[OVERVIEW]
Absol excels as a balance breaker thanks to its gargantuan Attack stat in tandem with its solid offensive Dark typing, access to Knock Off, and various coverage moves like Superpower and Iron Tail that allow it to break past Pokemon such as Assault Vest Slowbro, Incineroar, and Diancie. Access to STAB Sucker Punch allows Absol to circumvent its average Speed by being able to strike offensive threats such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Delphox first. However, Absol lacks the ability to break through walls such as Colbur Berry Slowbro and Vaporeon without a considerable amount of damage dealt prior, so they often force it out. Furthermore, Absol's abysmal bulk coupled with a reliance on Life Orb for maximum damage output makes it easily worn down and revenge killed by faster threats such as Passimian, Whimsicott, and Comfey, which also resist Absol's Dark-type STAB attacks. Comfey can additionally outprioritize Sucker Punch due to Triage. Absol competes with other wallbreakers like Incineroar, Dhelmise, and Medicham, which each offer a secondary typing, moves with higher Base Power, and more versatility between movesets. Incineroar and Dhelmise also offer more defensive utility in part by their typings and the former's access to Intimidate.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Iron Tail / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off serves as Absol's strongest STAB move with its general spammability and ability to cripple item-reliant Pokemon like Rhydon, Passimian, and Golbat. Sucker Punch enables Absol to get the jump on faster Pokemon that could otherwise revenge kill it such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Accelgor. Superpower's coverage gives Absol the ability to OHKO offensive Incineroar variants at -1 after Stealth Rock damage and does considerable amounts of damage to walls like Steelix and Rhydon. The stat drops make this move difficult to repeatedly use, however. Iron Tail smacks Fairy-types such as Comfey and Diancie attempting to switch into Knock Off, OHKOing both. Pursuit can be run over Iron Tail to trap in slower Pokemon like Xatu and Assault Vest Slowking and can be used to engage in mind games against Pokemon threatened by Sucker Punch such as Heliolisk. However, do be mindful that this option forfeits Absol's ability to deal super effective damage to Fairy-types.
Set Details
========
Full Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature maximizes Absol's offensive presence and allows it to outspeed maximum Speed base 70s such as Decidueye and Samurott, as well as Modest Vanilluxe. An Adamant nature misses out on outspeeding those but allows Absol to break through Pokemon such as Colbur Berry Slowbro more easily. Life Orb enhances Absol's power, most notably giving it the ability to OHKO Assault Vest Slowbro with Knock Off, but it can wear Absol down rather quickly. Justified is a mostly situational ability, but it boosts Absol's Attack by one stage when hit with a Dark-type move, giving it a power gain when hit by moves such as Knock Off.
Usage Tips
========
Absol's wallbreaking potential is best utilized early-game, as it is able to wear down defensive checks with either Knock Off or a super effective coverage move. In particular, Knock Off is the best move to use early on against bulkier teams order to weaken defensive backbones like Seismitoad, Vileplume, and Rhydon and is the strongest move against neutral targets like Garbodor and Torterra. Versus more offensive teams, Knock Off allows Absol to scout for potential Z-Move users such as Incineroar and Torterra. Have Absol brought in through slow, bulky pivots such as Xatu and Type: Null as to preserve its health as much as possible. Prediction plays a part in wearing down foes in order to maximize damage output; using Iron Tail on a predicted Fairy-type switch-in like Comfey allows Absol to weaken or remove its checks early on. Pursuit can be utilized in order to score damage on Pokemon that might attempt to switch out like Rotom and Slowking. Late-game and against frailer teams, Absol can use Sucker Punch to edge out faster Pokemon like Sceptile and Aerodactyl. If need be, Absol's susceptibility to being worn down can be taken advantage of in order to KO itself and generate momentum for another teammate.
Team Options
========
Absol forms a great offensive core with specially offensive wallbreakers such as Vanilluxe, Alolan Exeggutor, and Sceptile, which are able to break down physical walls like Colbur Berry Slowbro and Seismitoad and in return appreciate Absol's ability to cripple walls like Type: Null and Golbat. Absol thrives on getting in safely in order to start wallbreaking, so pivots such as Passimian, Rotom, and Xatu are able to accomplish this.The likes of Xatu and Type: Null are able to bait in Pokemon for Absol to take advantage of such as Guzzlord and Decidueye. Entry hazard setters like Steelix and Garbodor are able to quickly wear down the opposing team due to Absol's tendency to force switches. Garbodor is also capable of switching into threats such as Passimian and Comfey, as is Palossand to Pokemon like Diancie and Scyther. Fast Pokemon such as Sceptile and Choice Scarf Passimian greatly appreciate Absol's wallbreaking capabilities and are able to cover for Absol's average Speed and general reliance on Sucker Punch against quicker teams. Late-game sweepers like Klinklang and Vivillon operate best with bulky Pokemon like Assault Vest Slowbro and Silvally-Steel weakened and thus make excellent partners for Absol. Such Pokemon are additionally able to pressure Steel- and Fighting-types, respectively. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Slowbro and Ferroseed greatly appreciate having Pokemon like Assault Vest Slowking and Xatu disposed of through Pursuit trapping.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance is able to greatly enhance Absol's offensive performance, but its lackluster bulk and poor defensive typing limit what it can set up on, and in general such a set faces immense amounts of competition from Incineroar because of this. Absol must also forfeit the utility provided by Iron Tail or Pursuit. Darkinium Z and type-boosting items such as Black Glasses lack Life Orb's recoil, and the former can be used to punch through Pokemon like Slowbro more quickly, but they tend to lack the damage consistency of Life Orb. For example, Heliolisk isn't guaranteed to be OHKOed by Sucker Punch, and Steelix is able to always take two consecutive Superpowers. Choice Scarf gives Absol the ability to outspeed a myriad of unboosted Pokemon without relying on Sucker Punch, but the inability to switch between moves as well as the drop in power takes away a substantial amount of its wallbreaking potential. Play Rough does high amounts of damage to Fighting-types like Passimian and Hariyama and lacks a downside such as Superpower's stat drops. However, this move's coverage is generally eclipsed by what's provided by Superpower and Iron Tail.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Passimian, Medicham, and Gallade all outspeed and threaten to OHKO Absol with their respective STAB moves. Passimian additionally possesses a resistance to Sucker Punch, allowing it to perform consistently as a revenge killer. Hariyama's solid bulk allows it to comfortably switch into Absol if kept healthy.
**Fairy-types**: While they face the risk of switching into a potential Iron Tail, Fairy-types such as Comfey and Whimsicott resist Absol's other moves and hit it super effectively. Comfey, Aromatisse, and Calm Mind Diancie are able to use Absol lacking Iron Tail as setup fodder.
**Faster Attackers*: Pokemon like Whimsicott, Sneasel, and Passimian are naturally faster than Absol and threaten to target its poor defenses, and these Pokemon also possess a resistance to Sucker Punch.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Absol requires an extensive amount of residual damage or team support in order to break past Pokemon like Pyukumuku and users of Colbur Berry such as Slowbro and Palossand. If brought in safely, Pokemon like Steelix, Torterra, and Vaporeon can take any one hit and retaliate, with the latter also being able to potentially cripple Absol with Scald.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[tondas, 442732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Espeonage., 395065], [Quziel, 297859]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [martha, 384270]]
Absol excels as a balance breaker thanks to its gargantuan Attack stat in tandem with its solid offensive Dark typing, access to Knock Off, and various coverage moves like Superpower and Iron Tail that allow it to break past Pokemon such as Assault Vest Slowbro, Incineroar, and Diancie. Access to STAB Sucker Punch allows Absol to circumvent its average Speed by being able to strike offensive threats such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Delphox first. However, Absol lacks the ability to break through walls such as Colbur Berry Slowbro and Vaporeon without a considerable amount of damage dealt prior, so they often force it out. Furthermore, Absol's abysmal bulk coupled with a reliance on Life Orb for maximum damage output makes it easily worn down and revenge killed by faster threats such as Passimian, Whimsicott, and Comfey, which also resist Absol's Dark-type STAB attacks. Comfey can additionally outprioritize Sucker Punch due to Triage. Absol competes with other wallbreakers like Incineroar, Dhelmise, and Medicham, which each offer a secondary typing, moves with higher Base Power, and more versatility between movesets. Incineroar and Dhelmise also offer more defensive utility in part by their typings and the former's access to Intimidate.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Iron Tail / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off serves as Absol's strongest STAB move with its general spammability and ability to cripple item-reliant Pokemon like Rhydon, Passimian, and Golbat. Sucker Punch enables Absol to get the jump on faster Pokemon that could otherwise revenge kill it such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Accelgor. Superpower's coverage gives Absol the ability to OHKO offensive Incineroar variants at -1 after Stealth Rock damage and does considerable amounts of damage to walls like Steelix and Rhydon. The stat drops make this move difficult to repeatedly use, however. Iron Tail smacks Fairy-types such as Comfey and Diancie attempting to switch into Knock Off, OHKOing both. Pursuit can be run over Iron Tail to trap in slower Pokemon like Xatu and Assault Vest Slowking and can be used to engage in mind games against Pokemon threatened by Sucker Punch such as Heliolisk. However, do be mindful that this option forfeits Absol's ability to deal super effective damage to Fairy-types.
Set Details
========
Full Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature maximizes Absol's offensive presence and allows it to outspeed maximum Speed base 70s such as Decidueye and Samurott, as well as Modest Vanilluxe. An Adamant nature misses out on outspeeding those but allows Absol to break through Pokemon such as Colbur Berry Slowbro more easily. Life Orb enhances Absol's power, most notably giving it the ability to OHKO Assault Vest Slowbro with Knock Off, but it can wear Absol down rather quickly. Justified is a mostly situational ability, but it boosts Absol's Attack by one stage when hit with a Dark-type move, giving it a power gain when hit by moves such as Knock Off.
Usage Tips
========
Absol's wallbreaking potential is best utilized early-game, as it is able to wear down defensive checks with either Knock Off or a super effective coverage move. In particular, Knock Off is the best move to use early on against bulkier teams order to weaken defensive backbones like Seismitoad, Vileplume, and Rhydon and is the strongest move against neutral targets like Garbodor and Torterra. Versus more offensive teams, Knock Off allows Absol to scout for potential Z-Move users such as Incineroar and Torterra. Have Absol brought in through slow, bulky pivots such as Xatu and Type: Null as to preserve its health as much as possible. Prediction plays a part in wearing down foes in order to maximize damage output; using Iron Tail on a predicted Fairy-type switch-in like Comfey allows Absol to weaken or remove its checks early on. Pursuit can be utilized in order to score damage on Pokemon that might attempt to switch out like Rotom and Slowking. Late-game and against frailer teams, Absol can use Sucker Punch to edge out faster Pokemon like Sceptile and Aerodactyl. If need be, Absol's susceptibility to being worn down can be taken advantage of in order to KO itself and generate momentum for another teammate.
Team Options
========
Absol forms a great offensive core with specially offensive wallbreakers such as Vanilluxe, Alolan Exeggutor, and Sceptile, which are able to break down physical walls like Colbur Berry Slowbro and Seismitoad and in return appreciate Absol's ability to cripple walls like Type: Null and Golbat. Absol thrives on getting in safely in order to start wallbreaking, so pivots such as Passimian, Rotom, and Xatu are able to accomplish this.The likes of Xatu and Type: Null are able to bait in Pokemon for Absol to take advantage of such as Guzzlord and Decidueye. Entry hazard setters like Steelix and Garbodor are able to quickly wear down the opposing team due to Absol's tendency to force switches. Garbodor is also capable of switching into threats such as Passimian and Comfey, as is Palossand to Pokemon like Diancie and Scyther. Fast Pokemon such as Sceptile and Choice Scarf Passimian greatly appreciate Absol's wallbreaking capabilities and are able to cover for Absol's average Speed and general reliance on Sucker Punch against quicker teams. Late-game sweepers like Klinklang and Vivillon operate best with bulky Pokemon like Assault Vest Slowbro and Silvally-Steel weakened and thus make excellent partners for Absol. Such Pokemon are additionally able to pressure Steel- and Fighting-types, respectively. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Slowbro and Ferroseed greatly appreciate having Pokemon like Assault Vest Slowking and Xatu disposed of through Pursuit trapping.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance is able to greatly enhance Absol's offensive performance, but its lackluster bulk and poor defensive typing limit what it can set up on, and in general such a set faces immense amounts of competition from Incineroar because of this. Absol must also forfeit the utility provided by Iron Tail or Pursuit. Darkinium Z and type-boosting items such as Black Glasses lack Life Orb's recoil, and the former can be used to punch through Pokemon like Slowbro more quickly, but they tend to lack the damage consistency of Life Orb. For example, Heliolisk isn't guaranteed to be OHKOed by Sucker Punch, and Steelix is able to always take two consecutive Superpowers. Choice Scarf gives Absol the ability to outspeed a myriad of unboosted Pokemon without relying on Sucker Punch, but the inability to switch between moves as well as the drop in power takes away a substantial amount of its wallbreaking potential. Play Rough does high amounts of damage to Fighting-types like Passimian and Hariyama and lacks a downside such as Superpower's stat drops. However, this move's coverage is generally eclipsed by what's provided by Superpower and Iron Tail.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Passimian, Medicham, and Gallade all outspeed and threaten to OHKO Absol with their respective STAB moves. Passimian additionally possesses a resistance to Sucker Punch, allowing it to perform consistently as a revenge killer. Hariyama's solid bulk allows it to comfortably switch into Absol if kept healthy.
**Fairy-types**: While they face the risk of switching into a potential Iron Tail, Fairy-types such as Comfey and Whimsicott resist Absol's other moves and hit it super effectively. Comfey, Aromatisse, and Calm Mind Diancie are able to use Absol lacking Iron Tail as setup fodder.
**Faster Attackers*: Pokemon like Whimsicott, Sneasel, and Passimian are naturally faster than Absol and threaten to target its poor defenses, and these Pokemon also possess a resistance to Sucker Punch.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Absol requires an extensive amount of residual damage or team support in order to break past Pokemon like Pyukumuku and users of Colbur Berry such as Slowbro and Palossand. If brought in safely, Pokemon like Steelix, Torterra, and Vaporeon can take any one hit and retaliate, with the latter also being able to potentially cripple Absol with Scald.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[tondas, 442732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Espeonage., 395065], [Quziel, 297859]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [martha, 384270]]
Last edited: