Absol-ute Destruction (Peak: 1817)

[Starfall11]

Hello fellow competitive battlers, I had a new team idea, and had to base it around my favorite pokemon since Gen III, Absol. I've been even more obsessed with him since he received a Mega Evolution. I tried creating a balanced team with Mega Absol for a while, but for some reason, it simply wasn't working for me. Honestly, it might just be because I've always been more of an offensive player.

Without further ado, here's the team:

Absol
Item: Absolite
Ability: Justified/Magic Bounce
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 Def

Swords Dance
Sucker Punch
Knock Off
Superpower

The star of my team. M-Absol is a highly underrated M-evolution. I used him very well as an anti-hazard check, but really wanted to utilize his sweeping potential. For a long time, I tried using Play Rough and Night Slash, but Night Slash just didn't cut it. Knock Off is too powerful and useful early game to give up. Despite the attack drop from Superpower, it has proved immensely useful in sweeping. Takes out Heatran, Bisharp, Tyranitar, and even M-Mawile at +2. Even after the drop, +1 Sucker Punch or Knock Off KOs a majority of the metagame after SR and spikes damage.

Aegislash
Item: Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef

Shadow Ball
Iron Head
Shadow Sneak
King's Shield

Pretty straightforward here. He's the primary spinblocker of the team, has perfect defensive and offensive synergy with Absol, and takes out the pesky fairies that trouble my team. I have found an all out offensive set to be more useful than the tank with max HP investment, since Aegislash can survive almost any neutral hit anyway. However, King's Shield has stayed to prevent Pursuit users from taking out my spinblocker. After an attack drop, Pursuit does nothing to Aegislash in shield form.

Talonflame
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 Def

Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
U-Turn
Tailwind

Ah, Talonflame, the king of revenge killers. Personally, Absol and Aegislash prove so useful at revenge killing that Talonflame usually takes the role of cleaning up late game. Or taking out notable threats like M-Venasaur and Conkeldurr. Great pokemon overall. Yes, everyone hates him, but I love his design and the blazing speed he has.

Keldeo
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 252 Spe, 4 HP

Hydro Pump
Secret Sword
Scald
Hidden Power (Flying)

Choice Specs Keldeo. After much consideration and extensive practice with the horse, I have decided to stick with Choice Specs. The power from Hydro Pump is too good to pass up. Prediction can be difficult and often frustrating with Protect users, but the power is worth the other sacrifices. Keldeo usually comes in mid-game to KO a few pokemon or weaken threats to the team. He makes an excellent lure for M-Venusaur.

Thundurus
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4Def

Wild Charge
Knock Off
Superpower
Grass Know

Thundurus, I hated this guy for a while. Always gave my old team problems, and still does. Personally, I find Thundurus to be a better defog-blocker than Bisharp. Especially on a team based around M-Absol. With a Defiant boost, this guy sweeps so many teams. There will be no stopping him with intimidate either. Grass Knot is there to lure in and KO Quagsire who was troubling the team for a while. Now, I can crush stall pretty easily with his lure.

Deoxys-D
Item: Red Card
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Spe, 4 Def

Stealth Rock
Spikes
Thunder Wave
Taunt

Good old Defense-Deoxys, he sets up hazards and lets the team start breaking things down. I chose Red Card over Mental Herb because I can play around most taunt leads by switching to Absol or Talonflame and going for the kill. At the same time, M-Absol is an excellent lead that completely shuts down enemy Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S if they're using the hazard sets. This makes mirror matches an almost guaranteed win, since I'll be setting up hazards, and they'll never have a chance to. Obviously, Magic Coat is of no use when M-Absol can lead against opposing hazard leads with Magic Bounce.


Edit: Made it to the early 1800's, and can hopefully keep climbing the ladder. M-Absol is probably the most useful pokemon on the team. He's one of the few sweepers who can reliably outspeed and KO Adamant Talonflame, and Knock Off slaughters at + 2.

This team is all about playing smart. Predicting switches and double switching is a necessity, as the team can easily be swept with one wrong move. Very high risk - high reward, but it suits my playstyle and performs phenomenally when it works.

Here are three replays to show M-Absol's sweeping potential:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-109547684

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-110149483

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-110623257

 

[NotBruceWayne]

Since you're running Fly on Thundurus, I suggest running Power Herb for a 1 turn Fly. Otherwise, Mega Venusaur would have the opportunity to switch out to an appropriate counter before taking notable damage. I also suggest replacing Deo-D's Taunt with Magic Coat as a well timed Magic Coat bounces back Taunts and even status like Toxic and Will-o-wisp. Other than that, a well put HO team. Hope my suggestions help. Good luck with your team!!

 

[Timpsu]

Hey there! A solid HO team you have here, gonna leave a few suggestions.

I agree that an all-out attacking Aegislash is the best choice for your team, and generally with Air Balloon. Since you invest so heavily in attacking stats, why on earth would you use King's Shield? I would replace King's shield with either Sacred Sword or Pursuit, whichever you feel more beneficial, in order to better take advantage of your attacking stats. I also second the use of Fly only if you use Power Herb with it. Otherwise it's just too easy to avoid. If you decide not to use Power Herb, Thundurus has better moves to run, such as HP Ice or U-turn for momentum.

As with all HO teams, your team is very reliant on momentum, and smart plays. I don't think there are any notable dangerous Pokemon your team can't take care of one way or another, and I think your team is quite solid in that every team member can offer solid offensive pressure to most of the metagame. Propably the biggest concern I would have is that M-Tyranitar resists all your priority, and can easily come in on Aegislash and start DD'ng. That can be alleviated by equipping Sacred Sword on Aegislash. Overall, good job with the team and good luck on the ladder!

 

[DebrisC]

Hey there, awesome team i totally LOVE Absol its just 2 cool. Team looks great but you could Change the Life Orb on Keldeo to an Expert Belt to bluff a choiced set. Those 10% damage reductions are easy to take when your oponnent loses a Pokemon because he thinks your spexd.

 

[Hawkeye998]

As has been said, either put power herb on thundurus or change fly to something else. If you do get rid of fly I suggest running leftovers over life orb, as it will really help his longevity and you have defiant to hopefully boost your power to sweeping levels. For Keldeo, HP flying is a good choice over scald to nail M-Venu and the occasional Chesnaught or Breloom on the switch, OHKOing the latter two. I really can't recommend the specs set enough on him; if you're having trouble using it, I find your best bet when you're unsure is to just spam secret sword. Life Orb is really the worst of both worlds on Keldeo, as it doesn't give him the wallbreaking power of specs and also drags his already questionable durability down to crippling levels. I don't really have anything to say about the other members of your team, and overall this team looks really solid.
Hope some of this helps.

 

[Starfall11]

Thank you for all of the great advice. I have equipped Thundurus with Power Herb to prevent being worn down by recoil and surprise M-Venasaur. I'm also going to try out Specs again on Keldeo and see how my success is with it. Two Choice-locked pokemon can be difficult on HO though.

Lastly, I have trouble giving up King's Shield on Aegislash. It may be counter-intuitive. But switching back can sometimes allow me to take another hit against pokemon like Rotom-W and Choice-locked Azumarill. It also helps scout choice items. Aegislash can probably KO Dragon Dance T-Tar with Iron Head followed by shadow sneak anyways. Changes implemented: I will let you know how they go. Thank you again!

Edit: Changes have been working out nicely thus far. Still couldn't manage specs on Keldeo, so I'm using Expert Belt as bluff for now. I may end up switching to leftovers or go back to life orb. But I've been able to get my rating higher than before. Almost to the 1800's.

What do you guys think of leftovers on Keldeo?

 

[Hawkeye998]

leftovers on keldeo isn't too bad if you don't want to be choice locked. you could potentially run the calm mind set, i don't know if anyone uses that anymore. just drop hidden power. you could also just keep the current set. you'll notice a drop in power compared to choice or life orb, but it does let him respond to switches better. expert belt generally isn't that useful because most of the time you won't be hitting things for super-effective damage unless you make very good predictions, leaving you with basically a wasted item.

 

[Starfall11]

Update: I've made it to the 1800's, but there are a few pokemon that are giving me some problems.

Most of all, Quagsire. Quagsire walls Absol, Talonflame, and Defiant Thundurus. Because he walls Thundurus so well, people with Quagsire can essentially Defog for free, then switch to Quagsire, forcing me out, or sacrificing my Defiant user for nothing.

Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this matchup? Specs Keldeo can OHKO Quagsire, but I have trouble breaking cores like Quag/MegaVenu/Slowbro, etc. I thought about replacing Keldeo with Virizion, as I have heard he's an underrated threat, and the grass STAB would help, but I'm not sure that's a wise decision. I honestly don't know how to approach teams with Quag, or how to break through Stall teams that utilize them well. Any advice?

 

[Hawkeye998]

If you're willing to lose your fairy coverage, you could give this set a try.

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic
- King's Shield

I've honestly never used Virizion and can't recommend him. If you still don't want to use specs on Keldeo, then you could potentially try HP grass? It's pretty gimmicky but I guaruntee nobody would be expecting it. Make sure to keep your Deo-D alive for as long as possible if stall is giving you trouble, as a late-game taunt can potentially give you the opening you need to break through. Stall in general isn't really my forté, so hopefully someone else has some suggestions.

 

[Starfall11]

I appreciate the suggestion, but I don't think I could sacrifice the fairy coverage, as it's one of my only ways of dealing with Clefable and Sylveon. I will probably stick with Specs Keldeo though, and I'm very unfamiliar with the Stall vs Hyper Offense matchup.

Hopefully someone else can give me some advice on how to handle stall as well. (Is Stall a bad matchup for HO? It sure feels like it when their defensive cores are strong enough.)

 

[NotBruceWayne]

Well, Stall is usually built to stop certain threats (I saw a stall player's teambuilding process in an RMT). I suggest you try out Nidoking (not sure where he would fit though)

Nidoking

Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
Nidoking has enough coverage moves to nail most cores super effectively. Modest nature is used to allow Sludge Wave to 2HKO 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur (I'm pretty sure there are other spreads though). Earth Power decimates Heatran and 2HKOs Quagsire. Fire Blast deals with Skarm and Ferro while Ice Beam deals with Gliscor. Chansey / Blissey would give King some trouble, so better have someone to take care of those two.

 

[Starfall11]

I could try to fit Nidoking into the team, but I may stick with Specs Keldeo and try to play around Quagsire for the time being. I would love to fit Contrary Serperior onto a Hyper Offense Team if he ever gets released. Would make short work of Quagsire too.

I'll keep playesting for the time-being. Advice and new ideas are always appreciated!

 

[acam333]

Great team! I am going to definitely try this out because I love using lesser used megas:) on my current hyper offense team I am using virizion to take care of quag. I'm not sure what you would replace on your team for him or how he would fit though. Here is the set -

Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge

 

[Clair]

Cool team, nice to see M-Absol getting some use. This is going to be a brief rate; you hit the nail on the head regarding Quagsire. The easiest solution is just to run Grass Knot > Superpower on Thundurus. Superpower is cool but you already have Knock Off for Chansey, and there aren't many Tyranitar or Heatran brave enough to switch in (and regardless, both are lesser threats than Quag). This makes you a much stronger Defog-blocker against stall, and obviously is likely to lure out Quag or similarly difficult mons like Hippowdon, clearing the way for Absol and Talonflame.

 

[Starfall11]

Thank you so much for your feedback, it's always appreciated.

Cool team, nice to see M-Absol getting some use. This is going to be a brief rate; you hit the nail on the head regarding Quagsire. The easiest solution is just to run Grass Knot > Superpower on Thundurus. Superpower is cool but you already have Knock Off for Chansey, and there aren't many Tyranitar or Heatran brave enough to switch in (and regardless, both are lesser threats than Quag). This makes you a much stronger Defog-blocker against stall, and obviously is likely to lure out Quag or similarly difficult mons like Hippowdon, clearing the way for Absol and Talonflame.

Clair, I really have to commend you on this post. It's thoughtful and very intelligent. I honestly believe Thundurus would make a great lure with Grass Knot, I wasn't even aware it was in his learnset. And I would love more than anything to clear the way for Absol and Talonflame, since they're two of my favorite pokemon. Your post is thought out well.

Second, I should obviously switch to Naïve to run special attacks. I was thinking of some sort of mixed variant with Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, Knock Off, and U-Turn/Fly. I could run life orb, leftovers, or power herb obviously.

Any advice on what my next step should be considering Thundurus' moveset? The only reason I have considered Thunderbolt is that I hate the LO recoil + Wild Charge. He suicides himself quicker than a Talonflame at Stonehenge.

 

[rob.]

Hey just going to nitpick a little and hopefully it helps a bit. I suggest altering Aegislash's set to 252ATK, 240SPA, & 18SPD Quiet Nature, some speed creep in order to outspeed other Aegislash's. Also change Keldeos Scald to Hidden Power Flying. Keldeo is a very effective Mega Venusaur lure and HP Flying allows Keldeo to 2HKO Mega-Venusaur.

Good luck and have fun with the team.

 

[moonbase]

If quaggy is really bothering you, you could theoretically forgo scale put HP grass on keldeo, or forgo one of your moves on thundy and put grass knot on it.


In terms of thundurus' moveset, I would recommend using Knock off, Thundebolt/ wild charge, grass knot, and U-turn/ volt switch, because you already have the talon flame for dealing with mega veanus.

 

[acam333]

I personally wouldn't even run special attack investment or even a neutral nature on thundi -
0- SpA Thundurus Grass Knot (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Quagsire: 360-424 (91.3 - 107.6%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Seeing those calcs I would just run your same set with grass knot over superpower:)

 

[Starfall11]

Is there any loss from switching over to Naïve Nature though? I don't think the SpDef drop would matter much, as most priority is physical (Except Vacuum Wave, which Thundy resists). At the same time, he's too frail to be taking hits anyways.

Also, switching from Jolly to Naïve guarantees the OHKO on Quagsire, just in case my hazards are spun away.

"0 SpA Thundurus Grass Knot (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Quagsire: 396-468 (100.5 - 118.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO"

Also, I don't know why people advocate HP Flying on Specs Keldeo. It only guarantees the 2HKO with prior hazard damage. Plus, can't they just switch out anyways? Since they'll immediately know I'm running Specs.

(Also, HP Grass isn't necessary on Specs Keldeo since he can KO Quagsire with Hydro Pump anyways.)

 

[blizzarddd]

this team has no switch ins for a strong knock off user. conk trolls its way through the squad.

 

[Starfall11]

this team has no switch ins for a strong knock off user. conk trolls its way through the squad.

Conkeldurr doesn't provide the team with any problems. Specs Keldeo can KO after a bit of prior damage. Talonflame takes care of him as well. In my opinion, a good HO team isn't about having safe switch-ins. Instead, it revolves more around maintaining momentum, and targeting an opponent's weak spots. Head over to the new HO thread in the "Overused" section, there's a lot of discussion about the necessity of sacrificing pokemon (sometimes at 90% health) just maintain pressure on the opponent's team.

 

[blizzarddd]

yeah i suppose. also, how do you deal with sticky web? galvantula gets it up no matter what, as even if you lead with talonflame you get KOd by thunder and focus sash. it throws a wrench in your plans, so maybe magic coat would be an option on deo-d?

 

[Starfall11]

Sticky Web can be frustrating at times. But it doesn't really affect 2/3 of the team. Aegislash is already slow, Talonflame and Thundurus aren't affected by it, and Deoxys doesn't really care since he'll usually lead against it. It does hurt Absol and Keldeo, but it's manageable. Galvantula isn't too common on the ladder either.

I have been thinking of switching over to Screens Deoxys-S as the team is pretty frail compared to most HO teams, and maybe I could give a few other members set up moves? What do you guys think?

Edit: Updated the team with Keldeo and Thundurus getting slightly better sets. It's a very good team against the metagame right now. But it still struggles against some unorthodox strategies and surprise sets. In other words, rogue teams can always come out on top. But as far as I know, there's no way to play around that.