Pokemon Unite Darkrai: Best movesets, builds, items, and more

Darkrai is set to arrive in Pokemon Unite on October 17, 2024, and players are already buzzing with excitement. As a Special Attacking Speedster, Darkrai brings a unique blend of crowd control and burst damage, making it a highly anticipated addition to the roster. This pitch-black Pokemon thrives on putting enemies to sleep, allowing it to unleash devastating follow-up attacks from a distance.

In this guide, we will cover the best movesets, combos, held items, boost emblems, and strategies you will need to master Darkrai when it hits the battlefield.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Playstyle overview

Darkrai will be the next upcoming Speedster in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Darkrai’s strength lies in putting enemies to sleep and dealing huge burst damage while they are helpless. Its passive ability, Bad Dreams, deals damage over time to nearby sleeping opponents, and it won’t wake them up. Additionally, it enhances the damage of Darkrai's next attack, leading to devastating combos.

Although classified as a Speedster, Darkrai feels more like a ranged burst attacker due to its high damage output and lower mobility.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Best movesets and combos

1) Early Game: Hypnosis + Calm Mind

• Hypnosis: Deals damage and puts opponents to sleep. The passive kicks in while they are asleep, allowing Darkrai to follow up with strong boosted attacks.
• Calm Mind: Increases Darkrai’s special attack, special defense, and movement speed for a short time, boosting its offensive capabilities and mobility.

2) First Move Combo: Dark Void + Nasty Plot

• Dark Void: Attacks in a cone area, marking opponents. When hit after being marked, they fall asleep, giving Darkrai a boosted attack. This allows for long-range chip damage and initiation, as you can keep your distance. It is also easy to hit multiple enemies with this move.
• Nasty Plot: A dash that stacks up to two charges. Each charge increases the damage of Darkrai’s next attack. When used with Dark Void, you can dash in, hit enemies with Dark Void, and follow up with powerful boosted attacks.

Dark Void marks enemies and puts them to sleep. Dash in with Nasty Plot and follow up with boosted attacks for big burst damage.

3) Second Move Combo: Shadow Claw + Dark Pulse

• Shadow Claw: Slashes enemies in a straight line, marking them for extra damage. Similar to Dark Void, it puts opponents to sleep, setting up high-damage boosted attacks.
• Dark Pulse: Darkrai dives into a shadow realm, dealing damage over time and allowing itself to reposition. You can pop out for a big burst of damage, but mastering the timing is tricky. This set is high-skill, requiring careful play to maximize the burst potential.

Use Shadow Claw to mark and sleep opponents and then Dark Pulse to deal continuous damage. As you pop out of the shadow realm, hit them again with a boosted attack for massive damage.

Darkrai’s combos are about weaving in and out of fights, using sleep to disable opponents and burst them down from range.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Unite Move - Worst Nightmare

Darkrai’s Unite move is a sure-hit ability that pulls enemies into the Nightmare Realm, isolating and instantly putting them to sleep and resetting all your cooldowns. This allows you to chain combos for huge burst damage, potentially wiping out an entire enemy team. Use it in team fights to initiate or to clean up weakened opponents.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Best Held Items

Darkrai as seen in its official trailer reveal (Image via The Pokemon Company)

• Wise Glasses: Increases Darkrai’s special attack, boosting the damage of all abilities.
• Shell Bell: Provides cooldown reduction and heals Darkrai when landing abilities, adding sustain and allowing for more frequent bursts.
• Energy Amplifier: After using the Unite move, this boosts damage for a short time, making Darkrai even deadlier in team fights.

Other great options for this Speedster include Sp. Atk Specs, Slick Spoon, Choice Specs, and Curse Incense. You can swap any of these if a particular team composition demands it.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Best Battle Items

• X Attack: Amplifies Darkrai’s already impressive burst damage during crucial moments in a fight, such as during its Unite move.
• Eject Button: Helps compensate for Darkrai’s lower mobility, giving it an escape option or enabling aggressive plays.

You could also consider X Speed and Full Heal for some situational, yet creative, builds.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Best Boost Emblems

Prioritize cooldown reduction and special attack to maximize Darkrai's damage output. Look for emblems with colors like six green and seven black to complement Darkrai’s kit.

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Darkrai in Pokemon Unite: Strategy and tips

• Positioning is key: Darkrai’s range allows it to deal damage from a safe distance, so keep your distance and chip away damage on enemies.
• Stacking could be a viable build: Similar to Gengar's build, stacking with Sp. Atk Specs and Aeos Cookie could have some creative plays.
• Abuse the sleep mechanic: Putting enemies to sleep gives you a window to dish out huge burst damage. Always follow up your sleep abilities with boosted attacks for maximum impact.
• Timing matters: Especially with the Shadow Claw + Dark Pulse combo, good timing is crucial to maximizing Darkrai’s burst potential. Practice hitting enemies with Shadow Claw first, then combining with Dark Pulse for optimal damage.

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Darkrai is a high-skill, burst-damage Pokemon that will reward careful positioning and combo timing. Although tricky to master, its ability to disable and devastate enemies from range makes it a formidable presence on the battlefield. Make sure to practice its combos and master its sleep mechanics to unlock Darkrai's full potential.

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