How do I protect against Take Down?

Herdier has quite a high base Attack stat for a Pokémon early in the game (80 base Attack), and Take Down is a strong move as well (90 base power). Since Herdier is a Normal type, the same as Take Down, it deals 1.5x the damage, resulting in a 135 base power attack from a Pokémon with a fairly high Attack stat – a force to be reckoned with. There are a couple ways of approaching this:

  • Survive the attack: Being resistant to Take Down will help you (possibly) survive to get an extra hit or two in, so try to get a Rock or Steel type. Alternatively, bring a Pokémon with a high Defense stat and try to survive that way (although most Rock and Steel types do have a high Defense).
  • Utilize your numbers advantage: Lenora only has two Pokémon (Herdier and Watchog), whereas you can bring up to 6. If you use Pokémon faster than Herdier (who isn't too fast), each of them will be able to hit Herdier at least once, and the damage over time should be able to kill it.