Original not-as-hipster-thread
Fuzznip gave me the best Christmas present. ;_;
Overview
########
Conkeldurr is a prime example of a bulky Fighting-type and why its stone slabs are not just for show. Its base 105 HP and 95 Defense make it a difficult opponent to take down physically. Though its Special Defense is low, it is remedied by the introduction of Assault Vest in Generation VI - boosting its Special Defense to a possible stat of 343 with a neutral nature. Access to STAB Drain Punch keeps Conkeldurr healthy while Mach Punch offers Conkeldurr extra utility that many Fighting-types wish they could have access to. Its stellar physical movepool to complement its base 140 Attack and Guts to absorb status makes Conkeldurr a big threat to many teams that don’t take it into account.
Though Generation VI has brought a lot of great things to Conkeldurr such as Assault Vest, a buff to Knock Off, a nerf to many common special attacks’ base power, and the disappearance of permanent weather not all is sunshine and rainbows for our concrete-holding friend. The introduction of Fairy-type has given Conkeldurr another weakness as well as another type that resists its STAB Fighting-type attacks. Furthermore, Conkeldurr has to face a power creep with the introduction of Mega Evolutions as well as new threats such as Talonflame.
Assault Vest
########
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
ability: Guts
item: Assault Vest
evs: 252 Atk / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Drain Punch is the primary attack in this set as it keeps Conkeldurr healthy as well as provide Conkeldurr with a STAB Fighting-type attack to compliment its base 140 Attack stat. Mach Punch is very useful as it can close gaps on Poklemon that Conkeldurr falls short on KOing as well as provide Conkeldurr utility in revenge killing threats such as Lucario and Mega Gyarados. Knock Off’s buff allows it to harass opponents by knocking off their crucial items such as Leftovers and Assault Vest while giving Conkeldurr ways of dealing with Ghost-types such as Aegislash and Gengar. Ice Punch really compliments Conkeldurr well by hitting Pokemon that would commonly switch into Conkeldurr such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. Stone Edge is also a great move as it can prevent Gyarados, Charizard, and Pinsir from switching into Conkeldurr and taking advantage of its movepool.
Set Details
========
Assault Vest is this set’s primary item as it raises Conkeldurr’s Special Defense greatly. The given spread balances defenses while maximizing Attack and outspeeding 0 Speed Hippowdon. Furthermore, not having HP EVs helps Drain Punch recovery a larger percentage of health than Conkeldurr that invest into max HP. Guts is the preferred ability as it allows Conkeldurr to switch into status moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Thunder Wave while making Scald and Lava Plume’s burn a detriment to the opponent. If you can play around status Iron Fist is an okay option as it boosts most of Conkeldurr’s attacks. An alternative spread of 188 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD / 20 Spe can be used to maximize Conkeldurr's defenses on both spectrums.
Usage Tips
========
This set specializes in what Conkeldurr is known for - hefty hits while tanking hits. Assault Vest Conkeldurr is great because, with Guts, it absorbs status while tanking damage and hitting like a bulldozer through a forest. Conkeldurr is not necessarily a Pokemon that you build a team around. Conkeldurr is mostly a team player and can adjust its final move to cater the team and their needs. As Guts is a great ability to take advantage of switching into threats such as Rotom-W, Chansey, and Heatran are highly recommended. Thanks to Assault Vest and STAB Drain Punch switching into these threats is of little concern.
Prediction is very crucial when using this set. Firing repeated STAB Drain Punches can be detrimental to Conkeldurr as it can give opportunities for your opponent to switch into threats such as Latios, Aegislash, and Landorus-T. In this case it is best to attempt to predict the opponent’s next move such as a switch into Landorus-T and punish the opponent with Ice Punch. Knock Off is a great tool in scouting opponent’s moves and even the opponent’s Mega Evolution as the Mega Stone will not be knocked off the opponent. Denying the opponent items such as Leftovers and Assault Vest can really help Conkeldurr and its teams turn the tides of battle by making KOes easier to land. Bear in mind that Conkeldurr still has to stay healthy, though, so remember that Conkeldurr still needs to fire off Drain Punches as a safe attack even if the opponent carries a Fighting-type resist.
Team Options
========
As stated before the Assault Vest set isn’t really a sweeper and focuses more on being a team player. Conkeldurr is troubled by many threats - in particular Fairy-types such as Clefable and Azumarill as well as physical walls such as Hippowdon and Mega Venusaur. Depending on the final attack can also determine what will trouble Conkeldurr more - without Ice Punch Gliscor and Landorus-T become bigger issues while lacking Stone Edge introduces Charizard and Gyarados as major threats. Kyurem-B is great as it can shut down the majority of the threats that trouble Conkeldurr thanks to STAB Ice Beam and access to Fusion Bolt. Mega Venusaur is also a great partner as it can harass many Fairy-types with STAB Sludge Bomb and its typing. Mega Venusaur also appreciates threats such as Heatran being harassed by Conkeldurr. Heatran can also be a great teammate for Conkeldurr as Conkeldurr helps handle threats such as Rotom-W while Heatran can help against Mega Mawile. Heatran provides Conkeldurr with Stealth Rock while easily mocking Clefable and Sylveon. Heatran can also spread burns and / or Toxic on opponents to help wear down threats.
Pivots such as Landorus-T and Scizor can be great for Conkeldurr. Landorus-T can provide Stealth Rock and help check threats such as Mega Charizard X and Mega Mawile while Scizor can utilize STAB Bullet Punch to smash in Fairy-types and other fast sweepers that resist Mach Punch such as Mega Pinsir. Rotom-W is another great teammate as it can provide Will-O-Wisp to soften physical attackers while handling threats such as Azumarill decently. As passive damage such as Stealth Rock and Spikes can be alarming to Conkeldurr’s health Excadrill can spin away entry hazards while laying its own. Since Latias and Latios can also prove to be problematic to Conkeldurr, Aegislash with Pursuit can trap and kill Lati@s while also being able to handle the plethora of Fairy-types thanks to its Steel-typing.
Bulk Up
########
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Knock Off / Ice Punch / Stone Edge
ability: Guts / Iron Fist
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 Atk / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set takes the “slow and steady wins the race” approach by boosting Conkeldurr’s impressive Attack and Defense stats with Bulk Up. Bulk Up can make Conkeldurr scary - especially if the opponent relies on physical attacks to take down Conkeldurr. Drain Punch is Conkeldurr’s primary STAB and is necessary for keeping Conkeldurr healthy. Mach Punch helps clear KOes that Conkeldurr may otherwise miss and, since Conkeldurr is boosting its Attack, helps Conkeldurr attempt to pull a sweep easier. The last move should be decided on which intimidates Conkeldurr and its teammates more. Knock Off is great for keeping threats such as Aegislash and Gengar from harassing Conkeldurr. Using Ice Punch guarantees Gliscor and Landorus-T will be minor annoyances at best. Stone Edge is useful for keeping threats such as Pinsir and Charizard from switching in and is Conkeldurr’s best option against Mega Venusaur. Though not mentioned, Poison Jab can be used to prevent Fairy-types from switching into Conkeldurr.
Set Details
========
Maximizing Attack helps Conkeldurr be a threat before and after Bulk Up while maximizing Special Defense helps pad Conkeldurr’s weak spot while boosting its Defense with Bulk Up. 20 Spe EVs allows Conkeldurr to outspeed uninvested Hippowdon. Though rather extreme investing into HP or using a Careful nature can be considered when using this set. Though Conkeldurr loses a lot of power, the extra bulk can help Conkeldurr obtain a couple Bulk Up boosts against weaker Special Attacks such as Rotom-W’s Hydro Pump. Guts is a great ability with this set as it takes advantage of burns that commonly target physical sweepers and use it against the opponent. Iron Fist is an optional ability as it boosts Drain Punch, Mach Punch, and Ice Punch’s base power at the cost of being vulnerable to burn’s Attack cut. Leftovers is the only option for this set as Conkeldurr needs the passive recovery of health.
Usage Tips
========
Knowing when to set up Conkeldurr or swing attacks is crucial when using this set. While there are ample opportunities to set up Bulk Up, a switch from the opponent can prevent Conkeldurr from effectively utilizing its boost and possibly force Conkeldurr out. Knock Off is great to catch Pokemon switching into Conkeldurr as the loss of an item can be very detrimental to the opponent’s Pokemon. You can also utilize Mach Punch to revenge kill weakened threats such as Lucario. When using Guts switching into Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Heatran in hopes of a burn is a great idea - though beware that Toxic will usually shorten Conkeldurr’s sweep tremendously.
Team Options
========
Conkeldurr struggles boosting against threats such as Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Clefable as these Pokemon are usually bulky enough to take a boosted hit from Conkeldurr and either stall Conkeldurr out or force it out. Kyurem-B can inflict massive pain on most of Conkeldurr’s checks and counters with Terravolt STAB Ice Beam piercing Mega Venusaur’s Thick Fat and Fusion Bolt dealing with threats such as Skarmory, Slowbro, and Clefable. Latios is a great offensive partner as it easily shuts down Mega Venusaur and Skarmory while Conkeldurr can handle threats such as Ferrothorn and Chansey. Mandibuzz can handle Aegislash and Gengar to a lesser extent thanks to STAB Foul Play and resisting or taking neutral damage from most of the two Ghost-type Pokemon’s attacks. Azumarill can be a good offensive teammate as it can deal with Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon while Conkeldurr takes care of Rotom-W. Zapdos can handle Mega Pinsir and Talonflame which otherwise can halt Conkeldurr from sweeping.
Other Options
########
The amount of other options Conkeldurr has to consider is about as immense as the stone slabs it holds. For moves there are many to consider. Earthquake is Conkeldurr's best attack to hit around Aegislash and its King's Shield while also hitting Mega Mawile. Power-up Punch gives Assault Vest Conkeldurr a way to boost its Attack; however, Conkeldurr has a difficult time sacrificing one of its attacks to make use of Power-up Punch. Conkeldurr. Sheer Force can be used with Life Orb and boosts Rock Slide, Ice Punch, and Poison Jab. Alternatively, Iron Fist can be used to boost many of its attacks including Focus Punch and Hammer Arm. Hammer Arm is great with Trick Room as the Speed drop makes Conkeldurr faster. Finally, Toxic Orb and Flame Orb are possible items to consider when using Guts. While these items power up Conkeldurr immediately the loss of Leftovers or Assault Vest is a huge detriment to Conkeldurr and its survival.
Checks & Counters
########
**Fairy-types**: The main bane to our concrete-wielding friend are the cute Fairy-types. Mega Mawile, Clefable, and Azumarill are major issues for Conkeldurr as it does not often carry Poison Jab nor Earthquake. Mega Mawile and Azumarill will scare off Conkeldurr with STAB Play Rough while Clefable can use STAB Moonblast to send Conkeldurr back into its Pokeball.
**Physical Walls**: Skarmory, Hippowdon, Mega Venusaur, and sometimes Gliscor can prove difficult for Conkeldurr to get around. Hippowdon can easily Slack Off any damage Conkeldurr inflicts while phazing out Conkeldurr with Whirlwind. Skarmory has access to STAB Brave Bird to scare off Conkeldurr; however, bear in mind that Skarmory must stay healthy to keep Conkeldurr checked as Guts-boosted Drain Punch can do 73% minimum while Skarmory is using Roost. Thanks to Thick Fat Mega Venusaur takes neutral damage from Ice Punch while resisting Conkeldurr's STAB Fighting-type attacks. Mega Venusaur can use STAB Sludge Bomb to wear out Conkeldurr and stay healthy with Synthesis. Without Ice Punch Gliscor can become a major nuisance as it can use Substitute, Protect, and Toxic to stall out Conkeldurr without taking much damage, if any, in the process.
**Fighting-type Resistant Attackers**: A plethora of these Pokemon can either switch into Conkeldurr or check Conkeldurr from getting very far. Mega Charizard Y can switch into Conkeldurr that lack Stone Edge and do massive damage with Drought-boosted Fire Blast or STAB Air Slash. Volcarona hates Knock Off and Stone Edge; however, bulky Volcarona can take advantage of Conkeldurr and set up multiple Quiver Dances and use Roost to recover the damage taken. Mega Pinsir can switch into non-Stone Edge Conkeldurr easily and threaten off Conkeldurr with STAB Return. Mega Pinsir should be weary of using Swords Dance as Ice Punch will do a lot of damage after Pinsir Mega-Evolves.
Overview
########
- Solid durability of 105 HP / 95 Def with a passable 65 SpD.
- 140 Atk oml
- Three awesome abilities
- The weather nerfs are great for Conkeldurr as it didn't enjoy taking boosted Scalds, Surfs, Fire Blasts, and all that other junk.
- A new item, Assault Vest, is awesome on Conkeldurr. It patches one of Conkeldurr's weaker areas while allowing it to become a monster with Guts.
- Knock Off buff is really groovy for Conkeldurr as it gives Conkeldurr easier ways of bypassing Ghost-types as well as an extra way to harass Pokemon.
- Fairy-types are not welcome for Conkeldurr. Conkeldurr says - go away stupid Fairies and let me wreck shit!
Assault Vest
########
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Punch / Thunder Punch
ability: Guts
item: Assault Vest
evs: 252 Atk / 8 Def / 248 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Drain Punch is Conkeldurr's mandatory STAB. It hits hard and allows Conkeldurr to stay healthy against threats such as Rotom-W and many other Pokemon.
- Mach Punch is great for closing gaps on Pokemon that Conkeldurr would miss KOing otherwise. It also increases the sheer utility the set brings as it can help eliminate Jolly Mega Lucario and Mega Gyarados.
- Knock Off makes Conkeldurr even more annoying. After a Guts boost it can KO Jellicent after Stealth Rock and also does massive damage to Psychic-type switch-ins and it can ruin Leftovers recovery from many Pokemon.
- Ice Punch is great for Gliscor, Landorus-T, Dragonite, Togekiss, and Thundurus.
- There are times where Thunder Punch can help out a little more. Conkeldurr is a great Pokemon to tackle bulky Water-types thanks to its bulk with Assault Vest and access to Guts. Drain Punch can sometimes miss 2HKOes and, for what it's worth, is Conkeldurr's best attack at stopping Gyarados and hits Azumarill and Togekiss. In most cases Ice Punch is superior.
- Poison Jab is a solid option if Clefable and Sylveon switch-ins are more of a bother.
Set Details
========
- Assault Vest increases Conkeldurr's Special Defense at the cost of not being able to use non-attacking moves. Since Conkeldurr's movepool is so useful and the Special Defense boost is significant to increasing Conkeldurr's bulk and viability the loss of moves such as Bulk Up and Taunt are worth it.
- As Conkeldurr's HP is already massive and its Special Defense is rather low and obtains a big boost through Assault Vest it is best to maximize Special Defense instead of HP. Though you become slightly more susceptible to physical attacks the special attacks Conkeldurr can take is massive:
4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 85-102 (24.2 - 29%) -- 99.3% chance to 4HKO
4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 118-139 (28.5 - 33.5%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO
- Adamant with max Attack allows Conkeldurr to be a punishing threat on top of its already great durability.
- Guts is the preferred ability as it allows Conkeldurr to absorb Will-O-Wisp and Toxic while making Scald and Lava Plume's burn a detriment to the opponent.
- 8 Def and 248 SpD guarantee Genesect getting a Special Attack download boost. This weakens U-turn to 13-15% instead of 19.6-23% - assuming Scarf Genesect.
Usage Tips
========
- By far Conkeldurr's greatest set in Generation 6. This set specializes in what Conkeldurr is known for - hefty hits while tanking hits. Assault Vest Conkeldurr is great because, with Guts, it absorbs status while tanking damage and hitting like a bulldozer through a forest.
- Conkeldurr should attempt to step in on threats such as Rotom-W or whenever possible status infliction is coming. Chansey, Heatran, and Gliscor are just few examples.
- Conkeldurr is great at sponging hits and absorbing special attacks, but bear in mind that the set does wear out quickly once status is inflicted. It doesn't hurt to at least have Wish support on the side; however, it is not necessary. Remember that Drain Punch at least alleviates some of the damage.
- This set does require a little bit of prediction. Knock Off is a great move that can catch many Pokemon off-guard such as Aegislash; however, it sometimes is best to hold off on using it until you suffer from status. Aegislash is not 2HKOed by two Knock Offs; however, after suffering from status Guts boosted Knock Off can nearly OHKO Aegislash after Stealth Rock and assuming Leftovers is still being held on.
- Another reason why prediction is key is because repeatedly firing off Drain Punches may not be a smart idea. Your opponent may catch on and retaliate with switch-ins that don't give desirable results. Though Landorus-T is a shaky switch-in due to Ice Punch doing a hefty number to Landorus-T, chances are Drain Punch is coming when Conkeldurr is facing Tyranitar.
Team Options
========
- Assault Vest Conkeldurr isn't really a Pokemon you build a team around. Rather, it's more of a team player that helps assist other Pokemon in obtaining sweeps or stalling.
- This Conkeldurr has issues bypassing some threats such as Slowbro, Jellicent (assuming Guts wasn't activated during Knock Off), Skarmory, Hippowdon, Clefable, and Azumarill.
- Mega Venusaur is a cool partner as it can bypass most of the troublesome Fairy-types and resists everything Azumarill throws at it. Meanwhile it handles Hippowdon and Unaware Clefable fairly well. Be careful of Calm Mind Clefable though as it can sort of screw around with Mega Venusaur.
- Heatran is a cool partner as it can really use the muscle that Conkeldurr provides against bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and company. Having another Pokemon that can somewhat handle Heatran is a great boon for it. Heatran provides Stealth Rock to help Conkeldurr out while possibly spreading burns and / or Toxic to threats.
- Pivots like Landorus-T work well. Intimidate helps when Landorus-T U-turns to Conkeldurr just in the event that a physical threat stays in. Landorus-T can provide Stealth Rock as well as using STAB Earthquake to take out Charizard-X.
- Rotom-W is great because one of Conkeldurr's biggest issues is Talonflame. Rotom-W can spread burns to help aid Conkeldurr in tanking threats.
- Since Fairy-types are a huge concern for Conkeldurr Steel-types such as (Mega) Scizor, Mega Aggron, and Excadrill work well. Excadrill can clear out Stealth Rock and even spread it. Scizor can also provide Defog and Aggron can spread around Stealth Rock or paralysis with Thunder Wave. Poison-types such as Tentacruel and Gengar also can work for Conkeldurr.
- Wish support can come from Jirachi, Clefable, or Vaporeon as random examples. Jirachi is best as it can tackle a lot of the Fairy-types that Conkeldurr struggles against.
- Also consider teammates that really benefit from Conkeldurr removing threats such as bulky Water-types. Gyarados is a great example for this.
All-Out Attacker
########
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Thunder Punch
move 4: Mach Punch / Earthquake
ability: Sheer Force / Iron Fist
item: Life Orb
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 104 SpD / 44 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Though Drain Punch and Life Orb may seem counterproductive, it is Conkeldurr's access to a powerful STAB as well as access to recovering health.
- Ice Punch deals with the majority of Pokemon that otherwise resists Drain Punch. These include Togekiss, Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus-T among others. It is also necessary to 2HKO Hippowdon.
- Poison Jab is Conkeldurr's best attack at screwing over switch-ins such as Clefable and Azumarill. It also is Conkeldurr's best attack against Mega Venusaur.
- Thunder Punch hits bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Jellicent while still hitting Azumarill. For bonuses it also hits Gyarados and Skarmory.
- Earthquake is mainly to help Conkeldurr bypass Aegislash without gambling on King's Shield. Though it activates recoil the move won't be commonly used barring those instances.
- Mach Punch is to help clear gaps that Conkeldurr may miss during attacking as well as helping Conkeldurr obtain some extra utility. It can get a decent boost through Iron Fist.
- Though not mentioned Hammer Arm is a great alternative to use on this set. Conkeldurr appreciates the extra power and in situations such as Trick Room it helps it immensely. Hammer Arm also receives an Iron Fist boost.
Set Details
========
- 108 HP / 104 SpD basically helps balance defenses with Conkeldurr.
- Max Attack with an Adamant nature for obvious reasons.
- 44 Spe allows Conkeldurr to safely 2HKO Hippowdon before it slacks off. Alternatively, you can catch min Speed Azumarill with Payback or Thunder Punch.
- Sheer Force is the preferred ability as it bypasses Life Orb recoil from Conkeldurr's coverage moves barring Earthquake.
- Iron Fist isn't a bad alternative, though, as despite the constant Life Orb recoil it boosts almost all of Conkeldurr's viable attacks (barring Earthquake). It also boosts Hammer Arm.
- You can run more Speed to "speed creep" against certain threats such as Clefable, Vaporeon, and even Skarmory in some cases. Still, remember that you are sacrificing Conkeldurr's durability in the process.
- When using Conkeldurr in Trick Room, don't forget to use Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs. Also throw the remaining Speed EVs into HP or SpD.
Usage Tips
========
- This set is a bit of a different approach to the Assault Vest set. This set sacrifices the capability of taking extra hits to dish out extra damage.
- Coverage move decisions are very important. Focus on what Conkeldurr and its team needs help bypassing and then accommodate from there.
- With Iron Fist you may want to invest in Wish support. Rapid Spin and Defog is not necessary; however, recommended to help Conkeldurr stay alive in tight situations.
- Remember that Drain Punch activates Life Orb recoil so be careful when using Drain Punch on weakened threats. You might accidentally KO yourself in some situations even though you're healing yourself!
- This set doesn't have Guts. This means you are a bit more prone to status; especially burns.
Team Options
========
- Without Thunder Punch Celebi is a good teammate. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave, lay Stealth Rock, or use Heal Bell to clear status. With Psychic it can bypass Mega Venusaur provided it is weakened.
- Without Poison Jab Jirachi is a good teammate. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave or Body Slam, lay Stealth Rock, or pass Wish to Conkeldurr and its teammates. STAB Zen Headbutt can also be used to bypass Mega Venusaur but isn't necessary.
- Heatran, Charizard-X, Charizard-Y, and Talonflame are all viable Fire-types that can bypass Mega Venusaur and harass Fairy-types at the least. Heatran is best to harassing Fairy-types as it has access to Toxic, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Roar, and STAB Lava Plume having a 30% chance to burn them. With x4 resistance to Fairy as well as possible access to STAB Flash Cannon Fairies will have a difficult time with Heatran. Both Mega Charizards are great at bypassing some of Conkeldurr's problematic Pokemon while assisting with clearing gaps. Talonflame appreciates having some of the other Pokemon that Conkeldurr can clear such as bulky Water-types while Talonflame eases elimination of Mega Venusaur.
- Mega Aggron is great to simply punish anyone that dares to use a Fairy-type as well as providing Conkeldurr with Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave. With Earthquake it also handles Aegislash - a problem for this Conkeldurr set.
- For Rapid Spin Excadrill is great. STAB Iron Head helps against Clefable and other Fairy-types while Excadrill appreciates bulky Water-types, bulky Ground-types, and Skarmory cleared out.
- Potential Defog users include Scizor, Latias, and Zapdos. Scizor does decently against Mega Venusaur and can assist Conkeldurr with STAB U-turn. Furthermore, STAB Bullet Punch is great for bullying Fairy-types. Latias may not handle Fairy-types well; however, Conkeldurr can assist with Poison Jab against them while Latias clears out threats such as Mega Venusaur. If bulkier Water-types are the issue leave it to Zapdos - nothing likes taking STAB Thunderbolt or STAB Volt Switch from this thing.
- As Aegislash is a big problem without Earthquake, Mandibuzz is a cool teammate to consider. STAB Foul Play easily takes care of any Aegislash while it can Defog entry hazards away from Conkeldurr's side of the field (and, sadly, on the opponent's). Taunt and Toxic can also maim and weaken other threats to help Conkeldurr mash them in later in the game.
Bulk Up
########
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Knock Off
move 4: Mach Punch / Knock Off / Poison Jab
ability: Guts / Iron Fist
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Bulk Up to make yourself the strongest Pokemon alive!
- Drain Punch helps Conkeldurr recover missing health while being its primary move of choice for STAB Fighting-type.
- The last two moves are heavily dependent on what Conkeldurr wants to bypass. For this reason they are slashed like so.
- Ice Punch is necessary to clear Flying- and Ground-types.
- Knock Off helps bypass Jellicent and Aegislash.
- Mach Punch provides extra utility while being good for lategame after a Bulk Up or two.
- Poison Jab bypasses Fairy-types and is the strongest move to have against Mega Venusaur. Ice Punch still works, though.
Set Details
========
- 252 Atk and Adamant is for extra power.
- 252 SpD covers Conkeldurr's weakest stat - SpD.
- Rest are placed into Def to at worst tie other Conkeldurr.
- Guts is the preferred ability since Bulk Up draws in status. Though it won't survive well from Toxic, paralysis and burns are usually fine.
- Iron Fist is good if you can keep status away from Conkeldurr. Since it powers up the majority of Conkeldurr's attacks it's great to have.
- Though a bit crazier, Sheer Force and Life Orb can be used to maximize extra power from the set. The set appreciates going slower and steadier with Leftovers, though.
Usage Tips
========
- Bulk Up Conkeldurr can be a huge menace at any time of the game. Just be wary of when to set up Bulk Up and when to retaliate switch-ins with attacks.
- With Fairy-types always hit with Poison Jab as quickly as you can. Most Fairy-types are special based and really sting. Even Choice Band Azumarill's STAB Play Rough still OHKOes after Bulk Up.
- Knock Off and Mach Punch can still provide some extra utility for Conkeldurr. These are great to have even without Bulk Up boosts.
- For move combinations consider Ice Punch and Mach Punch, Knock Off and Mach Punch, or Knock Off and Poison Jab. Ice Punch and Poison Jab also works but losing out on either Mach Punch or Knock Off really isn't good.
Team Options
========
- Jirachi is a good partner. It tackles Fairy-types as well as having access to Wish to keep Bulk Up Conkeldurr in tip-top shape. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave or Body Slam, too.
- Without Knock Off Mandibuzz is a good teammate against Aegislash. It doesn't excel well against other Ghost-types such as Jellicent and, to an extent, Gourgeist-S; however, STAB Foul Play can still screw around Trevenant and makes Ghost-types harder in general to switch into Mandibuzz. Just be careful of burn - though Conkeldurr can pick up the Will-O-Wisp. Defog support is nice but so is Toxic and Taunt.
- Celebi is a pretty good teammate since it can harass Mega Venusaur with STAB Psychic while offering Conkeldurr Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock.
- Mega Aggron easily shuts down Aegislash and other Fairy-types and can support with Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave.
- Latias handles Mega Venusaur well enough while capable of passing Wish or even dual screens to Conkeldurr.
- Espeon with Dual Screens actually helps out Conkeldurr a lot. It can tackle Mega Venusaur while setting up Light Screen and / or Reflect to help Conkeldurr net a few Bulk Ups.
- Mega Venusuar can harass Fairy-types with STAB Sludge Bomb. It can also handle Jellicent with STAB Giga Drain.
- Heatran is still a solid teammate because it provides so much to Bulk Up Conkeldurr. Being able to burn things on the switch really helps.
- If you're missing Ice Punch consider bulky Water-types to help Conkeldurr out. Just be very careful of Toxic Gliscor. Vaporeon can pass Wish while Slowbro assists with Thunder Wave.
Other Options
########
- Fire Punch is a way to bypass Aegislash while obtaining Sheer Force / Life Orb boost. It does have the issue of gambling with King's Shield.
- A Choice Band set works, though Conkeldurr is very slow and appreciates being able to switch around attacks. Still, with Guts it is very powerful and Iron Fist can boost Hammer Arm to a usable attack.
- Flame Orb and Toxic Orb also work with Guts and can provide a monstrous powerhouse. The damage drain is still pretty significant, though.
- Rock Slide can be used to clear out some odd switch-ins like Mega Charizard-Y. It also gets a Sheer Force boost so it isn't that bad.
- Payback can be used instead of Knock Off on the Bulk Up set, but Knock Off provides nice utility and the bonus damage with Bulk Up usually nets a KO on Ghost-types anyway.
- Though briefly mentioned, Trick Room support can be used alongside Conkeldurr. The all-out attacking set does great with this. Iron Fist Hammer Arm really compliments Trick Room, too. Brave nature and 0 IV in Speed is required.
- With Iron Fist Conkeldurr brags a very powerful Focus Punch as well as having bulky enough Substitutes to make use of the attack.
- Power-up Punch can be used on the Assault Vest set but Conkeldurr really wants the coverage and harassment tools more than extra power.
Checks & Counters
########
- Fairy-types really give Conkeldurr a lot of trouble. Clefable can use Unaware to bypass Bulk Up boosts while STAB Moonblast will do a number. Azumarill and Mega Mawile have STAB Play Rough. Togekiss has access to STAB Dazzling Gleam and STAB Air Slash to harass Conkeldurr. Sylveon gets Pixilate Hyper Voice as does Mega Gardevoir. All of these threats need to be very wary of Poison Jab barring Mega Mawile. Azumarill struggles against Thunder Punch and Togekiss struggles against both Thunder Punch and Ice Punch (and the rare Rock Slide).
- Mega Venusaur is capable of taking a lot of harassment from Conkeldurr and healing itself with either STAB Giga Drain or Synthesis. Mega Venusaur does have to be careful when using Sludge Bomb as even though it can still tank some of Conkeldurr's hits nicely even after Guts boost Conkeldurr will still hurt it and Mega Venusaur's other teammates.
- Flying-types are great for harassing Conkeldurr even if they can't always switch into Conkeldurr safely. Skarmory is the best as it can pressure Conkeldurr without a Guts boost or if Conkeldurr is not using Life Orb Sheer Force Thunder Punch. Talonflame has access to priority Brave Bird to really mess up Conkeldurr. Charizard is capable of switching into the majority of Conkeldurr's attacks and Mega Evolve right on the spot. With Mega Charizard-X it can burn non-Guts variants while Mega Charizard-Y can hit Conkeldurr with sun-boosted Fire Blasts.
- Most Psychic-type Pokemon have to be wary of switching into Knock Off but can get the job done on situations such as revenge killing. Alakazam can threaten Conkeldurr with STAB Psychic. Slowbro can tank a non-boosted Knock Off and threaten it with repeated STAB Scalds, Psychics, or Psyshocks. Like Alakazam Espeon cannot directly switch into Conkeldurr but can go for the revenge kill.
- Ghost-types aren't necessarily solid counters but they can harass Conkeldurr if Conkeldurr times Knock Off wrong or doesn't even have it. Aegislash is probably one of the safer Conkeldurr checks as if Conkeldurr is missing Knock Off or Earthquake Conkeldurr can only dream of bypassing Aegislash. Conkeldurr sets without Guts are also crippled by Will-O-Wisp.
- Assault Vest sets can at least be checked by Hippowdon. As most AV Conkeldurr do not carry any Speed Hippowdon can Slack Off any damage done to it. Hippowdon must be wary of the All-Out Attacker Conkeldurr.
- Without Ice Punch Ground / Flying-type Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Landorus-I can check non-Bulk Up Conkeldurr fairly well. Other Flying-types such as Dragonite can really harass Conkeldurr without Ice Punch.
- Though sturdy, Conkeldurr is a very slow Pokemon. If you can't safely switch in a Pokemon to take Conkeldurr down, it isn't too difficult to revenge kill Conkeldurr provided that the revenge killer has access to moves such as Brave Bird, Psychic, or Moonblast.
########
- Solid durability of 105 HP / 95 Def with a passable 65 SpD.
- 140 Atk oml
- Three awesome abilities
- The weather nerfs are great for Conkeldurr as it didn't enjoy taking boosted Scalds, Surfs, Fire Blasts, and all that other junk.
- A new item, Assault Vest, is awesome on Conkeldurr. It patches one of Conkeldurr's weaker areas while allowing it to become a monster with Guts.
- Knock Off buff is really groovy for Conkeldurr as it gives Conkeldurr easier ways of bypassing Ghost-types as well as an extra way to harass Pokemon.
- Fairy-types are not welcome for Conkeldurr. Conkeldurr says - go away stupid Fairies and let me wreck shit!
Assault Vest
########
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Punch / Thunder Punch
ability: Guts
item: Assault Vest
evs: 252 Atk / 8 Def / 248 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Drain Punch is Conkeldurr's mandatory STAB. It hits hard and allows Conkeldurr to stay healthy against threats such as Rotom-W and many other Pokemon.
- Mach Punch is great for closing gaps on Pokemon that Conkeldurr would miss KOing otherwise. It also increases the sheer utility the set brings as it can help eliminate Jolly Mega Lucario and Mega Gyarados.
- Knock Off makes Conkeldurr even more annoying. After a Guts boost it can KO Jellicent after Stealth Rock and also does massive damage to Psychic-type switch-ins and it can ruin Leftovers recovery from many Pokemon.
- Ice Punch is great for Gliscor, Landorus-T, Dragonite, Togekiss, and Thundurus.
- There are times where Thunder Punch can help out a little more. Conkeldurr is a great Pokemon to tackle bulky Water-types thanks to its bulk with Assault Vest and access to Guts. Drain Punch can sometimes miss 2HKOes and, for what it's worth, is Conkeldurr's best attack at stopping Gyarados and hits Azumarill and Togekiss. In most cases Ice Punch is superior.
- Poison Jab is a solid option if Clefable and Sylveon switch-ins are more of a bother.
Set Details
========
- Assault Vest increases Conkeldurr's Special Defense at the cost of not being able to use non-attacking moves. Since Conkeldurr's movepool is so useful and the Special Defense boost is significant to increasing Conkeldurr's bulk and viability the loss of moves such as Bulk Up and Taunt are worth it.
- As Conkeldurr's HP is already massive and its Special Defense is rather low and obtains a big boost through Assault Vest it is best to maximize Special Defense instead of HP. Though you become slightly more susceptible to physical attacks the special attacks Conkeldurr can take is massive:
4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 85-102 (24.2 - 29%) -- 99.3% chance to 4HKO
4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 118-139 (28.5 - 33.5%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO
- Adamant with max Attack allows Conkeldurr to be a punishing threat on top of its already great durability.
- Guts is the preferred ability as it allows Conkeldurr to absorb Will-O-Wisp and Toxic while making Scald and Lava Plume's burn a detriment to the opponent.
- 8 Def and 248 SpD guarantee Genesect getting a Special Attack download boost. This weakens U-turn to 13-15% instead of 19.6-23% - assuming Scarf Genesect.
Usage Tips
========
- By far Conkeldurr's greatest set in Generation 6. This set specializes in what Conkeldurr is known for - hefty hits while tanking hits. Assault Vest Conkeldurr is great because, with Guts, it absorbs status while tanking damage and hitting like a bulldozer through a forest.
- Conkeldurr should attempt to step in on threats such as Rotom-W or whenever possible status infliction is coming. Chansey, Heatran, and Gliscor are just few examples.
- Conkeldurr is great at sponging hits and absorbing special attacks, but bear in mind that the set does wear out quickly once status is inflicted. It doesn't hurt to at least have Wish support on the side; however, it is not necessary. Remember that Drain Punch at least alleviates some of the damage.
- This set does require a little bit of prediction. Knock Off is a great move that can catch many Pokemon off-guard such as Aegislash; however, it sometimes is best to hold off on using it until you suffer from status. Aegislash is not 2HKOed by two Knock Offs; however, after suffering from status Guts boosted Knock Off can nearly OHKO Aegislash after Stealth Rock and assuming Leftovers is still being held on.
- Another reason why prediction is key is because repeatedly firing off Drain Punches may not be a smart idea. Your opponent may catch on and retaliate with switch-ins that don't give desirable results. Though Landorus-T is a shaky switch-in due to Ice Punch doing a hefty number to Landorus-T, chances are Drain Punch is coming when Conkeldurr is facing Tyranitar.
Team Options
========
- Assault Vest Conkeldurr isn't really a Pokemon you build a team around. Rather, it's more of a team player that helps assist other Pokemon in obtaining sweeps or stalling.
- This Conkeldurr has issues bypassing some threats such as Slowbro, Jellicent (assuming Guts wasn't activated during Knock Off), Skarmory, Hippowdon, Clefable, and Azumarill.
- Mega Venusaur is a cool partner as it can bypass most of the troublesome Fairy-types and resists everything Azumarill throws at it. Meanwhile it handles Hippowdon and Unaware Clefable fairly well. Be careful of Calm Mind Clefable though as it can sort of screw around with Mega Venusaur.
- Heatran is a cool partner as it can really use the muscle that Conkeldurr provides against bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and company. Having another Pokemon that can somewhat handle Heatran is a great boon for it. Heatran provides Stealth Rock to help Conkeldurr out while possibly spreading burns and / or Toxic to threats.
- Pivots like Landorus-T work well. Intimidate helps when Landorus-T U-turns to Conkeldurr just in the event that a physical threat stays in. Landorus-T can provide Stealth Rock as well as using STAB Earthquake to take out Charizard-X.
- Rotom-W is great because one of Conkeldurr's biggest issues is Talonflame. Rotom-W can spread burns to help aid Conkeldurr in tanking threats.
- Since Fairy-types are a huge concern for Conkeldurr Steel-types such as (Mega) Scizor, Mega Aggron, and Excadrill work well. Excadrill can clear out Stealth Rock and even spread it. Scizor can also provide Defog and Aggron can spread around Stealth Rock or paralysis with Thunder Wave. Poison-types such as Tentacruel and Gengar also can work for Conkeldurr.
- Wish support can come from Jirachi, Clefable, or Vaporeon as random examples. Jirachi is best as it can tackle a lot of the Fairy-types that Conkeldurr struggles against.
- Also consider teammates that really benefit from Conkeldurr removing threats such as bulky Water-types. Gyarados is a great example for this.
All-Out Attacker
########
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Thunder Punch
move 4: Mach Punch / Earthquake
ability: Sheer Force / Iron Fist
item: Life Orb
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 104 SpD / 44 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Though Drain Punch and Life Orb may seem counterproductive, it is Conkeldurr's access to a powerful STAB as well as access to recovering health.
- Ice Punch deals with the majority of Pokemon that otherwise resists Drain Punch. These include Togekiss, Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus-T among others. It is also necessary to 2HKO Hippowdon.
- Poison Jab is Conkeldurr's best attack at screwing over switch-ins such as Clefable and Azumarill. It also is Conkeldurr's best attack against Mega Venusaur.
- Thunder Punch hits bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Jellicent while still hitting Azumarill. For bonuses it also hits Gyarados and Skarmory.
- Earthquake is mainly to help Conkeldurr bypass Aegislash without gambling on King's Shield. Though it activates recoil the move won't be commonly used barring those instances.
- Mach Punch is to help clear gaps that Conkeldurr may miss during attacking as well as helping Conkeldurr obtain some extra utility. It can get a decent boost through Iron Fist.
- Though not mentioned Hammer Arm is a great alternative to use on this set. Conkeldurr appreciates the extra power and in situations such as Trick Room it helps it immensely. Hammer Arm also receives an Iron Fist boost.
Set Details
========
- 108 HP / 104 SpD basically helps balance defenses with Conkeldurr.
- Max Attack with an Adamant nature for obvious reasons.
- 44 Spe allows Conkeldurr to safely 2HKO Hippowdon before it slacks off. Alternatively, you can catch min Speed Azumarill with Payback or Thunder Punch.
- Sheer Force is the preferred ability as it bypasses Life Orb recoil from Conkeldurr's coverage moves barring Earthquake.
- Iron Fist isn't a bad alternative, though, as despite the constant Life Orb recoil it boosts almost all of Conkeldurr's viable attacks (barring Earthquake). It also boosts Hammer Arm.
- You can run more Speed to "speed creep" against certain threats such as Clefable, Vaporeon, and even Skarmory in some cases. Still, remember that you are sacrificing Conkeldurr's durability in the process.
- When using Conkeldurr in Trick Room, don't forget to use Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs. Also throw the remaining Speed EVs into HP or SpD.
Usage Tips
========
- This set is a bit of a different approach to the Assault Vest set. This set sacrifices the capability of taking extra hits to dish out extra damage.
- Coverage move decisions are very important. Focus on what Conkeldurr and its team needs help bypassing and then accommodate from there.
- With Iron Fist you may want to invest in Wish support. Rapid Spin and Defog is not necessary; however, recommended to help Conkeldurr stay alive in tight situations.
- Remember that Drain Punch activates Life Orb recoil so be careful when using Drain Punch on weakened threats. You might accidentally KO yourself in some situations even though you're healing yourself!
- This set doesn't have Guts. This means you are a bit more prone to status; especially burns.
Team Options
========
- Without Thunder Punch Celebi is a good teammate. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave, lay Stealth Rock, or use Heal Bell to clear status. With Psychic it can bypass Mega Venusaur provided it is weakened.
- Without Poison Jab Jirachi is a good teammate. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave or Body Slam, lay Stealth Rock, or pass Wish to Conkeldurr and its teammates. STAB Zen Headbutt can also be used to bypass Mega Venusaur but isn't necessary.
- Heatran, Charizard-X, Charizard-Y, and Talonflame are all viable Fire-types that can bypass Mega Venusaur and harass Fairy-types at the least. Heatran is best to harassing Fairy-types as it has access to Toxic, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Roar, and STAB Lava Plume having a 30% chance to burn them. With x4 resistance to Fairy as well as possible access to STAB Flash Cannon Fairies will have a difficult time with Heatran. Both Mega Charizards are great at bypassing some of Conkeldurr's problematic Pokemon while assisting with clearing gaps. Talonflame appreciates having some of the other Pokemon that Conkeldurr can clear such as bulky Water-types while Talonflame eases elimination of Mega Venusaur.
- Mega Aggron is great to simply punish anyone that dares to use a Fairy-type as well as providing Conkeldurr with Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave. With Earthquake it also handles Aegislash - a problem for this Conkeldurr set.
- For Rapid Spin Excadrill is great. STAB Iron Head helps against Clefable and other Fairy-types while Excadrill appreciates bulky Water-types, bulky Ground-types, and Skarmory cleared out.
- Potential Defog users include Scizor, Latias, and Zapdos. Scizor does decently against Mega Venusaur and can assist Conkeldurr with STAB U-turn. Furthermore, STAB Bullet Punch is great for bullying Fairy-types. Latias may not handle Fairy-types well; however, Conkeldurr can assist with Poison Jab against them while Latias clears out threats such as Mega Venusaur. If bulkier Water-types are the issue leave it to Zapdos - nothing likes taking STAB Thunderbolt or STAB Volt Switch from this thing.
- As Aegislash is a big problem without Earthquake, Mandibuzz is a cool teammate to consider. STAB Foul Play easily takes care of any Aegislash while it can Defog entry hazards away from Conkeldurr's side of the field (and, sadly, on the opponent's). Taunt and Toxic can also maim and weaken other threats to help Conkeldurr mash them in later in the game.
Bulk Up
########
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Knock Off
move 4: Mach Punch / Knock Off / Poison Jab
ability: Guts / Iron Fist
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Bulk Up to make yourself the strongest Pokemon alive!
- Drain Punch helps Conkeldurr recover missing health while being its primary move of choice for STAB Fighting-type.
- The last two moves are heavily dependent on what Conkeldurr wants to bypass. For this reason they are slashed like so.
- Ice Punch is necessary to clear Flying- and Ground-types.
- Knock Off helps bypass Jellicent and Aegislash.
- Mach Punch provides extra utility while being good for lategame after a Bulk Up or two.
- Poison Jab bypasses Fairy-types and is the strongest move to have against Mega Venusaur. Ice Punch still works, though.
Set Details
========
- 252 Atk and Adamant is for extra power.
- 252 SpD covers Conkeldurr's weakest stat - SpD.
- Rest are placed into Def to at worst tie other Conkeldurr.
- Guts is the preferred ability since Bulk Up draws in status. Though it won't survive well from Toxic, paralysis and burns are usually fine.
- Iron Fist is good if you can keep status away from Conkeldurr. Since it powers up the majority of Conkeldurr's attacks it's great to have.
- Though a bit crazier, Sheer Force and Life Orb can be used to maximize extra power from the set. The set appreciates going slower and steadier with Leftovers, though.
Usage Tips
========
- Bulk Up Conkeldurr can be a huge menace at any time of the game. Just be wary of when to set up Bulk Up and when to retaliate switch-ins with attacks.
- With Fairy-types always hit with Poison Jab as quickly as you can. Most Fairy-types are special based and really sting. Even Choice Band Azumarill's STAB Play Rough still OHKOes after Bulk Up.
- Knock Off and Mach Punch can still provide some extra utility for Conkeldurr. These are great to have even without Bulk Up boosts.
- For move combinations consider Ice Punch and Mach Punch, Knock Off and Mach Punch, or Knock Off and Poison Jab. Ice Punch and Poison Jab also works but losing out on either Mach Punch or Knock Off really isn't good.
Team Options
========
- Jirachi is a good partner. It tackles Fairy-types as well as having access to Wish to keep Bulk Up Conkeldurr in tip-top shape. It can paralyze threats with Thunder Wave or Body Slam, too.
- Without Knock Off Mandibuzz is a good teammate against Aegislash. It doesn't excel well against other Ghost-types such as Jellicent and, to an extent, Gourgeist-S; however, STAB Foul Play can still screw around Trevenant and makes Ghost-types harder in general to switch into Mandibuzz. Just be careful of burn - though Conkeldurr can pick up the Will-O-Wisp. Defog support is nice but so is Toxic and Taunt.
- Celebi is a pretty good teammate since it can harass Mega Venusaur with STAB Psychic while offering Conkeldurr Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock.
- Mega Aggron easily shuts down Aegislash and other Fairy-types and can support with Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave.
- Latias handles Mega Venusaur well enough while capable of passing Wish or even dual screens to Conkeldurr.
- Espeon with Dual Screens actually helps out Conkeldurr a lot. It can tackle Mega Venusaur while setting up Light Screen and / or Reflect to help Conkeldurr net a few Bulk Ups.
- Mega Venusuar can harass Fairy-types with STAB Sludge Bomb. It can also handle Jellicent with STAB Giga Drain.
- Heatran is still a solid teammate because it provides so much to Bulk Up Conkeldurr. Being able to burn things on the switch really helps.
- If you're missing Ice Punch consider bulky Water-types to help Conkeldurr out. Just be very careful of Toxic Gliscor. Vaporeon can pass Wish while Slowbro assists with Thunder Wave.
Other Options
########
- Fire Punch is a way to bypass Aegislash while obtaining Sheer Force / Life Orb boost. It does have the issue of gambling with King's Shield.
- A Choice Band set works, though Conkeldurr is very slow and appreciates being able to switch around attacks. Still, with Guts it is very powerful and Iron Fist can boost Hammer Arm to a usable attack.
- Flame Orb and Toxic Orb also work with Guts and can provide a monstrous powerhouse. The damage drain is still pretty significant, though.
- Rock Slide can be used to clear out some odd switch-ins like Mega Charizard-Y. It also gets a Sheer Force boost so it isn't that bad.
- Payback can be used instead of Knock Off on the Bulk Up set, but Knock Off provides nice utility and the bonus damage with Bulk Up usually nets a KO on Ghost-types anyway.
- Though briefly mentioned, Trick Room support can be used alongside Conkeldurr. The all-out attacking set does great with this. Iron Fist Hammer Arm really compliments Trick Room, too. Brave nature and 0 IV in Speed is required.
- With Iron Fist Conkeldurr brags a very powerful Focus Punch as well as having bulky enough Substitutes to make use of the attack.
- Power-up Punch can be used on the Assault Vest set but Conkeldurr really wants the coverage and harassment tools more than extra power.
Checks & Counters
########
- Fairy-types really give Conkeldurr a lot of trouble. Clefable can use Unaware to bypass Bulk Up boosts while STAB Moonblast will do a number. Azumarill and Mega Mawile have STAB Play Rough. Togekiss has access to STAB Dazzling Gleam and STAB Air Slash to harass Conkeldurr. Sylveon gets Pixilate Hyper Voice as does Mega Gardevoir. All of these threats need to be very wary of Poison Jab barring Mega Mawile. Azumarill struggles against Thunder Punch and Togekiss struggles against both Thunder Punch and Ice Punch (and the rare Rock Slide).
- Mega Venusaur is capable of taking a lot of harassment from Conkeldurr and healing itself with either STAB Giga Drain or Synthesis. Mega Venusaur does have to be careful when using Sludge Bomb as even though it can still tank some of Conkeldurr's hits nicely even after Guts boost Conkeldurr will still hurt it and Mega Venusaur's other teammates.
- Flying-types are great for harassing Conkeldurr even if they can't always switch into Conkeldurr safely. Skarmory is the best as it can pressure Conkeldurr without a Guts boost or if Conkeldurr is not using Life Orb Sheer Force Thunder Punch. Talonflame has access to priority Brave Bird to really mess up Conkeldurr. Charizard is capable of switching into the majority of Conkeldurr's attacks and Mega Evolve right on the spot. With Mega Charizard-X it can burn non-Guts variants while Mega Charizard-Y can hit Conkeldurr with sun-boosted Fire Blasts.
- Most Psychic-type Pokemon have to be wary of switching into Knock Off but can get the job done on situations such as revenge killing. Alakazam can threaten Conkeldurr with STAB Psychic. Slowbro can tank a non-boosted Knock Off and threaten it with repeated STAB Scalds, Psychics, or Psyshocks. Like Alakazam Espeon cannot directly switch into Conkeldurr but can go for the revenge kill.
- Ghost-types aren't necessarily solid counters but they can harass Conkeldurr if Conkeldurr times Knock Off wrong or doesn't even have it. Aegislash is probably one of the safer Conkeldurr checks as if Conkeldurr is missing Knock Off or Earthquake Conkeldurr can only dream of bypassing Aegislash. Conkeldurr sets without Guts are also crippled by Will-O-Wisp.
- Assault Vest sets can at least be checked by Hippowdon. As most AV Conkeldurr do not carry any Speed Hippowdon can Slack Off any damage done to it. Hippowdon must be wary of the All-Out Attacker Conkeldurr.
- Without Ice Punch Ground / Flying-type Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Landorus-I can check non-Bulk Up Conkeldurr fairly well. Other Flying-types such as Dragonite can really harass Conkeldurr without Ice Punch.
- Though sturdy, Conkeldurr is a very slow Pokemon. If you can't safely switch in a Pokemon to take Conkeldurr down, it isn't too difficult to revenge kill Conkeldurr provided that the revenge killer has access to moves such as Brave Bird, Psychic, or Moonblast.
Last edited:
