Hey I wanted to start a discussion on Deoxys-Speed (and steer the discussion away from unbanning like Lugia), and why I think it's power level this gen is in line with the other top pokemon of this metagame and is not broken. First, some background. I usually lurk on Smogon, but I've been playing at high ladder (1800-1900s) quite a lot this gen, with many games since DLC2 dropped. I've played with a few different teams, with all the teams having counterplay to Deoxys-S. In fact, I think
Deo-S is healthy for the meta, since IMO its best matchup is against HO.
First, the supporting sets, which include suicide lead and dual screens.
Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Skill Swap/Psycho Boost
Deoxys-Speed @ Light Clay
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Taunt
- Psycho Boost
This is the set that I think is the best on Deoxys-S and has the least counterplay. This set does best into opposing hyper-offense or hazard weak teams.
Before we get into each archetype though, the most important counterplay to deoxys-S is using team preview to your advantage. Is the opposing team an HO? The deoxys is most likely a support set. Otherwise? It could be an offensive set.
Counterplay to the support sets:
Hyper Offense:
- Samurott-H lead can anti-lead Deo-S quite well, trading either rocks for spikes + being up an Samurott-H, or using ceaseless edge on the second turn and trading stealth rocks + spikes for 2 spikes + a 1 mon advantage, trades which are usually good for the Samurott player.
- Any setup threat like kyurem, DD roaring mon, gouging fire, etc forces the Deo-S player to make a 50-50 between taunting and setting up screens/hazards. Roaring moon is especially good at this since even if the deoxys is screens, its knock off cripples the Deo-S by knocking the light clay and doing like 80% through reflect.
- Grimmsnarl (on dual screens teams). Generally outclassed by Pult and Ninetales-A, but if your Deoxys matchup is weak as a screens team, consider using Grimmsnarl.
- If you really hate hazards/screens, you can use suicide lead iron treads to completely shit of Deo-S. Not only are you faster, you can spin the rocks away/knock the light clay off the Deo-S.
Offense:
- Cinderace. It can come in later in a game and court change
- Powerful priority like Rillaboom grassy glide and CB dragonite extreme speed can limit deo-S to 1 layer of hazards or 1 screen.
- Tusk can spin the hazards away
- Hatterene counters any lead set without skill swap and can nuzzle Deo-S, making it useless the rest of the game
- Scarfers like Enamorus outspeed and limit Deo-S to 1 turn of setup.
Balance/Stall:
- Let's be real, any competent balance team is prepared for hazard stack these days. You're essentially playing 6-5 against lead hazard Deo-S teams. Ting-Lu and Gliscor are way scarier for balance to face than Deo-S.
- Ting-Lu especially has a good matchup against screens teams
- IMO Deo-S is quite weak into fat.
Offensive Deo-S:
Deoxys-Speed @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ghost/Psychic/Ice/Electric/Stellar
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower/Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Energy Ball/whatever you want
- Mix and match the coverage you like, its still coming off of a base 95 (lol) Spa stat
Deoxys-Speed @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Psychic/Ghost/Electric/Stellar
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Mix and match the coverage you like, its still coming off of a base 95 (lol) Spa stat
Now let's talk about Offensive deoxys-S, which I think is a B+ tier set and is outclassed by other actually good special attackers in the tier, like Iron valiant, darkrai, and enamorus. It mostly acts as an anti-offense mon, similar to Dnite or 4a Zamazenta. 95 offenses just don't cut it anymore in this meta, and Deo-S's bulk is so bad it kinda just dies to every faster mon and priority move in the game. Again, I will go over the various archetypes' counterplay to offensive Deo-S:
HO: Offensive Deo-S is just a revenge killer against HO that doesn't even work against Gambit and Dnite, given that at it's too weak to OHKO anything other than Zamazenta and Booster Tusk. This is a healthy contribution to the metagame. I never found myself struggling against offensive Deo-S when playing HO.
Offense: Offense should use its Booster Energy mons/scarfers and its priority to beat Deoxys. If Deo-S is life orb, it will chip itself into priority range quite quickly, and it sure as hell can't switch into anything on offense, so you should be able to outtrade it. If its boots, Deoxys is just really weak and doesn't threaten anything besides like Great Tusk and zamazenta, which poses a threat with tera steel Heavy Slam anyways.
Another problem that Deo-S faces is that it is way too prediction reliant for how hard it is to switch in safely. You can outpredict the Deoxys most of the time for how hard it is to switch in. And if you mispredict, its not too bad, since they had to sack a mon to get it in safely. Or, they used a pivoting move, but every wallbreaker can abuse teammates pivoting moves.
Balance/Fat: Into balance, it's even worse. You are completely hard walled by Ting-Lu, can't touch glowking, struggle against Heatran etc. For a mon that doesn't break balance and has 0 safe switch in opportunities, it is not a mon that I would consider putting on most teams.
In conclusion, Deo-S is a healthy part of the metagame and should settle as a versatile top-tier staple, but not anything overbearing for the metagame. SV players already know how to deal with hazard stack, such as with Bootspam, and Deo-S is not much better of a screens setter than Pult or Grimmsnarl or Ninetales-A. The 4 attacks or NP sets are kinda ass in my opinion, maybe they need more exploration. I've been loving DLC2 and think it's been the best meta of Gen 9 yet.