QC Checks: Pearl / Bouff / Ark
GP Checks: P Squared
[OVERVIEW]
* Mega Absol is one of the best Dark-types in the tier thanks to its amazing Attack and Speed stats, access to various utility moves such as Pursuit and Knock Off, and boosting move in Swords Dance.
* Its ability makes it immune to Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave and bounces back Stealth Rock.
* Mega Absol has a large movepool, with solid options such as Superpower, Fire Blast, Play Rough, Iron Tail, and even Will-O-Wisp.
* It's really frail, so it can't even take resisted hits from strong attackers and should not be directly switched in.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Pursuit / Iron Tail
move 4: Fire Blast / Superpower / Iron Tail
item: Absolite
ability: Justified
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Knock Off is Absol's main STAB move, hitting any Pokemon really hard and removing its item.
* Sucker Punch is a useful priority move that hits Starmie, Choice Scarf Chandelure, and Choice Scarf Latias super effectively.
* Pursuit is a really good pick to trap Latias, Gengar, and Starmie, as your opponent will likely be fearing Knock Off or Sucker Punch.
* Iron Tail can be used instead of Pursuit or in the fourth slot to hit Fairy-types, since it cripples Clefable and Togekiss and hits Primarina harder than Knock Off.
* Fire Blast OHKOes Scizor and Bisharp after Stealth Rock while OHKOing Cobalion after some prior damage.
* Superpower OHKOes Bisharp and hits Cobalion, Krookodile, and Hydreigon for super effective damage.
* Play Rough is an option to OHKO Hydreigon and Keldeo after some prior damage.
Set Details
========
* This EV spread maximizes Absol's Speed and Attack stats, which allows it to outspeed the majority of Pokemon in the tier and hit hard.
* A Naive nature is optimal when Absol is running Fire Blast; otherwise, Jolly must be used instead.
* Justified is its best pre-Mega ability, as Absol can take advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon, such as locked Hydreigon, to boost its Attack.
* Its ability post-Mega Evolution, Magic Bounce, helps it against Pokemon like Amoonguss and stallbreaker Mew, not to mention that your opponents will be less likely to click Stealth Rock or Will-O-Wisp if you have Absol in the back.
Usage Tips
========
* Absol is extremely frail, so it should never switch into Ghost- and Psychic-types directly. Bringing it in with VoltTurn support or aggressive double switches is ideal.
* Pressure foes with Knock Off and Sucker Punch enough until you feel that a teammate of Mega Absol can clean late-game.
* Play aggressively with Pursuit against targets like Latias and Celebi in order to give Absol's teammates an easier time.
Team Options
========
* Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Bewear strongly appreciate Absol's Pursuit support to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types that threaten them, such as Latias and Gengar.
* Steel- and Poison-types such as Scizor and Amoonguss help Absol against Fairy- and Bug-types, such as Clefable and opposing Scizor.
* Fairy-types such as Clefable and Primarina can take hits from Fighting-types decently.
* Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Latias provide Absol a Fighting check, while Absol traps Gengar in return.
* Slow VoltTurn support from Pokemon like Tsareena and Forretress allows Absol to come in safely and potentially remove threats from the opposing team.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower / Iron Tail / Play Rough
item: Absolite
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance boosts Mega Absol's Attack by two stages, allowing it to threaten builds more easily and act as a mid- or late-game wincon.
* Knock Off is Absol's main STAB move, removing foes' items and doing a lot of damage, even when unboosted.
* Sucker Punch is a strong priority move that gives Absol a way to deal with Choice Scarf Gengar and Latias, and it OHKOes some Pokemon that take neutral damage from it at +2, such as Mega Aerodactyl.
* Superpower is a strong coverage move that OHKOes Cobalion after some prior damage or after a boost, as well as Bisharp.
* Iron Tail is a good coverage option to surprise Fairy-types such as Clefable and Primarina, OHKOing them at +2.
* Play Rough is a solid coverage option too, as it OHKOes Hydreigon, as well as Keldeo at +2.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread with a Jolly nature maximizes Mega Absol's Speed and Attack, allowing it to Speed tie with other base 115s such as Raikou and Zygarde-10% while hitting as hard as possible.
* Justified gives Absol an Attack boost before it Mega Evolves if it gets hit by a Dark-type move, but this is risky due to its frailty.
* Its post-Mega Evolution ability gives it some setup opportunities against passive Pokemon that rely on status moves, such as Mew and Amoonguss.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is best used as a mid- or late-game wincon.
* Set up Swords Dance against passive Pokemon, such as stallbreaker Mew, or against Pokemon that will switch out in fear of being KOed by one of Absol's STAB moves, such as Chandelure.
* Take advantage of Pokemon it can force out, such as Latias, especially if it has used Draco Meteor beforehand.
* Attempting to remove its checks' items with Knock Off before attempting a sweep is often a good idea.
Team Options
========
* Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Bisharp pair well with Swords Dance Absol, as they will form a powerful Dark-type spam core that overloads their checks.
* Psychic-types, such as Reuniclus and Latias, help Absol against the always annoying Fighting-types.
* Strong wallbreakers, such as Choice Band Scizor and Choice Specs Keldeo, help Absol execute a sweep by removing or weakening its checks.
* Klefki and Alolan Ninetales provide dual screens support, which will make it easier for Absol to set up Swords Dance.
* Slow VoltTurn support from Pokemon such as Tsareena and Forretress allows Absol to come in safely, and as a result, it can pressure opposing walls or set up Swords Dance without taking damage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Blizzard can be used to surprise Gliscor and Krookodile, but this is its only utility.
* Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Bisharp and Scizor, but Absol rarely has room to use it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types, such as Clefable and Primarina, can threaten Mega Absol with their strong STAB moves; however, they should be careful, as Absol can carry Iron Tail.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, mainly Cobalion, Keldeo, and Bewear, can easily tank Mega Absol's STAB moves and then KO it with their Fighting-type attacks, but they should all scout Absol's coverage, especially if it is carrying Swords Dance.
**Physical Walls**: Sturdy physical walls, such as Suicune, Hippowdon, and Swampert, can easily pressure Mega Absol and even burn it with Scald, but they hate having their items removed.
**Revenge Killers**: Revenge killers, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Choice Scarf Mienshao, and Choice Scarf Keldeo, are faster than Mega Absol and can KO it with ease.
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