Every time there’s a new generation I try to make a team with Dusknoir, and this is my first time submitting it to RMT. I really enjoy using dusknoir in OU despite it being unranked because opponents rarely know how to play around it. This usually leads to it getting some KOs that it really shouldn’t. For example, banded dusknoir has been able to score OHKO’s on incoming Lando, Urshifu, Zapdos-G, and scores reliable 2HKO’s on incoming Clef, Pex, Ferro, and Buzzwole thanks to hazards from Ferro and Lando. All while avoiding being OHKOed in return thanks to Aurora Veil. I’m a pretty bad player but I’ve managed to hit 1400’s with it on the ladder before, and I usually get trapped in the 1300’s with other teams.
Dusknoir @ Choice Band
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Poltergeist
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp/Earthquake
The man of the hour. As stated above, I love building around Dusknoir because it typically causes the opponent to make shakier decisions once he’s on the field. Because of this, I find that leading Dusknoir against teams without a ghost resist can go a long way. Banded poltergeist does disgusting amounts of damage on neutral hits if you’re expecting the opponent to stay in. He causes the opponent to make really predictable plays, which can then be capitalized on by either smashing the switch in with poltergeist, demolishing Lando-t on the switch with Ice Punch, or giving you a practically free switch to another mon on the team. Shadow sneak is a great option for getting surprise KO’s on weakened mons, and can do massive damage to Dragapult. Ice punch is only there to catch Lando switch ins, but also OHKOes most Dragapults and is more accurate than poltergeist. Earthquake is a secondary option to catch Heatran on the switch, but I usually prefer being able to get a burn on an opponent’s threat.
Notable Calcs:
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Poltergeist vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 132-156 (43.4 - 51.3%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Poltergeist vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ferrothorn: 195-231 (55.3 - 65.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Poltergeist vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 216-255 (54.8 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 164+ Def Landorus-Therian: 376-444 (98.4 - 116.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 136 Def Garchomp: 408-484 (97.1 - 115.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dusknoir Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragapult: 282-334 (88.9 - 105.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Freeze-Dry
- Encore
- Pain Split
Aurora veil is an absolute necessity for this team. Behind aurora veil, banded Dusknoir becomes an absolute monster with 492 attack, and over 600 in both defenses. This allows Dusknoir to live tons of hits, and throw off a lot of poltergeists. Ninetales also works as a soft-check to Lando-T, outspeeding non-scarf variants, OHKOing offensive Lando and doing massive damage to defensive Lando. Encore can lock opponents into a setup move giving you a free switch into a check, and pain split gives some longevity and can chip opponents into poltergeist/shadow sneak range.
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Psychic
This is the mon I feel least solid about. Having QD Volc is nice as a wincon and it can get a lot of free boosts under veil, but in practice it hasn’t done much for me on the ladder. Roost for longevity, +1 flamethrower gets solid damage on mons like Landorus, Buzzwole, and Melmetal, usually bringing them into sneak range. It also OHKOes Ferro and Weavile. +1 it outspeeds banded Urshifu and OHKOes it with psychic. It needs to be careful about Heatran as it runs over most of the team and Volc can be a really good opportunity for it to get in and start wreaking havoc.
Garchomp @ Leftovers
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
- Scale Shot
Standard SD chomp, this is our Heatran counter, so make sure it stays healthy and avoids burn at all costs. Behind veil it can live a lot of attacks, so use this as an opportunity to set up with SD and Scale Shot. After getting properly set up, it can sweep through practically any team. Behind veil you can set up against most mons and run house from there. Some other options I've tried include running Rocks or Substitute over fire fang, as I find I don't click fire fang very much, however the team can struggle with Corviknight so I'd recommend keeping fang.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 148 HP / 56 Def / 216 SpD / 88 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Toxic
Lando’s EVs are a tweaked version of the recommended defensive spread from the strategy dex. It has enough special bulk to live some surprise hits, letting you get rocks up, do big damage with EQ, or get off a toxic. Rocks, as seen in the Dusknoir calcs, are absolutely key for getting specific KOs, so make sure that you get those up as much as possible. You can punish defog attempts by bringing in Ninetales on the defog and setting up veil again. The speed EV’s are set to outslow the defensive Lando from the strategy dex, letting you learn about the opponent’s set in the landorus mirror. It also gives you a slower u-turn, so you have the momentum.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn is a nice defensive mon for the team. Spikes allow for extra chip damage on the switch, so if you get enough layers up Dusknoir can KO Dragapult with shadow sneak. It’s a standard ferro set. Bring him in when you aren’t quite sure how to handle your opponent’s offensive threats. Iron barbs + Leech seed is another source of chip damage for Dusknoir, letting it get shadow sneak kills on a weakened team. Of course, be careful against Heatran and other strong special attackers.
I hope you have fun using the team, and I hope Dusknoir is able to impress you! It's a mon that's able to put in a lot of consistent work whenever I use it on ladder. Also, any feedback would be super appreciated. Like I said, the team really struggles against Heatran. It also struggles against stall. Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
