to beat Grass- and Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Tapu Bulu, but Counter is generally more useful in defeating more common Pokemon. Another option Donphan can run is Fire Fang, which allows it to beat Ferrothorn, but is generally a waste of a slot otherwise, as it forces Donphan to forgo one of its other moves. Donphan can also run maximum Speed EVs instead of HP EVs, allowing it to outspeed Air Balloon Magearna, other Donphan, and Golem, but Donphan sacrifices necessary bulk along with any chance of defeating Kyurem-B.

Checks and Counters

Mold Breaker and Teravolt: Mega Gyarados and Kyurem-B can utilize their abilities to nullify Donphan's Sturdy, OHKOing it with powerful super effective attacks.

Physically Defensive Pokemon: Physically bulky Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Deoxys-D take very little from Donphan's attacks and can easily heal the damage off. Mega Slowbro can also hit Donphan with super effective Water-type moves, and Deoxys-D can PP stall it.

Ground- and Rock-resistant Pokemon: Pokemon such as Celesteela resist Donphan's high-damaging attacks and can beat Donphan consistently. Some Pokemon such as Magearna and Magnezone, while being weak to Ground, can utilize an Air Balloon, making them immune to Ground while already resisting Donphan's other attacks.

Bulky Special Attackers: Bulky special hard hitters such as Tapu Fini can sponge a few hits from Donphan and KO it with their special attacks. Tapu Lele in particular blocks Ice Shard with Psychic Terrain, (RC) and can easily 2HKO Donphan due to its low Special Defense.

GP 1/2
 
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