I'll get this done after Volcarona.
'ey suh! can i axe you a quession?
[Overview]
<p>The first two things that one notices about Haxorus is that it looks cool, and it has an absolutely amazing base 147 Attack stat. Given this, you'd think everyone would be scrambling to put Haxorus in their teams. However, there are a few drawbacks to using it. Its odd base 97 Speed, decidedly average defenses, and shallow movepool don't give Haxorus much to work with, especially when most Dragon-types are faster than Haxorus. Its destructive potential is enough to overshadow these drawbacks however, warranting Haxorus a spot on any team willing to accommodate it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop / Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Brick Break
move 4: Brick Break / X-Scissor / Outrage
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>By equipping a Choice item, Haxorus can unleash the beast within and maul its usual checks with its awesome power. By holding a Choice Scarf, Haxorus outspeeds and KOes faster Dragon-types, such as Garchomp and Latios, before they can act, which gives Haxorus more room to switch in and out so it can switch moves. Choice Band makes Haxorus a bit more reliant on team support, but boosts its already potent 218 Attack to a massive 327, which allows Haxorus to 2HKO threats such as 140 HP Zapdos, specially defensive Cresselia, Dusclops, and Togekiss with Dragon Claw or Dual Chop. Outrage is even more destructive with a Choice Band, OHKOing each of the aforementioned threats even if they have not sustained much prior damage. Unfortunately, Outrage isn't all that reliable because it selects its target randomly, but any opponent hit, bar Steel-types, probably won't enjoy taking huge amounts of damage. Earthquake is a staple spread move, but unlike other Earthquake users, Mold Breaker allows Haxorus to hit Levitating Pokemon. This is of course a double-edged sword, as this affects your own Levitators as well. Rock Slide is another staple move, but you might find its paltry 56 Base Power unappealing. Haxorus also has access to Brick Break and X-Scissor, which can be used to hit the occasional Ice- and Steel-types and Grass- and Psychic-types, respectively.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dual Chop and Dragon Claw share the same 80 Base Power, though Dual Chop has a better chance to critical hit, and can hit through Substitutes, resist Berries, and Focus Sashes.However, Dual Chop has only 90% accuracy as opposed to Dragon Claw's 100%, and has higher chances of activating abilities such as Flame Body. The EV spread ensures that Haxorus outpaces neutral nature base 95 Speed Pokemon, such as Darmanitan, as well as Timid Smeargle. If you're concerned about opposing Haxorus, you can use a spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe to outspeed those with the standard spread.</p>
<p>Choice Haxorus is more reliant on team support than other variants. Togekiss and Hitmontop spring to mind as good partners, either paralyzing and redirecting attacks or flinching the opponent and protecting Haxorus from Blizzard, respectively. Additionally, both Togekiss and Hitmontop have the option of boosting Haxorus's already devastating attacks to almost unimaginable heights with Helping Hand. Haxorus also appreciates having Zapdos or Thundurus as partners, as they are immune to its Earthquake, can support Haxorus with Tailwind or Thunder Wave and, in Zapdos's case, use Heat Wave to melt opposing Ice- and Steel-types. Feint, Taunt, Imprison, and Encore support is helpful to ensure that opponents don't Protect their vital Pokemon, ensuring a kill under Haxorus's claws. Because Haxorus might be switching in and out frequently to change its moves, it is important to have a Pokemon that can sponge, or is immune to, the attacks that Haxorus attracts. Shedinja, Ferrothorn, Suicune, and Rotom-W make great switch-ins, and the latter three can even slow down the opposition with Thunder Wave or Icy Wind.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
move 2: Earthquake / Rock Slide
move 3: Rock Slide / Brick Break / X-Scissor
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Yache Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though this set lacks the extra power granted by a Choice Band, it gives Haxorus more freedom to use its moves, as well as being able to use different—and in some cases more useful—items. Haxorus is constantly threatened to be paralyzed or burned by common supporters, such as Zapdos, Cresselia, and Dusclops, and cannot KO them in time to avoid being statused. Lum Berry remedies this, giving Haxorus enough time to KO said threats, and emerge from the conflict relatively unscathed. Yache Berry is useful to help Haxorus check Ice-types more easily, and allows Haxorus to stand up to a surprise Ice Beam. Life Orb is of course a more offensive item, turning 2HKOs such as X-Scissor against Abomasnow into OHKOs at a cost of 10% of Haxorus's health for each successful hit. The first three moves are fairly self explanatory; reliable STAB, spread, and coverage moves make for a fairly standard physical attacking set. Protect is the recommended fourth move simply because it is 'exclusive' to non-Choice Haxorus, but a fourth attack can be used in Protect's place if needed.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are a few more things worth mentioning on a regular physical attacking set, namely Haban Berry and Taunt. Haban Berry allows Haxorus to check Dragon-types that would otherwise give it a hard time, and while Taunt may seem like a bad idea due to the prevalence of Mental Herb, it can still prove useful for foiling attempts to status Haxorus or set up Trick Room. Outrage is an option here as well, though it doesn't have the same hope-shattering power as the Choice Band set. The given EV spread allows a resist Berry to be used more effectively, while still letting Haxorus outspeed Timid Smeargle and neutral natured Excadrill outside sandstorm. If you're not using a resist Berry and don't hold much stock in Haxorus's defenses, a spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe enables it to outspeed neutral base 95 Speed Pokemon.</p>
<p>Being one of the slower Dragon-types, Haxorus naturally appreciates paralysis or Tailwind support. Whimsicott and Togekiss can provide both, as well as being resistant and immune to Earthquake, respectively. Zapdos and Thundurus supply paralysis and can check rain teams that give Haxorus a headache, and in Zapdos's case, provide Tailwind support as well. Hitmontop can flinch opposing Pokemon with Fake Out, soften blows with Intimidate, and check most Ice-types who can freeze Haxorus to the spot. Arcanine is in a similar boat, except it has access to STAB Flare Blitz and Heat Wave as well as the mighty ExtremeSpeed.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Haxorus's movepool isn't very deep, but there are a few things worth considering. Haxorus is one of the few Pokemon in VGC that is able to pull off a boosting set with either Swords Dance or Dragon Dance. The catch to using a boosting set is that it requires a turn to set up, more team support, and a moveslot, though Haxorus has decent coverage with Earthquake and Dragon Claw anyway. Substitute is risky, but if used right it allows Haxorus to evade status, and can be used to set up on a predicted Protect. Haxorus is bulky enough to forgo the use of a Focus Sash, though the option is always there if you don't trust your Haxorus to take a hit. Reversal and Endeavor pair well with Focus Sash, but Haxorus is still susceptible to priority moves and damaging weather. Night Slash hits Ghost-types harder than most of the moves Haxorus commonly uses, but beyond that, X-Scissor is more powerful and hits everything else that Night Slash covers. Dragon Gem boosts Outrage to a whopping 270 Base Power, which is sure to dent anything unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. However, Haxorus usually has better items to hold, though again, taking a STAB Dragon Gem-boosted move from Haxorus is a frightening prospect indeed. Return is a usable 102 Base Power move, but it doesn't do much to help Haxorus's coverage. While it may be tempting to use a Jolly nature on any of Haxorus's sets—especially Choice Scarf—it doesn't outspeed anything notable besides neutral nature base 100 Speed Pokemon, and Haxorus's main draw is its power, which a Jolly nature detracts from.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As powerful as Haxorus is, its Achilles heel is most often its Speed. Faster Dragon-types, such as Latios and Salamence, will tear Haxorus limb from limb before it has a chance to respond, but they must be wary of Choice Scarf variants. Thanks to its Swift Swim ability, Kingdra can easily outrun Haxorus during pouring rain, but must use boosting items or Draco Meteor to guarantee a KO. Ferrothorn can take most of Haxorus's attacks with ease, and either take Haxorus out itself with Gyro Ball or cripple it with Thunder Wave. Usual defensive standbys Cresselia and Dusclops can't take an Outrage too well, but can survive and cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Metagross is a sturdy defensive tank known for its ability to take even Excadrill's Earthquakes, and can beat down Haxorus with Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, or Ice Punch. Pokemon with the Intimidate ability, such as Hitmontop, can soften up Haxorus for a teammate's retaliation attempt, but Haxorus's Attack stat is so colossal that even after an Attack drop its assaults will leave a mark. Hail teams, especially those with faster Ice-types, such as Weavile and Mamoswine, give Haxorus a hard time, though it can OHKO or 2HKO most Ice-types with Brick Break or Rock Slide.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Haxorus receives Unnerve through the Dream World. While it might seem to be inferior to Mold Breaker because it cannot hit Levitating Pokemon, this fault can easily become an asset in teambuilding. With Unnerve, Haxorus is more easily paired with Pokemon such as Cresselia, which can give you more options. Unnerve also gives Haxorus a level of team support, as it prevents the opponents from using their Berries, such as Lum and Sitrus, which makes OHKOs more likely, and paralysis easier to inflict. Moreover, Unnerve disables resist Berries—Haban Berry in particular—which allows Haxorus to OHKO threats it otherwise couldn't, such as Haban Berry Kingdra.</p>
'ey suh! can i axe you a quession?
[Overview]
<p>The first two things that one notices about Haxorus is that it looks cool, and it has an absolutely amazing base 147 Attack stat. Given this, you'd think everyone would be scrambling to put Haxorus in their teams. However, there are a few drawbacks to using it. Its odd base 97 Speed, decidedly average defenses, and shallow movepool don't give Haxorus much to work with, especially when most Dragon-types are faster than Haxorus. Its destructive potential is enough to overshadow these drawbacks however, warranting Haxorus a spot on any team willing to accommodate it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop / Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Brick Break
move 4: Brick Break / X-Scissor / Outrage
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>By equipping a Choice item, Haxorus can unleash the beast within and maul its usual checks with its awesome power. By holding a Choice Scarf, Haxorus outspeeds and KOes faster Dragon-types, such as Garchomp and Latios, before they can act, which gives Haxorus more room to switch in and out so it can switch moves. Choice Band makes Haxorus a bit more reliant on team support, but boosts its already potent 218 Attack to a massive 327, which allows Haxorus to 2HKO threats such as 140 HP Zapdos, specially defensive Cresselia, Dusclops, and Togekiss with Dragon Claw or Dual Chop. Outrage is even more destructive with a Choice Band, OHKOing each of the aforementioned threats even if they have not sustained much prior damage. Unfortunately, Outrage isn't all that reliable because it selects its target randomly, but any opponent hit, bar Steel-types, probably won't enjoy taking huge amounts of damage. Earthquake is a staple spread move, but unlike other Earthquake users, Mold Breaker allows Haxorus to hit Levitating Pokemon. This is of course a double-edged sword, as this affects your own Levitators as well. Rock Slide is another staple move, but you might find its paltry 56 Base Power unappealing. Haxorus also has access to Brick Break and X-Scissor, which can be used to hit the occasional Ice- and Steel-types and Grass- and Psychic-types, respectively.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dual Chop and Dragon Claw share the same 80 Base Power, though Dual Chop has a better chance to critical hit, and can hit through Substitutes, resist Berries, and Focus Sashes.However, Dual Chop has only 90% accuracy as opposed to Dragon Claw's 100%, and has higher chances of activating abilities such as Flame Body. The EV spread ensures that Haxorus outpaces neutral nature base 95 Speed Pokemon, such as Darmanitan, as well as Timid Smeargle. If you're concerned about opposing Haxorus, you can use a spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe to outspeed those with the standard spread.</p>
<p>Choice Haxorus is more reliant on team support than other variants. Togekiss and Hitmontop spring to mind as good partners, either paralyzing and redirecting attacks or flinching the opponent and protecting Haxorus from Blizzard, respectively. Additionally, both Togekiss and Hitmontop have the option of boosting Haxorus's already devastating attacks to almost unimaginable heights with Helping Hand. Haxorus also appreciates having Zapdos or Thundurus as partners, as they are immune to its Earthquake, can support Haxorus with Tailwind or Thunder Wave and, in Zapdos's case, use Heat Wave to melt opposing Ice- and Steel-types. Feint, Taunt, Imprison, and Encore support is helpful to ensure that opponents don't Protect their vital Pokemon, ensuring a kill under Haxorus's claws. Because Haxorus might be switching in and out frequently to change its moves, it is important to have a Pokemon that can sponge, or is immune to, the attacks that Haxorus attracts. Shedinja, Ferrothorn, Suicune, and Rotom-W make great switch-ins, and the latter three can even slow down the opposition with Thunder Wave or Icy Wind.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
move 2: Earthquake / Rock Slide
move 3: Rock Slide / Brick Break / X-Scissor
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Yache Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though this set lacks the extra power granted by a Choice Band, it gives Haxorus more freedom to use its moves, as well as being able to use different—and in some cases more useful—items. Haxorus is constantly threatened to be paralyzed or burned by common supporters, such as Zapdos, Cresselia, and Dusclops, and cannot KO them in time to avoid being statused. Lum Berry remedies this, giving Haxorus enough time to KO said threats, and emerge from the conflict relatively unscathed. Yache Berry is useful to help Haxorus check Ice-types more easily, and allows Haxorus to stand up to a surprise Ice Beam. Life Orb is of course a more offensive item, turning 2HKOs such as X-Scissor against Abomasnow into OHKOs at a cost of 10% of Haxorus's health for each successful hit. The first three moves are fairly self explanatory; reliable STAB, spread, and coverage moves make for a fairly standard physical attacking set. Protect is the recommended fourth move simply because it is 'exclusive' to non-Choice Haxorus, but a fourth attack can be used in Protect's place if needed.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are a few more things worth mentioning on a regular physical attacking set, namely Haban Berry and Taunt. Haban Berry allows Haxorus to check Dragon-types that would otherwise give it a hard time, and while Taunt may seem like a bad idea due to the prevalence of Mental Herb, it can still prove useful for foiling attempts to status Haxorus or set up Trick Room. Outrage is an option here as well, though it doesn't have the same hope-shattering power as the Choice Band set. The given EV spread allows a resist Berry to be used more effectively, while still letting Haxorus outspeed Timid Smeargle and neutral natured Excadrill outside sandstorm. If you're not using a resist Berry and don't hold much stock in Haxorus's defenses, a spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe enables it to outspeed neutral base 95 Speed Pokemon.</p>
<p>Being one of the slower Dragon-types, Haxorus naturally appreciates paralysis or Tailwind support. Whimsicott and Togekiss can provide both, as well as being resistant and immune to Earthquake, respectively. Zapdos and Thundurus supply paralysis and can check rain teams that give Haxorus a headache, and in Zapdos's case, provide Tailwind support as well. Hitmontop can flinch opposing Pokemon with Fake Out, soften blows with Intimidate, and check most Ice-types who can freeze Haxorus to the spot. Arcanine is in a similar boat, except it has access to STAB Flare Blitz and Heat Wave as well as the mighty ExtremeSpeed.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Haxorus's movepool isn't very deep, but there are a few things worth considering. Haxorus is one of the few Pokemon in VGC that is able to pull off a boosting set with either Swords Dance or Dragon Dance. The catch to using a boosting set is that it requires a turn to set up, more team support, and a moveslot, though Haxorus has decent coverage with Earthquake and Dragon Claw anyway. Substitute is risky, but if used right it allows Haxorus to evade status, and can be used to set up on a predicted Protect. Haxorus is bulky enough to forgo the use of a Focus Sash, though the option is always there if you don't trust your Haxorus to take a hit. Reversal and Endeavor pair well with Focus Sash, but Haxorus is still susceptible to priority moves and damaging weather. Night Slash hits Ghost-types harder than most of the moves Haxorus commonly uses, but beyond that, X-Scissor is more powerful and hits everything else that Night Slash covers. Dragon Gem boosts Outrage to a whopping 270 Base Power, which is sure to dent anything unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. However, Haxorus usually has better items to hold, though again, taking a STAB Dragon Gem-boosted move from Haxorus is a frightening prospect indeed. Return is a usable 102 Base Power move, but it doesn't do much to help Haxorus's coverage. While it may be tempting to use a Jolly nature on any of Haxorus's sets—especially Choice Scarf—it doesn't outspeed anything notable besides neutral nature base 100 Speed Pokemon, and Haxorus's main draw is its power, which a Jolly nature detracts from.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As powerful as Haxorus is, its Achilles heel is most often its Speed. Faster Dragon-types, such as Latios and Salamence, will tear Haxorus limb from limb before it has a chance to respond, but they must be wary of Choice Scarf variants. Thanks to its Swift Swim ability, Kingdra can easily outrun Haxorus during pouring rain, but must use boosting items or Draco Meteor to guarantee a KO. Ferrothorn can take most of Haxorus's attacks with ease, and either take Haxorus out itself with Gyro Ball or cripple it with Thunder Wave. Usual defensive standbys Cresselia and Dusclops can't take an Outrage too well, but can survive and cripple Haxorus with Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Metagross is a sturdy defensive tank known for its ability to take even Excadrill's Earthquakes, and can beat down Haxorus with Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, or Ice Punch. Pokemon with the Intimidate ability, such as Hitmontop, can soften up Haxorus for a teammate's retaliation attempt, but Haxorus's Attack stat is so colossal that even after an Attack drop its assaults will leave a mark. Hail teams, especially those with faster Ice-types, such as Weavile and Mamoswine, give Haxorus a hard time, though it can OHKO or 2HKO most Ice-types with Brick Break or Rock Slide.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Haxorus receives Unnerve through the Dream World. While it might seem to be inferior to Mold Breaker because it cannot hit Levitating Pokemon, this fault can easily become an asset in teambuilding. With Unnerve, Haxorus is more easily paired with Pokemon such as Cresselia, which can give you more options. Unnerve also gives Haxorus a level of team support, as it prevents the opponents from using their Berries, such as Lum and Sitrus, which makes OHKOs more likely, and paralysis easier to inflict. Moreover, Unnerve disables resist Berries—Haban Berry in particular—which allows Haxorus to OHKO threats it otherwise couldn't, such as Haban Berry Kingdra.</p>
