Haxorus, the Axe Jaw Pokemon
Type: Dragon
Abilities:
Rivalry: "Attack is increased if the foe is of the same gender; Attack is decreased if the foe is of the opposite gender." (from Serebii)
Mold Breaker: "The Pokemon's moves are not affected by foe's abilities during battle." (from Serebii)
Unnerve (Dream World): "The opponent Pokemon will never use their held Berry while the Pokemon is in battle." (from Serebii)
Base Stat Total:
76 HP
147 Atk
90 Def
60 SpA
70 SpD
97 Spe
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 it's speed; as base 97 speed, even after a Dragon Dance boost, fails to outspeed many Pokemon, most notably the vast number of base 100 Pokemon and Hydreigon, which sits at base 98 speed. Also, Haxorus' movepool 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 good as well. Also, besides Haxorus' Attack of course, Haxorus' stats are not all that great, stats like its special attack, special defense, and HP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Depth / Move Sets:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dragon Dancing Menace
Haxorus w/ Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
Jolly nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 200 Spe, 40 SpD, 24 HP
-Dragon Dance
-Outrage / Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Taunt / Dragon Claw
Set Comments:
This has to be Haxorus' best set right now. After a Dragon Dance, Haxorus becomes very threatening, and not many Pokemon can take its attacks. Haxorus has almost unresisted coverage in having Ground and Dragon moves along with Mold Breaker, again, making it hard to stop. Dragon Dance is the obvious choice for the first slot. For the primary Dragon move of choice, Outrage is Haxorus' strongest move and will severely dent a lot of things, even those Steel Pokemon that resist Outrage. However, Outrage does have the bad side effect of locking Haxorus into Outrage for two to three turns, so if a more consistent move is preferred, then Dragon Claw can be used. There is a major power difference between Outrage and Dragon Claw though. Earthquake is the best for the third slot, getting very good coverage with the Dragon move of choice. For the last slot, Taunt is preferred, as it allows Haxorus to stop defensive Pokemon that resist Haxorus' attacks, most notably Skarmory. However, if Outrage is being used for the second slot, then Dragon Claw can be used instead of Taunt for a consistent Stab move.
Additional Comments:
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 with a Jolly nature are used to outspeed base 90 Pokemon like Lucario. Max speed EVs could be used, but there isn't a real point to running max speed, since most of the things that Haxorus would outspeed aren't that common. 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 40 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 Leftovers can be used to make Haxorus bulkier.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sword Dancing Menace
Haxorus w/ Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EV / nature spreads:
Jolly nature, 252 Atk, 200 Spe, 40 SpD, 24 HP EVs
- enables Haxorus to outspeed all base 90 Pokemon
Adamant nature, 252 Atk, 232 Spe, 24 HP EVs
- enables Haxorus to have more power and to outspeed max speed Gyarados
-Swords Dance
-Outrage / Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Taunt / Dragon Claw
Set Comments
This Haxorus set focuses more on wall-breaking rather than sweeping. It boosts Haxorus' attack to monsterous levels, which allows Haxorus to damage just about anything after a Swords dance boost. Swords dance is the obvious choice for the first slot. Outrage is preferred for the second slot, as Outrage is Haxorus' strongest move. Outrage locks Haxorus into the field for two to three turns, so if a more consistent move is preferred, then Dragon Claw should be used, though it should be noted that Outrage has substantially more power than Dragon Claw. Earthquake is used for the third slot, getting great coverage with Haxorus' Dragon moves. Taunt is 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 instead of Taunt if Outrage is used for the second slot, as Dragon Claw is a consistent Stab move that has decent power.
Additional Comments:
The first EV spread is for outspeeding more threats, more specifically base 90 Pokemon like 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. The second spread is for more power, while allowing Haxorus to outspeed Jolly Gyarados. Life Orb is the preferred item, but Leftovers can be used for more longetivity. Again, Mold Breaker is the ability to use, almost no matter what.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Banded AxeFace
Haxorus@ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA), Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Brick Break / Rock Slide / Dragon Tail
Set Comments:
This is meant to come in, quickly do a lot of damage with a boosted Dragon Claw/EQ, and get the heck out of dodge. Others tried to sweep more, but Choice Band instantly cranks up his attack to 648 if you’re running the recommended Adamant nature. Only Outrage when necessary, and use the last slot of coverage. Dragon Tail isn’t a great idea here, but can be entertaining and annoying if used well. Brick Break is your best option in the last slot, since it combines the awesome coverages of Dragon/Ground and Dragon/Fighting in one dangerous set, minus Brick Break’s rather wimpy base 75 power. Layers are nice on the opponent’s side, and nice OFF of yours, since he’ll be switching pretty often.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source:
http://teamuber.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9017
