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Moves Rest allows Dusclops to keep itself healthy enough to check foes throughout the match and is useful for PP stalling out foes in tandem with Pressure. Sleep Talk allows Dusclops to potentially use Toxic or Seismic Toss while asleep, somewhat circumventing its passivity. Toxic is preferred in the third moveslot, as it enables Dusclops to stall out bulkier Pokemon such as Lickilicky, Bouffalant, and Torterra as well as wear down offensive Pokemon such as Rapidash and Silvally-Dragon. Will-O-Wisp burns physical attackers such as Pinsir, Electivire, and Silvally-Fighting and provides a means of dealing residual damage to them, as well as deterring Dark-types such as Pawniard from directly switching in. Seismic Toss bypasses Dusclops's awful offensive stats with a fixed-damage attack that 4HKOes the majority of the metagame. Set Details Maximum HP and Defense EVs alongside a Bold nature allow Dusclops to check physical attackers such as Pinsir lacking Knock Off and Golem. Eviolite boosts Dusclops's Defense and Special Defense, giving it a discernible defensive niche over Dusknoir. Pressure allows Dusclops to easily drain Pokemon out of moves that have low PP such as Floatzel's Liquidation and Golem's Stone Edge. Usage Tips Dusclops should be used primarily to check physical attackers such as Golem, Silvally-Fighting, and Bouffalant and spread Toxic so that it can stall out foes throughout the match. Similarly, if Dusclops is using Will-O-Wisp, it should look to burn physical attackers early so that it can more easily stall them. One should consider when the most opportune time to use Rest is. Using Rest too early can use up the move's PP faster than expected and force Dusclops to rely on Sleep Talk to pull the correct moves. Knock Off is the most common way to cripple Dusclops, as by removing its Eviolite, Dusclops becomes easier to beat. Dusclops should always scout for Knock Off from common users such as Komala by going into a dedicated Knock Off switch-in such as Silvally-Fighting. Secondarily, Toxic users such as Bronzor and Cradily can force Dusclops to Rest prematurely, so Dusclops should switch into a Toxic-immune Pokemon such as Muk or Mawile. Lastly, Pursuit users such as Silvally-Dark can trap a weakened Dusclops, so double switching is the optimal play. Although Dusclops should focus on checking physical attackers, its fantastic mixed bulk and Pressure enable it to PP stall special attackers such as Silvally-Dragon and Chatot, which bulky teams greatly appreciate. Similarly, Dusclops can pivot into support Pokemon such as Lickilicky, Pyukumuku, and Mareanie to PP stall their status moves. Team Options Dusclops fits primarily on stall teams, which necessitate both entry hazard support and entry hazard control. Bulky Pokemon that have access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes such as Golem, Bronzor, and Mareanie are crucial for chipping away at the opposing team's health, while Rapid Spin and Defog users such as Komala, Altaria, and Vibrava ensure Dusclops's team doesn't get worn down too quickly. Pokemon that check common threats such as Knock Off Leafeon and Silvally-Dark, like Altaria and Avalugg, complement Dusclops very well, forming a solid defensive core with it. Pokemon that can absorb Knock Off such as Silvally-Fighting and Z-Move variants of Pyukumuku make great teammates, as Dusclops tends to draw the attention of Knock Off users such as Komala and Pawniard due to its Dark weakness and reliance on its Eviolite for bulk. Pyukumuku is also notable for checking several setup sweepers such as Nasty Plot Simipour and Swords Dance Pinsir due to its fantastic ability in Unaware, a crucial element of the stall archetypes Dusclops fits best on.

Moves Calm Mind boosts Dusclops's Special Attack and Special Defense, granting it a way to sweep. Rest is a mandatory source of recovery because, without any means of recovering health, Dusclops would get worn down too fast. Will-O-Wisp is the best option in the third moveslot, as it cripples physical attackers, making it even easier for Dusclops to set up on them, and it is the only move that has any use before attempting to sweep. Will-O-Wisp is especially useful against Dark-types, such as Mightyena and Pawniard, that tend to switch in against Dusclops. Shadow Ball can also be used, as a STAB move with solid power that hits opposing Ghost-types that like to switch in against Dusclops and Taunt it, such as Misdreavus. However, Shadow Ball should only be used if you're using Ice Beam in the fourth moveslot, as it has little synergy with Dark Pulse. Sleep Talk is another option here, as it ensures that Dusclops does not just sit there after using Rest and makes Dusclops able to set up on Tangela and Jumpluff. Ice Beam has good super effective coverage and hits Pokemon immune or resistant to Shadow Ball if you decide to use it. Dark Pulse is an alternative option as it also hits Ghost-types and has decent neutral offensive coverage. Shadow Ball mostly hits the same targets but forces Dusclops to forgo Will-O-Wisp and cannot deal any damage against Normal-types. Set Details The given EV spread allows Dusclops to easily take most physical hits while boosting its Special Defense and Special Attack with Calm Mind. Dusclops can afford Special Attack investment, as it already has more than enough bulk. Pressure is the ability of choice because it is the only chance for Dusclops to win PP wars. Eviolite gives a 1.5x boost to both of its defenses and is the only thing that keeps Dusclops from being totally outclassed by Dusknoir. Usage Tips Set up mainly against Pokemon like Bouffalant, Arbok, and Swanna that fail to break through Dusclops's bulk. Do not try to set up with Dusclops if the opponent still has a threatening setup sweeper alive and you don't have a switch-in for it, as Dusclops is a very passive Pokemon and multiple threats to defensive teams, such as Ninetales, Duosion, and Ursaring, are able to set up on it. Double switches are very important in situations like these. Dusclops works best late-game when most setup sweepers and Taunt users, such as Misdreavus and Simipour, which are extremely annoying for Dusclops, are gone, as it heavily relies on Calm Mind and Rest. However, it can also be used earlier in the game, even when you're not attempting to set up, to counter Pokemon, such as Jumpluff and Tangela, as long as you're not too generous with switching Dusclops in against Pokemon that might carry Knock Off. Team Options Knock Off absorbers such as Muk can help to protect Dusclops's Eviolite. Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes support from Golem, Quilladin, and Roselia among others helps wear down the opposing team. Toxic Spikes in particular is convenient because it makes Dusclops capable of outstalling Pokemon such as Audino that would otherwise be able to stop it. Dusclops can also block Rapid Spin, which is nice for entry hazard stacking teams. However, most, if not all, Defog users can remove entry hazards against it. Dusclops should only be used on defensive teams, so other walls such as Audino and Altaria are mandatory teammates.

Before you even think of trying this set out on your team, you should be aware that it is only even remotely effective on fully defensive teams. Curse is an almost perfect option to beat last Pokemon setup sweepers that could otherwise demolish defensive teams, namely Bulk Up Scrafty and Nasty Plot Togekiss. It is impossible to shake off the Curse damage apart from switching, which the last Pokemon cannot do, and it does too much damage for the last Pokemon to set up. Curse also works to catch Baton Pass teams which would otherwise be a problem, as they set up easily on a defensive team's passive nature. Night Shade is chosen to deal consistent damage over Seismic Toss as Dusclops can stall out Normal-types anyways with Will-O-Wisp, while Night Shade allows it to beat opposing Dusclops should you invest in Speed. Will-O-Wisp is great to cripple most physical attackers—although mind the accuracy—so Dusclops and its team can more easily stall them. Pain Split adds to Dusclops's already amazing bulk, although it is not reliable at all even with low HP. It does allow it to recover quickly after a Curse should you have to use it mid-game for any reason. Rest, on the other hand, allows Dusclops to fully restore its HP and remove status. However, if it Rests, it has no chance of spinblocking against Blastoise as it can simply constantly phaze out Dusclops to reset the sleep counter and force Dusclops to quickly lose health. For those reasons Pain Split is generally preferred. Even if Dusclops is passive, this set allows it to be the tier's best defensive counter to some major threats like Flygon and Mienshao, but constant U-turns and hazard damage will quickly take a toll on Dusclops, who is further strained from lack of Leftovers because Eviolite is necessary to raise defenses. Because Dusclops is already increasing its physical bulk with Will-O-Wisp, it is completely possible to shift some Defense EVs into Special Defense. Dusclops really wants to help out its team, so having hazard users like Roserade to punish switches that Dusclops might force is helpful, especially since Dusclops can keep those hazards on the field. Roserade can also heal Dusclops of any status with Aromatherapy, which works particularly well if Dusclops is using Rest. Also, Dusclops is one of the few spinblockers that can count itself as a wall, even if it's not a great one, so Dusclops's team doesn't particularly need to focus on physical defenders apart from perhaps one sturdy physical wall. Since Dusclops encourages the opponent to set up on it, it appreciates phazers like Snorlax who can also take strong special moves for Dusclops. Umbreon is also a good partner as it can heal Dusclops of any status including its own Rest with Heal Bell and can pass large Wishes to heal Dusclops should it not find time to use Rest, which is actually a large problem for Dusclops. A spinner such as Blastoise or Hitmontop is advised to prevent Dusclops from being repeatedly worn down by entry hazards.

Dusclops is good for a few things, but your main reason for using it will likely be its ability to spinblock. In fact, barely any spinners can get past it. It is one of the reasons people run Magneton instead of a hardy spinner, and forgo Claydol for Donphan, who can hit Dusclops hard on the switch with a STAB Earthquake off base 120 Attack. Anyway, the premise is simple: block Rapid Spin, burn opponents, and when low on health, Pain Split or Rest. Dusclops even beats Blissey flat with Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, and repeated Focus Punches. Even if Blissey attacks with Ice Beam, the burn will force it to recover eventually, and Dusclops will land a Focus Punch. 36 Attack EVs guarantee Shadow Ball will OHKO Alakazam, while maximum HP is a must due to Dusclops's low HP stat. The remaining EVs can be split between Defense and Special Defense depending on what Dusclops needs it for. Defense EVs help a lot against Donphan, Heracross, Medicham, and Snorlax, while Special Defense investment buffers hits from special attackers such as Blaziken, Starmie, and Alakazam. Finally, one can run use 48 Speed EVs to outspeed Snorlax.

With Shadow Ball, this is one of the best Gengar counters in the game. Even if Gengar has Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp, Dusclops can function as usual, and maybe even surprise a physical attacker with a Sleep Talk Will-O-Wisp. It's also a great sleep absorber and switch-in to Pokemon such as Breloom and Jynx. As with the first set, 36 Attack EVs make Shadow Ball a guaranteed OHKO on Alakazam. 252 HP EVs maximize Dusclops's low HP stat, and the rest balance its defenses.

A pretty decent Salamence counter, this Dusclops also stops Donphan pretty effectively. Watch out for Suicune, however, as it will Roar Dusclops out, and Milotic, who can take advantage of the burn and use Hypnosis to put Dusclops to sleep. However, if Sleep Clause has already been activated, Dusclops can Calm Mind up to take less damage from Surf, and then Pressure stall it with Rest. Thunder Punch and Fire Punch are alternative attacks worth considering on this set. Maximum HP is still a must, and EVs should be concentrated in Defense as Calm Mind will boost Dusclops's Special Defense anyway.