1v1 SS Dragapult

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[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult hits foes hard with Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force beats Spectrier, most Metagross, and most Cresselia. Outrage threatens slower Dragon-types such as Naganadel and non-Choice Scarf Haxorus and Pokemon that can't OHKO Dragapult like Volcanion, Urshifu-R, and Volcarona. Dragon Darts allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp. Fire Blast beats Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn, while U-turn beats Zarude. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate + Bulldoze Arcanine and Bulldoze Entei, while Infiltrator makes Dragapult reliable versus SubSeed users such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
The given EV spread and an Adamant nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Naganadel and give it the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 Special Defense EVs slightly improve Dragapult's odds to survive an Ice Beam from Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. A Jolly nature is better against other Dragapult and some Zeraora.

Usage Tips
=============
Against slower Dragon-types, Dragon Darts is usually the superior move because the first hit activates the foe's Haban Berry, allowing the second hit to be full power. Due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult, most notably Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross and Endure + Grassy Glide Rillaboom. Kee Berry + Moonlight Cresselia also wins, since it can out-heal Phantom Force at +1 Defense.

[SET]
name: Will-O-Wisp + Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 220 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses its high Speed and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Substitute and Disable allow Dragapult to beat Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super effective move that does not OHKO it, such as Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam, it can fire off a 130-Base Power Hex at +2. The versatility of this set is very appealing: with Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable, Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as against Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt so that it can safely use Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment give Dragapult the best odds to survive burned Choice Band Avalugg's Icicle Spear.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron, it is safest to use Will-O-Wisp turn 1. This weakens their attacks and allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around a potential Custap Berry on future turns. Using Substitute after Will-O-Wisp racks up burn damage, putting foes into KO range of a boosted Hex. Additionally, when facing the likes of Choice Specs Naganadel, using Substitute + Disable forces the foe to use Struggle. Disable is also helpful if a Pokemon usually only runs one move to hit Dragapult hard, such as Dazzling Gleam Tapu Bulu.

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Disable
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Phantom Force
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 244 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult has a much better matchup versus bulkier Pokemon because Curse does consistent damage over time and Disable denies recovery. Substitute and Phantom Force buy turns for Dragapult to whittle down foes with Curse. Protect also buys extra turns against moves that can bypass Substitute, such as Rhyperior and Crustle's Rock Blast and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. Additionally, having Substitute or Protect + Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choice item users. Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have one move that can OHKO Dragapult, which can be Disabled to let Curse damage build up. Clear Body is used to help increase Dragapult's reliability against Bulldoze Entei.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment and a Jolly nature are for outspeeding Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt, while the rest of the EVs are put into Defense for the best chances against the likes of Choice Band Rock Blast Aggron.

An alternative EV spread of 244 HP / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 160 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used as well. The HP EVs make it so that Curse activates Sitrus Berry, so Dragapult can use Substitute five times with Sitrus Berry's recovery. 160 Speed EVs and a boosting nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Spectrier. The Special Defense investment almost always allows Dragapult to survive Choice Specs Magnezone's Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry. The final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast from Aggron or Crustle.

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups due in large part to its flexibility and varied lines of play that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford it.

For example, against Magnezone, Dragapult should use Curse turn 1. If Flash Cannon does about 65%, it is Choice Specs Magnezone. Dragapult should then use Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by Phantom Force.

Against Entei, it is important to pay attention to its ability. If Entei reveals Pressure, this indicates Pressure stall Entei, which means Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse because Pressure stall Entei does not often run moves that can break past its Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed, this indicates Assault Vest Entei, which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1 followed by Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force.

Against Aggron, Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed by Disable to force Choice Band Aggron to use Struggle. On turn 3, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by two Phantom Forces, although this makes Aggron not take Struggle recoil during recharge turns.

Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some mind games versus certain Pokemon like Spectrier. Turn 1 is fairly straightforward: Spectrier will reveal Hex or Shadow Ball, and Dragapult should use Substitute. Next, Dragapult can either use Disable to win if the opponent uses Hex again or use Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier uses Taunt, which will win with Phantom Force. Neither turn 2 play is clearly better.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing, good coverage, and amazing Speed to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Shadow Ball solidifies its otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic-types like Cresselia and non-Assault Vest Metagross. Draco Meteor OHKOes non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, Naganadel, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-R and Urshifu-S, Zarude, and Porygon-Z. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective move against Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Choice Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional Base Power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup, but Flamethrower can be run for better reliability versus Ferrothorn. Finally, Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus SubSeed users such as Whimsicott and Venusaur and helps against Substitute + Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
4 Special Defense EVs help with the Choice Specs Magnezone matchup. A Modest nature is generally preferred, as even with Choice Specs and high Base Power moves, Dragapult's only average Special Attack can lead it to come up short against the likes of Tapu Bulu. However, a Timid nature can be ran to outspeed Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as Speed tie with other Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult is fairly straightforward. However, it is important to note that similar to many other Choice item users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp and Dracovish. Additionally, resistance Berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, notably Haban Berry Dragon-types, as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO them through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============
Choice Band Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe, which, paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe, allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup. This also makes Dragapult more reliable versus Arcanine, since Dragapult can sometimes survive an Outrage from maximum Attack Arcanine, allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2, so it can use Breaking Swipe freely. However, Choice Band Crustle can still win, so be careful.

Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult can switch out Weakness Policy for Sitrus Berry to give it more reliability against Avalugg, although this is not often recommended, as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup, especially Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange Substitute / Protect or Disable for Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit the specific needs of the team.

By far the most common variation on Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses Dragon Dance + Outrage instead of Disable to catch Zeraora off guard. With an EV spread of 176 HP / 24 Atk / 252 Def / 56 Spe and an Impish nature, Dragapult can survive Jolly Zeraora's Choice Band Outrage and OHKO it with Outrage at +3. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Garchomp at +0 and Regieleki at +1.

Choice Scarf Dragapult with an EV spread of 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 240 Spe, a Modest nature, Fire Blast, and Draco Meteor lures in checks to other sets such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Choice Scarf Haxorus and OHKOes them. However, the limitations of the Choice Scarf without additional boosts make this set lackluster overall.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647], [Itchy, 518399]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [zo, 249890]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Dawn of Ares, 467437]], [[autumn, 384270]]
 
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[SET]
name: Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult utilizes its incredible base 142 speed with the immediate power of Choice Band to hit foes hard with either of its two main STAB moves in Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force allows Dragapult to beat most Metagross and most Cresselias however do be aware that Endure Metagross and Kee Cresselia both beat Band Pult due to the 2-turn nature of Phantom Force. Outrage is Dragapult's strongest STAB allowing Dragapult to beat slower Dragon types such as Naganadel and non-Scarf Haxorus. It also allows Dragapult to beat Pokemon who can't OHKO Dragapult while getting 2HKO'd in return such as Volcanion and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike. This is complemented by the double hit nature of Dragon Darts which allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp and Goodra. Coincidentally, it also allows Dragapult to beat FEAR although these Pokemon are much less common of a target. Fire Blast can be used in the last slot to beat Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn. U-turn on the other hand allows Dragapult to beat Zarude reliably. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate Pokemon like Landorus-T and Arcanine. It may also situationally help against speed control such as Bulldoze Entei or Arcanine. Infiltrator on the other hand allows Dragapult to be reliable versus Sub-Seeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
Maximum Attack and Speed Evs give Dragapult the ability to outspeed Naganadel as well as speed-tie opposing neutral natured Dragapult as well as the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 SpD evs slightly improves Dragapult's odds to live a Modest Ice Beam from Scarf Porygon-Z. Mention that adamant is better against non physdef lando-t and arcanine while jolly is better in the mirror matchup.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Band Dragapult is pretty straightforward for the most part as the highest BP move is usually the click however there are a couple exceptions to be aware of. Against slower Dragon types Dragon Darts is usually the superior move as the double hit nature of the move allows the first hit to activate the Haban Berry allowing the second hit to be full power meaning against Haban Berry users it is stronger than Outrage. It is also important to note that due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult most notably with Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe which paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup as well as give more reliability against Arcanine by allowing Dragapult to live a 252+ Outrage from Arcanine which notably gains the Scarf Arcanine matchup allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage. The speed allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2 which allows Dragapult to click Breaking Swipe freely as even a -1 5 hit Rock Blast into -2 Rock Wrecker will never KO Dragapult allowing Breaking Swipe to 3HKO. Be wary of Choice Band Crustle clicking Rock Blast as with favorable rolls and hits, Crustle can emerge victorious. The oo section should be simplified into one for all of the sets at the very end.

[SET]
name: Wisp Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 240 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Wisp Hex Dragapult aims to use its high speed to use the combination of Will-O-Wisp, Hex, and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Additionally, Substitute and Disable allow Dragapult to beat Choiced attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super-effective move which does not OHKO it such as Dazzling Gleam Koko it will allow Dragapult to usually fire off a 130 BP Hex at +2 which even with 0 Spa invest is quite powerful. The versatility of this set is one of its main draws as between Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt allowing Dragapult to safely click Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment gives Dragapult the best odds to live Choice Band Avalugg Icicle Spear after Will-O-Wisp. This notably lives 5 hits from Impish Choice Band Avalugg Icicle Spear only losing to a roll from 5 hit Adamant Choice Band Avalugg Icicle Spear around 40% of the time.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron it is safest to click Will-O-Wisp turn 1 as this not only weakens their attacks but also allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around Custap Berry on future turns. Aside from increasing the power of Hex, this also gives allows Dragapult to click Substitute to increase the amount of burn damage putting them closer into range of a boosted Hex. If a Pokemon only usually runs one move to hit Dragapult hard it is also possible to click Disable in these scenarios. Additionally, when facing a suspected Choiced attacker using Substitute then Disable is safer for Dragapult as this allows Dragapult to force the Pokemon to struggle as seen against Specs Naganadel.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragapult can switch Weakness Policy with a Sitrus Berry to give more reliability against Avalugg although this is not often recommended as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup most notably against Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange the Substitute and Disable combination in some regard for other moves Dragapult can run such as Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit specific needs of the team although Substitute and Disable is the most generally solid combination. same thing about combining the oo sections into one

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Phantom Force
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Sitrus
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 244 HP / 4 Def / 104 SpD / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult aims to have a much better matchup versus Stall and Setup Pokemon by being able to deal consistent damage over time in Curse which paired with the 2-turn nature of Phantom Force and the ability to Disable recovery moves Dragapult is able to whittle down many Stall and Setup Pokemon. Additionally, having Substitute plus Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choiced Pokemon as well. Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have 1 move that can KO Dragapult allowing it to be Disabled and subsequently allow more Curse damage to rack up. Generally, either Substitute or Curse are clicked turn 1 as Substitute allows it allows Dragapult to scout the opponent's moves and allow Dragapult to live essentially any one hit. Curse on the other hand starts allows Dragapult to immediately start racking up damage which is important vs Pokemon such as AV Entei which notably cannot immediately OHKO Dragapult back. Clear Body is used to help increase reliability against Bulldoze AV Entei.

EVs
=============
244 HP gives Dragapult an HP stat that is not divisible by 4 yet is divisible by 2. This allows Dragapult to activate Sitrus Berry after using Curse while also giving Dragapult the ability to use Substitute 5 times when paired with Sitrus Berry. 160 Speed EVs paired with a boosting nature allows Dragapult to outspeed base 130s notably Spectrier. The 244 HP EVS alongside the 100 Special Defense allow Dragapult to live a Choice Specs Magnezone Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry 93.8% of the time and the final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast rolls against Aggron and Crustle.

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups at first glance, due in large part to the flexibility and varied lines that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford you. For example, against Magnezone Dragapult should use Curse turn 1 which if the damage received from Flash Cannon indicates Specs Magnezone Dragapult should click Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise Dragapult should click Substitute followed by Phantom Force. Against Entei it is important for Dragapult to pay attention to Entei's ability, if Entei reveals Pressure this indicates Pressure Stall Entei which means Dragapult should click Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse as Pressure Stall Entei does not often run moves that break Dragapult's Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed this indicated Assault Vest Entei which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1 giving Dragapult the best odds to win that matchup through the follow up combination of Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force. Against Aggron, Dragapult should click Substitute turn 1 followed up by Disable. On turn 3 Dragapult should click Substitute and if Aggron struggles this means that its Choice Banded. On turn 4 Dragapult should actually click Phantom Force as well as on turn 6 as this actually improves the odds to beat Aggron as paradoxical as it seems. Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some 50/50s versus certain Pokemon including Spectrier and Volcanion. In Spectrier's case after using Substitute turn 1 as Dragapult the Spectrier will use its ghost STAB of choice, usually Hex or Shadow Ball. Any other move, such as Taunt, loses to clicking Phantom Force repeatedly. However if Spectrier correctly uses Hex or Shadow Ball then Dragapult can either click Disable which will allow Dragapult to win if they click Hex again, however this loses more often than not if they Spectrier clicks Taunt turn 2. However if Dragapult clicks Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier clicks Taunt then Dragapult will win with Phantom Force. This is the basis behind many of Dragapult's versatility which even allows Dragapult to sometimes beat completely unexpected answers like Urshifu-S who can reasonably lose depending on if Dragapult is able to predict the Wicked Blow and Sucker Punch sequencing although this is not in Dragapult's favor by any means.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 Spa / 4 Spd / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing paired with strong STABs and good coverage to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Notably this also gives Dragapult a strong spammable ghost type attack which solidifies its otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic types in the tier like Cresselia and non-AV Metagross. Draco Meteor is Dragapult's strongest STAB hitting the plethora of Dragon types in the tier such as non-Scarf Haxorus and Naganadel as well as hitting neutral targets like Urshifu-Rapid-Strike or Porygon-Z for an OHKO. Additionally with the immediate power of Choice Specs and high Base Power of Draco Meteor Dragapult is able to flip matchups against certain Dark types on its head notably allowing Dragapult to beat Zarude and non-AV Urshifu-Single-Strike. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective hit against steel types such as Ferrothorn and Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional base power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup but Flamethrower can be run for the better accuracy and thus better reliability versus Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. Finally Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior, accuracy withstanding. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus Sub Seeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur as well as helping versus Sub Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs allow Dragapult to hit as hard and as fast as possible while 4 Special Defense EVs help with the Specs Magnezone matchup. Modest is generally preferred as even with Choice Specs and powerful Base Power moves Dragapult's only average base 100 Special Attack can lead it to come up short versus certain benchmarks notably Tapu Bulu. However, Timid can be ran as this allows Dragapult to outspeed even Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as allowing Dragapult to speed tie opposing Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs is fairly straightforward however it is important to note that similar to many other Choiced users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp or Dracovish. Additionally, resist berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, notably Haban Berry Dragon types to beat this Dragapult set as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragapult can also run a Choice Scarf set in order to lure in faster Choice Scarfers such as Scarf Darmanitan-G and Scarf Haxorus, however without a boosting item Dragapult is quite weak and thus gives up a lot of other matchups in order to lure these Scarf Pokemon which would otherwise threaten it. Additionally a Dragon Dance set with either Life Orb or Weakness Policy is theoretically possible however it has found very little success as it is usually outclassed by Choice Band Dragapult in this regard. scarf doesnt even ohko gdarm consistently unless modest fire blast and when you combine all of the sections into one I don't think anything said here is worth mentioning

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]


1/2 when implemented good info make sure the oo section gets fixed
 
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[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly Lonely / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult utilizes its incredible Speed with Choice Band to hit foes hard with Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force allows Dragapult to beat Spectrier, most Metagross, and most Cresselia. Outrage allows Dragapult to beat slower Dragon-types such as Naganadel and non-Choice Scarf Haxorus and Pokemon who can't OHKO Dragapult such as Volcanion, Urshifu-R, and Volcarona. Dragon Darts allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp and Regidrago (doesnt win, click for replay). Fire Blast beats Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn. Alternatively, U-turn beats Zarude. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate Pokemon like Landorus-T (landorus-t is an unfavored roll against life orb, a 50/50 vs bulky band, a ~56% roll vs av and fails to kill lum. i would remove this example. i dont have any ideas to fill in the space, though) and Arcanine. It may also situationally help against speed control users such as Bulldoze Entei or Arcanine. Infiltrator makes Dragapult reliable versus SubSeeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
The given EV spread and Adamant Lonely nature allows Dragapult to outspeed Naganadel and has the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 SpD EVs slightly improve Dragapult's odds to survive a Modest Ice Beam from Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. A Jolly Hasty nature is better against other Dragapult and some Zeraora. (lonely/hasty are more commonly used now to not detract from fire blast damage while losing basically nothing)

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Band Dragapult is fairly straightforward. However, there are a few unintuitive matchups. Against slower Dragon types, Dragon Darts is usually the superior move because the first hit activates the Haban Berry, allowing the second hit to be full power. It is also important to note that due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult, most notably Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross and Endure + Grassy Glide Rillaboom. Kee Berry + Moonlight Cresselia also wins, since it can out-heal Phantom Force at +1 Defense.

[SET]
name: Wisp Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 240 Def / 212 Spe 76 HP / 220 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Wisp Hex Dragapult aims to use its high speed and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Additionally, (comma) with Substitute and Disable allowing Dragapult to beat Choiced Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super- (removed hyphen)effective move which does not OHKO it, such as Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam, it will allow Dragapult to fire off a 130 Base Power Hex at +2. The versatility of this set is one of its main draws;(if theres no other draws written in the paragraph, then it seems fine to just say "this set is versatile and heres why") Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T. (this read very awkwardly with the two "additionally"s)

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt so that Dragapult can safely use Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment gives Dragapult the best odds to survive Choice Band Avalugg's Icicle Spear after Will-O-Wisp.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron it is safest to click use Will-O-Wisp turn 1. This not only weakens their attacks, but also allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around a potential Custap Berry on future turns. Using Substitute after Will-O-Wisp racks up burn damage, putting foes into range of a boosted Hex. Additionally, when facing a suspected Choice item user like Choice Specs Naganadel, using Substitute + Disable can force it to use Struggle. Disable also may be helpful if a Pokemon only usually runs one move to hit Dragapult hard, such as Dazzling Gleam Tapu Bulu.

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Disable
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Phantom Force
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 244 HP / 4 Def / 104 SpD / 160 Spe 52 HP / 244 Def / 212 Spe (thats the altspread now)

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult has a much better matchup versus stall Pokemon because Curse does consistent damage over time and Disable denies recovery. Substitute and Phantom Force buy turns for Dragapult to whittle down foes with Curse. Additionally, (comma) having Substitute + Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choice item Pokemon as well (less awkward). Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have 1 move that can OHKO Dragapult, allowing it to be Disabled Disable to be used on it so more Curse damage builds up. Clear Body is used to help increase reliability against Bulldoze Entei.

EVs
=============
244 HP EVs make it so that Curse activates Sitrus Berry and so Dragapult can use Substitute 5 times with Sitrus Berry's recovery. 160 Speed EVs and a boosting nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Spectrier. The Special Defense investment almost always allows Dragapult to survive a Choice Specs Magnezone Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry. The final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast from Aggron or Crustle. (rewrite entire section to be accurate to new EVs)

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups, (comma) due in large part to its flexibility and varied lines of play that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford you it.

For example, against Magnezone, Dragapult should use Curse turn 1. If Flash Cannon does about 65%, it is Choice Specs Magnezone. Dragapult should then use Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by Phantom Force.

Against Entei, it is important for Dragapult to pay attention to Entei's ability. If Entei reveals Pressure, this indicates Pressure Stall Entei, which means Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse because Pressure Stall Entei does not often run moves that can break past its Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed, this indicates Assault Vest Entei, which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1, followed up by Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force.

Against Aggron, Dragapult should click Substitute turn 1 followed by Disable. On turn 3 Dragapult should click use Substitute, followed by two Phantom Forces, even if Aggron is using Struggle because it is Choice Band.

Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some coinflips versus certain Pokemon like Spectrier. Turn 1 is fairly straight forward: Spectrier will use reveal Hex or Shadow Ball, and Dragapult will reveal should use Substitute. Next, Dragapult can either use Disable to win if the opponent uses Hex again or use Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier uses Taunt, which will win with Phantom Force. Neither turn 2 play is clearly better.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing, good coverage, and amazing Speed to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Shadow Ball solidifies its otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic-types like Cresselia and non-Assault Vest Metagross. Draco Meteor OHKOes non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, Naganadel, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-R and Urshifu-S, Zarude, and Porygon-Z. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective hit against Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Choice Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional Base Power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup, but Flamethrower can be run for better reliability versus Ferrothorn. Finally, Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus SubSeeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur as well as helping versus Substitute + Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
4 Special Defense EVs help with the Specs Magnezone matchup. The Modest nature is generally preferred as even with Choice Specs and high Base Power moves, Dragapult's only average Special Attack can lead it to come up short against the likes of Tapu Bulu. However, a Timid nature can be ran to outspeed Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as speedtie other Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs is fairly straightforward. However, it is important to note that similar to many other Choiced users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp or Dracovish. Additionally, resist berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, (comma) notably Haban Berry Dragon types to beat this Dragapult set as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============
Choice Band Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe, which paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe, allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup. This also makes Dragapult more reliable versus Arcanine since Dragapult can survive a -1 252+ Outrage from Arcanine which notably gains the Scarf Arcanine matchup allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage (wait, whats the sequence here? breaking swipe or outrage? if this is a suggestion for the band set, what move are you locking into?). The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2 so it can click Breaking Swipe freely. Choice Band Crustle can still occasionally win, however.

Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult can switch out Weakness Policy for Sitrus Berry to give more reliability against Avalugg, although this is not often recommended as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup, especially Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange the Substitute and Disable for Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit specific needs of the team, although Substitute and Disable is the most generally solid combination.

Choice Scarf Dragapult with an EV spread of 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 240 Spe, a Modest nature, and Fire Blast + Draco Meteor lures in checks to other sets, such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Choice Scarf Haxorus, and OHKOes them. However, the limitations of the Choice Scarf make this set lackluster overall.

(write about the weakness policy dd set here, can be found in setcomp doc; suggest it as a subset of wisp hex)


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647], [Itchy, 518399]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [zo, 249890]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]


2/2 when done

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Last edited:

Aqua Jet

Stardew
is a Contributor to Smogonis a Community Contributor Alumnus
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult utilizes its incredible Speed with Choice Band to hit foes hard with Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force allows Dragapult to beat Spectrier, most Metagross, and most Cresselia. Outrage allows Dragapult to beat slower Dragon-types such as Naganadel and non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, (AC) as well as and Pokemon who can't OHKO Dragapult such as Volcanion, Urshifu-R, and Volcarona. Dragon Darts allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp. Fire Blast beats Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn. Alternatively, U-turn beats Zarude. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate + Bulldoze Arcanine and Bulldoze Entei, while Infiltrator makes Dragapult reliable versus SubSeeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
The given EV spread and Adamant nature allows Dragapult to outspeed Naganadel and has the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 Special Defence EVs slightly improve Dragapult's odds to survive a Modest Ice Beam from Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. A Jolly nature is better against other Dragapult and some Zeraora.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Band Dragapult is fairly straightforward. However, there are a few unintuitive matchups. Against slower Dragon types, Dragon Darts is usually the superior move because the first hit activates the Haban Berry, allowing the second hit to be full power. It is also important to note that due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult, most notably Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross and Endure + Grassy Glide Rillaboom. Kee Berry + Moonlight Cresselia also winsdefeats it, since it can out-heal Phantom Force at +1 Defense.

[SET]
name: Will-O-Wisp + Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 220 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Will-O-Wisp Hex Dragapult uses its high speed and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Substitute and Disable allow Dragapult to beat Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super effective move which that does not OHKO it, such as Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam, it will allow Dragapult to fire off a 130 Base Power Hex at +2. The versatility of this set is very appealing; with Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable, Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as against Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt so that Dragapult can safely use Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment gives Dragapult the best odds to survive Choice Band Avalugg's Icicle Spear after Will-O-Wisp.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron it is safest to use Will-O-Wisp turn 1. This not only weakens their attacks, (RC) but also allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around a potential Custap Berry on future turns. Using Substitute after Will-O-Wisp racks up burn damage, putting foes into the range of a boosted Hex. Additionally, when facing the likes of Choice Specs Naganadel, using Substitute + Disable can force a the opponent to use Struggle. Disable is also helpful if a Pokemon only usually runs one move to hit Dragapult hard, such as Dazzling Gleam Tapu Bulu.

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Disable
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Phantom Force
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 244 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult has a much better matchup versus stall bulkier Pokemon because Curse does consistent damage over time and Disable denies recovery. Substitute and Phantom Force buy turns for Dragapult to whittle down foes with Curse. Protect also buys extra turns against moves that can bypass Substitute, such as Rhyperior or Crustle's Rock Blast and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. Additionally, having Substitute or Protect + Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choice item Pokemon. Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have 1 move that can OHKO Dragapult, which can be Disabled to let Curse damage build up. Clear Body is used to help increase Dragapult's reliability against Bulldoze Entei.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment and Jolly nature are for outspeeding Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt, the rest of the EVs are put into Defense for chances against the likes of Choice Band Rock Blast Aggron.

An alternative EV spread of 244 HP / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 160 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used as well. The HP EVs make it so that Curse activates Sitrus Berry and so Dragapult can use Substitute 5 times with Sitrus Berry's recovery. 160 Speed EVs and a boosting nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Spectrier. The Special Defense investment almost always allows Dragapult to survive Choice Specs Magnezone's Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry. The final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast from Aggron or Crustle.

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups due in large part to its flexibility and varied lines of play that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford it.

For example, against Magnezone, Dragapult should use Curse turn 1. If Flash Cannon does about 65%, it is Choice Specs Magnezone. Dragapult should then use Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by Phantom Force.

Against Entei, it is important for Dragapult to pay attention to Entei's ability. If Entei reveals Pressure, this indicates Pressure Stall Entei, which means Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse because Pressure Stall Entei does not often run moves that can break past its Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed, this indicates Assault Vest Entei, which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1, followed up by Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force.

Against Aggron, Dragapult should click Substitute turn 1 followed by Disable to force Choice Band Aggron to use Struggle. On turn 3, Dragapult should use Substitute, followed by two Phantom Forces, even though this makes Aggron not take Struggle recoil during recharge turns.

Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some coinflips versus certain Pokemon like Spectrier. Turn 1 is fairly straightforward (One word): Spectrier will reveal Hex or Shadow Ball, and Dragapult should use Substitute. Next, Dragapult can either use Disable to win if the opponent uses Hex again or use Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier uses Taunt, which will win with Phantom Force. Neither turn 2 play is clearly better.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing, good coverage, and amazing Speed to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Shadow Ball solidifies it's (AA) otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic-types like Cresselia and non-Assault Vest Metagross. Draco Meteor OHKOes non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, Naganadel, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-R and Urshifu-S, Zarude, and Porygon-Z. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective hit against Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Choice Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional Base Power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup, but Flamethrower can be run for better reliability versus Ferrothorn. Finally, Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus SubSeeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur as well as helping versus Substitute + Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
4 Special Defense EVs help with the Choice Specs Magnezone matchup. A Modest nature is generally preferred, as even with Choice Specs and high Base Power moves, Dragapult's only average Special Attack can lead it to come up short against the likes of Tapu Bulu. However, a Timid nature can be ran to outspeed Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as speedtie other Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs is fairly straightforward. However, it is important to note that similar to many other Choiced users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp or Dracovish. Additionally, resist berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, notably Haban Berry Dragon types to beat this Dragapult set as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============
Choice Band Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe, which paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe, allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup. This also makes Dragapult more reliable versus Arcanine since Dragapult can sometimes survive a 252+ Outrage from Arcanine, allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2 so it can click Breaking Swipe freely. Choice Band Crustle can still win, so be careful.

Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult can switch out Weakness Policy for Sitrus Berry to give more reliability against Avalugg, although this is not often recommended as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup, especially Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange Substitute / Protect or Disable for Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit the specific needs of the team.

By far the most common variation on Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses Dragon Dance + Outrage instead of Disable to catch Zeraora off guard. With an EV spread of 176 HP / 24 Atk / 252 Def / 56 Spe and an Impish nature, Dragapult can survive Jolly Zeraora's Choice Band Outrage and OHKO with Outrage at +3. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Garchomp at +0 and Regieleki at +1.

Choice Scarf Dragapult with an EV spread of 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 240 Spe, a Modest nature, and Fire Blast + Draco Meteor, lures in checks to other sets such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Choice Scarf Haxorus and OHKOes them. However, the limitations of the Choice Scarf without additional boosts make this set lackluster overall.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647], [Itchy, 518399]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [zo, 249890]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

AMGP Check
Holy shit how many sets does this thing run
 

Dawn of Ares

Power of Athena!
is a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
add
remove
comment

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult utilizes Choice Band to hit hits foes hard with Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force allows Dragapult to beat beats Spectrier, most Metagross, and most Cresselia. Outrage allows Dragapult to beat threatens slower Dragon-types such as Naganadel and non-Choice Scarf Haxorus and Pokemon who that can't OHKO Dragapult such as like Volcanion, Urshifu-R, and Volcarona. (both for repetition) Dragon Darts allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp. Fire Blast beats Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn. Alternatively, while U-turn beats Zarude. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate + Bulldoze Arcanine and Bulldoze Entei, while Infiltrator makes Dragapult reliable versus SubSeeders SubSeed users such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
The given EV spread and Adamant nature allows allow Dragapult to outspeed Naganadel and has give the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 Special Defense EVs slightly improve Dragapult's odds to survive an a Modest Ice Beam from Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. A Jolly nature is better against other Dragapult and some Zeraora.

Usage Tips
=============
Against slower Dragon typesDragon-types, Dragon Darts is usually the superior move because the first hit activates the Haban Berry, allowing the second hit to be full power. It is also important to note that due Due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult, most notably Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross and Endure + Grassy Glide Rillaboom. Kee Berry + Moonlight Cresselia also wins, since it can out-heal Phantom Force at +1 Defense.

[SET]
name: Will-O-Wisp + Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 220 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses its high speed and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Substitute and Disable allow Dragapult to beat Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super effective move which that does not OHKO it, such as Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam, it will allow Dragapult to can fire off a 130 Base Power Hex at +2. The versatility of this set is very appealing;: (replace with colon) with Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable, Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as against Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt so that Dragapult it can safely use Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment gives give Dragapult the best odds to survive burned Choice Band Avalugg's Icicle Spear after Will-O-Wisp.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron, (add comma) it is safest to use Will-O-Wisp turn 1. This weakens their attacks and also allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around a potential Custap Berry on future turns. Using Substitute after Will-O-Wisp racks up burn damage, putting foes into KO range of a boosted Hex. Additionally, when facing the likes of Choice Specs Naganadel, using Substitute + Disable can force forces the opponent to use Struggle. Disable is also helpful if a Pokemon usually only usually runs one move to hit Dragapult hard, such as Dazzling Gleam Tapu Bulu.

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Disable
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Phantom Force
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 244 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult has a much better matchup versus bulkier Pokemon because Curse does consistent damage over time and Disable denies recovery. Substitute and Phantom Force buy turns for Dragapult to whittle down foes with Curse. Protect also buys extra turns against moves that can bypass Substitute, such as Rhyperior or Crustle's Rock Blast and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. Additionally, having Substitute or Protect + Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choice item Pokemon. Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have 1 move that can OHKO Dragapult, which can be Disabled to let Curse damage build up. Clear Body is used to help increase Dragapult's reliability against Bulldoze Entei.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment and Jolly nature are for outspeeding Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt, while the rest of the EVs are put into Defense for the best chances against the likes of Choice Band Rock Blast Aggron.

An alternative EV spread of 244 HP / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 160 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used as well. The HP EVs make it so that Curse activates Sitrus Berry, (add comma) so Dragapult can use Substitute 5 times with Sitrus Berry's recovery. (5 seems like too much?) 160 Speed EVs and a boosting nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Spectrier. The Special Defense investment almost always allows Dragapult to survive Choice Specs Magnezone's Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry. The final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast from Aggron or Crustle.

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups due in large part to its flexibility and varied lines of play that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford it.

For example, against Magnezone, Dragapult should use Curse turn 1. If Flash Cannon does about 65%, it is Choice Specs Magnezone. Dragapult should then use Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by Phantom Force.

Against Entei, it is important for Dragapult to pay attention to Entei'sits ability. If Entei reveals Pressure, this indicates Pressure Stall Entei, which means Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse because Pressure Stall Entei does not often run moves that can break past its Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed, this indicates Assault Vest Entei, which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1, followed up by Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force.

Against Aggron, Dragapult should click Substitute turn 1 followed by Disable to force Choice Band Aggron to use Struggle. On turn 3, Dragapult should use Substitute, followed by two Phantom ForcesForce, even thoughalthough this makes Aggron not take Struggle recoil during recharge charging turns.

Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some coinflips mind games versus certain Pokemon like Spectrier. Turn 1 is fairly straightforward: Spectrier will reveal Hex or Shadow Ball, and Dragapult should use Substitute. Next, Dragapult can either use Disable to win if the opponent uses Hex again or use Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier uses Taunt, which will win with Phantom Force. Neither turn 2 play is clearly better.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing, good coverage, and amazing Speed to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Shadow Ball solidifies it's its otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic-types like Cresselia and non-Assault Vest Metagross. Draco Meteor OHKOes non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, Naganadel, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-R and Urshifu-S, Zarude, and Porygon-Z. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective hit move against Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Choice Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional Base Power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup, but Flamethrower can be run for better reliability versus Ferrothorn. Finally, Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus SubSeeders such as Whimsicott and Venusaur as well as helping versus and help against Substitute + Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
4 Special Defense EVs help with the Choice Specs Magnezone matchup. A Modest nature is generally preferred, as even with Choice Specs and high Base Power moves, Dragapult's only average Special Attack can lead it to come up short against the likes of Tapu Bulu. However, a Timid nature can be ran to outspeed Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as speed Speed tie (space) other Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs is fairly straightforward. However, it is important to note that similar to many other Choiced Choice item users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp or Dracovish. Additionally, resist resistance berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, notably Haban Berry Dragon-types Dragon types, (add comma) to beat this Dragapult set as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============
Choice Band Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe, which, (add comma) paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe, allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup. This also makes Dragapult more reliable versus Arcanine since Dragapult can sometimes survive a 252+ Outrage from maximum Attack Arcanine, allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2, (add comma) so it can click use Breaking Swipe freely. However, Choice Band Crustle can still win, so be careful.

Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult can switch out Weakness Policy for Sitrus Berry to give more reliability against Avalugg, although this is not often recommended, (add comma) as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup, especially Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange Substitute / Protect or Disable for Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit the specific needs of the team.

By far the most common variation on Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses Dragon Dance + Outrage instead of Disable to catch Zeraora off guard. With an EV spread of 176 HP / 24 Atk / 252 Def / 56 Spe and an Impish nature, Dragapult can survive Jolly Zeraora's Choice Band Outrage and OHKO with Outrage at +3. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Garchomp at +0 and Regieleki at +1.

Choice Scarf Dragapult with an EV spread of 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 240 Spe, a Modest nature, and Fire Blast + Fire blast, and Draco Meteor,(remove comma) lures in checks to other sets such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Choice Scarf Haxorus and OHKOes them. However, the limitations of the Choice Scarf without additional boosts make this set lackluster overall.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647], [Itchy, 518399]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [zo, 249890]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

Dawn-of-Ares_Small.gif

GP 1/2
 

autumn

only i will remain
is a Site Content Manageris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
C&C Leader
2/2 GP Team done
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Phantom Force
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Darts
move 4: Fire Blast / U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Band Dragapult hits foes hard with Phantom Force and Outrage. Phantom Force beats Spectrier, most Metagross, and most Cresselia. Outrage threatens slower Dragon-types such as Naganadel and non-Choice Scarf Haxorus and Pokemon that can't OHKO Dragapult like Volcanion, Urshifu-R, and Volcarona. Dragon Darts allows Dragapult to bypass Haban Berry users such as Garchomp. Fire Blast beats Kartana and non-Custap Berry Ferrothorn, while U-turn beats Zarude. Clear Body gives Dragapult the edge against Intimidate + Bulldoze Arcanine and Bulldoze Entei, while Infiltrator makes Dragapult reliable versus SubSeed users such as Whimsicott and Venusaur.

EVs
=============
The given EV spread and an Adamant nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Naganadel and give it the best odds to OHKO Metagross and Landorus-T. 4 Special Defense EVs slightly improve Dragapult's odds to survive an Ice Beam from Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z. A Jolly nature is better against other Dragapult and some Zeraora.

Usage Tips
=============
Against slower Dragon-types, Dragon Darts is usually the superior move because the first hit activates the foe's Haban Berry, allowing the second hit to be full power. Due to the 2 turn nature of Phantom Force, Endure users with priority moves can slowly chip down Dragapult, most notably Endure + Bullet Punch Metagross and Endure + Grassy Glide Rillaboom. Kee Berry + Moonlight Cresselia also wins, since it can out-heal Phantom Force at +1 Defense.

[SET]
name: Will-O-Wisp + Hex
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Disable
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 220 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses its high speed Speed and Weakness Policy to beat slower physical attackers. Substitute and Disable allow Dragapult to beat Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, if Dragapult is hit by a super effective move that does not OHKO it, such as Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam, it can fire off a 130-(add hyphen)Base Power Hex at +2. The versatility of this set is very appealing: with Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and Disable, Dragapult can win a lot of unexpected matchups such as against Choice Band Urshifu-S, Avalugg, and non-Lum Berry Landorus-T.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt so that it can safely use Substitute against them. The HP and Defense investment give Dragapult the best odds to survive burned Choice Band Avalugg's Icicle Spear.

Usage Tips
=============
Against most physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Aggron, it is safest to use Will-O-Wisp turn 1. This weakens their attacks and allows Dragapult to break Sturdy or play more confidently around a potential Custap Berry on future turns. Using Substitute after Will-O-Wisp racks up burn damage, putting foes into KO range of a boosted Hex. Additionally, when facing the likes of Choice Specs Naganadel, using Substitute + Disable forces the opponent foe to use Struggle. Disable is also helpful if a Pokemon usually only runs one move to hit Dragapult hard, such as Dazzling Gleam Tapu Bulu.

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Disable
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Phantom Force
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Jolly
evs: 52 HP / 244 Def / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Curse Dragapult has a much better matchup versus bulkier Pokemon because Curse does consistent damage over time and Disable denies recovery. Substitute and Phantom Force buy turns for Dragapult to whittle down foes with Curse. Protect also buys extra turns against moves that can bypass Substitute, such as Rhyperior or and Crustle's Rock Blast and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. Additionally, having Substitute or Protect + Disable allows Dragapult to retain its matchup versus many Choice item users Pokemon. Furthermore, many Pokemon may only have 1 one move that can OHKO Dragapult, which can be Disabled to let Curse damage build up. Clear Body is used to help increase Dragapult's reliability against Bulldoze Entei.

EVs
=============
The Speed investment and a Jolly nature are for outspeeding Choice Scarf Dracovish and Dracozolt, while the rest of the EVs are put into Defense for the best chances against the likes of Choice Band Rock Blast Aggron.

An alternative EV spread of 244 HP / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 160 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used as well. The HP EVs make it so that Curse activates Sitrus Berry, so Dragapult can use Substitute 5 five times with Sitrus Berry's recovery. 160 Speed EVs and a boosting nature allow Dragapult to outspeed Spectrier. The Special Defense investment almost always allows Dragapult to survive Choice Specs Magnezone's Flash Cannon after Curse and Sitrus Berry. The final 4 EVs are put into Defense to marginally help with Rock Blast from Aggron or Crustle. (if neither the spd or def rolls are guaranteed why not just put all in spd?)

Usage Tips
=============
Curse Dragapult has many unintuitive matchups due in large part to its flexibility and varied lines of play that Substitute, Disable, and Curse afford it.

For example, against Magnezone, Dragapult should use Curse turn 1. If Flash Cannon does about 65%, it is Choice Specs Magnezone. Dragapult should then use Disable followed by Phantom Force. Otherwise, Dragapult should use Substitute followed by Phantom Force.

Against Entei, it is important to pay attention to its ability. If Entei reveals Pressure, this indicates Pressure Stall stall Entei, which means Dragapult should use Substitute turn 1 followed up by Curse because Pressure Stall stall Entei does not often run moves that can break past its Substitute. However, if no ability is revealed, this indicates Assault Vest Entei, which means that Dragapult should use Curse turn 1 (RC) followed up by Substitute, Disable, and Phantom Force.

Against Aggron, Dragapult should click use Substitute turn 1 followed by Disable to force Choice Band Aggron to use Struggle. On turn 3, Dragapult should use Substitute (RC) followed by two Phantom Forces, although this makes Aggron not take Struggle recoil during recharge turns.

Finally, Curse Dragapult does run into some mind games versus certain Pokemon like Spectrier. Turn 1 is fairly straightforward: Spectrier will reveal Hex or Shadow Ball, and Dragapult should use Substitute. Next, Dragapult can either use Disable to win if the opponent uses Hex again or use Substitute again turn 2 as Spectrier uses Taunt, which will win with Phantom Force. Neither turn 2 play is clearly better.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Choice Specs
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult uses its good offensive typing, good coverage, and amazing Speed to hit as much of the tier as possible super effectively. Shadow Ball solidifies its otherwise surprisingly shaky matchups versus Psychic-types like Cresselia and non-Assault Vest Metagross. Draco Meteor OHKOes non-Choice Scarf Haxorus, Naganadel, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-R and Urshifu-S, Zarude, and Porygon-Z. Fire Blast or Flamethrower allow Dragapult to have a super effective move against Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Choice Specs Magnezone. Fire Blast's additional Base Power greatly improves the Tapu Bulu matchup, but Flamethrower can be run for better reliability versus Ferrothorn. Finally, Hydro Pump gives Dragapult the ability to beat Pokemon such as Heatran and some Rhyperior. Infiltrator is the preferred ability in order to be reliable versus SubSeed users such as Whimsicott and Venusaur and helps against Substitute + Protect users such as Entei.

EVs
=============
4 Special Defense EVs help with the Choice Specs Magnezone matchup. A Modest nature is generally preferred, as even with Choice Specs and high Base Power moves, Dragapult's only average Special Attack can lead it to come up short against the likes of Tapu Bulu. However, a Timid nature can be ran to outspeed Choice Scarf Dracozolt and Dracovish as well as Speed tie with other Dragapult.

Usage Tips
=============
Choice Specs Dragapult is fairly straightforward. However, it is important to note that similar to many other Choice item users, Dragapult can be susceptible to Custap Berry users such as Garchomp or and Dracovish. Additionally, resistance Berries are a threat to this Dragapult set in particular, notably Haban Berry Dragon-types, as Draco Meteor is often not strong enough to KO them through Haban Berry.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============
Choice Band Dragapult can exchange Dragon Darts for Breaking Swipe, which, paired with an EV spread of 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe, allows Dragapult to secure the Crustle matchup. This also makes Dragapult more reliable versus Arcanine, (AC) since Dragapult can sometimes survive an Outrage from maximum Attack Arcanine, allowing Dragapult to KO back with Outrage. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Adamant Crustle at +2, so it can use Breaking Swipe freely. However, Choice Band Crustle can still win, so be careful.

Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult can switch out Weakness Policy for Sitrus Berry to give it more reliability against Avalugg, although this is not often recommended, as this severely weakens the Landorus-T matchup, especially Assault Vest variants. It is also possible to exchange Substitute / Protect or Disable for Draco Meteor or other coverage moves to fit the specific needs of the team.

By far the most common variation on Will-O-Wisp + Hex Dragapult uses Dragon Dance + Outrage instead of Disable to catch Zeraora off guard. With an EV spread of 176 HP / 24 Atk / 252 Def / 56 Spe and an Impish nature, Dragapult can survive Jolly Zeraora's Choice Band Outrage and OHKO it with Outrage at +3. The Speed investment allows Dragapult to outspeed Garchomp at +0 and Regieleki at +1.

Choice Scarf Dragapult with an EV spread of 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 240 Spe, a Modest nature, Fire Blast, and Draco Meteor lures in checks to other sets such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Choice Scarf Haxorus and OHKOes them. However, the limitations of the Choice Scarf without additional boosts make this set lackluster overall.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mishlef, 509647], [Itchy, 518399]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nick, 558869], [zo, 249890]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]
 
implemented, reason for the 4 def is a slight optimization since adding 4 to spdef doesn't change the magnezone roll so adding to def improves a different roll
 
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