Dunsparce PvP IV Deep-Dive

Dunsparce has finally risen from the depths of “wish I had a good Fast Move” hell with the GO Battle League Season 12 update in Pokemon GO. While Rollout Dunsparce’s presence in the Great League meta has yet to be fully realized, 2 things are certain: It has good bulk and it has perfect coverage with Rock Slide and Drill Run. To help direct trainers towards the better Dunsparce IVs, this guide, the Dunsparce PvP IV Deep Dive, highlights the important stat checks and IVs associated with them. What’s interesting about Dunsparce’s PvP IVs is that they may subvert expectations, but not in the goofy high Atk kind of way.

This guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features PvP IV tables. 

If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video.

The tables below feature the IV spreads that meet some of the more important stat checks highlighted in the article. It’s important to review the guide itself to make sure you’re getting what you want out of your Dunsparce. For example, you may want even more Def for some specific matchups. 

Basic Bulk (110.63 Def, 185 HP)

• Given that Dunsparce’s Atk is a dump stat, you may want to use “bulk product” instead of stat product for ranking
  • No PvP IV tables offer bulk product, you just have to multiply the true Def by the true HP
  • So the Rank 1 isn’t really the “Rank 1” here as the Rank’s 7, 2, 5, and 6 all have greater bulk than it

Premium Bulk (111.14 Def, 186 HP)

• The Rank’s 9 (0/12/15), 43 (0/13/15), and 44 (0/13/14) are also a cut above average, just missing the Def goal but making up for it with HP
• As with the Basic Bulk, be mindful of bulk product > stat product

Premium Bulk (special Bulk Product sort)

• The color coding is just to separate them by significant gaps in bulk product
• All options are fantastic, don’t get too hung up on not having the Rank 7 or 2

Rollout is a 3 turn, energy focused Fast Move. In order for an Atk weight to be viable on a Pokemon with such a move, the matchup gains would have to be so significant they can’t be ignored, or there has to be a significant gain in CMP (Charge Move Priority) over other species. In the current state of the game, Dunsparce meets neither condition. Therefore, Dunsparce is almost exclusively concerned about its bulk. 

110.63 Def is a solid minimal check, protecting Dunsparce from moderate Atk weighted Sableye. Combined with 185 HP, Dunsparce is able to overcome most Sableye in the 0-0 shield scenario, along with Froslass in the 2-2 and Tapu Fini in the 2-1 shield scenarios. A higher Def of 111.14 helps maintain the 0-1 and 1-2 against Atk weighted Alolan Marowak, and 112.27+ Def enables Dunsparce to dominate low Atk, high bulk Araquanid in a way it never imagined possible. 186 HP and higher offers greater consistency against Swampert and may allow Dunsparce to hold out long enough for another Charge Move in less even matchups. 

While Atk is Dunsparce’s dump stat, there is utility with a slight Atk weight against high bulk iterations of Skarmory and Umbreon. With 103.5 Atk, Dunsparce gets a Drill Run Breakpoint on the Rank 1 Umbreon, better securing the 2-1. 104.3 Atk similarly fortifies the Rank 1 Skarmory 2-1 shield scenario with a Rock Slide Breakpoint. Given how slight the benefits are, and them requiring perfectly even situations to play out, think of these Atk weights as consolation prizes rather than a goal. 

All PvP IV websites and apps rank Pokemon by their Stat Product. Stat Product (Atk*Def*HP) is the general rule of thumb for PvP IVs as it scales with Total Damage Output (TDO) in a vacuum. What SP doesn’t consider are Breakpoints, or rather the “real matchup value” of the stats. This is why the PvP IV Deep Dive series exists, highlighting the relevant stat checks and their associated IVs for each species. For most Pokemon though, after meeting X stat check, SP is often safe to fall back on. 

Dunsparce breaks the mold further by being completely unconcerned about its Atk stat. As a result, if you were to fall back on Stat Product, you could be unwittingly favoring a higher Atk weight. Stat Product doesn’t care how the stats are distributed. Therefore, it would be mindful to multiply the true Def and HP of your Dunsparce when comparing which one you want to build. 

To simplify this process, we put together a Bulk Product table for Dunsparce’s most optimal PvP IVs. The color coding on the table is just to separate notable gaps in Bulk Product. All the featured IVs are optimal for Dunsparce, so don’t worry about not having the Rank 7 or 2.

Out of all the Pokemon covered so far in the Deep Dive series, none have been more concerned about bulk than Dunsparce. Given Dunsparce’s wonky stat distribution, Stat Product may even be misleading for building the bulkiest one possible. Fortunately, sorting things by Bulk Product is an easy fix.

On the topic of Rollout, it’s understandable Pokemon GO would nerf its energy by 1, but could Rollout get a damage buff? It’s currently worse than Bullet Seed and Snarl. It likely wouldn’t change anything regarding Dunsparce’s most ideal PvP IVs, but it would help Dunsparce and Miltank chip things a wee bit better.