BLOOD TOTEM
braine damaged
Overview
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Deoxys-A is the definition of a glass cannon. Its frightening base 180 attacking stats coupled with its base 150 Speed make it a real terror to face. It can easily go mixed thanks to its great physical and special coverage options and incredible stats. Deoxys-A puts great offensive pressure on opponents and is really difficult to play around because it hits so hard. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to using this offensive behemoth. Deoxys-A has the defensive presence of a wet paper towel and almost any attack will do enough damage to OHKO it. Because of this, Deoxys-A typically works best as a lead since it has difficulty switching in. Deoxys-A relies on its Speed stat to strike first so it doesn't have to take hits; if this is compromised by strategies such as Thunder Wave, Trick Room, or Tailwind, Deoxys-A has great difficulty doing anything.
Mixed Attacker
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name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Psycho Boost
move 2: Ice Beam / Knock Off / Extreme Speed
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
evs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Rash / Naive
Moves
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Psycho Boost is incredibly powerful. A 140 Base Power STAB attack coming off of Deoxys-A's base 180 Special Attack is truly a scary prospect. To put its power into perspective, it can OHKO 252 HP Rotom-W 100% of the time. Ice Beam provides super effective coverage against a lot of common threats like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Thundurus. It also doesn't lower Deoxys-A's Special Attack stat, making it a more reliable attacking option. Knock Off lets Deoxys-A hit Pokemon that resist Psychic-type moves, such as Cresselia and Jirachi, and also removes troublesome items such as a Sitrus Berry or Choice Scarf. Extreme Speed is a good option to pick off weakened threats or other priority users such as Talonflame. It also helps Deoxys-A avoid attacks like Bisharp's Sucker Punch. Superpower gives Deoxys-A a powerful phyical move that can smash through Steel- and Normal-types alike. It also hits Dark-types that are unaffected by Psycho Boost. Given that Deoxys-A has very limited defenses, Detect is key to help it stick around. Obviously Protect works just as well, but Detect is preferred on the off chance your opponent uses Imprison.
Set Details
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232 Speed EVs let Deoxys-A outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gengar. With a boosting nature and 252 Special Attack EVs, Psycho Boost secures an OHKO on 4 HP Landorus-T and can OHKO Mega Charizard Y 75% of the time. The remaining EVs are put into Attack to give Deoxys-A's physical coverage a bit more kick. Since Deoxys-A can't really handle any attacks anyway, a defense-reducing nature is not a problem. A Focus Sash is typically preferred over a Life Orb since it lets Deoxys-A survive a hit that it usually wouldn't so it can attack more than once most of the time. If a Life Orb is used, Deoxys-A gains the ability to OHKO Heatran and 0 HP Kangaskhan with Superpower. With a Rash nature, Psycho Boost is a guaranteed OHKO on maximum HP Kyurem-B as well as maximum HP Politoed. Togekiss loses a minimum of 84% of its HP, and bulky Thundurus is cleanly OHKOed by Ice Beam, so there is no need to lower Deoxys-A's Special Attack by using Psycho Boost. If a Naive nature is used, an EV spread of 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe is best as it gives Deoxys-A the ability to outspeed Choice Scarf Landorus-T.
Usage Tips
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Deoxys-A often works in a hit-and-run manner, striking hard with Psycho Boost and then switching into something bulky so it can come back in again later with its Special Attack restored. Deoxys-A can handle many common Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Hitmontop with Ice Beam and Psycho Boost, respectively. Due to its inability to switch into attacks, Deoxys-A typically functions as a lead or revenge killer; as it can only switch onto the field after a teammate has been KOed. Deoxys-A tends to struggle with more defensive teams but can often net multiple KOs against frailer, more offensive teams. Deoxys-A draws in a lot of attacks which can be avoided through the use of Detect. Deoxys-A needs to be kept away from chip damage from things such as sand or hail, as this breaks its Focus Sash. When possible, priority moves such as Fake Out also need to be avoided.
Team Options
========
A fast Fake Out user such as Mega Kangaskhan helps Deoxys-A put even more pressure on the opponent and helps buy it extra turns to keep its Focus Sash intact. Follow Me support from Pokemon such as Togekiss helps Deoxys-A to live and dish out more hits than it would without the support. Terrakion can provide Quick Guard support to stop Fake Out and other such priority moves whilst also putting a lot of offensive pressureon the opposing team. Bisharp dissuades common Fake Out users like Scrafty and Hitmontop from switching in and also deals with Pokemon that resist Psycho Boost, such as Aegislash, with its Dark-type STAB attacks. Though Deoxys-A does not need Thunder Wave support to patch up a limiting Speed stat, it can be useful since lucky rolls with full paralysis can help it stick around longer.
Other Options
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Rock Slide is a usable spread move that takes out Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame as well as any weakened threats which might be left on the field. Substitute makes Deoxys-A really hard to deal with but is incredibly hard to set up for free due to the way Deoxys-A draws in attacks. Deoxys-A has access to a very fast Taunt and Thunder Wave, which are both valuable support options. Thunder and Thunderbolt can be used to hit Water-types, but Psycho Boost tends to do better damage anyway.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Though very few Pokemon can comfortably come in on all of Deoxys-A's attacks, some can shrug off the damage or switch in against resisted attacks. Tyranitar can switch into Psycho Boost and break Deoxys-A's Focus Sash with sand damage. Pokemon such as Aegislash, Jirachi, and Cresselia can soak up anything Deoxys-A has to offer and KO it in return. Pokemon such as Scizor, Bisharp, and Talonflame can threaten Deoxys-A with priority moves.
**Speed**: Choice Scarf users such as Genesect can often handle Deoxys-A well. Pokemon that have abilities such as Swift Swim or Chlorophyll also perform well against Deoxys-A since it relies on its Speed stat to avoid taking damage. These Pokemon include Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Venusaur.
**Speed Control**: Deoxys-A is weak to every form of speed control. Paralysis support from Pokemon such as Thundurus makes Deoxys-A a sitting duck as it can't use its Speed to strike first. Trick Room means that almost every Pokemon in the metagame will outspeed and KO Deoxys-A with ease. In a similar fashion, Tailwind also allows Pokemon to outspeed and easily KO Deoxys-A.
**Utility Moves**: Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Scrafty, and Hitmontop cause huge trouble for Deoxys-A, so the move needs to be avoided through the use of Detect. In a similar vein, Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, Scizor, and Hitmontop can all deal big damage to Deoxys-A with Feint, even through Detect.
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Deoxys-A is the definition of a glass cannon. Its frightening base 180 attacking stats coupled with its base 150 Speed make it a real terror to face. It can easily go mixed thanks to its great physical and special coverage options and incredible stats. Deoxys-A puts great offensive pressure on opponents and is really difficult to play around because it hits so hard. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to using this offensive behemoth. Deoxys-A has the defensive presence of a wet paper towel and almost any attack will do enough damage to OHKO it. Because of this, Deoxys-A typically works best as a lead since it has difficulty switching in. Deoxys-A relies on its Speed stat to strike first so it doesn't have to take hits; if this is compromised by strategies such as Thunder Wave, Trick Room, or Tailwind, Deoxys-A has great difficulty doing anything.
Mixed Attacker
########
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Psycho Boost
move 2: Ice Beam / Knock Off / Extreme Speed
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
evs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Rash / Naive
Moves
========
Psycho Boost is incredibly powerful. A 140 Base Power STAB attack coming off of Deoxys-A's base 180 Special Attack is truly a scary prospect. To put its power into perspective, it can OHKO 252 HP Rotom-W 100% of the time. Ice Beam provides super effective coverage against a lot of common threats like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Thundurus. It also doesn't lower Deoxys-A's Special Attack stat, making it a more reliable attacking option. Knock Off lets Deoxys-A hit Pokemon that resist Psychic-type moves, such as Cresselia and Jirachi, and also removes troublesome items such as a Sitrus Berry or Choice Scarf. Extreme Speed is a good option to pick off weakened threats or other priority users such as Talonflame. It also helps Deoxys-A avoid attacks like Bisharp's Sucker Punch. Superpower gives Deoxys-A a powerful phyical move that can smash through Steel- and Normal-types alike. It also hits Dark-types that are unaffected by Psycho Boost. Given that Deoxys-A has very limited defenses, Detect is key to help it stick around. Obviously Protect works just as well, but Detect is preferred on the off chance your opponent uses Imprison.
Set Details
========
232 Speed EVs let Deoxys-A outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gengar. With a boosting nature and 252 Special Attack EVs, Psycho Boost secures an OHKO on 4 HP Landorus-T and can OHKO Mega Charizard Y 75% of the time. The remaining EVs are put into Attack to give Deoxys-A's physical coverage a bit more kick. Since Deoxys-A can't really handle any attacks anyway, a defense-reducing nature is not a problem. A Focus Sash is typically preferred over a Life Orb since it lets Deoxys-A survive a hit that it usually wouldn't so it can attack more than once most of the time. If a Life Orb is used, Deoxys-A gains the ability to OHKO Heatran and 0 HP Kangaskhan with Superpower. With a Rash nature, Psycho Boost is a guaranteed OHKO on maximum HP Kyurem-B as well as maximum HP Politoed. Togekiss loses a minimum of 84% of its HP, and bulky Thundurus is cleanly OHKOed by Ice Beam, so there is no need to lower Deoxys-A's Special Attack by using Psycho Boost. If a Naive nature is used, an EV spread of 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe is best as it gives Deoxys-A the ability to outspeed Choice Scarf Landorus-T.
Usage Tips
========
Deoxys-A often works in a hit-and-run manner, striking hard with Psycho Boost and then switching into something bulky so it can come back in again later with its Special Attack restored. Deoxys-A can handle many common Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Hitmontop with Ice Beam and Psycho Boost, respectively. Due to its inability to switch into attacks, Deoxys-A typically functions as a lead or revenge killer; as it can only switch onto the field after a teammate has been KOed. Deoxys-A tends to struggle with more defensive teams but can often net multiple KOs against frailer, more offensive teams. Deoxys-A draws in a lot of attacks which can be avoided through the use of Detect. Deoxys-A needs to be kept away from chip damage from things such as sand or hail, as this breaks its Focus Sash. When possible, priority moves such as Fake Out also need to be avoided.
Team Options
========
A fast Fake Out user such as Mega Kangaskhan helps Deoxys-A put even more pressure on the opponent and helps buy it extra turns to keep its Focus Sash intact. Follow Me support from Pokemon such as Togekiss helps Deoxys-A to live and dish out more hits than it would without the support. Terrakion can provide Quick Guard support to stop Fake Out and other such priority moves whilst also putting a lot of offensive pressureon the opposing team. Bisharp dissuades common Fake Out users like Scrafty and Hitmontop from switching in and also deals with Pokemon that resist Psycho Boost, such as Aegislash, with its Dark-type STAB attacks. Though Deoxys-A does not need Thunder Wave support to patch up a limiting Speed stat, it can be useful since lucky rolls with full paralysis can help it stick around longer.
Other Options
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Rock Slide is a usable spread move that takes out Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame as well as any weakened threats which might be left on the field. Substitute makes Deoxys-A really hard to deal with but is incredibly hard to set up for free due to the way Deoxys-A draws in attacks. Deoxys-A has access to a very fast Taunt and Thunder Wave, which are both valuable support options. Thunder and Thunderbolt can be used to hit Water-types, but Psycho Boost tends to do better damage anyway.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Though very few Pokemon can comfortably come in on all of Deoxys-A's attacks, some can shrug off the damage or switch in against resisted attacks. Tyranitar can switch into Psycho Boost and break Deoxys-A's Focus Sash with sand damage. Pokemon such as Aegislash, Jirachi, and Cresselia can soak up anything Deoxys-A has to offer and KO it in return. Pokemon such as Scizor, Bisharp, and Talonflame can threaten Deoxys-A with priority moves.
**Speed**: Choice Scarf users such as Genesect can often handle Deoxys-A well. Pokemon that have abilities such as Swift Swim or Chlorophyll also perform well against Deoxys-A since it relies on its Speed stat to avoid taking damage. These Pokemon include Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Venusaur.
**Speed Control**: Deoxys-A is weak to every form of speed control. Paralysis support from Pokemon such as Thundurus makes Deoxys-A a sitting duck as it can't use its Speed to strike first. Trick Room means that almost every Pokemon in the metagame will outspeed and KO Deoxys-A with ease. In a similar fashion, Tailwind also allows Pokemon to outspeed and easily KO Deoxys-A.
**Utility Moves**: Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Scrafty, and Hitmontop cause huge trouble for Deoxys-A, so the move needs to be avoided through the use of Detect. In a similar vein, Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, Scizor, and Hitmontop can all deal big damage to Deoxys-A with Feint, even through Detect.
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