#534 - Conkeldurr

                                    

                                          
In many ways, Conkeldurr is Unova's version of Machamp from gen 1.
They're mono fighting type trade evolutions, are a three stage evolutionary line, and both have a humanoid design. 
Now, Conkeldurr isn't among my favorite fighting types by any means, but it's one I do like quite a bit. 
Design wise, I find this whole evolutionary line really interesting with how Timbur starts off carrying a piece of....well, timber, Gurdurr is carrying two metal beams, and lastly how Conkeldurr wields two massive stone pillars, which easily makes these three my favorite of the fighting types that Generation 5 introduced. 
Continuing with the comparisons to Machamp, Conkeldurr has fairly similar stats to the grey four armed mon, those being 140 base attack, 95 base defense, 55 base special attack, 65 base special defense, and 45 base speed.
While having slightly lower special stats and speed than Machamp, Conkeldurr's has higher attack and defense, the former making it quite a force to be reckoned with. 
Seriously, base 140 attack is insane, and having 95 base defense is nothing to scoff at, but as with many pure fighting types, Conkeldurr is definitely lacking in the special department, which is unfortunate since its three weaknesses have access to many powerful special attacks that can steamroll the poor muscle head.
Poor base speed is also a big problem for Conkeldurr because its opponents can almost certainly get a move in before it can, but if the opposing pokémon isn't able to defeat Conkeldurr with that attack, it'll be  in for a bad time thanks to the fighting type's monstrous offensive prowess.
When it comes to non-fighting type attacks, Conkeldurr  has a small but useful assortment of coverage moves at its disposal, those being the elemental punches, Poison Jab, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Knock Off, and Hard Press (a new steel type move that has higher power depending on how much HP the user has left), along with Curse, Taunt, Sunny Day, Scary Face, and Bulk Up for status moves.
As for abilities, all three that Conkeldurr can have are great in my opinion, with the two standard abilities being Guts and Sheer Force. 
Starting off with Guts, it raises Conkeldurr's attack by 50% if it has a status condition.
Turning what is usually a hindrance into an increase in damage output can make Conkeldurr even more of a threat, just remember to be mindful of whatever downside the status condition in question has, whether it be the chip damage from poison or the speed reduction and chance of turn loss from paralysis. 
Sheer Force boosts the power of a move that has a secondary effect by 30%, but said move loses that secondary effect in return. 
Paired with moves like the elemental punches for example, Sheer Force is amazing for a heavy hitter like Conkeldurr, and works without needing a status ailment like Guts.
Of these two, I think Sheer Force is the superior ability, but Guts isn't bad by any means. 
That said, Conkeldurr's hidden ability Iron Fist is even better than Sheer Force in this Beedrill's humble opinion. 
Iron Fist increases the power of punching moves by 20%, and considering what Conkeldurr's movepool is, I feel that keeping their secondary effects is well worth not having the extra 10% boost that Sheer Force would give instead. 
To complement Iron Fist, there's a held item called the Punching Glove that gives a 10% boost to Punching Moves, and this boost stacks with the one Iron Fist provides, meaning that using these together makes them do the same thing as Sheer Force, but without that ability's downside. 
So yeah, Conkeldurr is a pokémon meant to deal tons of damage in return for having low speed and poor special stats, and I think it does the job incredibly well. 
One thing I love is how Game Freak gave you access to Timburr right around the time you take on the second gym in Black and White, which happens to be normal type.
As I mentioned way back in the Watchog chapter, the one Lenora has is extremely annoying to fight against, so having a super effective answer to that stupid thing is appreciated.
(If I had a nickel for every time a normal type trainer had an ace pokémon that made me toxic like the poison type I'm named after, I'd have three nickels. You were probably expecting me to say two, but then you weren't taking into consideration Ilima's Smeargle in the Alola games, who always has a move that's strong against your starter, and is even worse to deal with in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.) 
Despite all the positive things I've said about Conkeldurr, there is something that I don't like about it. 
Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, Conkeldurr is a trade evolution, and not all players have the ability to trade with another person in order to evolve their Gurdurr (or trade with yourself like I've been doing since I started playing the games nearly a decade and a half ago), so this pokémon isn't accessible to everyone. 
Making matters worse, Timburr is found on the exact same route as Sawk and Throh, two other mono fighting types who are fully evolved, meaning they're much better choices for those who can't evolve their Gurdurr.
(You can catch Mienfoo much later in the game if you want a different pure fighting type, but good luck trying to reach that ridiculous evolution level of 50.) 
If you can get past the trade requirement, Conkeldurr is a fantastic pokémon to have on your team, especially if you're worried about Lenora or any other important trainer that a powerful fighting type can deal with. 
While I personally haven't used one myself for particular reason, I will definitely try doing so in the future, and will enjoy watching Conkeldurr brutally wreck its opponents with that gargantuan attack stat when I do.