Darmanitan
PvE Analysis
Darmanitan's high ATK stat and access to a powerful relevant moveset puts it near the top of the non-shadow/non-mega Fire Type DPS list. However, it's a rather difficult Pokemon to obtain outside of events. Its performance is comparable to that of Reshiram's, however Darmanitan's bulk causes it to faint much sooner, making it a slight downgrade in terms of overall performance. That doesn't mean Darmanitan is a bad Pokemon though.
Best PvE Offensive Moveset
Fire Fang + Overheat | Best |
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- Fire Fang is superior to Incinerate in PvE offense.
- Tackle is bad, TM this.
- Overheat enables Darmanitan to fulfill its Fire-type role and is recommended.
- Focus Blast can be a decent downgrade option if lacking TMs.
- Rock Slide is more flexible as a 2-bar move, but only synergizes well against Ice-type Pokemon.
- Psychic is better suited for Psychic-type attackers.
Best PvE Defensive Moveset
Incinerate + Psychic or Rock Slide | Best |
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- Incinerate is the best on defense due to its incredible base power.
- Fire Fang has less than half the base power of Incinerate, making it considerably worse on defense.
- Tackle is bad on defense, just like how it's bad on offense.
- Psychic as a 2-bar move can be used frequently, and provides strong neutral damage.
- Rock Slide is a slightly worse option in both damage and timing, but still good for its wide coverage.
- Overheat as a 1-bar move might not be accessible before Darmanitan faints.
- Focus Blast provides the best coverage, but is also the slowest and easiest to dodge.
PvP Analysis
Incinerate + Rock Slide and Overheat or Psychic | Best |
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Incinerate is generally recommended for its considerably faster energy generation compared to Fire Fang, but the latter offers slightly more damage output. Tackle is useless.
Rock Slide is an efficient charge move and provides valuable coverage. Overheat costs a moderate 55 energy and has the potential to deal massive damage if unshielded, but a -2 ATK self-debuff makes it risky to use. Psychic costs the same amount of energy, but its coverage is less useful in most formats. Focus Blast is often too expensive to use energy-wise, but its coverage and high damage could be significant if unshielded.
Great League | 1.5 / 5 |
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Darmanitan is a mono-Fire type with high offensive potential, poor bulk, and a somewhat cumbersome moveset. Its high ATK stat, access to Fire Fang, and STAB on top of it all lets Darmanitan mow down opponents who are weak to Fire, without needing to use a charge move. Poor energy generation limits the use of its powerful charge moves regardless, while a lack of coverage against its Ground and Water weaknesses can result in hard losses against those typings. To add insult to injury, Water Pokemon are among the most common typings in this league, which doesn't help Darmanitan's viability. | |
Ultra League | 0 / 5 |
Darmanitan's typing and fragility discourages its use in Ultra League. While Fire typing would have advantages against popular Steel and Fairy Pokemon, Darmanitan's poor bulk and sluggish moveset can cause it to struggle in seemingly advantageous matchups. It also has no chance against Giratina. | |
Master League | 0 / 5 |
With a max CP of 3511, Darmanitan lacks the stats that many legendary and pseudo-legendary Pokemon possess in Master League. While its Fire-typing isn't too terrible, its fragile bulk is its major downfall, causing losses against the majority of meta Pokemon in this league. Better to use Darmanitan for raids rather than PvP. |