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Darmanitan is a glass cannon of a Pokémon when it comes to using it in Pokémon Go. It’s a decent Ultra League and Master League Classic Pokémon, but you primarily want to be using Darmanitan for raids. It’s a powerhouse of a Pokémon that can deal an incredible amount of damage. The real trick is making sure you teach it the correct moveset for its attack stats to shine.

Darmanitan is a Fire-type Pokémon. It will be weak against Ground, Rock, and Water-type attacks, but it is resistant against Bug, Fairy, Fire, Grass, Ice, and Steel-type moves. You primarily want to place Darmanitan as the Lead Pokémon in your PvP roster if you’re using it against other players. It may not last long in a fight, but it can pack a massive punch that can force most players to immediately use their Switch Pokémon. You may also want to swap out Darmanitan when this happens.

These are all of the attacks Darmanitan can learn.

Fast moves

• Fire Fang (Fire-type) – 8 damage and 2.5 energy per turn (4 damage per turn) – 2 turns
• Incinerate (Fire-type) – 15 damage and 4 energy per turn (3 damage per turn) – 5 turns
• Tackle (Normal-type) – 3 damage and 2 energy per turn (3 damage per turn) – 1 turn

Charged moves

• Focus Blast (Fighting-type) – 150 damage and 75 energy
• Overheat (Fire-type) – 130 damage and 55 energy (100% chance to lower user’s attack by two ranks)
• Psychic (Psychic-type) – 90 damage and 55 energy (10% chance to lower opponent’s defense by one rank)
• Rock Slide (Rock-type) – 75 damage and 45 energy

When it comes to teaching Darmanitan a fast move, you always want to go with incinerate. It beats out fire fang and tackle pretty easily. Overall, fire fang is an attack that can do more damage in a quicker time period than incinerate. Still, the amount of energy that incinerate generates for Darmanitan makes up for it. It’s a glass cannon Pokémon, so it wants to use its charged moves as often and quickly as possible.

When it comes to the charged moves, Darmanitan has several options for you to consider. While focus blast is a powerful Fighting-type charged move, it costs far too much energy for Darmanitan to effectively use it, given its lower defense and stamina stats. You want to be to use your charged moves fast, even with incinerate. The best options include rock slide and overheat. Both of these attacks are under 55 energy, and they’re incredibly powerful. Overheat does lower Darmanitan’s attack stat every time you use it, but Darmanitan has plenty to give up, especially for quick battles. Rock slide is a good backup attack that is super effective against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice-type Pokémon.

The best moveset to teach Darmanitan is the fast move incinerate, and the charged moves rock slide and overheat.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.

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