Competitive Information for Donphan [X/Y]


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 X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Unveil the power of Donphan, a dazzling Pokémon known for its Ground typing! It's a sight to see Donphan out in the 6th generation battlefield. It is weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-typed attacks. Discover how Donphan excels in battles with the movesets provided below.
Item: Expert Belt / Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 92 Hp / 252 Atk / 164 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Seed Bomb / Poison Jab
- Superpower
- Knock Off
When it comes to single battles, Donphan shines as a prestigious Physical Sweeper. This moveset focuses to crush rivals using overwhelming physical moves. 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 Poison Jab 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).
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a good amount of damage.
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Donphan's attack and defense by 1 stage).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
Link (click to copy):
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Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Roar
Donphan shows a wonderful Physical Wall prowess in single battles. It's purpose is 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 HP 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/ibae8
Item: Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Moveset:
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard / Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
Donphan makes an a high-quality Physical Tank in single battles. This moveset design focuses to take a mighty amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. With Sand Veil, if sandstorm is active Donphan's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to sandstorm. Pokemon X & Y build. Only way for this Pokemon to have the ability "Stealth Rock," is to transfer from a older game via Poke Bank. With a Assault Vest equipped to it, Donphan's sp. Def is 1.5x, but it can only select damaging moves.
◆ Ice Shard is a physical priority-increased 40-base power Ice-type move (usually goes first).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ 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).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/icae8
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Donphan? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y 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 X/Y metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 92 Hp / 252 Atk / 164 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Poison Jab / Double-Edge
- Superpower
For those intense double battles, Donphan is a stupendous Physical Sweeper. This moveset was constructed to take down the opponent's team with overwhelming physical moves. 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. Life Orb boosts the power of Donphan's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Sturdy, if Donphan is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. Poison Jab was 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).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Donphan's attack and defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jaae8
Movepool
Want to know what moves Donphan can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y 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 X/Y. 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 XY 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
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Rest
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Donphan in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Donphan's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
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 X/Y movesets. You can find Donphan builds X/Y. Donphan movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Donphan Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Donphan in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution