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The coldest motherfucker in gen 4 isn’t an ice type- it’s my boy Darkrai. 125 Speed and 135 Special Attack is already pretty insane but add to it 70 HP and 90 Defense and Special Defense and you’ve got a solid stat distribution for a somewhat bulky, fast, special sweeper. Everyone knows Darkrai’s main draw is its signature move- Dark Void. But here’s the tricky thing… I’m not sure if Dark Void is going to function how it has in the past in this draft league or not. See, historically, Dark Void has been a spread move that puts both opposing pokemon to sleep. They nerfed it to only be 50% accurate, but it’s still pretty valuable regardless, especially with Darkrai’s ability Bad Dreams chipping ⅛ of all sleeping pokemon’s HP. Dream Eater pairs nicely with this. However comma, in Legends Z-A, they changed Dark Void to be a 60 power spread move that inflicts drowsy instead of sleep. It also has the special effect of doing double damage to the target if it’s already drowsy. This means not switching out after you’re hit with it will be punished severely. I could see a Darkrai with choice specs easily 2-shotting both opponents with this in the right circumstances. But again, that’s just how the move functions in Z-A, which isn’t a mainline game. It’s safe to assume they’re going to change it to work that way going forward but I don’t think we can use that version of the move yet on showdown. But either way, Darkrai is and has always been a fantastic support and special attacker, one which absolutely deserves top 3 picks overall, probably top 2. With such a unique supportive function along with a fast Taunt, Disable, Haze, Snarl, and Icy Wind, its utility cannot be denied. But its offensive movepool is pretty deep too. Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Sludge Bomb, Psychic… Did you know it also learns Palkia’s signature move- Spacial Rend? I just found that out! What the fuck?

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