Donphan Counters

NintendoAlian

NintendoAlian

Frontier Brain
Member
So we all know that Donphan is the most popular deck in the format. But can you counter it easily. There are a few ways to counter it.

Sniping:
Blaziken FUF: 150 to any Pokemon
Espeon PLF: 40 to any Pokemon
Landorus EX: 30 and 30 to a bench

Bring Donphan up
Lysandre
Genesect EX
Pyroar PF
 
Seismitoad / Garbodor / Hammers is a good way to couinter Donphan. Removing the Strong Energy and spamming Virbank City Gym severely reduces Donphan's damage output. The item lock from Quaking Punch will prevent the opponent from playing Muscle Bands, Float Stones, and Robo Substitues, while Garbodor allows you to get past Safeguard. With a Muscle Bank and Laserbank, Quaking Punch will OHKO a Donphan that's been Lysandred up or used Wreck last turn.
 
NintendoAlian said:
So we all know that Donphan is the most popular deck in the format. But can you counter it easily. There are a few ways to counter it.

Sniping:
Blaziken FUF: 150 to any Pokemon
Espeon PLF: 40 to any Pokemon
Landorus EX: 30 and 30 to a bench

Bring Donphan up
Lysandre
Genesect EX
Pyroar
Click to expand...

Sadly it's not quite that simple. If you are building a deck specifically to counter Donphan it is pretty easy.(It will be easy with any deck.) It's weak to water, so just water Pokemon that can easily do 70 damage and have reasonably high HP so they can take a hit.Beatric 1HK0s, Kyurem with 3 damage on it and a muscle band or 5 damage and no muscle band 1HKOs it.

The problem is that you are building a deck that has to counter many decks and if you make it too focused on the Donphan matchup it will do poorly against others. So generally you want to make small modifications, which are also useful in other matchups.

For that reason, a very good starting point is more stadiums and more startling megaphones. Pretty much every deck can benefit from stadiums and more megaphones are useful against several matchups. And Donphan really needs those Fighting Stadiums and muscle bands. If you have space, you can also go after the Strong Energy with enhanced hammer or Xerosic.

Agreed that you do need Lysandre, but of course every deck runs it anyway and with VS seeker no one is going to run more than 2. An interesting addition would be the PUF Pyroar which lets you discard an energy for a Lysandre-like effect.
 
Aegislash EX gave me some trouble when I played Donphan against a Bronzong deck. I was forced to rely on basic energy and wasn't able to reach the numbers as easily.

But for other non metal decks, healing cards like Max Potion or Pokemon recovery cards like Scoop Up Cyclone, AZ, Cassius, and Super Scoop Up can be huge against any deck that relies on multiple hit KOs to take prizes. Also, counter stadiums, Lysandre, Enhanced Hammer, and Mega Phones. A lot of those cards are considered staples in decks anyway so you don't have to go too far out of your way.

Also, Beartic (Furious Fists) is good for dealing with Donphan (along with Pyroar and Landorus). Just as long as they don't end up attaching a float stone to Donphan.
 
homeofmew said:
Toad, VirGen, Vs Seeker/Lysander combo
Click to expand...

This. I have a lot of trouble playing the Virizion / Genesect match up with Donphan. Your opponent can Red Signal around your Robo Substitutes and 2HKO them from the Bench while OHKO'ing Donphan with Deoxys and Muscle Band. And Reshiram doesn't do much for the match up unless you start with him and force your opponent to 2HKO him. Otherwise, they'll Red Signal around it if they can't OHKO with Genesect.
 
Wobbefet is a good card in donphan decks for that reason, if you spinning turn into wobbefet they cant red signal they can still ohko it with genesect and a deoxys on the bench.
 
Ironman131 said:
Wobbefet is a good card in donphan decks for that reason, if you spinning turn into wobbefet they cant red signal they can still ohko it with genesect and a deoxys on the bench.
Click to expand...
Which is why the smert players will include 1 Lysandre in their VirGen decks. :)
 
I feel like Glaceon PLF and Vaporeon PLF are both strong counters, but that most decks only have space for one or the other. Which eeveelution do you guys prefer to counter Donphan, Pyroar, Landorus, etc...?
 
LoneWolf2113 said:
I feel like Glaceon PLF and Vaporeon PLF are both strong counters, but that most decks only have space for one or the other. Which eeveelution do you guys prefer to counter Donphan, Pyroar, Landorus, etc...?
Click to expand...
Although I lean towards Vaporeon most often since it has 20 more HP (110 vs. 90 is significant) and 2 attacks (one of which provides some 30 damage healing to all my Poke for just C energy cost; the other inflicts extra damage onto opponents' EX Poke), Glaceon can more easily 1HKO either Donphan, Pyroar, and even Landorus EX given enough benched Deoxys EXs. So, I run Glaceon most of the time.
 
I think Donphan is one of the best matchups for Fairy. I already run a high Startling Megaphone/Lysandre count, and all Keldeo EX needs is one Rainbow or a band to OHKO. Setting up behind the non EX Xerneas negates Fighting Stadium and Silver Bangle, and I'm willing to trade a prize for 4 extra energy on the board (or can also use a Max Potion to erase the damage from Spinning Turn). This also gives me time to send all of my opponent's tools to their discard pile and find a Rainbow for Keldeo. Then it's just staying ahead of their setup. Non EX Xerneas is a great counter to Sigilyph/Suicune, as it can OHKO them for the cost of one energy.
 
TuxedoBlack said:
LoneWolf2113 said:
I feel like Glaceon PLF and Vaporeon PLF are both strong counters, but that most decks only have space for one or the other. Which eeveelution do you guys prefer to counter Donphan, Pyroar, Landorus, etc...?
Click to expand...
Although I lean towards Vaporeon most often since it has 20 more HP (110 vs. 90 is significant) and 2 attacks (one of which provides some 30 damage healing to all my Poke for just C energy cost; the other inflicts extra damage onto opponents' EX Poke), Glaceon can more easily 1HKO either Donphan, Pyroar, and even Landorus EX given enough benched Deoxys EXs. So, I run Glaceon most of the time.
Click to expand...
There is also Glaceon's added effect of giving your other Plasma Pokemon 2 retreat cost less, which is good with Eeveelutions.
 
How come I haven't heard anyone mention Drifblim and Enhanced Hammer? Rob them of their DCE and Strong Energy and swing for huge damage with little Energy. They can't one-shot the Drifblim (without using Wreck and a Muscle Band, but that requires four Energy...and that's without DCE) and it forces them to refrain from attaching Specials. From here, you have the freedom to Lysandre around Robo Subs or whatever they throw at you and Shadow Steal to pick their Donphan off one at a time. I suggest running a 2-2 line for the sake of consistency.
 
batPokemonMan said:
i found malamar ex blastoise works. put toad to sleep and if he cant attack you get blastoise in play
Click to expand...

True...

And speaking of malamar, you can even attach a Muscle Band on MMane, slap a laserbank on the sleeping Donphan, then attack w/ Turbo Bolt, and watch Donphan's user get surprised by a KO from Laserbank between turns after the 130-20(Resistance) is dealt against 'Phan(by poison w/ Virbank up)or better yet, don't attach MB, use Turbo Bolt anyway, and hope Donphan doesn't wake up, knowing if he does, one Wreck will do MMane in... While a Spinning Turn with 2 Strong Energies plus a Muscle Band will go 10 HP shy of KO'ing MMane after weakness multipliers are calculated, if Donphan stays asleep, his only way out would be a switch or a Rush(Keldeo-ex)/Barge(Dragonite-EX) In. And if he switches back in afterwards, bye bye, MMane: It's likely that you got Wrecked...

^ Even with a pokemon that's weak to another, the weak could still win, assuming it has the right support...
 
If you're playing Plasma, a Snorlax could be really annoying against the Donphan player with the retreat lock attack (though Wobbuffet breaks the lock).
 
LoneWolf2113 said:
I feel like Glaceon PLF and Vaporeon PLF are both strong counters, but that most decks only have space for one or the other. Which eeveelution do you guys prefer to counter Donphan, Pyroar, Landorus, etc...?
Click to expand...

As convenient/quick to play Gold Breaker is, I find it really isn't as useful as it could be so I prefer using Glaceon. Though I do sometimes consider throwing Vaporeon in as a just in case scenario.

to be honest I feel like a lot of decks would see more play if Pokemon had a sideboard.
 
bossgivol said:
Which is a better counter for a VirGen deck, 2-2 Beartic or 2-2 Drifblim with two hammers?
Click to expand...
Although it's a tad tougher to fit in, the Drifblim+Hammers is a far better counter to Donphan, and it works against more decks than Beartic. Also, Beartic can be stopped by an attached Float Stone, whereas the only way to stop Drifblim from damaging is by playing Lysandre's TC.
 
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