http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/dugtrio
I'm taking this over for Limewire, so his thread can be locked. I'm mainly getting this through the GP stage. The skeleton is very informative and doesn't require a lot of work. Good job Limewire. I'll improve areas where I deem necessary, so don't worry too much about content.
[Overview]
<p>Dugtrio has two qualities that every revenge killer would die for: an excellent base Speed stat of 120, and more importantly, Arena Trap. Dugtrio's main downfall is its poor 35/50/75 defensive stats. Dugtrio can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by almost any attack in the game, making it very difficult to bring in outside of revenge-killing. Even if Dugtrio is safely on the field, it still needs to watch out for Pursuit. Dugtrio's Attack stat is mediocre, forcing it to choose between Choice Band and Life Orb for power. Despite these shortcomings, Dugtrio is a very useful teammate when played correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Shadow Claw / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
nature: Jolly
ability: Arena Trap
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Using Dugtrio is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Although it has paper-thin defenses, Dugtrio's efficient revenge-killing abilities are, in the opinion of some players, too good to pass up. Earthquake is used for STAB, and with Stone Edge, the twomoves hit a large number of Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Sucker Punch is a good priority move for Dugtrio; even with its blazing fast Speed, Dugtrio can be outsped by opposing revenge-killers wielding a Choice Scarf. Shadow Claw rounds off the coverage, hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types whenever you feel Sucker Punch would be a bad option to use; for example, Dusknoir will usually Will-O-Wisp Dugtrio, so Sucker Punch would fail. If you're not too crazy about coverage and you're using Life Orb, you can opt to use Substitute instead. Substitute protects Dugtrio from status, and gives it some well needed safety from priority moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are simple; max out Dugtrio's Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature is used since it is crucial for Dugtrio to attack before its foe, however Adamant can be used if you have a Life Orb. Life Orb gives Dugtrio a juicy power boost, which is well appreciated since it only has a base 80 Attack stat. Since Dugtrio is pretty frail, Focus Sash isn't such a bad option. Just be sure to have Pokemon that can use Rapid Spin, such as Kabutops, Claydol, or Sandslash.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is highly recommended to make sweeping easier. Some good Spikers include Qwilfish, Crustle, Ferroseed, and Omastar. The latter three can also set up Stealth Rock. Good Toxic Spikes users include Drapion, Scolipede, and Garbodor. When using entry hazards, a Ghost-type should be used to block Rapid Spin. Dusknoir and Rotom are great choices.</p>
<p>Dugtrio will have trouble taking down bulky Pokemon, such as Steelix. Therefore, your team should have several hard-hitters. For example, Choice Specs Moltres can its tearopponents into shreds, and Dugtrio can easily pick off weakened survivors. Dugtrio can also switch into Electric- and Rock-type attacks aimed at Moltres.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Focus Sash
nature: Jolly / Adamant
ability: Arena Trap
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dugtrio is often viewed as a deadly revenge-killer; however, it can also pull off a decent support set, which may be surprising given its poor defenses. The gem in this set is Arena Trap. By sending Dugtrio into a Pokemon that isn't a Rapid Spinner, a faster Taunt user, or can't break its Focus Sash, Dugtrio is almost guaranteed to set up Stealth Rock. Sucker Punch is useful for when you've set up Stealth Rock and the opponent breaks your Focus Sash. Earthquake provides reliable STAB, and the coverage of it and Stone Edge hits a large amount of Pokemon for at least neutral damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although this is a support set, you should not invest any EVs in Dugtrio's defenses (except the leftover 4 EVs) due to its poor overall defenses. Just stick to maxing out Dugtrio's Attack and Speed. Use Jolly to tie with other base 120 Speed Pokemon, or Adamant if you want Dugtrio to do more damage. Reversal can go pretty well over Earthquake on this set, since Focus Sash will leave Dugtrio at 1 HP--Reversal can do some pretty severe damage. Giving Dugtrio Leftovers and Substitute over Stone Edge and Focus Sash is a risky strategy; however, it makes Dugtrio more than just a "imma set up SR maybe do some damage and die" Pokemon. If you trap the right Pokemon, it goes well with Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>Good teammates are those that can take advantage of Stealth Rock and gain momentum. Pretty much all offensive or balanced Pokemon can be a good teammate to Dugtrio. The only type of team support that Dugtrio may like is a spinblocker. Therefore, offensive Dusknoir, Rotom, and Cofagrigus make great teammates. You can also go for defensive sets, or use Eviolite Frillish and Misdreavus. Although not required, having a Rapid Spinner is nice because entry hazards destroy Dugtrio's Focus Sash. If you do not have a Rapid Spinner, then you should try to send out Dugtrio as soon as possible, before your opponent has an opportunity to lay down entry hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Memento is an excellent option to use on either set. Once Dugtrio loses a ton of HP and becomes useless, use Memento to bring in another sweeper safely. Night Slash and Shadow Claw are practically identical. The reason that Shadow Claw is listed and Night Slash is not is that Shadow Claw deals neutral damage to the numerous Fighting-types in RU. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if you don't like Stone Edge's 80% accuracy; however, this will cause a significant decrease in power. Substitute + Hone Claws is incredibly frustrating for Dugtrio to pull off, but in the off chance that it does, Dugtrio can easily shred the opposing team. Choice Scarf Dugtrio might sound absurd, but it has some merit. For example, Dugtrio can now outspeed opposing revenge-killers who also wield a Choice Scarf. However, Dugtrio will sorely miss the power given by Life OrborChoice Band.</p>
[Checks & Counters]
<p>Technically speaking, Dugtrio can't really be countered once it is switched into its prey. However, Dugtrio will have trouble against bulky Pokemon that can chip away at its HP, phaze it, or status it. For example, Tangrowth can survive Dugtrio's attack at full health, and OHKO it with Power Whip. Another annoying Pokemon is Eviolite Gligar,whichescapes Arena Trap, takes relatively low damage from Dugtrio's attacks, and retaliates with Toxic. After Dugtrio has revenge-killed something, it's in danger from other revenge killers, such as Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, Manectric and Medicham. Enemy revenge-killers will also have a much easier time if a Choice Band Dugtrio is locked into the wrong move. Choice Band Dugtrio is also in danger of being Pursuit bait. Pokemon that survive Sucker Punch and retaliate with priority moves make good checks. For example, Sharpedo takes very little damage from Sucker Punch and can use Aqua Jet to net a KO. Honchkrow is a very nifty check since it has priority Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and ignores Arena Trap. Choice Scarf Gardevoir is an interesting check since she can Trace Dugtrio's Arena Trap and KO it. However, she will have to watch out for Sucker Punch.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Dugtrio's Dream World ability is Sand Force. Since the only Pokemon that can automatically summon Sandstorm are not in RU, using Sand Force is not recommended.</p>
