This got me thinking how Glimmora would be infinetly less annoying if Toxic Debris worked on contact moves like Rough Skin instead of physical moves. Doesn't make any sense
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Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion
- Thread starter TPP
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Random funky set I came up with:
Grafaiai @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Unburden
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swagger
- Substitute
- Gunk Shot
- Acrobatics
Step one: bring out Grafaiai against Tusk or anything else that will use earthquake
step two: Tera Flying and use swagger
step three: use substitute until they hit themself in confusion or while they switch out
step four: EPIC cool Grafaiai set sweeps SALTY LEGENDARY SPAMMER (no clickbait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Grafaiai @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Unburden
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swagger
- Substitute
- Gunk Shot
- Acrobatics
Step one: bring out Grafaiai against Tusk or anything else that will use earthquake
step two: Tera Flying and use swagger
step three: use substitute until they hit themself in confusion or while they switch out
step four: EPIC cool Grafaiai set sweeps SALTY LEGENDARY SPAMMER (no clickbait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Last edited:
Gotta be TrollFreak at work. "We made a Pokemon 4x weak to Ground in a gen with many Earthquakers, but its Ability spreads hazards on all physical moves, bitches."
Actually, taking a third of my life from Grass Knotting a RH Ferrothorn with Starmie still might be worse.
Hisuian-Zoroark is so fucking fun to use. It's THE reason I started playing OU this gen. Sash H-Zoro the goat
Great work but isn’t alomomola stall only?
Pretty much yeah. Strictly for stall I haven't seen it for balanced
Always cool to see the latest Morkal Mayhem set. Decidueye has always felt like a mon who is all over the place but could do something with the meta sitting in very specific places for a tier.Decidueye
Type: View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
View attachment 516355
"Decidueye is a tall, avian Pokémon that resembles an owl. The backs of its wings and torso are dotted with many white spots, there are six on each wing. The inside of each wing has a line of upside-down, reddish-orange triangles across the top." - Bulbapedia
"Great Tusk? More like Dead Husk amirite?" - Morkal
BASE STAT LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE HP:
78Attack:
107Defense:
75Sp. Atk:
100Sp. Def:
100Speed:
70
One of the most criminally underrated starters of all time (putting Incineroar in Smash Bros Ultimate instead of Decidueye? Come on Sakurai why would you do this to us?), Decidueye is an interesting Pokemon that can seem a little awkward at first with an interesting but awkward typing, movepool, and stat spread. However, Decidueye is more primed for OU now than it has ever been thanks to the advent of Tera, a more hospitable environment, and a uniquely unmatched defensive profile. So let's make like Decidueye's Robin Hood inspirations and steal opportunities from OU titans to redistribute openings to our team members.
Disclaimer: Decidueye has some very notable weaknesses to Ghost, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Flying-type attacks that can be taken advantage of if you're not prepared and as such it cannot be plopped on a team without preparation beforehand. I highly recommend researching tri-core team compositions, and common meta movesets before using Decidueye. If you take the time to build around Decidueye, it can be an absolutely monstrous member of your team's squad!
Decidueye's Summarized OU Advantages
"This is a "too long; didn't read" for people who don't want to read through the whole post and just want a quick, summarized glance at Decidueye's OU advantages."
- Decidueye's defensive profile is stellar in OU's current climate, giving it crucial immunities to Normal (Extremespeed) and Fighting-type attacks, along with vital resistances to Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water-type attacks. Additionally, it is one of the few defensive Grass-types that has a neutrality to both Bug and Poison-type attacks rather than a weakness to them.
- Decidueye's access to reliable recovery in Roost along with a solid defensive stat spread of 78/75/100 makes Decidueye deceptively hard to take down without status.
- Decidueye's role compression means it can act as a bulky boosting Pokemon that exerts offensive pressure, defensive prowess, and trapping utility, utilizing Swords Dance (or Nasty Plot) in tandem with its great STAB combination and the previously mentioned Roost.
- Decidueye is one of the few Pokemon that can effectively counter most Garganacl variants and can also check/counter a multitude of common sets of frightening OU staples such as Great Tusk, Hatterene, Iron Treads, Clodsire, Slowking, Dragonite, Rotom-Wash, Dondozo, Ting-Lu, Iron Valiant, and Azumarill.
- Decidueye's signature move Spirit Shackle is a powerful physical Ghost STAB move that traps your opponent's Pokemon and prevents them from switching out - this can not only allow you to trap some pesky, slower threats and use them as set-up fodder. Additionally, its main grass STAB Leaf Blade is powerful, spammable, and (while situational) has a high critical hit ratio that can come in handy in a pinch.
- Decidueye's ability Long Reach means that using Leaf Blade won't trigger the effects of pesky abilities like Flame Body or moves like Toxapex's Baneful Bunker (please note that Glimmora's Toxic Debris is still activated even with Long Reach).
- Decidueye's Grass-typing gives it a useful immunity to both Spore and Leech Seed while Decidueye's Ghost-typing gives it an immunity to Rapid Spin, giving it inherent role compressed tech utility as both a spin blocker and spore blocker by virtue of its almost entirely unique type combination (only shared by Brambleghast).
- Decidueye's 70 base speed is solid, and with merely 4 EVs invested outspeeds a multitude of common bulky OU threats.
- Decidueye matches up very well against common stall team builds/cores and excels against slower matchups or bulky Pokemon variants without speed investment.
Swords Dance Bulky Trapper Decidueye
View attachment 516368
Decidueye @ Leftovers / Lum Berry / Covert Cloak
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Grass or Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Roost
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
My Personal Preferred Set Variant
Decidueye @ Leftovers
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Roost
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
Offensive Pressure and Boosting Potential
Before we go into any analysis - I'd like to stress something very important before we go over each facet of Decidueye individually:
If you have Decidueye in on a Pokemon you feel comfortable staying in on, you should almost always use Spirit Shackle first unless you are very sure that using one of your other moves will be more beneficial at that moment. The trapping utility + pressure is more important than the immediate damage.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start by looking at Decidueye's offensive potential thanks to its neat combination of Grass/Ghost STAB offense. Decidueye's function is meant to be that of a bulky offensive trapper that can set up and wear down teams over time (with the looming threat of punching holes with Swords Dance being a constant fear). Leaf Blade is a powerful base 90 physical Grass-type attack with a heightened critical hit chance (useful in a pinch) - additionally, thanks to Decidueye's signature ability Long Reach, Leaf Blade does not have any of the drawbacks of being a contact move. Let's take a look at just how much damage Leaf Blade can do with some damage calculations both with Swords Dance boosts and without. Even with 0 attack EV investment, Decidueye can hit some surprising benchmarks for its damage output.
Leaf Blade Damage Calculations (With and Without Swords Dance)
View attachment 516356
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Azumarill: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Azumarill: 492-578 (121.7 - 143%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 153-181 (33 - 39%) -- 11.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 306-361 (66 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (for Water Absorb variants, Unaware will ignore Decidueye's Swords Dance Boosts)
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 182-216 (36.1 - 42.8%) -- 94.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 134-162 (26.5 - 32.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO (Dondozo almost always runs Unaware so we don't need Swords Dance calculations here, but most Dondozo sets are countered by Decidueye regardless)
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 108-127 (30.2 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 214-253 (59.9 - 70.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 134-158 (33.1 - 39.1%) -- 8.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 264-312 (65.3 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 326-386 (80.6 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 112-133 (36.4 - 43.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 223-264 (72.6 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 164-194 (44.2 - 52.2%) -- 14.5% chance to 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 324-384 (87.3 - 103.5%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Great Tusk: 122-146 (28.1 - 33.6%) -- 94.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Great Tusk: 246-290 (56.6 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 88-105 (27.4 - 32.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 175-207 (54.5 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 112-133 (38.7 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 225-265 (77.8 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 194-230 (63.8 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 390-458 (128.2 - 150.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Rotom-Wash: 144-170 (47.3 - 55.9%) -- 18.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Rotom-Wash: 284-336 (93.4 - 110.5%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Slowking: 246-290 (62.5 - 73.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Slowking: 488-576 (124.1 - 146.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 168-200 (32.6 - 38.9%) -- 6.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 338-398 (65.7 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 72-85 (23.7 - 28%) -- 89.9% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 144-169 (47.5 - 55.7%) -- 78.1% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 111-132 (32.7 - 38.9%) -- 99.3% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 222-262 (65.4 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark-Hisui: 156-184 (62.1 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark-Hisui: 310-366 (123.5 - 145.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Combined with the luck value of Leaf Blade's nasty critical hit ratio, this can help wear down quite a few threats on your opponent's team - and unless they want to be trapped, they'll be switching out of Decidueye quite a bit. Trapped, you say? Decidueye's signature move Spirit Shackle is a base 80 physical Ghost-type move with the added benefit of trapping any Pokemon that gets hit by it (we'll get more into why this trapping utility is vital and the crux of Decidueye's utility later). Let's take a gander at some damage calculations for Spirit Shackle against various threats both with and without Swords Dance boosts.
Spirit Shackle Damage Calculations (With and Without Swords Dance)
View attachment 516357
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 91-108 (21 - 25%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 180-213 (41.6 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 99-117 (26.6 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 195-231 (52.5 - 62.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 109-130 (41.7 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 220-259 (84.2 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 218-260 (61.5 - 73.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 440-518 (124.2 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 117-138 (38.8 - 45.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 231-273 (76.7 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 234-276 (73.8 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 462-546 (145.7 - 172.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite: 96-114 (29.7 - 35.2%) -- 20.6% chance to 3HKO (Post-Multiscale)
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite: 190-225 (58.8 - 69.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Post-Multiscale)
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 192-228 (60.9 - 72.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 380-450 (120.6 - 142.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 134-162 (35.4 - 42.8%) -- 93.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 270-320 (71.4 - 84.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Hatterene: 144-170 (45.2 - 53.4%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Hatterene: 284-336 (89.3 - 105.6%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Moth: 138-163 (45.8 - 54.1%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Moth: 276-325 (91.6 - 107.9%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 124 Def Iron Moth: 115-136 (38.2 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 124 Def Iron Moth: 229-271 (76 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Skeledirge: 186-218 (45.2 - 53%) -- 25% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 40+ Def Skeledirge: 162-192 (39.3 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Skeledirge exclusively runs Unaware so Swords Dance calculations are irrelevant)
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torkoal: 52-63 (15.1 - 18.3%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torkoal: 103-123 (30 - 35.8%) -- 35.4% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 130-154 (41.8 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 259-306 (83.2 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 112-133 (30 - 35.6%) -- 34% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 223-264 (59.7 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Given that +2 is just one boost from Swords Dance, and that you can potentially get +4 or even +6 if you trap a Pokemon that can't do anything against Decidueye, you could potentially bulldoze through your opponent's weakened team in the mid-late game (or at the very least punching huge holes in your opponent's team composition).
View attachment 516368
Speed Tier, Move Utility, Terastallizing, and Item Choice
Now that we've seen the potential of Decidueye's offensive capabilities, let's take a quick look at Decidueye's speed; with base 70 speed and 4 EVs, Decidueye reaches a respectable speed stat of 177. For a bulky attacker focused on trapping slower threats and dismantling cores, this is a great speed tier that allows Decidueye to naturally outspeed Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Azumarill, Breloom (uninvested), Clodsire, Corviknight (uninvested, needs 32 EVs on neutral nature to outspeed Decidueye), Dondozo, Garganacl, Hatterene, Iron Hands, Kingambit, Orthworm, Skeledirge (most variants are outsped, including the 28 speed EV Substitute variant which only reaches a speed stat of 175), Slowking, Ting-Lu, Torkoal, and Toxapex. By virtue of this speed tier alone, Decidueye can force out a multitude of Pokemon lest they risk being trapped by Spirit Shackle.
Speaking of Spirit Shackle, beyond the offensive capabilities that we discussed earlier, you might be thinking "Why is this move so crucial in the current meta?" It's simple - it forces switches in disadvantageous situations. Let's take a look at Garganacl (without Covert Cloak) - Garganacl is always forced to switch when Decidueye comes in; if it doesn't switch (let's say it uses Salt Cure), it becomes trapped by Spirit Shackle and allows Decidueye to easily set up Swords Dance boosts while recovering damage off with Roost. Iron Defense won't work for Body Press boosts as Decidueye is immune, Leaf Blade additionally has a heightened critical hit rate which can cut right through Iron Defense boosts in a pinch alongside Swords Dance boosts. PP stalling with Curse or Iron Defense also won't work as Decidueye can PP stall with Swords Dance which has 8 more PP than Iron Defense, Swords Dance can additionally rack up offensive boosts faster than Curse can which can leave Garganacl feeling overwhelmed without any recourse.
Garganacl isn't the only defensive Pokemon invalidated by Spirit Shackle's trapping capabilities. If hit by Spirit Shackle; Regenerator Pokemon such as Amoonguss can't switch out to regain HP (Amoonguss additionally can't use Spore on Decidueye), Rest users such as Dondozo can't switch out after regaining health, Choice Locked users are stuck spamming one move, and various Pokemon that would dip in and out to serve specific functions are now forced to stay in on Decidueye. Spirit Shackle's utility is further aided by access to Roost (or Synthesis if you're running a sun team), a wonderful reliable recovery move. Spirit Shackle also has another benefit - preventing double-switching on Pokemon that your opponent sends in, relieving some of your own prediction pressures when going against troublesome team cores. Leaf Blade's power and Roost's longevity are made more threatening because of Spirit Shackle's ability to force matchups unfavorable for your opponent.
So now you're probably wondering - what Tera type should I choose for Decidueye? It depends entirely on the threats you want Decidueye to be able to turn the tables on. Personally, I prefer Tera Grass as it alleviates my biggest issue with Decidueye - its Knock Off weakness, and further powers up Leaf Blade's strikes to astronomical levels with a Swords Dance boost(s). However, Tera Ghost has additional utility as well - being able to instantly neutralize Decidueye's weaknesses to Fire, Ice, and Flying-type attacks while also gaining resistances to Poison and Bug-type attacks (instead of just being neutral to them) while boosting the power of Spirit Shackle. For more specific defensive options, Tera Poison, Tera Water, and Tera Steel all have situational usage - but the power boost for your Grass/Ghost moves can be sorely missed, so choose wisely.
As for your choice of item, I highly recommend either Leftovers or Covert Cloak - Leftovers is what I use predominately as the additional HP recovery I've found to be a lifesaver in high-stress situations. However, Covert Cloak has the benefit of protecting Decidueye from certain rogue status effects of nasty moves like Sludge Bomb, and since Decidueye has Roost/Synthesis I would consider Covert Cloak another great item choice for Decidueye. A third more fringe option that I've had some success with is Lum Berry to turn the tables on specific nasty utility threats such as Hex Gholdengo/Hex Dragapult (especially with Tera Grass as my listed preferred Tera type for Decidueye). Heavy-Duty Boots is technically an option as well, but I recommend running a Rapid Spin user instead as Decidueye's item should directly benefit its defensive prowess universally rather than just against certain types of teams (I'll recommend some Rapid Spin partners for Decidueye later in the post).
View attachment 516368
Defensive Prowess and Resistance Profile
Speaking of defensive prowess; now that we've gone over just how much offensive pressure Decidueye can exert with and without boosts (along with the various aspects of its utility options), I'd like us to take a gander at Decidueye's defensive prowess. With this set's EV spread, Decidueye has 360 HP, 273 Defense, and 236 Special Defense. This may not seem impressive on its own, but then we remember that Decidueye's not meant to be a wall, but a bulky longevity-focused attacker with a defensive profile that allows it to resist/be immune to some of the most powerful attacks in OU. So let's take a look at calculations so you can see the types of attacks that Decidueye can take in stride and, in some cases, entirely shrug off.
Defensive Calculations
View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
Physical Calculations
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 73-87 (20.2 - 24.1%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 154-183 (42.7 - 50.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 137-162 (38 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (Belly Drum)
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Bullet Seed (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 87-102 (24.1 - 28.3%) -- approx. possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 145-170 (40.2 - 47.2%) -- approx. 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Clodsire Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 37-44 (10.2 - 12.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 39-47 (10.8 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 53-63 (14.7 - 17.5%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Dragonite Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 160-190 (44.4 - 52.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 114-135 (31.6 - 37.5%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 59-69 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Garganacl Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 31-37 (8.6 - 10.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 39-46 (10.8 - 12.7%) -- possibly the worst move ever (If Garganacl makes the mistake of using Salt Cure on Decidueye instead of switching and gets trapped by Spirit Shackle, it becomes setup fodder)
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 85-101 (23.6 - 28%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 184-218 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Great Tusk Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 59-69 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 152-180 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 127-150 (35.2 - 41.6%) -- 83.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Ice Spinner vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 228-270 (63.3 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
116+ Atk Iron Hands Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 150-178 (41.6 - 49.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
116+ Atk Iron Hands Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 56-66 (15.5 - 18.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
200+ Atk Choice Band Iron Hands Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 79-93 (21.9 - 25.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
200+ Atk Choice Band Iron Hands Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 106-126 (29.4 - 35%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 63-75 (17.5 - 20.8%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 102-121 (28.3 - 33.6%) -- 96.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 166-196 (46.1 - 54.4%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 152-180 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 184-218 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 40-47 (11.1 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 51-60 (14.1 - 16.6%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery
Special Calculations
0 SpA Amoonguss Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 84-100 (23.3 - 27.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
180 SpA Dragapult Hex (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 168-200 (46.6 - 55.5%) -- 73.8% chance to 2HKO (Exclusively for Decidueye's Lum Berry Set Variant)
252+ SpA Life Orb Garchomp Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 220-259 (61.1 - 71.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Gholdengo Hex (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 180-212 (50 - 58.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Exclusively for Decidueye's Lum Berry Set Variant)
252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 49-58 (13.6 - 16.1%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252 SpA Glimmora Power Gem vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 132-156 (36.6 - 43.3%) -- 98.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 156-184 (43.3 - 51.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Draining Kiss vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 70-84 (19.4 - 23.3%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Mystical Fire vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 142-168 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 97-115 (26.9 - 31.9%) -- 42.6% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- SpA Iron Treads Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 17-21 (4.7 - 5.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 147-174 (40.8 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 72-85 (20 - 23.6%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Iron Valiant Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 46-55 (12.7 - 15.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 62-73 (17.2 - 20.2%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 39-47 (10.8 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 SpA Slowking Future Sight vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 129-153 (35.8 - 42.5%) -- 91.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Slowking Surf vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 48-57 (13.3 - 15.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ SpA Toxapex Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 93-111 (25.8 - 30.8%) -- 4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
It's not just the bulk that creates switch-in opportunities, Decidueye has a very useful and rare Grass/Ghost type combination (only shared with one other Pokemon, Brambleghast, which cannot act in a similarly bulky manner because of its more frail 55/70/70 defensive stat spread). Grass/Ghost as a type combination resists Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water-type attacks while having immunities to Fighting and Normal-type attacks. Let's take a look at some OU-type combinations (specifically leaving out Chesnaught and Inteleon, as they likely won't be OU next shift) and how they specifically relate to Decidueye's defensive typing.
OU Type Synergy
View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
Resists/Immune to all STAB types
Breloom (Grass/Fighting) - Resists Grass, Immune to Fighting
Dondozo (Water) - Resists Water
Great Tusk (Ground/Fighting) - Resists Ground, Immune to Fighting
Iron Hands (Fighting/Electric) - Resists Electric, Immune to Fighting
Rotom-Wash (Electric/Water) - Resists Electric, Resists Water
Resists/Immune to one STAB type
Amoonguss (Grass/Poison) - Resists Grass, Neutral to Poison
Azumarill (Water/Fairy) - Resists Water, Neutral to Fairy
Clodsire (Poison/Ground) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Poison
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Dragon
Iron Leaves (Grass/Psychic) - Resists Grass, Neutral to Psychic
Iron Treads (Ground/Steel) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Steel
Iron Valiant (Fairy/Fighting) - Resists Fighting, Neutral to Fairy
Meowscarada (Grass/Dark) - Resists Grass, Weak to Dark
Slowking (Water/Psychic) - Resists Water, Neutral to Psychic
Ting-Lu (Dark/Ground) - Resists Ground, Weak to Dark
Toxapex (Poison/Water) - Resists Water, Neutral to Poison
Walking Wake (Water/Dragon) - Resists Water, Neutral to Dragon
Zoroark-Hisui (Normal/Ghost) - Immune to Normal, Weak to Ghost
Neutral to all STAB types
Garganacl (Rock) - Neutral to Rock
Glimmora (Rock/Poison) - Neutral to Rock, Neutral to Poison
Hatterene (Psychic/Fairy) - Neutral to Psychic, Neutral to Fairy
Orthworm (Steel) - Neutral to Steel
18 out of 36 Pokemon in OU/BL (exactly 50%) have at least one STAB type resisted by Decidueye's defensive type combination. Additionally, Decidueye's Grass/Ghost type combination resists both STAB types (or in Dondozo's case, its only STAB type) of five of the 18 mentioned OU/BL Pokemon. The majority of the Pokemon listed above do not have a super effective STAB type against Decidueye as well (with the only three exceptions being Meowscarada, Ting-Lu, and Zoroark-Hisui). By comparison, the only Pokemon whose STABS are both super effective (or in Cinderace/Torkoal's cases, their only STAB type) against Decidueye's defensive type combination are Ceruledge, Cinderace, Skeledirge, and Torkoal. This is where the utility of Decidueye's defensive typing comes into play, as there are many predictable switch-in opportunities just by virtue of half of the metagame's STAB combinations being conducive towards Decidueye.
Additionally, some of the more critical Pokemon with STAB types that would be super effective against Decidueye don't run one of their STAB moves as a common option - Dragonite lost access to Dual Wingbeat so it more often runs Fire Punch or Ice Spinner as it has no usable physical Flying-type STAB beyond Aerial Ace (and with bulky sets, it sometimes doesn't even run either of those super effective coverage moves). Ting-Lu's main Dark-type move, Ruination, is fixed at removing 1/2 of the opponent's remaining HP and does not deal super-effective damage, and does not run Throat Chop as often as it should (given that, as stated above by Eeveeto there is a lot of unexplored potential with Ting-Lu's offensive set capabilities). The general point is that more often than not, your opponent will be the one having to find ways to play around Decidueye's defensive profile thanks to the combination of bulk, typing, longevity, and pressure.
Decidueye's defensive-type combination has a couple of small utility benefits as well, allowing some unique role compression only shared by the previously mentioned Brambleghast. Decidueye's Grass-typing gives it immunity to both Spore and Leech Seed, which are both heinous moves for a defensive Pokemon to have to contend with. Immunity to Spore/Leech Seed specifically means that Decidueye is a great switch-in for Amoonguss, Breloom, and Toedscruel (which I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually joins OU as a mainstay at some point). Decidueye's Ghost-typing means that it also blocks Rapid Spin, meaning that opposing spinners such as Great Tusk cannot spin away your hazards and are either forced to attack or switch.
Potential Team Options
Rapid Spin Support + Hazards
View attachment 516456View attachment 516457
Great Tusk and Iron Treads both make fantastic partners for Decidueye due to their powerful/useful STAB combinations, great bulk, and access to Rapid Spin along with their own hazards. Great Tusk is the best glue in OU currently and is incredibly easy to slot onto teams, while Iron Treads has a few unique options and a great speed tier that can also be highly beneficial. Both Great Tusk and Iron Treads can set Stealth Rocks up themselves, providing crucial role compression that can work very well with Decidueye's existing role compression.
Wish Support + Magic Bounce
Hatterene is, in my opinion, one of the best defensive Pokemon in OU currently; having access to Magic Bounce to bounce back hazards or status moves at the drop of a hat is crucial in key match moments and can determine whether or not you win or lose a match through residual damage alone. Additionally, Hatterene's access to moves such as Nuzzle to slow your opponent's team down along with Mystical Fire to weaken some notable Special Attacking threats makes Hatterene one of Decidueye's best partners. Additionally, I would like to recommend Alomomola as a wonderful Wish user that has strong bulk, great mono-water typing, and additional useful moves such as Whirlpool and Chilling Water that can aid in a bind and create more switch-in opportunities.
Conclusion
View attachment 516464
Decidueye is one of the most powerful sub-OU Pokemon that I've used in the tier for a long time, and I feel that it's more powerful now in this current OU climate than it has ever been in previous generations. Its unique type combination, well-rounded stats, and unique movepool (with many options I didn't talk about here such as Nasty Plot) lead to a role-compressed juggernaut that quite a few common team compositions simply aren't prepared for. So if you feel your team needs something unique to occupy multiple roles in a way that no other Pokemon in the metagame can mimic, consider aiming your bow toward Decidueye and marking it down as a target for your next team!
(This post ended up being longer than my Psychology dissertation in college somehow lol; I tried some new formatting with this post, and I hope you all enjoy it and find it a little easier to read than previous posts of mine!)
On the WishPass mention of Alomomola as a teammate, it made me think about Scream Tail for a second before realizing the types have surprisingly little synergy. A little sad because I’m imagining shenanigans you could pull with Hazard stacks and then potential ST-Check-into-Perish-Song followed by Perished-Switch-into-Decidueye-match-up for Spirit Shackle trapping or just three easy switches worth of Spike Damage (or if they’re cheeky about waiting down the Perish Counter and pressured even harder on the potential Shackle turn)
sorry I just had to, but some dude shared this and I think it's hilarious that Maushold swept Sun: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1864377854-re991uoecr8pbqf50mpd58mfe14fgi2pw
Maushold has a nice niche in OU. Fun fact Population Bomb can still miss with Wide Lens since it only increases it from 90 to 99% accuracy.
Arcanine-H: A pretty strong wallbreaker with an ok to decent speed tier. It has a bad defensive typing, but tera can help in that regard. And even then, it's not the worst defensive type combo.
Avalugg-H: arguably a worse Avalugg lmao.
Basculegion: Last Respects go brrrr. But seriously, unless LR gets banned, I don't think the male version would stay in OU. The female version is weaker (having the same attack stats as Basculin-W), so those might stay, but we'll see. Assuming they lose LR, they might still some niches in OU for rain teams.
Braviary-H: I really like this mon's design and its shiny, so I wish it can be viable in OU, but it might more OU material. Esper Wing + Tinted Lens could make it somewhat threatening, although it only has 65 base speed, while Sheer Force + Life Orb could give both power and versatility.
Decidueye-H: Might have a niche as a defogger that can hit Gholdengo super effectively thanks to scrappy, and has good utility with Knock Off. Other than that, it would likely be outclassed by Lilligant-H and Breloom offensively, and by Chesnaught defensively.
Electrode-H: Way better than Kantonian Electrode, but that ain't a high bar to surpass tbh. Not completely unviable, but definitely lower tier material.
Enamorus-I: Contrary sets are very interesting and CM sets are kinda scary. Can't say it would be broken, but definitely a threat to keep and eye on.
Enamorus-T: being bulkier and slower could maybe make it either more manageable or harder to take down. STAB (and potentially tera) boosted Draining Kiss can act as a semi reliable way of recovery.
Goodra-H: Really nice defensive typing, and a really good offensive movepool, but lacks good utility besides Dragon Tail and Acid Spray. Best sets might be Choice Specs and Assault Vest, but I think this would probably end up in UU.
Kleavor: Sharpness-boosted Stone Axe goes brrrr. Besides it's signature move though, it doesn't really has that much going for it. Decent bulk and speed but a mediocre defensive typing. It certainly has a niche, but idk if it would be that solid, specially since Spikes are seen as better than rocks currently.
Lilligant-H: not only Victory Dance is a physical version of Quiver Dance, but I feel like Lilligant-H might be a physical counterpart to Volcarona. Very threatening specially if it manages to fit the right coverage (or simply use CB), or manages to hit through Hustle lol.
Overqwil: Barb Barrage has a 50% chance to poison and doubles its power against poisoned opponents... oh boy. Once again, might not be OU material, but that signature move alone makes wanna think it would hold at least a tiny niche, maybe on Rain teams, especially since it can use Tera to gain Water STAB.
Qwilfish-H: Lower tier material, but it's nice to think that Qwilfish can now hold eviolite.
Samurott-H: feels like a better Kleavor in a way, with a better STAB combo, a better defensive typing, better utility with knock off, and a lack of an SR weakness.
Sneasel-H: Lower tier, but feels better than regular Sneasel
Sneasler: Some speculate that this dude would be too much for the tier. Personally, I don't think it will, since it's coverage is pretty bad, and it's pretty frail, but that's not to say it will be bad. It has sky high speed and attack, and Dire Claw + Poison Touch is pretty nasty in order to cripple any switch-ins, especially checks and counters, and it can destroy pretty much all steels with its STAB Close Combat.
Typhlosion-H: I REALLY wish this could be good in OU. I love Typhlosion and its Hisuan form is really cool, but it would likely be for the lower tiers. Infernal Parade is a really interesting move though, and Fire + Ghost + Fighting coverage is really solid.
Ursaluna: very threatening on paper, with Guts-boosted Facade and Earthquake providing a really solid combo, while having some interesting coverage options. It also has good bulk and Bulletproof as an alternative ability if you wanna go that route.
Wyrdeer: Lower tier material. Can't really say much else.
Avalugg-H: arguably a worse Avalugg lmao.
Basculegion: Last Respects go brrrr. But seriously, unless LR gets banned, I don't think the male version would stay in OU. The female version is weaker (having the same attack stats as Basculin-W), so those might stay, but we'll see. Assuming they lose LR, they might still some niches in OU for rain teams.
Braviary-H: I really like this mon's design and its shiny, so I wish it can be viable in OU, but it might more OU material. Esper Wing + Tinted Lens could make it somewhat threatening, although it only has 65 base speed, while Sheer Force + Life Orb could give both power and versatility.
Decidueye-H: Might have a niche as a defogger that can hit Gholdengo super effectively thanks to scrappy, and has good utility with Knock Off. Other than that, it would likely be outclassed by Lilligant-H and Breloom offensively, and by Chesnaught defensively.
Electrode-H: Way better than Kantonian Electrode, but that ain't a high bar to surpass tbh. Not completely unviable, but definitely lower tier material.
Enamorus-I: Contrary sets are very interesting and CM sets are kinda scary. Can't say it would be broken, but definitely a threat to keep and eye on.
Enamorus-T: being bulkier and slower could maybe make it either more manageable or harder to take down. STAB (and potentially tera) boosted Draining Kiss can act as a semi reliable way of recovery.
Goodra-H: Really nice defensive typing, and a really good offensive movepool, but lacks good utility besides Dragon Tail and Acid Spray. Best sets might be Choice Specs and Assault Vest, but I think this would probably end up in UU.
Kleavor: Sharpness-boosted Stone Axe goes brrrr. Besides it's signature move though, it doesn't really has that much going for it. Decent bulk and speed but a mediocre defensive typing. It certainly has a niche, but idk if it would be that solid, specially since Spikes are seen as better than rocks currently.
Lilligant-H: not only Victory Dance is a physical version of Quiver Dance, but I feel like Lilligant-H might be a physical counterpart to Volcarona. Very threatening specially if it manages to fit the right coverage (or simply use CB), or manages to hit through Hustle lol.
Overqwil: Barb Barrage has a 50% chance to poison and doubles its power against poisoned opponents... oh boy. Once again, might not be OU material, but that signature move alone makes wanna think it would hold at least a tiny niche, maybe on Rain teams, especially since it can use Tera to gain Water STAB.
Qwilfish-H: Lower tier material, but it's nice to think that Qwilfish can now hold eviolite.
Samurott-H: feels like a better Kleavor in a way, with a better STAB combo, a better defensive typing, better utility with knock off, and a lack of an SR weakness.
Sneasel-H: Lower tier, but feels better than regular Sneasel
Sneasler: Some speculate that this dude would be too much for the tier. Personally, I don't think it will, since it's coverage is pretty bad, and it's pretty frail, but that's not to say it will be bad. It has sky high speed and attack, and Dire Claw + Poison Touch is pretty nasty in order to cripple any switch-ins, especially checks and counters, and it can destroy pretty much all steels with its STAB Close Combat.
Typhlosion-H: I REALLY wish this could be good in OU. I love Typhlosion and its Hisuan form is really cool, but it would likely be for the lower tiers. Infernal Parade is a really interesting move though, and Fire + Ghost + Fighting coverage is really solid.
Ursaluna: very threatening on paper, with Guts-boosted Facade and Earthquake providing a really solid combo, while having some interesting coverage options. It also has good bulk and Bulletproof as an alternative ability if you wanna go that route.
Wyrdeer: Lower tier material. Can't really say much else.
So its niche is making you feel like you're playing RBY with accuracy rolls lol.
Overqwil is the Hisuian Mon I’m most interested to see explored, insofar as it’s the Hisui Form we have the least idea for how it’ll be used, viable or not, save for the debates about Phys/Mixed/Special on H-Samurott.
It holds a distinct niche for Rain teams in being a pretty strong Swift Swimmer that doesn’t compound Water’s usual weaknesses (and Rain in turn deters the Ground Types it would have to fear SE) while bringing Resists to some major Speedsters like Kingambit’s Sucker Punch, Ghost Spam, and Meowscarada alongside utility options like Destiny Bond, Self-Destruct for HO Saccing, Swords Dance for a Wincon/Wallbreaking, and absorbing Toxic Spikes passively.
While it lacks reliable recovery, the Intimidate Sets also merit consideration thanks to its decent neutral/resist profile, retaining Toxic, access to both kinds of Spikes, and Barb Barrage to retain some offensive presence in tandem with the former.
It holds a distinct niche for Rain teams in being a pretty strong Swift Swimmer that doesn’t compound Water’s usual weaknesses (and Rain in turn deters the Ground Types it would have to fear SE) while bringing Resists to some major Speedsters like Kingambit’s Sucker Punch, Ghost Spam, and Meowscarada alongside utility options like Destiny Bond, Self-Destruct for HO Saccing, Swords Dance for a Wincon/Wallbreaking, and absorbing Toxic Spikes passively.
While it lacks reliable recovery, the Intimidate Sets also merit consideration thanks to its decent neutral/resist profile, retaining Toxic, access to both kinds of Spikes, and Barb Barrage to retain some offensive presence in tandem with the former.
Don't listen to him, he wants you to use Maushold so he can justify Garchomp still being OU.
Thank you all so much for the kind words about my Decidueye post! I'm really confident in its OU niche and feel it's actually better than several OU Pokemon at the current moment, and I'm glad the reception has been so warm to it!
You could run a mixed Leaf Storm variant that utilizes role compression with trapping utility, but at that point, you're better off focusing more on Decidueye's offensive capabilities in that role compendium - something along the lines of this:
Decidueye @ Expert Belt
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Roost / Synthesis
- Spirit Shackle
- Tera Blast
Spirit Shackle is the main reason that Decidueye forces offensive pressure so the minor chip damage it gives is all that's needed (hence why a Modest nature is fine here), Roost is necessary (Synthesis on Sun Teams). Spirit Shackle + Tera Blast Fire allows you to trap threats like Amoonguss, Corviknight, Iron Treads, Orthworm, and Gholdengo and yeet them from existence.
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 310-367 (98.4 - 116.5%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 312-370 (72.2 - 85.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Corviknight: 324-384 (81.2 - 96.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Treads: 384-454 (119.6 - 141.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Orthworm: 456-540 (132.9 - 157.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Leaf Storm also does have the benefit of being monstrously powerful against certain threats that tend to lean more towards being Physically Bulky as well
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dondozo: 658-778 (130.5 - 154.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk: 773-914 (208.3 - 246.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Wash: 442-521 (145.3 - 171.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
It really depends on your team composition and what you need it to handle, but overall, Decidueye's definitely a very flexible Pokemon!
Alomomola can be used outside of Stall if you play off of its highly underrated offensive potential for further role compression with Regenerator + Wish (a unique role that only Alomomola can fill thanks to its coverage moves, access to the previously mentioned Regenerator + Wish, great natural defensive typing + tera type options, along with a massive HP stat and solid physical bulk)
Alomomola @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Play Rough
- Wish
- Aqua Jet / Zen Headbutt
Might seem a little silly at first, but this variant absolutely mauls certain defensive cores. Uninvested speed is 166 as Alomomola has a respectable base 65 speed, meaning that it can decimate certain threats given the right circumstances + STAB Liquidation applies natural offensive pressure thanks to frequent defense drops. Regenerator + Wish allows Alomomola to keep both itself and its teammates healthy while simultaneously forgoing its passivity problem.
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 390-458 (104.5 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 474-558 (102.3 - 120.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 380-450 (107.3 - 127.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 224 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 404-476 (113.1 - 133.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 204-242 (50.4 - 59.9%) -- 82.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 344-408 (112 - 132.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 252-296 (67.9 - 79.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 270-320 (84.1 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 40+ Def Skeledirge: 278-330 (67.4 - 80%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 260-308 (50.5 - 59.9%) -- 84% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Tera Fairy boosted Play Rough is a nasty surprise for Pokemon like Dragapult or Walking Wake hoping to pray on Alomomola's lacking SpD with Draco Meteor or overwhelming it with repeated powerful hits like Glaive Rush Baxcalibur, turning a weak point into a useful immunity, along with having great coverage against other potent OU threats
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 362-428 (105.8 - 125.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 426-504 (134.3 - 158.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 404-476 (154.7 - 182.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 350-414 (98 - 115.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 360-426 (97 - 114.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 175-207 (54.1 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def (Multiscale Broken) Dragonite: 350-414 (108.3 - 128.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 736-868 (226.4 - 267%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Iron Valiant: 366-432 (126.6 - 149.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 888-1048 (252.9 - 298.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 450-530 (153.5 - 180.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Aqua Jet is STAB Priority and I highly recommend it for the last slot, but Zen Headbutt can be useful in niche cases such as dealing with Water Absorb Clodsire or Amoonguss in a pinch
That's essentially the main problem I had when I started working with Decidueye - it's sort of a "jack of all trades" and it took a long time to really nail down what worked the best for it. Honestly that strategy would technically work between the two if you had both of them set to applicable Tera types and use one depending on the specific needs of the moment, or just add an additional "buffer" of sorts to make it a tri-core! I'm seeing some serious potential there despite the small amount of synergy between their type combinations
You could run a mixed Leaf Storm variant that utilizes role compression with trapping utility, but at that point, you're better off focusing more on Decidueye's offensive capabilities in that role compendium - something along the lines of this:
Decidueye @ Expert Belt
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Roost / Synthesis
- Spirit Shackle
- Tera Blast
Spirit Shackle is the main reason that Decidueye forces offensive pressure so the minor chip damage it gives is all that's needed (hence why a Modest nature is fine here), Roost is necessary (Synthesis on Sun Teams). Spirit Shackle + Tera Blast Fire allows you to trap threats like Amoonguss, Corviknight, Iron Treads, Orthworm, and Gholdengo and yeet them from existence.
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 310-367 (98.4 - 116.5%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 312-370 (72.2 - 85.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Corviknight: 324-384 (81.2 - 96.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Treads: 384-454 (119.6 - 141.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Tera Fire Decidueye Tera Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Orthworm: 456-540 (132.9 - 157.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Leaf Storm also does have the benefit of being monstrously powerful against certain threats that tend to lean more towards being Physically Bulky as well
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dondozo: 658-778 (130.5 - 154.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk: 773-914 (208.3 - 246.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Decidueye Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Wash: 442-521 (145.3 - 171.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
It really depends on your team composition and what you need it to handle, but overall, Decidueye's definitely a very flexible Pokemon!
Alomomola can be used outside of Stall if you play off of its highly underrated offensive potential for further role compression with Regenerator + Wish (a unique role that only Alomomola can fill thanks to its coverage moves, access to the previously mentioned Regenerator + Wish, great natural defensive typing + tera type options, along with a massive HP stat and solid physical bulk)
Alomomola @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Play Rough
- Wish
- Aqua Jet / Zen Headbutt
Might seem a little silly at first, but this variant absolutely mauls certain defensive cores. Uninvested speed is 166 as Alomomola has a respectable base 65 speed, meaning that it can decimate certain threats given the right circumstances + STAB Liquidation applies natural offensive pressure thanks to frequent defense drops. Regenerator + Wish allows Alomomola to keep both itself and its teammates healthy while simultaneously forgoing its passivity problem.
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 390-458 (104.5 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 474-558 (102.3 - 120.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 380-450 (107.3 - 127.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 224 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 404-476 (113.1 - 133.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 204-242 (50.4 - 59.9%) -- 82.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 344-408 (112 - 132.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 252-296 (67.9 - 79.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 270-320 (84.1 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 40+ Def Skeledirge: 278-330 (67.4 - 80%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 260-308 (50.5 - 59.9%) -- 84% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Tera Fairy boosted Play Rough is a nasty surprise for Pokemon like Dragapult or Walking Wake hoping to pray on Alomomola's lacking SpD with Draco Meteor or overwhelming it with repeated powerful hits like Glaive Rush Baxcalibur, turning a weak point into a useful immunity, along with having great coverage against other potent OU threats
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 362-428 (105.8 - 125.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 426-504 (134.3 - 158.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 404-476 (154.7 - 182.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 350-414 (98 - 115.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 360-426 (97 - 114.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 175-207 (54.1 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def (Multiscale Broken) Dragonite: 350-414 (108.3 - 128.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 736-868 (226.4 - 267%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Iron Valiant: 366-432 (126.6 - 149.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 888-1048 (252.9 - 298.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Fairy Alomomola Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 450-530 (153.5 - 180.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Aqua Jet is STAB Priority and I highly recommend it for the last slot, but Zen Headbutt can be useful in niche cases such as dealing with Water Absorb Clodsire or Amoonguss in a pinch
That's essentially the main problem I had when I started working with Decidueye - it's sort of a "jack of all trades" and it took a long time to really nail down what worked the best for it. Honestly that strategy would technically work between the two if you had both of them set to applicable Tera types and use one depending on the specific needs of the moment, or just add an additional "buffer" of sorts to make it a tri-core! I'm seeing some serious potential there despite the small amount of synergy between their type combinations
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Decidueye
Type: View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
View attachment 516355
"Decidueye is a tall, avian Pokémon that resembles an owl. The backs of its wings and torso are dotted with many white spots, there are six on each wing. The inside of each wing has a line of upside-down, reddish-orange triangles across the top." - Bulbapedia
"Great Tusk? More like Dead Husk amirite?" - Morkal
BASE STAT LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE HP:
78Attack:
107Defense:
75Sp. Atk:
100Sp. Def:
100Speed:
70
One of the most criminally underrated starters of all time (putting Incineroar in Smash Bros Ultimate instead of Decidueye? Come on Sakurai why would you do this to us?), Decidueye is an interesting Pokemon that can seem a little awkward at first with an interesting but awkward typing, movepool, and stat spread. However, Decidueye is more primed for OU now than it has ever been thanks to the advent of Tera, a more hospitable environment, and a uniquely unmatched defensive profile. So let's make like Decidueye's Robin Hood inspirations and steal opportunities from OU titans to redistribute openings to our team members.
Disclaimer: Decidueye has some very notable weaknesses to Ghost, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Flying-type attacks that can be taken advantage of if you're not prepared and as such it cannot be plopped on a team without preparation beforehand. I highly recommend researching tri-core team compositions, and common meta movesets before using Decidueye. If you take the time to build around Decidueye, it can be an absolutely monstrous member of your team's squad!
Decidueye's Summarized OU Advantages
"This is a "too long; didn't read" for people who don't want to read through the whole post and just want a quick, summarized glance at Decidueye's OU advantages."
- Decidueye's defensive profile is stellar in OU's current climate, giving it crucial immunities to Normal (Extremespeed) and Fighting-type attacks, along with vital resistances to Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water-type attacks. Additionally, it is one of the few defensive Grass-types that has a neutrality to both Bug and Poison-type attacks rather than a weakness to them.
- Decidueye's access to reliable recovery in Roost along with a solid defensive stat spread of 78/75/100 makes Decidueye deceptively hard to take down without status.
- Decidueye's role compression means it can act as a bulky boosting Pokemon that exerts offensive pressure, defensive prowess, and trapping utility, utilizing Swords Dance (or Nasty Plot) in tandem with its great STAB combination and the previously mentioned Roost.
- Decidueye is one of the few Pokemon that can effectively counter most Garganacl variants and can also check/counter a multitude of common sets of frightening OU staples such as Great Tusk, Hatterene, Iron Treads, Clodsire, Slowking, Dragonite, Rotom-Wash, Dondozo, Ting-Lu, Iron Valiant, and Azumarill.
- Decidueye's signature move Spirit Shackle is a powerful physical Ghost STAB move that traps your opponent's Pokemon and prevents them from switching out - this can not only allow you to trap some pesky, slower threats and use them as set-up fodder. Additionally, its main grass STAB Leaf Blade is powerful, spammable, and (while situational) has a high critical hit ratio that can come in handy in a pinch.
- Decidueye's ability Long Reach means that using Leaf Blade won't trigger the effects of pesky abilities like Flame Body or moves like Toxapex's Baneful Bunker (please note that Glimmora's Toxic Debris is still activated even with Long Reach).
- Decidueye's Grass-typing gives it a useful immunity to both Spore and Leech Seed while Decidueye's Ghost-typing gives it an immunity to Rapid Spin, giving it inherent role compressed tech utility as both a spin blocker and spore blocker by virtue of its almost entirely unique type combination (only shared by Brambleghast).
- Decidueye's 70 base speed is solid, and with merely 4 EVs invested outspeeds a multitude of common bulky OU threats.
- Decidueye matches up very well against common stall team builds/cores and excels against slower matchups or bulky Pokemon variants without speed investment.
Swords Dance Bulky Trapper Decidueye
View attachment 516368
Decidueye @ Leftovers / Lum Berry / Covert Cloak
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Grass or Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Roost
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
My Personal Preferred Set Variant
Decidueye @ Leftovers
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Roost
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
Offensive Pressure and Boosting Potential
Before we go into any analysis - I'd like to stress something very important before we go over each facet of Decidueye individually:
If you have Decidueye in on a Pokemon you feel comfortable staying in on, you should almost always use Spirit Shackle first unless you are very sure that using one of your other moves will be more beneficial at that moment. The trapping utility + pressure is more important than the immediate damage.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start by looking at Decidueye's offensive potential thanks to its neat combination of Grass/Ghost STAB offense. Decidueye's function is meant to be that of a bulky offensive trapper that can set up and wear down teams over time (with the looming threat of punching holes with Swords Dance being a constant fear). Leaf Blade is a powerful base 90 physical Grass-type attack with a heightened critical hit chance (useful in a pinch) - additionally, thanks to Decidueye's signature ability Long Reach, Leaf Blade does not have any of the drawbacks of being a contact move. Let's take a look at just how much damage Leaf Blade can do with some damage calculations both with Swords Dance boosts and without. Even with 0 attack EV investment, Decidueye can hit some surprising benchmarks for its damage output.
Leaf Blade Damage Calculations (With and Without Swords Dance)
View attachment 516356
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Azumarill: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Azumarill: 492-578 (121.7 - 143%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 153-181 (33 - 39%) -- 11.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 306-361 (66 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (for Water Absorb variants, Unaware will ignore Decidueye's Swords Dance Boosts)
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 182-216 (36.1 - 42.8%) -- 94.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 134-162 (26.5 - 32.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO (Dondozo almost always runs Unaware so we don't need Swords Dance calculations here, but most Dondozo sets are countered by Decidueye regardless)
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 108-127 (30.2 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 214-253 (59.9 - 70.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 134-158 (33.1 - 39.1%) -- 8.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 264-312 (65.3 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 326-386 (80.6 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 112-133 (36.4 - 43.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Glimmora: 223-264 (72.6 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 164-194 (44.2 - 52.2%) -- 14.5% chance to 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 324-384 (87.3 - 103.5%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Great Tusk: 122-146 (28.1 - 33.6%) -- 94.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Great Tusk: 246-290 (56.6 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 88-105 (27.4 - 32.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 175-207 (54.5 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 112-133 (38.7 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 225-265 (77.8 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 194-230 (63.8 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 390-458 (128.2 - 150.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Rotom-Wash: 144-170 (47.3 - 55.9%) -- 18.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Rotom-Wash: 284-336 (93.4 - 110.5%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Slowking: 246-290 (62.5 - 73.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Slowking: 488-576 (124.1 - 146.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 168-200 (32.6 - 38.9%) -- 6.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 338-398 (65.7 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 72-85 (23.7 - 28%) -- 89.9% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 144-169 (47.5 - 55.7%) -- 78.1% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 111-132 (32.7 - 38.9%) -- 99.3% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Walking Wake: 222-262 (65.4 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark-Hisui: 156-184 (62.1 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark-Hisui: 310-366 (123.5 - 145.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Combined with the luck value of Leaf Blade's nasty critical hit ratio, this can help wear down quite a few threats on your opponent's team - and unless they want to be trapped, they'll be switching out of Decidueye quite a bit. Trapped, you say? Decidueye's signature move Spirit Shackle is a base 80 physical Ghost-type move with the added benefit of trapping any Pokemon that gets hit by it (we'll get more into why this trapping utility is vital and the crux of Decidueye's utility later). Let's take a gander at some damage calculations for Spirit Shackle against various threats both with and without Swords Dance boosts.
Spirit Shackle Damage Calculations (With and Without Swords Dance)
View attachment 516357
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 91-108 (21 - 25%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 180-213 (41.6 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 99-117 (26.6 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 195-231 (52.5 - 62.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 109-130 (41.7 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 220-259 (84.2 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 218-260 (61.5 - 73.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 440-518 (124.2 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 117-138 (38.8 - 45.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 231-273 (76.7 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 234-276 (73.8 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 462-546 (145.7 - 172.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite: 96-114 (29.7 - 35.2%) -- 20.6% chance to 3HKO (Post-Multiscale)
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite: 190-225 (58.8 - 69.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Post-Multiscale)
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 192-228 (60.9 - 72.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 380-450 (120.6 - 142.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 134-162 (35.4 - 42.8%) -- 93.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 270-320 (71.4 - 84.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Hatterene: 144-170 (45.2 - 53.4%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Hatterene: 284-336 (89.3 - 105.6%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Moth: 138-163 (45.8 - 54.1%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Moth: 276-325 (91.6 - 107.9%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 124 Def Iron Moth: 115-136 (38.2 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 124 Def Iron Moth: 229-271 (76 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Skeledirge: 186-218 (45.2 - 53%) -- 25% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 252 HP / 40+ Def Skeledirge: 162-192 (39.3 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Skeledirge exclusively runs Unaware so Swords Dance calculations are irrelevant)
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torkoal: 52-63 (15.1 - 18.3%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torkoal: 103-123 (30 - 35.8%) -- 35.4% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 130-154 (41.8 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 259-306 (83.2 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 112-133 (30 - 35.6%) -- 34% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 Atk Decidueye Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 223-264 (59.7 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Given that +2 is just one boost from Swords Dance, and that you can potentially get +4 or even +6 if you trap a Pokemon that can't do anything against Decidueye, you could potentially bulldoze through your opponent's weakened team in the mid-late game (or at the very least punching huge holes in your opponent's team composition).
View attachment 516368
Speed Tier, Move Utility, Terastallizing, and Item Choice
Now that we've seen the potential of Decidueye's offensive capabilities, let's take a quick look at Decidueye's speed; with base 70 speed and 4 EVs, Decidueye reaches a respectable speed stat of 177. For a bulky attacker focused on trapping slower threats and dismantling cores, this is a great speed tier that allows Decidueye to naturally outspeed Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Azumarill, Breloom (uninvested), Clodsire, Corviknight (uninvested, needs 32 EVs on neutral nature to outspeed Decidueye), Dondozo, Garganacl, Hatterene, Iron Hands, Kingambit, Orthworm, Skeledirge (most variants are outsped, including the 28 speed EV Substitute variant which only reaches a speed stat of 175), Slowking, Ting-Lu, Torkoal, and Toxapex. By virtue of this speed tier alone, Decidueye can force out a multitude of Pokemon lest they risk being trapped by Spirit Shackle.
Speaking of Spirit Shackle, beyond the offensive capabilities that we discussed earlier, you might be thinking "Why is this move so crucial in the current meta?" It's simple - it forces switches in disadvantageous situations. Let's take a look at Garganacl (without Covert Cloak) - Garganacl is always forced to switch when Decidueye comes in; if it doesn't switch (let's say it uses Salt Cure), it becomes trapped by Spirit Shackle and allows Decidueye to easily set up Swords Dance boosts while recovering damage off with Roost. Iron Defense won't work for Body Press boosts as Decidueye is immune, Leaf Blade additionally has a heightened critical hit rate which can cut right through Iron Defense boosts in a pinch alongside Swords Dance boosts. PP stalling with Curse or Iron Defense also won't work as Decidueye can PP stall with Swords Dance which has 8 more PP than Iron Defense, Swords Dance can additionally rack up offensive boosts faster than Curse can which can leave Garganacl feeling overwhelmed without any recourse.
Garganacl isn't the only defensive Pokemon invalidated by Spirit Shackle's trapping capabilities. If hit by Spirit Shackle; Regenerator Pokemon such as Amoonguss can't switch out to regain HP (Amoonguss additionally can't use Spore on Decidueye), Rest users such as Dondozo can't switch out after regaining health, Choice Locked users are stuck spamming one move, and various Pokemon that would dip in and out to serve specific functions are now forced to stay in on Decidueye. Spirit Shackle's utility is further aided by access to Roost (or Synthesis if you're running a sun team), a wonderful reliable recovery move. Spirit Shackle also has another benefit - preventing double-switching on Pokemon that your opponent sends in, relieving some of your own prediction pressures when going against troublesome team cores. Leaf Blade's power and Roost's longevity are made more threatening because of Spirit Shackle's ability to force matchups unfavorable for your opponent.
So now you're probably wondering - what Tera type should I choose for Decidueye? It depends entirely on the threats you want Decidueye to be able to turn the tables on. Personally, I prefer Tera Grass as it alleviates my biggest issue with Decidueye - its Knock Off weakness, and further powers up Leaf Blade's strikes to astronomical levels with a Swords Dance boost(s). However, Tera Ghost has additional utility as well - being able to instantly neutralize Decidueye's weaknesses to Fire, Ice, and Flying-type attacks while also gaining resistances to Poison and Bug-type attacks (instead of just being neutral to them) while boosting the power of Spirit Shackle. For more specific defensive options, Tera Poison, Tera Water, and Tera Steel all have situational usage - but the power boost for your Grass/Ghost moves can be sorely missed, so choose wisely.
As for your choice of item, I highly recommend either Leftovers or Covert Cloak - Leftovers is what I use predominately as the additional HP recovery I've found to be a lifesaver in high-stress situations. However, Covert Cloak has the benefit of protecting Decidueye from certain rogue status effects of nasty moves like Sludge Bomb, and since Decidueye has Roost/Synthesis I would consider Covert Cloak another great item choice for Decidueye. A third more fringe option that I've had some success with is Lum Berry to turn the tables on specific nasty utility threats such as Hex Gholdengo/Hex Dragapult (especially with Tera Grass as my listed preferred Tera type for Decidueye). Heavy-Duty Boots is technically an option as well, but I recommend running a Rapid Spin user instead as Decidueye's item should directly benefit its defensive prowess universally rather than just against certain types of teams (I'll recommend some Rapid Spin partners for Decidueye later in the post).
View attachment 516368
Defensive Prowess and Resistance Profile
Speaking of defensive prowess; now that we've gone over just how much offensive pressure Decidueye can exert with and without boosts (along with the various aspects of its utility options), I'd like us to take a gander at Decidueye's defensive prowess. With this set's EV spread, Decidueye has 360 HP, 273 Defense, and 236 Special Defense. This may not seem impressive on its own, but then we remember that Decidueye's not meant to be a wall, but a bulky longevity-focused attacker with a defensive profile that allows it to resist/be immune to some of the most powerful attacks in OU. So let's take a look at calculations so you can see the types of attacks that Decidueye can take in stride and, in some cases, entirely shrug off.
Defensive Calculations
View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
Physical Calculations
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 73-87 (20.2 - 24.1%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 154-183 (42.7 - 50.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 137-162 (38 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (Belly Drum)
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Bullet Seed (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 87-102 (24.1 - 28.3%) -- approx. possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 145-170 (40.2 - 47.2%) -- approx. 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Clodsire Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 37-44 (10.2 - 12.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 39-47 (10.8 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 53-63 (14.7 - 17.5%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Dragonite Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 160-190 (44.4 - 52.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 114-135 (31.6 - 37.5%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 59-69 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Garganacl Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 31-37 (8.6 - 10.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 39-46 (10.8 - 12.7%) -- possibly the worst move ever (If Garganacl makes the mistake of using Salt Cure on Decidueye instead of switching and gets trapped by Spirit Shackle, it becomes setup fodder)
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 85-101 (23.6 - 28%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 184-218 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Great Tusk Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 59-69 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 152-180 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 127-150 (35.2 - 41.6%) -- 83.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Ice Spinner vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 228-270 (63.3 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
116+ Atk Iron Hands Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 150-178 (41.6 - 49.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
116+ Atk Iron Hands Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 56-66 (15.5 - 18.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
200+ Atk Choice Band Iron Hands Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 79-93 (21.9 - 25.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
200+ Atk Choice Band Iron Hands Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 106-126 (29.4 - 35%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 63-75 (17.5 - 20.8%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 102-121 (28.3 - 33.6%) -- 96.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Iron Treads Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 166-196 (46.1 - 54.4%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 152-180 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 184-218 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 40-47 (11.1 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 51-60 (14.1 - 16.6%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery
Special Calculations
0 SpA Amoonguss Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 84-100 (23.3 - 27.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
180 SpA Dragapult Hex (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 168-200 (46.6 - 55.5%) -- 73.8% chance to 2HKO (Exclusively for Decidueye's Lum Berry Set Variant)
252+ SpA Life Orb Garchomp Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 220-259 (61.1 - 71.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Gholdengo Hex (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 180-212 (50 - 58.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Exclusively for Decidueye's Lum Berry Set Variant)
252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 49-58 (13.6 - 16.1%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252 SpA Glimmora Power Gem vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 132-156 (36.6 - 43.3%) -- 98.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 156-184 (43.3 - 51.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Draining Kiss vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 70-84 (19.4 - 23.3%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Mystical Fire vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 142-168 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 97-115 (26.9 - 31.9%) -- 42.6% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- SpA Iron Treads Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 17-21 (4.7 - 5.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 147-174 (40.8 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Decidueye: 72-85 (20 - 23.6%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Iron Valiant Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 46-55 (12.7 - 15.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 62-73 (17.2 - 20.2%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 39-47 (10.8 - 13%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 SpA Slowking Future Sight vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 129-153 (35.8 - 42.5%) -- 91.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Slowking Surf vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 48-57 (13.3 - 15.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ SpA Toxapex Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Decidueye: 93-111 (25.8 - 30.8%) -- 4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
It's not just the bulk that creates switch-in opportunities, Decidueye has a very useful and rare Grass/Ghost type combination (only shared with one other Pokemon, Brambleghast, which cannot act in a similarly bulky manner because of its more frail 55/70/70 defensive stat spread). Grass/Ghost as a type combination resists Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water-type attacks while having immunities to Fighting and Normal-type attacks. Let's take a look at some OU-type combinations (specifically leaving out Chesnaught and Inteleon, as they likely won't be OU next shift) and how they specifically relate to Decidueye's defensive typing.
OU Type Synergy
View attachment 516356/View attachment 516357
Resists/Immune to all STAB types
Breloom (Grass/Fighting) - Resists Grass, Immune to Fighting
Dondozo (Water) - Resists Water
Great Tusk (Ground/Fighting) - Resists Ground, Immune to Fighting
Iron Hands (Fighting/Electric) - Resists Electric, Immune to Fighting
Rotom-Wash (Electric/Water) - Resists Electric, Resists Water
Resists/Immune to one STAB type
Amoonguss (Grass/Poison) - Resists Grass, Neutral to Poison
Azumarill (Water/Fairy) - Resists Water, Neutral to Fairy
Clodsire (Poison/Ground) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Poison
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Dragon
Iron Leaves (Grass/Psychic) - Resists Grass, Neutral to Psychic
Iron Treads (Ground/Steel) - Resists Ground, Neutral to Steel
Iron Valiant (Fairy/Fighting) - Resists Fighting, Neutral to Fairy
Meowscarada (Grass/Dark) - Resists Grass, Weak to Dark
Slowking (Water/Psychic) - Resists Water, Neutral to Psychic
Ting-Lu (Dark/Ground) - Resists Ground, Weak to Dark
Toxapex (Poison/Water) - Resists Water, Neutral to Poison
Walking Wake (Water/Dragon) - Resists Water, Neutral to Dragon
Zoroark-Hisui (Normal/Ghost) - Immune to Normal, Weak to Ghost
Neutral to all STAB types
Garganacl (Rock) - Neutral to Rock
Glimmora (Rock/Poison) - Neutral to Rock, Neutral to Poison
Hatterene (Psychic/Fairy) - Neutral to Psychic, Neutral to Fairy
Orthworm (Steel) - Neutral to Steel
18 out of 36 Pokemon in OU/BL (exactly 50%) have at least one STAB type resisted by Decidueye's defensive type combination. Additionally, Decidueye's Grass/Ghost type combination resists both STAB types (or in Dondozo's case, its only STAB type) of five of the 18 mentioned OU/BL Pokemon. The majority of the Pokemon listed above do not have a super effective STAB type against Decidueye as well (with the only three exceptions being Meowscarada, Ting-Lu, and Zoroark-Hisui). By comparison, the only Pokemon whose STABS are both super effective (or in Cinderace/Torkoal's cases, their only STAB type) against Decidueye's defensive type combination are Ceruledge, Cinderace, Skeledirge, and Torkoal. This is where the utility of Decidueye's defensive typing comes into play, as there are many predictable switch-in opportunities just by virtue of half of the metagame's STAB combinations being conducive towards Decidueye.
Additionally, some of the more critical Pokemon with STAB types that would be super effective against Decidueye don't run one of their STAB moves as a common option - Dragonite lost access to Dual Wingbeat so it more often runs Fire Punch or Ice Spinner as it has no usable physical Flying-type STAB beyond Aerial Ace (and with bulky sets, it sometimes doesn't even run either of those super effective coverage moves). Ting-Lu's main Dark-type move, Ruination, is fixed at removing 1/2 of the opponent's remaining HP and does not deal super-effective damage, and does not run Throat Chop as often as it should (given that, as stated above by Eeveeto there is a lot of unexplored potential with Ting-Lu's offensive set capabilities). The general point is that more often than not, your opponent will be the one having to find ways to play around Decidueye's defensive profile thanks to the combination of bulk, typing, longevity, and pressure.
Decidueye's defensive-type combination has a couple of small utility benefits as well, allowing some unique role compression only shared by the previously mentioned Brambleghast. Decidueye's Grass-typing gives it immunity to both Spore and Leech Seed, which are both heinous moves for a defensive Pokemon to have to contend with. Immunity to Spore/Leech Seed specifically means that Decidueye is a great switch-in for Amoonguss, Breloom, and Toedscruel (which I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually joins OU as a mainstay at some point). Decidueye's Ghost-typing means that it also blocks Rapid Spin, meaning that opposing spinners such as Great Tusk cannot spin away your hazards and are either forced to attack or switch.
Potential Team Options
Rapid Spin Support + Hazards
View attachment 516456View attachment 516457
Great Tusk and Iron Treads both make fantastic partners for Decidueye due to their powerful/useful STAB combinations, great bulk, and access to Rapid Spin along with their own hazards. Great Tusk is the best glue in OU currently and is incredibly easy to slot onto teams, while Iron Treads has a few unique options and a great speed tier that can also be highly beneficial. Both Great Tusk and Iron Treads can set Stealth Rocks up themselves, providing crucial role compression that can work very well with Decidueye's existing role compression.
Wish Support + Magic Bounce
Hatterene is, in my opinion, one of the best defensive Pokemon in OU currently; having access to Magic Bounce to bounce back hazards or status moves at the drop of a hat is crucial in key match moments and can determine whether or not you win or lose a match through residual damage alone. Additionally, Hatterene's access to moves such as Nuzzle to slow your opponent's team down along with Mystical Fire to weaken some notable Special Attacking threats makes Hatterene one of Decidueye's best partners. Additionally, I would like to recommend Alomomola as a wonderful Wish user that has strong bulk, great mono-water typing, and additional useful moves such as Whirlpool and Chilling Water that can aid in a bind and create more switch-in opportunities.
Conclusion
View attachment 516464
Decidueye is one of the most powerful sub-OU Pokemon that I've used in the tier for a long time, and I feel that it's more powerful now in this current OU climate than it has ever been in previous generations. Its unique type combination, well-rounded stats, and unique movepool (with many options I didn't talk about here such as Nasty Plot) lead to a role-compressed juggernaut that quite a few common team compositions simply aren't prepared for. So if you feel your team needs something unique to occupy multiple roles in a way that no other Pokemon in the metagame can mimic, consider aiming your bow toward Decidueye and marking it down as a target for your next team!
(This post ended up being longer than my Psychology dissertation in college somehow lol; I tried some new formatting with this post, and I hope you all enjoy it and find it a little easier to read than previous posts of mine!)
I Feel like I did DeciOU better, but I can't muster the strength to write a post like this, so don't mind me riding along.
OU Threat Hunter Deci
Decidueye @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Overgrow
Tera Type: Fight
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 56 SpA / 176 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Leaf Storm
- Low Kick
- Sucker Punch
Kingambit can no longer escape! ~
This is the set. No /'s to present you, we pack Colbur's to fend off the darkness, muy importante.
Long Reach is obsolete because Spirit Shackle already intigrates it.
Speed iv's are to outspeed all relevant Gambit's. 24 HP's cause I like my HP to end with 3, IYKYK. The rest is to pack a punch, or kick.
Let me demonstrate.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1856658404-pcgp5vm78sb5l8anen9vb3clj0k1axspw - 1 Gambit assassinated.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1856709729-25xdqv8soi9759oseg9umkyq4p9tj7apw - Here a Chomp was bypassed, a Tusk got Trapped, another Gambit was ended & a Dirge got put out of its misery.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1857197125-kbttn44876w0igq5cznaa3n4y5shyuopw - And finally here, a Baxc bites the dust, 1 Moth was denied and Ting-Lu & Tusk both became extinct.
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This is an absolutely stupendous Decidueye set! I don't know why I didn't think of Low Kick's utility and the great coverage that Ghost/Fight STAB provides - not to mention turning Kingambit from a Decid counter into OHKO fodder. I'm going to give this variant a try myself on the ladder. Colbur Berry also handles the Knock Off issue that my Decidueye variants were having, thank you for sharing this set!
you just use tera'd beat up thats all, since it ignores contact :)
To be fair, Maushold has a niche, with both Chomp and Corviknight being so spectaculary ass this gen. And its not like your gonna run rocky helmet on everything, and it has topped the ladder before, Besides, not even scarf chomp (the actual best set) outspeeds maushold at +1. It can totally work
The emotional damage towards having your wall decimated by a telegraphed P.Bomb that you simply couldn't do anything about cannot be understated.
Since based Morkal posted about Decidueye, I will post another niche but pretty demonic set:
Dooh Nibor (Decidueye) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Fire / Water / Dragon / Poison / Ground / Steel / Fairy / Dark / Flying / literally any time except STAB ones or ones with low defensive value
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Trailblaze
- Swords Dance
- Roost
I tried this set in a UU team, but since that team was bad, it didn,t get to shine. The concept remains the same for OU though. Morkal's set is way easier to use than this one, but there are some big advantage with this set if you get the right match-up and use it well.
Trailblaze is weak move, but still STAB, so it has 75 power. That low power doesn,t matter if Decidueye traps the right opponent and gets to +6. What does matter is the +6 Speed that allows Decidueye to outspeed everything and not be Revenge Killed.
Tera type is also very important for the job. Not the Fire one specifically but one that is not STAB. Often, Decidueye will trap something that will force it out (Grass Ghost has 5 weaknesses, its not hard to hit Decidueye effectively), as long as it has the base typing, for example a Torkoal or a Volcarona. However, if Decidueye Terastalizes, suddenly those Mons become set-up fodder (especially Torkoal) and Decidueye will easily boost to +6 Attack and +6 Speed, making the sweep easier.
Now, this Decidueye will still get humillated by Kingambit (which can RK) and stopped by Unaware users, especially if they Tera. However, in this regard, Leaf Blade doesn,t help much, except maybe vs Sdef Clodsire (I think Pdef Clodsire is better btw, stopping 99% of Iron Valiant sets is too good to pass out).
Dooh Nibor (Decidueye) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Long Reach
Tera Type: Fire / Water / Dragon / Poison / Ground / Steel / Fairy / Dark / Flying / literally any time except STAB ones or ones with low defensive value
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Trailblaze
- Swords Dance
- Roost
I tried this set in a UU team, but since that team was bad, it didn,t get to shine. The concept remains the same for OU though. Morkal's set is way easier to use than this one, but there are some big advantage with this set if you get the right match-up and use it well.
Trailblaze is weak move, but still STAB, so it has 75 power. That low power doesn,t matter if Decidueye traps the right opponent and gets to +6. What does matter is the +6 Speed that allows Decidueye to outspeed everything and not be Revenge Killed.
Tera type is also very important for the job. Not the Fire one specifically but one that is not STAB. Often, Decidueye will trap something that will force it out (Grass Ghost has 5 weaknesses, its not hard to hit Decidueye effectively), as long as it has the base typing, for example a Torkoal or a Volcarona. However, if Decidueye Terastalizes, suddenly those Mons become set-up fodder (especially Torkoal) and Decidueye will easily boost to +6 Attack and +6 Speed, making the sweep easier.
Now, this Decidueye will still get humillated by Kingambit (which can RK) and stopped by Unaware users, especially if they Tera. However, in this regard, Leaf Blade doesn,t help much, except maybe vs Sdef Clodsire (I think Pdef Clodsire is better btw, stopping 99% of Iron Valiant sets is too good to pass out).
Help me think of some way I can make Iron Leaves viable in OU.
I've tried Swords Dance and Choice Band sets both in an out of electric terrain. Swords Dance sets waste Eterrain turns, it's hard to set up without burning your tera, and Dirge and tera'd Dozo eat you alive. You also have to choose what you want to be walled by: Corv, Steels, or Dozo with Wild Charge, Close Combat, and Leaf Blade respectively. Choice Band sets just don't have the insane power to break past bulky resists like Corv and their coverage is easily pivoted around. Neither of the sets are consistent
I've tried Swords Dance and Choice Band sets both in an out of electric terrain. Swords Dance sets waste Eterrain turns, it's hard to set up without burning your tera, and Dirge and tera'd Dozo eat you alive. You also have to choose what you want to be walled by: Corv, Steels, or Dozo with Wild Charge, Close Combat, and Leaf Blade respectively. Choice Band sets just don't have the insane power to break past bulky resists like Corv and their coverage is easily pivoted around. Neither of the sets are consistent
I tried to use it with multiple terrains, and they all ended in disappointment. Somehow, despite high base power moves, the ability to boost, and sexy stats, it always seem to just enough to underwhelm. Easily walled, weak t things that it wants to break, and doesn't do enough damage to justify how frail it's typing is.
Choice Band tera grass is the way, needs support via chip/hazards, its a hit and run kinda team, but its good on teams that rely on donzo/pex/corv
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dokusenyoku.3718234/
Here, i made a team with it a long time ago, and yes, I know im shamelessly farming likes, so what :gun:
Overqwil also has access to Haze and Taunt. The former doesn't synergize with Intimidate very well, but could still be super funny on Swift Swim sets. Maybe. The latter is always useful, though you'll probably have to drop something important for it.
In addition, Overqwil's physical bulk is comparable to Lando-T's, so Intimidate sets will probably stick around for a decent amount of time if used correctly. Lack of Spikes immunity does hurt but at least you absorb T-Spikes.
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