Darumaka Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Flare Blitz is a very powerful Fire-type STAB move that punches huge holes into the opponent's team, even if enemies only take neutral damage. U-turn is obligatory for a Choice Scarf or Choice Band user and is used to maintain momentum on predicted switches as the opponent panics to find the safest switch-in. Rock Slide is awesome coverage for hitting the Fire-types that resist both Flare Blitz and U-turn and is also useful for hitting Flying-types such as Archen. Superpower is a very potent coverage move, being super effective on five types, and rounds out Darumaka's moveset nicely. Set Details 196 Attack and Speed EVs maximize Darumaka's offensive capabilities, and the remaining EVs are invested into HP to improve Darumaka's overall bulk. With Hustle, a Jolly nature, and Choice Scarf, Darumaka effectively has an Attack stat of 27 and a Speed stat of 22, making it a highly threatening force to be reckoned with in terms of power, speed, and ability to gain momentum. Darumaka's Attack stat with a Choice Band reaches a mind-blowing value of 40 with a Jolly nature, and is guaranteed to hit any target that doesn't resist the move Darumaka is using extremely hard. Usage Tips Prediction is very important when using Darumaka; if you mispredict the opponent's switch, you will give them a free turn you might regret. Make use of U-turn and use your other moves very carefully; a Pokemon with Flash Fire switching into Darumaka's Flare Blitz is a total momentum shift. Try to keep Darumaka from taking too much damage from entry hazards, particularly Stealth Rock, because its health is limited enough as it is, and it's not the easiest thing to pass a Wish to. Make sure Darumaka switches in safely on something it can really threaten; slow Volt Switch and U-turn users really help with ensuring this. Team Options Diglett is a great teammate for Darumaka, being able to trap and KO Chinchou and Ponyta. Darumaka can also get Diglett in easily by using U-turn on a predicted switch. Foongus makes a good teammate for dealing with Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that might give Darumaka problems. Entry hazard removal support is greatly appreciated by Darumaka, as its Stealth Rock weakness really hampers its survivability, which is further hampered by Flare Blitz's recoil. Good entry hazard removers that synergize well with Darumaka include Archen, which can check Fletchling and Fire-types and has access to U-turn itself, and Staryu, which can deal with Ponyta and Rock-types. Chinchou and Mienfoo can cover Darumaka's weaknesses to Water and Rock, respectively, while also forming a solid VoltTurn core with it, which allows Darumaka to switch in without fear. Vulpix can offer Drought support, which makes Flare Blitz hit incredibly hard. Vulpix and Darumaka can also help wear down each other's shared counters. Watch out for their shared weaknesses to Rock, Ground, and Water, though.

This is Darumaka's signature set, and for good reason too. Darumaka's herculean power makes it immediately a threat to any team, and with a Choice item, it's almost impossible for the opponent to avoid losing a teammate or two. Choice Band and Choice Scarf play differently, but Darumaka excels at using both items. Choice Scarf is usually the item of choice for a few reasons. With Hustle, Darumaka already hits an Attack stat of 27, which is higher than even Cranidos's Attack stat, effectively making Darumaka the strongest physical attacker in the tier. Holding a Choice Scarf allows Darumaka to outpace all unboosted Pokemon in the tier, as well as a fair share of opponents that commonly hold a Choice Scarf, including Magnemite and Snover. Darumaka's powerful Flare Blitz will OHKO just about any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, and Darumaka will probably outspeed them as well. This means that this fiery blob will probably take out a few members of the opponent's team before succumbing to priority and recoil. By contrast, with a Choice Band around Darumaka's wrist, its Attack skyrockets to a jaw dropping stat of 40. With 40 Attack, it is safe to say that anything lacking Flash Fire will fall to a Flare Blitz with Stealth Rock or Spikes. Even attacks that aren't boosted by STAB, such as Superpower and Rock Slide, will do tremendous damage and OHKO anything that they hit super effectively. Overall, 40 Attack is truly scary and makes Choice Band Darumaka the true threat that it is. If you're among the select few who prefer reliability over power on Choice sets, Brick Break is a viable alternative to Superpower. If the opponent's Frillish and Slowpoke are eliminated, Brick Break is a better option over Superpower, having the potential to run through the opposing team. Return has attractive power, accuracy, and decent coverage that could make it usable over Rock Slide or U-turn. Beware, however, of the many Pokemon that take little damage from Return. Darumaka has trouble with Slowpoke and Fire-types carrying Flash Fire, both very common in Little Cup. Prime examples of Pokemon that can get rid of them include Chinchou and Staryu. Chinchou has perfect offensive synergy with Darumaka, and they do not have bad defensive synergy, either. Chinchou can make a great partner with Darumaka using the combination of U-turn and Volt Change to perplex your opponent. Defensive variants can cripple faster opponents with Thunder Wave so that Choice Band Darumaka can plow through the opponent's teams. Staryu can do the same and also has Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock, but it doesn't get STAB Electric-type moves like Chinchou does. Ferroseed and Dwebble are also good partners for setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes.

While Darumaka is normally seen as an offensive threat, it plays a support role exceptionally well with high HP and a great support movepool. Encore allows Darumaka to force the opponent into using the move last used; this is extremely annoying for the opponent as the defensive Pokemon that commonly switch into Darumaka are particularly vulnerable to Encore. The move in the second slot depends on your team; if it has trouble with physical attackers, you can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple them. Otherwise, you can use Yawn to force switches or put a foe to sleep. Yawn's ability to force switches is especially great when lots of entry hazards are present. Using it in tandem with U-turn, Darumaka can play mind games with the opponent to cause even more switches and rack up the damage with hazards and U-turn. U-turn also allows Darumaka to make advantageous switches against opposing switch-ins trying to take advantage of Encore or Yawn. Additionally, it can net a few KOs here and there against frail Pokemon that take super effective damage from it, such as Zorua. Fire Punch is the best STAB move Darumaka has for this set in terms of power and consistency. If you want to use Flare Blitz for added power, you can, but its recoil is not appreciated on this support set. Set-up sweepers such as Riolu and Clamperl are amazing partners, as they can sweep the opposing team with Encore or Yawn support from Darumaka. A Rapid Spin user, Taunt lead, or Magic Mirror user can help keep hazards, especially Stealth Rock, off the field. Some good examples are Staryu and Natu, respectively representing the three categories. Darumaka wants hazards on the other side of the field too; Ferroseed can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, and resists the Water- and Rock-type attacks that Darumaka fears. Darumaka also gets Taunt, which can be used in the second moveslot if the other moves don't appeal to you.