Donphan

Donphan fulfills its niche as one of the rare Rapid Spinners in DPP OU and the only one with a significant physical presence. With its pure Ground-typing, meaty physical stats, and versatile movepool, Donphan can fulfill defensive roles against Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Dragonite while, with cleric support and Odor Sleuth, it is the only spinner who can reliably Rapid Spin against Rotom-A. Even without this support, Donphan can harass more offensive Rotom-A and Gengar with tools such as Knock Off, Assurance, and Head Smash. Donphan’s utility movepool and access to Stealth Rock make it an excellent option on more offensive teams that can’t afford a Taunt anti-lead and need entry hazard relief for teammates such as Gyarados, Choice Band Tyranitar, and Machamp. On the other hand, when paired with another Rapid Spinner such as Starmie or Forretress, it provides unparalleled support for defensive Pokemon debilitated by entry hazards such as Blissey, Abomasnow, Togekiss, and Zapdos.

Unfortunately, the reason why it needs an additional Rapid Spin user are because it is unreliable on its own against Ghost-types, its slow Speed and low Special Defense, the many moves it wants to use, and its debilitating weakness to Toxic Spikes and residual damage in general. Even though it can hurt Gengar and Rotom-A if it predicts the switch in and has the right move, they still can completely ruin Donphan, as it despises being burned. Gengar in particular is very difficult for Donphan to beat, as it takes advantage of its low Special Defense and Donphan doesn’t often have moves to hurt it effectively. Donphan often wants more than four moves, as it needs Odor Sleuth and Rest to Rapid Spin reliably against Rotom-A, but wants all of Ice Shard to help with Dragonite and hit Pokemon immune to Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and offensive moves such as Assurance and Head Smash. Lacking these moves significantly increases how many Pokemon can switch into Donphan. Additionally, most special attackers 2HKO Donphan, making it harder for it to do its job. Donphan is completely ruined by Toxic Spikes, as it has no way to rid itself of status besides Rest. It also does not have reliable recovery, struggles to fit Protect or Rest, and is worn down by the Spikes it tries to Rapid Spin, meaning it needs significant support to do its job reliably.