Article #2: Donphan (R/S)
Posted: Thu 13 Dec, 2007 10:43 am
This article was originally written in early 2006, so ratings, combos, etc. may be outdated.
Name: Donphan
Type: Fighting
HP: 80
Stage 1 Pokemon
Evolves from Phanpy
[FC] Rend (20+) If the Defending Pokemon has any damage counters on it, this attack does 20 damage plus 20 more damage.
[FCCC] Double Spin (60x) Flip 2 coins. This attack does 60 damage times the number of heads.
Weakness: Grass
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Number: 17/111
Rarity: Rare
Analysis
Evolves from Phanpy: There are seven Phanpy cards available at the moment- Neo1, Neo4, E2, EX1, EX8, EX13, and POP Series 2. In my opinion, the best Phanpy to use would be the one from POP 2. However, any of the Phanpy will work, since you'd want to evolve it into Donphan anyway.
HP: 80 is a fairly good amount for a Stage 1 Pokemon. You can use Energy Root to increase its HP to 100, and since it doesn't have Poke-Powers or Poke-Bodies, you have nothing to lose.
Weakness: Grass isn't played very often, so you don't have to worry about its Weakness too much. The only real threat to Donphan is Scyther (Jungle), so if your concerned about it, use Protective Orb.
Resistance: Donphan has none, so let's move on.
Retreat: One Energy is fairly good. I wouldn't advise wasting a Switch on it, though.
Rend: This attack does the right amount of damage for the Energy you put into it. In addition, if the Defending Pokemon has at least 1 damage counter on it, It does 20 additional damage! Ways to take advantage of this will be explained in the Combos section.
Double Spin: This attack's Energy cost is actually quite cheap. One Fighting Energy and three of any Energy is perfect for an average of 60 damage per attack. If you're interested in the odds, there's a 50% chance that it will do 60, and a 25% chance at doing either 0 or 120 damage! I wouldn't rely on this attack a whole lot, however.
Combos
Any Pokemon that does damage to your opponent's Bench- There are actually a lot of Pokemon that can do this. Some of the ones I'd suggest using are Nidoking (E2), Whiscash (EX8), and Nosepass (EX9) since they damage all of your opponent's Pokemon at once and are Fighting types like Donphan.
Team Magma Hideout- If your opponent doesn't play any Pokemon with Team Magma in their name, this Stadium will place a damage counter on any Pokemon placed on their Bench. Be careful, as it will also affect your Pokemon! Perfect for setting up Rend.
Ratings
Unlimited- Electabuzz (Base) and Clefable (Jungle) are still widely used, so Donphan will wipe them out pretty quickly. However, Scyther (Jungle) is also widely used, so be careful, as Scyther has a Resistance to Fighting AND is a Grass type, making Donphan an easy target. Otherwise, it should stand a chance here. 7/10
Conclusion
Although there are better Pokemon out there with the Rend attack, Donphan still rates pretty well.
Name: Donphan
Type: Fighting
HP: 80
Stage 1 Pokemon
Evolves from Phanpy
[FC] Rend (20+) If the Defending Pokemon has any damage counters on it, this attack does 20 damage plus 20 more damage.
[FCCC] Double Spin (60x) Flip 2 coins. This attack does 60 damage times the number of heads.
Weakness: Grass
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: (C)
Number: 17/111
Rarity: Rare
Analysis
Evolves from Phanpy: There are seven Phanpy cards available at the moment- Neo1, Neo4, E2, EX1, EX8, EX13, and POP Series 2. In my opinion, the best Phanpy to use would be the one from POP 2. However, any of the Phanpy will work, since you'd want to evolve it into Donphan anyway.
HP: 80 is a fairly good amount for a Stage 1 Pokemon. You can use Energy Root to increase its HP to 100, and since it doesn't have Poke-Powers or Poke-Bodies, you have nothing to lose.
Weakness: Grass isn't played very often, so you don't have to worry about its Weakness too much. The only real threat to Donphan is Scyther (Jungle), so if your concerned about it, use Protective Orb.
Resistance: Donphan has none, so let's move on.
Retreat: One Energy is fairly good. I wouldn't advise wasting a Switch on it, though.
Rend: This attack does the right amount of damage for the Energy you put into it. In addition, if the Defending Pokemon has at least 1 damage counter on it, It does 20 additional damage! Ways to take advantage of this will be explained in the Combos section.
Double Spin: This attack's Energy cost is actually quite cheap. One Fighting Energy and three of any Energy is perfect for an average of 60 damage per attack. If you're interested in the odds, there's a 50% chance that it will do 60, and a 25% chance at doing either 0 or 120 damage! I wouldn't rely on this attack a whole lot, however.
Combos
Any Pokemon that does damage to your opponent's Bench- There are actually a lot of Pokemon that can do this. Some of the ones I'd suggest using are Nidoking (E2), Whiscash (EX8), and Nosepass (EX9) since they damage all of your opponent's Pokemon at once and are Fighting types like Donphan.
Team Magma Hideout- If your opponent doesn't play any Pokemon with Team Magma in their name, this Stadium will place a damage counter on any Pokemon placed on their Bench. Be careful, as it will also affect your Pokemon! Perfect for setting up Rend.
Ratings
Unlimited- Electabuzz (Base) and Clefable (Jungle) are still widely used, so Donphan will wipe them out pretty quickly. However, Scyther (Jungle) is also widely used, so be careful, as Scyther has a Resistance to Fighting AND is a Grass type, making Donphan an easy target. Otherwise, it should stand a chance here. 7/10
Conclusion
Although there are better Pokemon out there with the Rend attack, Donphan still rates pretty well.