**To use Donphan effectively in the current VGC format, leverage its Ground type typing and build around its top-performing movesets.** Donphan appears as a prominent choice in the current Pokémon Champions format, with usage data pulled from competitive teams, tournament results and Showdown-ready pastes tracked by MetaVGC. This page brings together its most common moveset, nature, ability, item, teammates and type weaknesses so you can judge where Donphan fits in a VGC team.

The most common build highlights Sturdy, Shell Bell and Jolly 2/32/0/0/0/32. Its frequent moves include Ice Spinner, High Horsepower, Endeavor, Counter, Ice Shard, and Earthquake. Treat those choices as a data-backed starting point: they show what players are bringing, while EV spreads, Tera Type and the final move slot should still respond to your expected matchups.

Defensively, Donphan has important weaknesses to grass 2x, ice 2x, water 2x. That matters during teambuilding because a strong composition needs ways to cover those attacks without giving up offensive pressure. Partners such as Umbreon, Raichu-Alola, Arcanine, Kingambit, and Farigiraf appear often because they can add positioning, type coverage, speed control or safer switches into common checks.

MetaVGC tracks recent teams using Donphan. Open the Donphan teams page to compare complete structures, copy Showdown pastes and see how players combine Donphan with other Pokémon in the active format.