Haxorus Analysis

Haxorus	Axe Jaw Pokemon	---
	2x 1x 1/2x	HP 76 262-336 Atk 147 269-432 Def 90 166-306 SpA 60 112-240 SpD 70 130-262 Spe 97 179-322
Type	Normal Abilities	Dream World Ability
	Mold Breaker / Rivalry	Unnerve

Overview:

Haxorus was one of the most hyped Pokemon before the Black and White games were released, simply because of its base 147 attack and its Dragon-typed STAB moves. Haxorus also got Mold Breaker, allowing it to have nearly perfect coverage with Outrage and Earthquake. After a boost from Dragon Dance or Swords Dance, Haxorus can become a big threat to any unprepared team. It has resistances to some commonly-used moves, like Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric moves. These resistances, combined with decent defenses, can allow Haxorus to set up and sweep. So then, what is stopping Haxorus from being a top Pokemon? The main reason is its speed. A base 97 speed, even after a Dragon Dance boost, fails to out-speed many Pokemon, most notably the vast number of base 100 Pokemon and Hydreigon, which sits at base 98 speed. Also, Haxorus' move pool is very limited. Haxorus gets nearly perfect coverage with Outrage and Earthquake, but another good move, especially a physical Fire-typed move, would have been much appreciated. Also, besides Attack, Haxorus' stats (like Special Attack, Special Defense, and HP) are not all that great.

Sets:

Double Dancing Dragon
Haxorus w/ Lum Berry / Draco Plate
Ability: Mold Breaker
Adamant nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 200 Spe, 56 HP
-Dragon Dance
-Swords Dance
-Outrage / Dragon Claw
-Earthquake / Aqua Tail

Importable

Spoiler:

This set allows Haxorus to set up based on what the situation is. Against offensive teams, it can set up a Dragon Dance to outspeed many of the Pokemon, and against slower teams, it can set up a Swords Dance to hit very hard. Haxorus gets nearly perfect coverage just with Outrage and Earthquake, so it can afford to use the two other move slots for boosting moves. For Haxorus' Dragon attacking move, Outrage is preferred because it has much more power than Dragon Claw. However, Outrage locks Haxorus into play for two to three turns, then causes Haxorus to be confused. Dragon Claw can be used instead of Outrage's bad side effects are not desired; however Outrage is almost always the superior option. Earthquake is preferred for the last slot, as it enables Haxorus to attain great move coverage. Aqua Tail is also an option here, especially if Haxorus is being used on rain-themed teams.

Haxorus' EV spread is specifically tailored to its needs. 200 speed EVs enable Haxorus to outspeed base 90 Pokemon like Adamant Lucario, as well as other notable Pokemon like Heatran and Rotom-W. It's attack is maxed out (252 Atk EVs with the adamant nature) so that it hits as hard as possible, while the leftover EVs are placed into HP to make Haxorus slightly bulkier. for its item, Lum Berry is preferred, as it enables Haxorus to set up on status inducing Pokemon like Rotom-W and Jellicent, and at the very least it cures the confusion from Outrage. Draco Plate can be used as well to give a boost to Haxorus' Dragon attacks.

Menace of Choice
Haxorus w/ Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
Adamant / Jolly nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 SpD
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
-Superpower / Aqua Tail

Importable

Spoiler:

This Haxorus set is used for simply attacking the opponent straight away, instead of boosting its stats first. Haxorus, with both the Choice Band and its high base 147 attack, becomes an extremely hard-hitting physical attacker, and even some steel typed Pokemon will be hit hard by its Outrages. The Choice Scarf makes Haxorus a strong revenge-killer, and may give Haxorus a chance to sweep opponents' weakened teams without having to use a stat boosting move like Swords Dance. Outrage is Haxorus strongest attack, and Earthquake provide excellent coverage with Outrage, so they both find places on this set. For the third slot, Dragon Claw is recommended for its consistent damage output and the fact that it doesn't lock Haxorus into play like Outrage does. Dual Chop can be used here as well, mainly for breaking Substitutes from certain Pokemon. Dual Chop basically has the same power as Dragon Claw, however Dual Chop's 90% accuracy can let Haxorus down at times. Superpower is a good option for the last slot, as it lets Haxorus hit certain troublesome Pokemon hard; Pokemon including Air Balloon Heatran, Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn. Aqua Tail can be used instead of Superpower, as it enables Haxorus to hit foes like ar Balloon Heatran and Gliscor hard. Aqua Tail also gets good coverage with Haxorus' Dragon moves, and it can be strengthened in Rain as well.

Max attack and speed EVs are recommended for this set, as this particluar set is geared toward offense rather than bulk. An Adamant nature is recommended, but a Jolly nature can be used instead to outspeed various threats.


Dragon Dancing Menace
Haxorus w/ Life Orb / Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
Adamant nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 200 Spe, 32 SpD, 24 HP
-Dragon Dance
-Outrage / Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Superpower / Aqua Tail / Taunt / Dragon Claw

Importable

Spoiler:

This set, obviously, centers on Haxorus sweeping its opponents with Dragon Dance. Given that Haxorus has a Uber-high base attack stat to begin with, it can be nearly impossible to stop when it gets the Dragon Dance boost. Haxorus also has excellent move coverage in Outrage and Earthquake, which makes its sweeping attempts that much easier. For the second slot, it again comes down to a 'power versus consistency' argument. Outrage is the superior option because of its superior power compared to Dragon Claw. Outrage has some negative side effects though, so Dragon Claw can be used instead if a more consistent attack is desired. Superpower is the recommended option here, as it enables Haxorus to destroy foes like Air Balloon Heatran, Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn. Aqua Tail can also be used here, as it hits Gliscor hard and gets boosted by rain. Taunt can also be used here to enable Haxorus to set up on some defensive Pokemon like Blissey and Jellicent. Dragon Claw can also be used for the last slot, as it can be helpful to have a stab move without any negative effects.

The EVs are actually very specialized for this set. 252 Atk EVs allow Haxorus to have as much power as possible, and 200 Speed EVs enable Haxorus to outspeed Pokemon like Adamant Lucario and Timid Heatran. Max speed is not necessary for this set, as there are not that many notable Pokemon that Haxorus would outspeed with max speed. 24 HP EVs are used to hit a Life Orb number, meaning that Haxorus could use the Life Orb 11 times instead of ten if Haxorus doesn't get hit by any attacks. The other 32 EVs are put into Special Defense to make Haxorus slightly bulkier, though they could be put into other stats like Speed or Defense. Life Orb is the preferred item, but Lum Berry can be used to enable Haxorus to set up on some defensive Pokemon, as well as cure the confusion from Outrage. Adamant is the preferred nature for this set, but Jolly can be used instead to outspeed some Pokemon, like Darmanitan.

Sword Dancing Menace
Haxorus w/ Life Orb / Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
Adamant / Jolly nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 200 Spe, 32 SpD, 24 HP
-Swords Dance
-Outrage / Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Superpower / Aqua Tail / Taunt / Dragon Claw

Importable

Spoiler:

This Haxorus set focuses more on wall-breaking rather than sweeping. It boosts Haxorus' attack to monstrous levels, which allows Haxorus to damage just about anything after a Swords Dance boost. Outrage is preferred for the second slot, as Outrage is Haxorus' strongest move and this set is focused on wallbreaking, not necessarily sweeping. Dragon claw is an option over Outrage, because Outrage has its negative side effects. Just keep in mind that Outrage has much more power than Dragon claw. Superpower is recommended here, as it destroys foes like Ferrothorn, Air Balloon Heatran, and Tyranitar. Aqua Tail also is an option, as it hits Gliscor hard, and it is strengthened by rain. Taunt can be used for the last slot, as it allows Haxorus to cripple some defensive Pokemon like Jellicent and Blissey. Dragon Claw can also be used here for a more consistent stab option.

The listed EV spread is used to out-speed base 90 speed Pokemon, like Adamant Lucario. 24 HP EVs hit the Life Orb number, allowing Haxorus to use the Life Orb eleven times instead of ten if Haxorus doesn't take any damage. Another EV spread is one with 252 Atk, 232 Spe, and 24 HP EVs with an Adamant nature. This spread allows Haxorus to have more power, and this Haxorus build also outspeeds max speed Gyarados. You could also opt for the traditional 252 Atk, 252 Spe EV spread if you are concerned about outspeeding other Haxorus, but it doesn't help Haxorus that much otherwise. Life Orb is the preferred item, but Lum Berry can be used to enable Haxorus to set up on some defensive Pokemon.

Other Options

Dragon Tail- Could be used as a phazing move, and it actually hits hard off of Haxorus' great attack attack stat. However, having Haxorus move last could spell its demise, as its defenses aren't the greatest.
Substitute- Can be used on Haxorus' sets to help it set up. When used at the right time, it can be helpful.
Haban Berry/Yache Berry- Can be used to survive some fatal attacks, and may give Haxorus a chance to use its boosting move.

Checks and Counters

Haxorus' attacks are very powerful, so many Pokemon will be hard pressed to directly switch into its attacks. That being said, Skarmory, with its resistance to Haxorus' Dragon and Ground moves, has to be Haxorus' biggest counter. Skarmory can't do much in the way of direct damage to Haxorus though, and Haxorus' Taunt will cripple Skarmory. In general, other physical walls, like Hippwodon and Gliscor, can all take some hits from Haxorus, but will eventually go down to repeated hits. Gyarados and Air Balloon Heatran can also counter Haxorus well. Gyarados' Intimidate lowers Haxorus' Attack, making it more manageable, and Air Balloon Heatran can survive Haxorus' Dragon and Ground attacks. Air Balloon Heatran gets hit hard by Superpower and Aqua Tail though. Aside from the physical walls, most common Pokemon are simply too weak to take Haxorus' attacks. The most common way of dealing with Haxorus is usually by KOing it with something faster. Pokemon like Latios, Starmie, and Salamence all can out-speed Haxorus and heavily damage, if not KO, it. They just need to switch in without being KOed in the process.


Teammates

Scizor can work well with Haxorus. While being a physical hitter like Haxorus, Scizor resists Haxorus' Dragon and Ice Weaknesses, and Scizor can do heavy damage to many of the fast Pokemon that can trouble Haxorus, like Latios, Starmie, and Gengar. Magnezone also can work well with Haxorus, especially since it can eliminate certain Steel-typed Pokemon like Skarmory. In general, Steel Pokemon can work well with Haxorus, since they resist Haxorus' Dragon and Ice weaknesses. Haxorus also loves to have entry hazards on the field, especially Stealth Rocks, as they turn some 2HKOs into OHKOs.

Ok, the main analysis is finished. What do you all think; do you have any suggestions / thoughts / comments? Please, let me know.

Ok, the format is just about complete.

Lovely work. Very detailed and well done. I look forward to more :3

Any thoughts on this / anything I should change?