(skeleton by Haruno)
(Deoxys-A is also kind of like a skeleton because it's so thin lol)
(haha i'm funny)
[OVERVIEW]
Deoxys-A is the epitome of a glass cannon in the DOU metagame. Outpacing almost every unboosted Pokemon in the format, Deoxys-A's sheer power makes it an immediate threat from the moment it enters the field, thanks to not only its trademark Psycho Boost but also a stellar movepool packed with coverage options that allow it to fully take advantage of its incredible attacking stats. While Deoxys-A's biggest weakness lies in the other half of its stats—its HP and defenses are absolutely abysmal—the presence of Tapu Lele and Psychic Terrain remove Deoxys-A's ridiculous vulnerability to priority moves while pushing the power of its Psycho Boost to astronomical levels. That said, with many Choice Scarf users running Speed-boosting natures on top of the boost from their item, Deoxys-A sometimes has trouble finding confidence in its innate Speed.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Psycho Boost
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Knock Off / Shadow Ball / Ice Beam
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Pressure
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psycho Boost is Deoxys-A's primary STAB move of choice, dealing huge damage that is further boosted by Psychic Terrain in order to OHKO almost anything it can land a neutral hit on. Even against targets that resist it, Psycho Boost still hits for large amounts of damage, making it easy for teammates to clean up weakened targets. Superpower is used to deal super effective damage to the Steel- or Dark-types such as Heatran and Tyranitar that would otherwise stand a chance of walling Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost. Knock Off covers opposing Psychic-types that resist each of the first two moves, such as Cresselia, as well as some corner cases like Aegislash; furthermore, it can disrupt the opposing team by removing key items such as Choice Scarf from opposing Tapu Lele and Landorus-T. In addition, neither attack is affected by the Special Attack drop that accompanies Psycho Boost.
Other viable alternatives to Deoxys-A's third moveslot come in the form of Shadow Ball and Ice Beam. Shadow Ball allows Deoxys-A to deal more damage to Psychic-type threats, making use of its full Special Attack investment and boosting nature while still hitting many of the same corner cases, such as Aegislash, and unlike Knock Off, hitting Tapu Lele super effectively. Ice Beam, on the other hand, allows Deoxys-A to OHKO common Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Shaymin-S, and Mega Salamence without reducing its own Special Attack or risking a miss on Psycho Boost. It should be noted, however, that both these moves are affected heavily by Special Attack reductions caused by Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost, making them significantly weaker than the physical options after one such reduction.
Finally, Detect is absolutely necessary on Deoxys-A, since its almost nonexistent defenses make it a common target for foes' attacks. In the event that Deoxys-A lacks a relevant support option on the field, Detect enables repositioning of allies while Deoxys-A keeps itself safe; it's also a useful option to stall out potentially harmful field effects such as Trick Room and opposing Tailwinds. Detect is used over Protect in the (extremely rare) off-chance that the opponent happens to have a Pokemon carrying both Imprison and Protect.
Set Details
========
Focus Sash is the most common item on Deoxys-A, and for good reason—given Deoxys-A's abysmal defenses, a Focus Sash affords it some degree of longevity to allow it to take at least one hit without being KOed, letting it maintain its offensive presence on the field for some amount of time. In terms of its natures, Rash and Mild are essentially identical in utility; both boost Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost to even greater levels, while the choice of which defense to lower has a minimal effect on Deoxys-A's already dreadful defenses. Rash, however, is the more common option on most teams, as it gives Genesect's Download a higher chance of boosting its Special Attack stat over its Attack stat, which for most teams is a less threatening option. The EV spread given is similarly simple: it maximizes the power of Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost while ensuring that it is able to outrun as many threats as possible—in this case, nearly the entirety of the unboosted metagame. The remaining 4 EVs are placed into Attack to power up Superpower and Knock Off a little.
Usage Tips
========
Deoxys-A is most often seen as a lead or switched in after an ally Pokemon is knocked out, since switching it into an attack would be disastrous for such a ridiculously frail Pokemon; even hail and sand are best avoided, as they break Deoxys-A's Focus Sash, drastically shortening its potential stay on the field. Furthermore, it should be played with a degree of caution befitting its glass cannon status—an opposing Tailwind or Trick Room, for example, can spell a quick KO on Deoxys-A, so in such situations, it is often best to switch it out and preserve it for later in the game. Detect should be used in a similar way, allowing Deoxys-A to scout for Choice Scarf users on the opposing team that can bring it down to its Focus Sash before it can even get an attack off. That said, Deoxys-A's Focus Sash lets it play somewhat aggressively in the event that it does attack, since it lets it take an extra hit, so don't be too paranoid when playing with Deoxys-A.
Team Options
========
It's hard to overestimate the amount of support that Tapu Lele lends to Deoxys-A: from blocking incoming priority moves and boosting the already incredible power of its Psycho Boost, Tapu Lele's Psychic Terrain is almost essential to optimal playing of Deoxys-A. However, as amazing as this pairing sounds, the two share a common tendency to struggle against bulky Steel-types, such as Celesteela and Aegislash, which can quickly steal momentum away the moment they enter the field.
Besides merely preventing Deoxys-A from being hit by opposing priority attacks, it's also helpful to pick teammates capable of redirecting attacks away from Deoxys-A in general. Togekiss and Amoonguss are two of the best redirectors in the format and can provide additional support for it beyond merely diverting attacks. Togekiss can set up Tailwind to ensure Deoxys-A outruns its foes (or simply to match opposing Tailwinds) and use its Serene Grace-backed Air Slash to attempt to make mid-speed threats flinch before they are able to land a hit on Deoxys-A; on the other hand, Amoonguss can put foes to sleep with Spore to keep the offensive pressure on Deoxys-A low while acting as a decent check to most opposing Trick Room teams should an opponent try to turn Deoxys-A's innate Speed against it.
Finally, strong and fast offensive Pokemon can help to keep up the offensive pressure from Deoxys-A's side by aiming to KO threats before they can land a hit on Deoxys-A; one excellent partner to Deoxys-A is Mega Kangaskhan, which not only provides Fake Out support to increase Deoxys-A's stay on the field but also deals significant chip damage to foes with Seismic Toss to set up for KOs by Deoxys-A. Mega Charizard Y works well alongside Deoxys-A too, taking on troublesome Steel-types like Aegislash, Bronzong, and Ferrothorn while Deoxys-A is able to reciprocate by removing most Landorus-T and chipping most bulky threats into range of Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Due to Deoxys-A's extremely specific niche as the ultimate glass cannon, it does not lend itself easily to other set options. In terms of its item, for example, it almost always wants to carry a Focus Sash to ensure it gets an attack or two off—Life Orb, though, brings its glass cannon status a notch higher, giving it extra power in exchange for the removal of its safety net. In most cases though, this extra power is largely unneeded, making Focus Sash typically a superior option.
Regarding Deoxys-A's movepool, just two options stand out as being mildly viable: Extreme Speed gives Deoxys-A some form of answer against faster Choice Scarf users such as Landorus-T, letting it pick up chip damage or KOs on weakened foes that would otherwise outspeed it. However, given that such Pokemon are few and far between and Extreme Speed is rendered ineffective under the effects of Psychic Terrain, Extreme Speed is often eschewed in favor of useful coverage. The other potentially useful option in Deoxys-A's movepool is Psychic; although it appears redundant alongside Psycho Boost, it allows Deoxys-A to continue to dish out terrific damage—especially under Psychic Terrain—without lowering its own Special Attack stat in the process.
Finally, a Hasty or Naive nature can be run if one intends to outpace common Choice Scarf users such as Tapu Lele and Landorus-T; however, it should be noted that this only allows Deoxys-A to outspeed them in the case that they run a nature that does not boost their Speed. With the metagame shifting more towards Timid Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T, this is a rather risky trade-off to make.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-type Pokemon that resist or take little damage from Deoxys-A's Psychic- and Fighting-type moves greatly threaten Deoxys-A, not only forcing it to rely on using much weaker moves but also threatening huge damage through Deoxys-A's pitiful defenses in return. Aegislash and Celesteela in particular can potentially set up free Substitutes in front of Deoxys-A, swinging momentum away from Deoxys-A's side; also notable is Bronzong, which can easily set up a Z-Trick Room to threaten not only Deoxys-A but also any switch-ins with a more accurate Hypnosis.
**Psychic-types**: Similar to Steel-types, Psychic-types act as strong defensive checks to Deoxys-A, forcing it to rely on its weaker coverage moves to deal some semblance of damage to them and once again threatening a KO in return. Chief of these are Tapu Lele, which most Deoxys-A sets are unable to hit super effectively, and Cresselia, which has a plethora of support options such as Trick Room with which to aid its team while Deoxys-A is left helpless or scared into switching out.
**Speed Control**: Any form of speed control, whether it be Thunder Wave, Tailwind, or Trick Room, remove one of Deoxys-A's key selling points—its ability to move before a given opposing Pokemon. Allowing a foe to attack before a Deoxys-A is extremely dangerous, since it will likely result in an OHKO on said Deoxys-A. Also notable are Icy Wind and Electroweb; while significantly less common than the previous three, these moves come with the added benefit of breaking Deoxys-A's Focus Sash to set up for an even easier KO on it.
**Faster Pokemon**: Many common Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Tapu Lele can outspeed and OHKO Deoxys-A if they use a Speed-boosting nature. Setup sweepers are equally dangerous; a Zygarde or Mega Salamence with one or two Dragon Dance boosts under its belt can usually also outspeed and OHKO Deoxys-A depending on its Speed investment, and in terms of special threats, Volcarona can set up Quiver Dance to not only outspeed Deoxys-A but also take less damage from its special attacks.
**Priority Attackers**: In the event that Psychic Terrain is somehow removed, either by it expiring or by an opposing Terrain being set up, Deoxys-A must face its old nemesis: priority attacks. Once again removing Deoxys-A's ability to move before the foe, moves such as Extreme Speed from Zygarde, Aqua Jet from Azumarill, and Fake Out from Mega Kangaskhan can easily bring Deoxys-A down to its Focus Sash, or in the latter's case, KO it outright.
**Opposing Weather**: For a Pokemon so attached to its Focus Sash, it's no surprise that opposing weather should come as a threat. While sun and rain are threatening in their own right, respectively allowing Chlorophyll and Swift Swim users to outrun and OHKO Deoxys-A, sand and hail come with the added dimension of breaking Deoxys-A's Focus Sash; thus, while Deoxys-A can OHKO most sand or hail setters without much trouble, this comes at the cost of losing its Focus Sash if it remains in play at the end of the turn, thereby removing any chance it had to take a hit.
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