Darkrai #0491 — Dark Pitch-Black Pokémon | Stats, Moves & Evolutions

Base Stats

HP70

Attack90

Defense90

Sp. Atk135

Sp. Def90

Speed125

Total600

Abilities

Type Matchups

View full type chart →

2× Weak

fightingbugfairy

½× Resists

ghostdark

Immune

psychic

Damage multipliers vs. dark typing. Ability-based immunities (e.g. Levitate) are not included.

Forms · 2 variations

Default

Mega

Battle & Lore Hub

Battle Strategy

Darkrai functions as a premier offensive sleep-inducer and glass cannon special sweeper that capitalizes on Bad Dreams to chip away at incapacitated foes. It relies on its high speed tier to outpace threats and set up Nasty Plot or spread status with Dark Void or Hypnosis.

Best Used In

Darkrai excels in Smogon Ubers and Gen 9 OU as a late-game cleaner or mid-game wallbreaker, especially on hyper-offensive teams that provide hazard support.

Strengths

›High Base 125 Speed and Base 135 Special Attack
›Signature ability Bad Dreams provides passive chip damage
›Access to Nasty Plot for explosive sweeping potential
›Wide special coverage including Ice Beam, Focus Blast, and Sludge Bomb
›Psychic immunity and resistances to Ghost and Dark

Weaknesses

›Poor defensive bulk makes it vulnerable to strong priority moves
›Weak to common Fighting, Fairy, and Bug-type attacks
›Reliant on low-accuracy status moves since the Dark Void accuracy nerf
›Vulnerable to faster Choice Scarf users and naturally faster threats like Zacian-C
›Passive damage from entry hazards wears it down quickly due to lack of recovery

Competitive Tips

›Run Life Orb or Wide Lens to mitigate the accuracy issues of Hypnosis and Focus Blast.
›Use Dark Pulse as the primary STAB move for its reliability and decent flinch chance.
›Utilize Tera Poison or Tera Fairy to flip the script on Fighting and Fairy-type attackers.
›Pair with a 'Sleep Talk' absorber or entry hazard setters to capitalize on the switches it forces.
›In Ubers, focus on revenge killing weakened Psychic-types like Mewtwo or Calyrex-Shadow.

Recommended Teammates

Game History

Introduced in Generation 4 as a Mythical Pokémon residing on Newmoon Island, Darkrai is the counterpart to Cresselia in the Lunar Duo. It became notorious in competitive play for its signature move Dark Void, leading to multiple bans and a significant accuracy nerf in Generation 7.

Trivia

◆Dark Void's accuracy was reduced from 80% to 50% in Gen 7, and the move was hard-coded to fail if used by any Pokémon other than Darkrai.
◆Darkrai represents the concept of nightmares, heavily inspired by the Morpheus of Greek myth or the Bogeyman.
◆In the anime, a trainer named Tobias used a Darkrai to sweep almost the entire Sinnoh League, only being defeated by Ash's Sceptile.
◆It is the only pure Dark-type Mythical Pokémon.
◆Despite its sinister appearance, its Pokédex entries often state it inhabits nightmares as a self-defense mechanism and means no harm.
◆Darkrai's legs are rarely seen, usually only extending during certain move animations or in the movie 'The Rise of Darkrai'.

Moves · 94 total

Level-Up

12 moves

TM / HM

75 moves

Move Tutor

7 moves

Where to find· 14 games

Diamond

1 spot

•Newmoon Island

Pearl

1 spot

•Newmoon Island

Platinum

1 spot

•Newmoon Island