|
-
Pressure
- Enemy attacks lose one extra PP. Increases wild encounter rate.
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Super Luck
- Critical hit rate is boosted by one stage.
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Justified
- Raises Attack one stage when hit by a Dark-type move.
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Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
140 |
172 |
- |
| Atk |
130
|
135 |
150 |
182 |
200 |
| Def |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| SpA |
75
|
85 |
95 |
127 |
139 |
| SpD |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| Spe |
75
|
85 |
95 |
127 |
139 |
Overview
Although it's often seen as outclassed by threats such as Honchkrow and Bisharp in the higher tiers, Absol has finally found its place to shine as one of the top Dark-types in RU. With a base 130 Attack stat, access to Swords Dance, and loads of coverage moves, underestimating Absol in battle is just asking for disaster. To make matters worse, Absol has the most powerful priority move in the game, which turns it into a very potent revenge killer and sweeper. In addition, Absol has access to Pursuit to trap and eliminate deadly Ghost-types such as Rotom. Absol is not without its flaws, though; despite the destructive power Absol possesses after a Swords Dance, it has a hard time setting up due to its frailty, and even after a Swords Dance, Absol has issues breaking through defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth due to the low Base Powers of its moves. Absol's Speed, while decent, forces it to rely on Sucker Punch to deal damage to several threats that can easily take advantage of it. Despite Absol's glaring flaws, do not take it lightly, as it can and will tear through a team without effort.
With an excellent Attack stat, priority, decent Speed, and a wide offensive movepool that includes tools such as Fire Blast and Pursuit, Absol can pull off an all-out attacking set very well. Sucker Punch is Absol's most powerful attack; it lets Absol outspeed and KO faster opponents, allowing it to serve as both a revenge killer and a late-game cleaner. Night Slash is Absol's secondary STAB attack and is more consistent than Sucker Punch, as it hits whether or not the opponent uses an attack. Note that Absol should always use Night Slash against Pokemon that are slower than it to remove the risks of Sucker Punch failing and Absol getting hit by a crippling status move in the process. Superpower provides Absol with the coverage it needs to truly be a monster, as it smacks around Pokemon that would otherwise wall Absol such as Aggron, Steelix, Klinklang, and Ferroseed. Pursuit is an interesting option to trap some Psychic- and Ghost-types and to catch any frail Pokemon attempting to switch out of Sucker Punch. Alternatively, Psycho Cut can be used in the last slot as a method to hit Qwilfish and Poliwrath, two Pokemon that this set would usually have trouble taking down, hard.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EVs maximize Absol's Speed and power so that it can outspeed and KO as many Pokemon as possible while being less reliant on Sucker Punch to take out faster threats. An Adamant nature is chosen over Jolly because the boost in Speed isn't very notable, and the drop in power is very large. Justified is an interesting option for an ability, as it increases Absol's Attack stat every time it switches into a Dark-type move; however, Dark-type moves aren't very common, and the main users of them have ways to beat Absol anyway, so Super Luck is the superior option. Expert Belt is an option if you don't like the recoil that comes with a Life Orb, but note that Absol will have a harder time beating Pokemon that aren't weak to one of its moves. Absol can easily go mixed by using Fire Blast or Hidden Power Grass in the fourth moveslot to blast past normal checks such as Tangrowth and Quagsire, respectively. If using a special attack, make sure to use a Naughty nature. Taunt is an interesting move to prevent opposing Pokemon from inflicting status or setting up hazards on Absol; it also forces the opponent to attack, which guarantees that Sucker Punch will hit. Lastly, Dread Plate is certainly an option on any Absol running Pursuit, as it provides a similar boost to Life Orb on 3/4 of its attacking moves while not causing the recoil Life Orb would normally, giving Absol a bit more longevity when using the item.
This set has its fair share of trouble with Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Poliwrath. Pokemon that can take on these Fighting-types are useful teammates for the dark feline. Uxie and Slowking are excellent examples, as they resist or are immune to Fighting-type attacks and can threaten Fighting-types back with super effective STAB attacks, set up on them, or threaten them with a burn. Entry hazards are also essential to help Absol clean up late-game more easily; good entry hazard setters for offensive teams include Smeargle, Crustle, Omastar, and Accelgor. These Pokemon can easily set up a layer of Spikes while crippling a Pokemon as they go down with Spore and Final Gambit, respectively.
This is Absol's most feared set, and with good reason: with a combination of base 130 Attack, perfect coverage, and priority, it's not hard to see why Swords Dance Absol strikes fear into the hearts of players everywhere. Swords Dance is the crux of the set, and even though Absol can have trouble setting up against more offensive teams, it can mean disaster for the opposing team. Sucker Punch is Absol's main STAB attack and is great for catching faster opponents before they can harm it. Sucker Punch also allows Absol to act as a revenge killer for your team by picking off weakened sweepers before they can do serious damage. Superpower is Absol's main coverage move, as it smashes Steel- and Rock-types such as Aggron and Steelix after a Swords Dance boost; however, make sure to use Superpower sparingly when Absol doesn't have a boost, as it will make Absol less powerful and slightly easier to revenge kill. The last slot is left to Night Slash which is a good, consistent secondary STAB attack that Absol should always use against slower opponents. If you feel you don't need the reliability of Night Slash, Substitute is a perfectly acceptable alternative, as it protects Absol from status and weak attacks and, most importantly, makes it easier for Absol to set up a Swords Dance.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EVs maximize Absol's offensive power while allowing it to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, making Absol slightly less reliant on Sucker Punch in the long run. While an Adamant nature boosts Absol's Attack further, a Jolly nature is a viable option; however, Jolly Absol does not outrun anything important, and it loses quite a bit of power. The choice of Absol's item comes down to how you want to play Absol or how well it fits onto your team. Life Orb is the main option, as it boosts Absol's power significantly at the cost of some of its health; a Life Orb also helps Absol function as a revenge killer by boosting its Sucker Punch, which allows it to KO a wide range of fast, frail Pokemon. Absol can use a Lum Berry as a one-time cushion against status inducers that will try to cripple it, which allows it to set up a Swords Dance on more Pokemon, including Slowking. It also gives Absol a one-time freebie when switching into Toxic Spikes. Leftovers is useful as it gives Absol a little more HP at the end of each turn. It might seem like a small amount at first, but this recovery can be the difference between a 2HKO and a 3HKO or a 3HKO and a 4HKO. In fact, Leftovers gives Absol a greater chance to get to +4 and sweep! It also allows Absol to make more Substitutes if it chooses to run the move, which can be very useful in the long run. Justified is an interesting ability on Absol, as it boosts its Attack stat when it switches into a Dark-type move; sadly, Dark-type attacks are relatively uncommon in RU, and the users of them often carry Fighting-type moves, which makes it harder for Absol to switch in on them. Psycho Cut is an option over Night Slash, but the only notable threats it hits are Poliwrath, Hariyama, and the occasional Gurdurr.
Absol can be very threatening to many teams with its power and coverage, but like every Pokemon, it needs some support to work to its full potential. As a physical sweeper, entry hazards are key to supporting Absol, as they make it easier for Absol to OHKO or 2HKO bulkier Pokemon before a Swords Dance. This is especially notable because most of Absol's checks are vulnerable to Spikes. Pokemon such as Smeargle, Omastar, Crustle, and Ferroseed are great at setting up Spikes for your team. Do take note, though, that three of the four share a Fighting-type weakness with Absol, and Absol will need another teammate to sponge those hits. Examples of Pokemon that can tank physical Fighting-type hits easily are Tangrowth, Slowking, and Spiritomb; Spiritomb is especially notable because it spinblocks to keep the entry hazards Absol's teammates set on the field. Even at +2, Absol has trouble with many physical walls, including but not limited to Poliwrath, Tangrowth, and Quagsire. Teammates that can take down these Pokemon are essential to Absol's performance. Moltres can easily threaten these three Pokemon with Fire Blast, Air Slash, and Hidden Power Grass, respectively. Magmortar functions similarly, while Absol takes down Slowking, a Pokemon that stands in the way of both Fire-types. On top of that, both benefit immensely from the entry hazards Absol's teammates have laid down.
With so many Ghost- and Psychic-types running around the RU tier, a trapper that can eliminate them can be very important. With Pursuit, excellent coverage, and a monstrous Attack stat, Absol is the perfect choice for this role. Pursuit is the most important move on this set, as it allows Absol to trap and revenge kill frail Pokemon, such as Accelgor and Sceptile, as well as Pokemon weak to it, such as Rotom, Uxie, Mesprit, and Jynx. Night Slash is Absol's most powerful reliable STAB move to use outside of trapping; it also KOes bulkier threats such as Uxie and catches any Pokemon that tries to stay in on Pursuit. Superpower hits many Pokemon that resist Dark-type moves, such as Aggron and Steelix, for super effective damage and can cripple or outright KO them. Megahorn is Absol's main weapon against opposing Lilligant and Tangrowth, OHKOing and 2HKOing them, respectively. Psycho Cut is also an option in the final moveslot to hit opposing Qwilfish and Poliwrath, both of which can wall Choice Scarf Absol otherwise.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EVs maximize Absol's Attack and Speed stats to hit as hard as possible while outrunning as many threats as it can; there really isn't a reason to run a different spread on a Choice Scarf Pokemon. The choice between an Adamant and a Jolly nature on Absol depends on what you want it to outspeed. Adamant Choice Scarf Absol can outrun anything up to positive-natured base 120s, such as Sceptile, while a Jolly nature sacrifices a small amount of power to outrun the entire unboosted metagame bar Accelgor and Ninjask. While a Choice Band set might sound attractive for the sheer power of its attacks, it's very slow compared to the Choice Scarf set and is very reliant on Sucker Punch, making it setup bait for a multitude of Pokemon once it gets locked in.
While not listed as an option on the set, Sucker Punch can be useful in some instances to revenge kill Choice Scarf Ghost-types, such as Rotom and Haunter. While this might all seem very appealing, take into account that being locked into Sucker Punch makes Absol setup bait for various threats such as Crawdaunt, Feraligatr, Linoone, and Omastar, all of which can turn the tables on you in just one turn. If using Sucker Punch, use it wisely. Justified is an interesting option for an ability, as it gives Absol an Attack boost whenever it switches into a Dark-type attack, but Dark-type attacks themselves are rather rare in RU, and the main users of them can easily dispatch of Absol anyway, so it is not the best option.
Absol is excellent at trapping and removing Psychic- and Ghost-type threats, and therefore good teammates for it include Pokemon that can take advantage of the removal of these Pokemon from the match. Rapid Spin users such as Cryogonal and Kabutops enjoy the removal of opposing spinblockers so that they can Rapid Spin freely for Absol's Stealth Rock-weak teammates. Fighting-types such as Hariyama, Primeape, Hitmonlee, and Gallade also like the removal of these Pokemon, as they can now set up or spam powerful STAB attacks without anything on the opposing team to stop them.
Other Options
Although Absol is best at hitting hard with powerful, possibly boosted physical attacks, it has many other viable options. Absol has access to Baton Pass, along with several boosting moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance, which it can use to boost its teammates, but Absol's frailty and weakness to Fighting-type moves often get in the way of its attempts to pass boosts. Absol has quite a wide special movepool consisting of moves such as Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse, and the various Hidden Power types. While base 75 Special Attack is only average, it isn't a bad idea to run one of these special moves on the all-out attacker set with a Naughty nature to get past some of Absol's typical checks, such as Tangrowth, Quagsire, and Steelix. Absol also has a surprising support movepool that includes Wish, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Knock Off, and Magic Coat. A support set might seem tempting, but keep in mind that Absol is very frail and has a weakness to one of the most common attacking types in RU, so it should stick to attacking in most cases. A Choice Band set might seem tempting, but being locked into Sucker Punch can allow an opponent to set up a lot of the time, and a Life Orb gives Absol enough power to deal major damage to many common Pokemon, so Choice Band is an inferior option. Absol has access to Quick Attack to reliably take out Pokemon with Substitute that can evade Sucker Punch, but Absol loses valuable coverage, and Quick Attack is somewhat weak without several boosts.
Checks and Counters
While Absol is a very powerful Pokemon that is capable of destroying entire teams when played right, it is not impossible to stop and still has its fair share of checks and counters. Going down into the depths of NU, Gurdurr arrives to the battlefield to take on the black cat. Gurdurr's combination of bulk, resistance to Dark-type moves, and Mach Punch puts Absol in a checkmate position: if it doesn't Sucker Punch, it is KOed by Mach Punch, and if it does Sucker Punch, Gurdurr can use Drain Punch to KO Absol and restore all its health in the process. There are many other physical walls that can tank a boosted Absol. Tangrowth can take Absol lacking Fire Blast and can put it to sleep, sap its HP with Leech Seed and Giga Drain, and keep coming back again and again due to Regenerator. Quagsire can ignore the boosts of Swords Dance Absol and strike back with an Earthquake, but it has to be aware of Hidden Power Grass. Hitmonchan can easily revenge kill Absol with a swift Mach Punch to the face if it doesn't have a Substitute up, but it has trouble switching into Absol because Superpower OHKOes it. Steelix does well against Absol without Fire Blast but takes a ton of damage from a boosted Superpower. Alomomola makes a great counter to Absol, having enough physical bulk to take even boosted Night Slashes while wearing Absol down with a combination of Toxic, Wish, and Protect in return. Escavalier is in a similar boat and annihilates Absol with Megahorn, but has to be extra cautious around Fire Blast. Poliwrath flat-out walls Absol and is only wary of the rare Psycho Cut; it can also phaze Absol with Circle Throw.
Outside of walls, the best checks to Absol take advantage of its reliance on Sucker Punch to defeat faster opponents. Faster Pokemon with moves such as Substitute and Trick can outpredict Absol and lock it into an attack or have a buffer against the next attack, which allows them to strike Absol's low defenses. Examples of Pokemon that can do this include Rotom, Klinklang, Jynx, and Uxie. Faster Pokemon that can inflict status, such as Smeargle, Sigilyph, and Rotom, are also quite good at stopping Absol in its tracks, as they can cripple it while evading Sucker Punch in the process. If all else fails, a faster priority user such as Entei or Linoone will do the trick by attacking before Absol and striking it on its base 60 Defense.
