Competitive Information for Donphan [Black/White]
Ground
Abilities:
If Sandstorm is active, this Pokemon's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to Sandstorm.
If this Pokemon is at full HP, it survives one hit with at least 1 HP. Immune to OHKO.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Donphan? These builds are optimized for Black/White Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Black/White metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Get ready to meet Donphan, the awesome Ground-typed Pokémon! Donphan is a common Pokémon to see in the BW metagame. It is weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-typed attacks. Check out the movesets listed below to learn more about Donphan's strategies.
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Moveset:
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Prepare for single battles with Donphan as a brilliant Physical Wall. It's purpose is to withstand physical attacks and hit back effectively. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Donphan last longer regaining it's healthiness every turn. With Sturdy, if Donphan is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko.
◆ Ice Shard is a physical priority-increased 40-base power Ice-type move (usually goes first).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 20-base power Normal-type move (frees Donphan from hazards, binding, leech seed).
◆ Stealth Rock is a status move (hurts foes on switch-in. Factors rock weakness).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gaae8
Item: Expert Belt / Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 92 Hp / 252 Atk / 164 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Superpower
- Seed Bomb / Rock Slide
- Poison Jab
Donphan thrives as a superior Physical Sweeper perfect for single battles. The intention of this moveset is to crush rivals using potent physical attacks. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Donphan's super effective moves by 20%. Choice Band will increase the damage of Donphan's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Sturdy, if Donphan is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. Seed Bomb or Rock Slide are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Bulldoze is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Donphan's attack and defense by 1 stage).
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a great amount of damage.
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gbae8
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Roar
Donphan stands out as a first-rate Physical Wall in single battles. It is meant to absorb physical damage and return fire with decent force. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Donphan last longer regaining it's health every turn. With Sturdy, if Donphan is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. Donphan is my Defensive wall, Stealth Rocker, as well as my Spinner. Stealth Rock is for Entry Hazards, Rapid Spin for taking away My opponents entry hazards, Earthquake is for STAB and finally Roar is to make my opponents Pokemon to switch and take damage from Stealth Rock.
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 20-base power Normal-type move (frees Donphan from hazards, binding, leech seed).
◆ Earthquake is a physical STAB-boosted 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Roar is a status move (forces the target to switch to a random ally).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gcae8
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Donphan? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Black/White Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Black/White metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Expert Belt / Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 92 Hp / 252 Atk / 164 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- Poison Jab / Seed Bomb
Donphan thrives as a sensational Physical Sweeper perfect for double battles. It is meant to overwhelm foes with powerful physical power. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Donphan's super effective moves by 20%. Choice Band will increase the damage of Donphan's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Sturdy, if Donphan is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. Poison Jab or Seed Bomb are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Bulldoze is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Donphan's attack and defense by 1 stage).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a nice amount of damage.
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/haae8
Movepool
Want to know what moves Donphan can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Black/White generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Donphan.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Donphan can perform in Black/White. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive BW Move and Ability Combos for Donphan
- Moves: Defense curl + Rollout
- Moves: Endure + Flail
- Moves: Endure + Endeavor
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Ability: Sturdy + Move: Endeavor
- Ability: Sturdy + Move: Endeavor
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Assurance + Item: Rocky Helmet
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Endeavor + Item: Focus Sash
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Ice Shard
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Donphan's stats
- Ancient Power
- Defense Curl
- Iron Defense
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Polish
Most notable and possible best moves for Donphan
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Rest
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Donphan in Black and White
- Impish Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4/ )
- Impish Nature ( 252/4/252/0/0/0/ )
- Optimize Donphan's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Black and White
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Donphan. Top rated Donphan Black/White movesets. You can find Donphan builds Black/White. Donphan movesets Black/White are listed here. VGC Donphan Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Donphan in Black/White along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution