Rabia
GP & NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]
Decidueye is a threatening wallbreaker and sweeper thanks to its Swords Dance and Sinister Arrow Raid allowing it to beat would-be checks such as Steelix, Garbodor, Vileplume, and Druddigon. Decidueye's Grass / Ghost typing lets it threaten many metagame staples such as Slowbro, Diancie, Dhelmise, and Slowking while also giving Decidueye several opportunities to set up with Swords Dance. Access to priority moves allows Decidueye to prevent faster, frailer threats like Heliolisk, Rotom, and Vivillon from revenge killing it once it has set up. Thanks to its solid special bulk, great utility options in Roost, Defog, and U-turn, and ability to threaten common entry hazard setters like Diancie, Steelix, and Rhydon, Decidueye can also function as a reliable form of entry hazard removal. Unfortunately, Decidueye relies heavily on both its Z-Move and boosting with Swords Dance to defeat its checks. Additionally, Decidueye cannot reliably beat Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary without Fightinium Z and Low Sweep, making it difficult to sweep with if the opponent has one of these Pokemon. Decidueye's typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire-, Dark-, Ice-, and Flying-type Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Timid Vanilluxe, and Vivillon. Decidueye is also easy to Pursuit trap due to its underwhelming physical bulk. Although Decidueye's access to priority moves such as Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch lets it threaten faster Ghost- and Fire-types like Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox as well as faster, frailer attackers, other Pokemon like Braviary, offensive Garbodor, Absol, Golbat, and Choice Scarf Passimian aren't threatened as greatly by Decidueye's priority moves and can revenge kill it with ease. Additionally, Decidueye's priority moves are weak and can't reliably sweep through teams unless defensive Pokemon are removed first.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Spirit Shackle
move 3: Leaf Blade
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Substitute / Low Sweep
item: Decidium Z / Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
ability: Overgrow
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance gives Decidueye an easier time breaking through checks such as Incineroar, Steelix, and Vileplume. Spirit Shackle is Decidueye's main STAB attack, trapping switch-ins like Guzzlord to prevent them from making a double switch and hitting Poison- and Steel-types like Garbodor, Golbat, and Ferroseed for solid damage at +2. When used alongside Decidium Z, Spirit Shackle becomes Sinister Arrow Raid, which is capable of OHKOing switch-ins like Vileplume, Druddigon, and Golbat at +2 while also heavily damaging Steelix. Leaf Blade gives Decidueye super effective coverage against Water- and Ground-types such as Vaporeon, Blastoise, and Rhydon. When powered up by Grassium Z, Leaf Blade becomes Bloom Doom, a powerful Z-Move capable of OHKOing Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Torterra at +2. Shadow Sneak lets +2 Decidueye pick off faster Ghost- and Fire-types such as Rotom, Mismagius, Houndoom, and Delphox before they can revenge kill it and hits Choice Scarf Passimian before it can attack Decidueye. Alternatively, Substitute improves Decidueye's already advantageous stall matchup, letting it set up on Pyukumuku as well as Scald users like Slowbro and Quagsire, but Decidueye appreciates the priority provided by Shadow Sneak more. Low Sweep allows Decidueye to hit Incineroar and Guzzlord for super effective damage and Braviary for solid neutral damage, although it also activates Braviary's Defiant and has a limited pool of targets. When powered up by Fightinium Z, Low Sweep becomes All-Out Pummeling and enables Decidueye to reliably OHKO Guzzlord and offensive Incineroar at +2. U-turn allows Decidueye to chip away at Incineroar and Guzzlord when they switch into it and provides momentum to Decidueye's team while also not giving opposing Braviary momentum.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs maximize Decidueye's offensive presence, while 252 Speed EVs enable it to outspeed Pokemon like Incineroar, Adamant Medicham, and Modest Vanilluxe. A Jolly nature lets Decidueye Speed tie with opposing Decidueye as well as Jolly Samurott. Decidium Z turns Spirit Shackle into Sinister Arrow Raid, enabling Decidueye to break through bulky Poison-types like Garbodor, Vileplume, and Weezing. Grassium Z turns Leaf Blade into Bloom Doom, letting Decidueye beat Mega Audino at +2. Fightinium Z turns Low Sweep into All-Out Pummeling, letting Decidueye OHKO offensive Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary once boosted. Life Orb is a viable alternative to a Z-Crystal if a teammate is already holding a Z-Crystal, although Decidueye relies heavily on a Z-Move to defeat its checks. Overgrow provides Decidueye's Leaf Blade and Bloom Doom with a boost in power when Decidueye is at a third or less of its maximum HP.
Usage Tips
========
Look to set up against Pokemon Decidueye forces out such as Rhydon, Xatu, and Vaporeon or Choice-locked Pokemon such as Passimian and Braviary, as Decidueye prefers not having to take damage when setting up. Try to get Decidueye in via pivoting moves like U-turn or through double switches to give it as ideal a matchup as possible. While Decidueye has an advantageous matchup against bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Slowking, don't directly switch into them, as a burn from Scald will cripple Decidueye's ability to wallbreak or clean late-game. If the opponent has a Pokemon like Incineroar or Guzzlord, it's best to simply chip away at it with Low Sweep before attempting to set up. Timing Decidueye's Sinister Arrow Raid is important to break through defensive Pokemon such as Garbodor, Vileplume, and Ferroseed. If using Fightinium Z, Decidueye can look to use Swords Dance to easily KO Incineroar and Guzzlord with a boosted All-Out Pummeling.
Team Options
========
Decidueye fits best on balanced builds that can provide switch-ins to Pokemon such as Incineroar, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Braviary. Diancie goes well alongside Decidueye, providing Stealth Rock support and a check to Fire-, Dark-, and Flying-types. Other entry hazard setters such as Steelix, Rhydon, and Garbodor also make wallbreaking much easier for Decidueye. Entry hazards break Steelix's Sturdy and enable Decidueye to always OHKO offensive Incineroar with +1 All-Out Pummeling, Guzzlord with +2 All-Out Pummeling, and Golbat with +2 Sinister Arrow Raid. Passimian can get Decidueye safely into battle via U-turn and threatens Ice- and Dark-types. Additionally, Passimian appreciates Decidueye's ability to break past bulky Poison-types such as Vileplume, Golbat, and Weezing. Dark-types like Incineroar and Guzzlord provide switch-ins to opposing Dark- and Ghost-types. Sneasel and Houndoom can Pursuit trap fast Ghost-types for Decidueye. In return, Decidueye provides a soft check to Fighting-types such as Passimian and Hariyama. Entry hazard control from the likes of Rotom, Xatu, Silvally-Steel, and Blastoise helps prevent Decidueye from taking unnecessary damage. Furthermore, the former three are able to bring Decidueye in with Volt Switch or U-turn.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Defog
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Grassium Z / Colbur Berry
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog enables Decidueye to clear entry hazards from the field, preventing its teammates and itself from taking repeated damage upon entry. Leaf Storm is Decidueye's Grass-type STAB attack and lets it threaten common entry hazard setters like Diancie, Rhydon, and Palossand with super effective damage while also heavily damaging Steelix. When used alongside Grassium Z, Leaf Storm becomes a very strong Bloom Doom capable of OHKOing Diancie, Vaporeon, and Assault Vest Slowbro, as well as Steelix after Stealth Rock damage. Furthermore, unlike Leaf Storm, Bloom Doom doesn't reduce Decidueye's Special Attack. U-turn allows Decidueye to provide its team with momentum by bringing in threatening wallbreakers like Guzzlord, Medicham, and Choice Specs Vanilluxe. U-turn also lets Decidueye pivot out of unfavorable matchups against Pokemon like Incineroar, Guzzlord, Dhelmise, and Braviary. Roost gives Decidueye a source of recovery and lets it capitalize on favorable matchups against Pokemon such as Rhydon and defensive Slowbro by recovering health. Shadow Ball provides Decidueye with useful coverage against Dhelmise, Xatu, and opposing Decidueye, but Decidueye relies on Roost's recovery to stay healthy and appreciates U-turn chipping away at Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary. Energy Ball is an alternative to Leaf Storm that doesn't drop Decidueye's Special Attack upon use, but it is significantly weaker than Leaf Storm, with its Bloom Doom failing to OHKO Pokemon like Steelix after Stealth Rock damage and Assault Vest Slowking.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment makes Leaf Storm hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment enables Decidueye to outspeed threatening Pokemon like Incineroar and Modest Vanilluxe and U-turn out before they can retaliate with super effective attacks. Grassium Z turns Leaf Storm into Bloom Doom, enabling Decidueye to OHKO entry hazard setters like Steelix and Diancie, bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Vaporeon, and Slowking after Stealth Rock damage. Alternatively, Colbur Berry lets Decidueye better switch into Fighting-types with Knock Off like Passimian and Hariyama and provides protection against Pursuit trappers like Sneasel and Absol. Overgrow boosts Decidueye's Leaf Storm and Bloom Doom by 1.5x when Decidueye is at one third or less of its maximum HP, letting Decidueye chunk even resistant targets like Druddigon.
Usage Tips
========
Decidueye should always look to clear entry hazards as soon as possible to prevent its team from taking damage upon switching in. However, if possible, don't bring it into battle when Toxic Spikes are up, as being poisoned severely cripples Decidueye's longevity. Decidueye can be switched into Pokemon such as Diancie, Steelix, and Rhydon to prevent Stealth Rock from staying up. However, be careful against physical Stealth Rock setters, as Steelix and Rhydon threaten heavy damage with Heavy Slam and Rock Blast and can force Decidueye to use Roost or switch out, costing its team momentum. Use Decidueye's Z-Move to OHKO defensive Water- and Ground-types like Slowbro, Slowking, Vaporeon, and Palossand. Additionally, because Bloom Doom doesn't drop Decidueye's Special Attack, Decidueye can still fire off a full-power Leaf Storm after using its Z-Move. Thanks to Decidueye's non-reliance on U-turn to do damage, it can switch into bulky Water-types like Vaporeon without a great fear of a burn from Scald, although it must still be mindful of switching into Slowbro and Slowking, as they commonly carry coverage for Grass-types. U-turn should be used when predicting the opponent to switch to a Grass-resistant Pokemon like Incineroar, Guzzlord, Braviary, or Klinklang. When Decidueye is getting low on health and isn't faced with a Pokemon that can offensively threaten it, take the opportunity to use Roost.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Incineroar, Magmortar, and Delphox appreciate Decidueye's ability to clear the field of Stealth Rock and pressure Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types. In return, Incineroar deals with Dark-, Ice-, and Ghost-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, Vanilluxe, and Rotom, while Magmortar and Delphox can serve as soft checks to Vanilluxe and Cryogonal. Grounded Poison-types like Garbodor and Vileplume can rid the field of Toxic Spikes for Decidueye, making it easier for Decidueye to come into battle. Garbodor can also set up Toxic Spikes of its own and appreciates Decidueye threatening Stealth Rock setters like Steelix and Diancie. Other Pokemon with pivoting moves such as Passimian, Heliolisk, Rotom, and Xatu can form a pivoting core with Decidueye. Heliolisk and Rotom appreciate Decidueye dealing with Ground-types, enabling them to use Volt Switch more freely, while Xatu acts as a secondary form of entry hazard control alongside Decidueye. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Vaporeon can handle problematic Fire-types for Decidueye, letting it use Leaf Storm more freely. Additionally, Slowbro and Vaporeon can check Klinklang, which uses Decidueye as setup fodder.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Roost can be used on Decidueye's Swords Dance set to let it switch into bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Slowking, and Vaporeon more effectively, but the threat of a burn from Scald is too large a drawback to ignore. Sucker Punch is an alternate, stronger priority move Swords Dance Decidueye can use, notably having a solid chance to OHKO Heliolisk at +2 after Stealth Rock damage while also always OHKOing Aerodactyl at +2 after Stealth Rock damage. However, Sucker Punch fails to OHKO Colbur Berry variants of Rotom and Mismagius and relies on the foe attacking Decidueye to work, making it inconsistent. A specially defensive Defog set with Spirit Shackle as the sole attacking move is plausible to make better use of Decidueye's natural special bulk. However, most special attacking Water-types such as Slowbro and Slowking typically carry coverage for Grass-type Pokemon, while Electric-types in Heliolisk, Rotom, and Vikavolt either have super effective coverage for Decidueye or can muscle past it with ease regardless of its Special Defense investment. A pivot set consisting of Spirit Shackle / Roost / U-turn / Toxic with maximum Speed and HP investment provides Decidueye with immense utility and the means to cripple common switch-ins such as Incineroar and Guzzlord. Decidueye is fast enough to viably run a Choice Scarf set, although such a set lacks the wallbreaking power of the Swords Dance set and has considerably less utility than the Defog set. Choice Specs allows Decidueye to capitalize on its solid base 100 Special Attack stat, although Decidueye lacks meaningful coverage outside of its STAB moves and can't afford to give free turns to Pokemon such as Incineroar, Braviary, and Klinklang. A Nasty Plot set also lets Decidueye utilize its good Special Attack, but it faces the same drawbacks as Choice Specs.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Incineroar and Guzzlord are two of Decidueye's best checks, resisting its STAB attacks and OHKOing in return with super effective moves. Incineroar can also avoid Spirit Shackle trapping thanks to U-turn. Scrafty can also effectively check Decidueye variants lacking Fightinium Z. Other, frailer Dark-types like Sneasel, Houndoom, and Absol can't directly switch into Decidueye, but they do threaten to revenge kill it and can Pursuit trap it as well. Decidueye also must also watch out for Dark-type coverage moves from Pokemon such as Passimian, Heliolisk, and Hariyama.
**Flying-types**: Braviary and Dodrio can switch into Ghost-type attacks and set up with Bulk Up or Swords Dance. Additionally, Braviary can directly switch into Low Sweep to gain an Attack boost from Defiant. Golbat can switch into anything other than a boosted Sinister Arrow Raid and proceed to revenge kill Decidueye with Brave Bird. Vivillon, Sigilyph, and Scyther can all revenge kill Decidueye, although the former two lose to Decidueye variants with a priority move, and none of them can reliably switch into Decidueye.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Hariyama, Garbodor, and Druddigon can take an unboosted hit from Decidueye and respond by either inflicting status upon Decidueye or hitting hard with a physical attack.
**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Rotom, Delphox, and Timid Vanilluxe can revenge kill Decidueye with super effective attacks. However, they must be wary of Decidueye variants carrying a priority move. Bulkier, faster attackers like Klinklang, Magmortar, and Choice Scarf Passimian fear priority less and threaten to OHKO in return.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Punchshroom, 169054], [Blast, 191846], [rozes, 211471]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Decidueye is a threatening wallbreaker and sweeper thanks to its Swords Dance and Sinister Arrow Raid allowing it to beat would-be checks such as Steelix, Garbodor, Vileplume, and Druddigon. Decidueye's Grass / Ghost typing lets it threaten many metagame staples such as Slowbro, Diancie, Dhelmise, and Slowking while also giving Decidueye several opportunities to set up with Swords Dance. Access to priority moves allows Decidueye to prevent faster, frailer threats like Heliolisk, Rotom, and Vivillon from revenge killing it once it has set up. Thanks to its solid special bulk, great utility options in Roost, Defog, and U-turn, and ability to threaten common entry hazard setters like Diancie, Steelix, and Rhydon, Decidueye can also function as a reliable form of entry hazard removal. Unfortunately, Decidueye relies heavily on both its Z-Move and boosting with Swords Dance to defeat its checks. Additionally, Decidueye cannot reliably beat Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary without Fightinium Z and Low Sweep, making it difficult to sweep with if the opponent has one of these Pokemon. Decidueye's typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire-, Dark-, Ice-, and Flying-type Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Timid Vanilluxe, and Vivillon. Decidueye is also easy to Pursuit trap due to its underwhelming physical bulk. Although Decidueye's access to priority moves such as Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch lets it threaten faster Ghost- and Fire-types like Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox as well as faster, frailer attackers, other Pokemon like Braviary, offensive Garbodor, Absol, Golbat, and Choice Scarf Passimian aren't threatened as greatly by Decidueye's priority moves and can revenge kill it with ease. Additionally, Decidueye's priority moves are weak and can't reliably sweep through teams unless defensive Pokemon are removed first.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Spirit Shackle
move 3: Leaf Blade
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Substitute / Low Sweep
item: Decidium Z / Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
ability: Overgrow
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance gives Decidueye an easier time breaking through checks such as Incineroar, Steelix, and Vileplume. Spirit Shackle is Decidueye's main STAB attack, trapping switch-ins like Guzzlord to prevent them from making a double switch and hitting Poison- and Steel-types like Garbodor, Golbat, and Ferroseed for solid damage at +2. When used alongside Decidium Z, Spirit Shackle becomes Sinister Arrow Raid, which is capable of OHKOing switch-ins like Vileplume, Druddigon, and Golbat at +2 while also heavily damaging Steelix. Leaf Blade gives Decidueye super effective coverage against Water- and Ground-types such as Vaporeon, Blastoise, and Rhydon. When powered up by Grassium Z, Leaf Blade becomes Bloom Doom, a powerful Z-Move capable of OHKOing Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Torterra at +2. Shadow Sneak lets +2 Decidueye pick off faster Ghost- and Fire-types such as Rotom, Mismagius, Houndoom, and Delphox before they can revenge kill it and hits Choice Scarf Passimian before it can attack Decidueye. Alternatively, Substitute improves Decidueye's already advantageous stall matchup, letting it set up on Pyukumuku as well as Scald users like Slowbro and Quagsire, but Decidueye appreciates the priority provided by Shadow Sneak more. Low Sweep allows Decidueye to hit Incineroar and Guzzlord for super effective damage and Braviary for solid neutral damage, although it also activates Braviary's Defiant and has a limited pool of targets. When powered up by Fightinium Z, Low Sweep becomes All-Out Pummeling and enables Decidueye to reliably OHKO Guzzlord and offensive Incineroar at +2. U-turn allows Decidueye to chip away at Incineroar and Guzzlord when they switch into it and provides momentum to Decidueye's team while also not giving opposing Braviary momentum.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs maximize Decidueye's offensive presence, while 252 Speed EVs enable it to outspeed Pokemon like Incineroar, Adamant Medicham, and Modest Vanilluxe. A Jolly nature lets Decidueye Speed tie with opposing Decidueye as well as Jolly Samurott. Decidium Z turns Spirit Shackle into Sinister Arrow Raid, enabling Decidueye to break through bulky Poison-types like Garbodor, Vileplume, and Weezing. Grassium Z turns Leaf Blade into Bloom Doom, letting Decidueye beat Mega Audino at +2. Fightinium Z turns Low Sweep into All-Out Pummeling, letting Decidueye OHKO offensive Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary once boosted. Life Orb is a viable alternative to a Z-Crystal if a teammate is already holding a Z-Crystal, although Decidueye relies heavily on a Z-Move to defeat its checks. Overgrow provides Decidueye's Leaf Blade and Bloom Doom with a boost in power when Decidueye is at a third or less of its maximum HP.
Usage Tips
========
Look to set up against Pokemon Decidueye forces out such as Rhydon, Xatu, and Vaporeon or Choice-locked Pokemon such as Passimian and Braviary, as Decidueye prefers not having to take damage when setting up. Try to get Decidueye in via pivoting moves like U-turn or through double switches to give it as ideal a matchup as possible. While Decidueye has an advantageous matchup against bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Slowking, don't directly switch into them, as a burn from Scald will cripple Decidueye's ability to wallbreak or clean late-game. If the opponent has a Pokemon like Incineroar or Guzzlord, it's best to simply chip away at it with Low Sweep before attempting to set up. Timing Decidueye's Sinister Arrow Raid is important to break through defensive Pokemon such as Garbodor, Vileplume, and Ferroseed. If using Fightinium Z, Decidueye can look to use Swords Dance to easily KO Incineroar and Guzzlord with a boosted All-Out Pummeling.
Team Options
========
Decidueye fits best on balanced builds that can provide switch-ins to Pokemon such as Incineroar, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Braviary. Diancie goes well alongside Decidueye, providing Stealth Rock support and a check to Fire-, Dark-, and Flying-types. Other entry hazard setters such as Steelix, Rhydon, and Garbodor also make wallbreaking much easier for Decidueye. Entry hazards break Steelix's Sturdy and enable Decidueye to always OHKO offensive Incineroar with +1 All-Out Pummeling, Guzzlord with +2 All-Out Pummeling, and Golbat with +2 Sinister Arrow Raid. Passimian can get Decidueye safely into battle via U-turn and threatens Ice- and Dark-types. Additionally, Passimian appreciates Decidueye's ability to break past bulky Poison-types such as Vileplume, Golbat, and Weezing. Dark-types like Incineroar and Guzzlord provide switch-ins to opposing Dark- and Ghost-types. Sneasel and Houndoom can Pursuit trap fast Ghost-types for Decidueye. In return, Decidueye provides a soft check to Fighting-types such as Passimian and Hariyama. Entry hazard control from the likes of Rotom, Xatu, Silvally-Steel, and Blastoise helps prevent Decidueye from taking unnecessary damage. Furthermore, the former three are able to bring Decidueye in with Volt Switch or U-turn.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Defog
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Grassium Z / Colbur Berry
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog enables Decidueye to clear entry hazards from the field, preventing its teammates and itself from taking repeated damage upon entry. Leaf Storm is Decidueye's Grass-type STAB attack and lets it threaten common entry hazard setters like Diancie, Rhydon, and Palossand with super effective damage while also heavily damaging Steelix. When used alongside Grassium Z, Leaf Storm becomes a very strong Bloom Doom capable of OHKOing Diancie, Vaporeon, and Assault Vest Slowbro, as well as Steelix after Stealth Rock damage. Furthermore, unlike Leaf Storm, Bloom Doom doesn't reduce Decidueye's Special Attack. U-turn allows Decidueye to provide its team with momentum by bringing in threatening wallbreakers like Guzzlord, Medicham, and Choice Specs Vanilluxe. U-turn also lets Decidueye pivot out of unfavorable matchups against Pokemon like Incineroar, Guzzlord, Dhelmise, and Braviary. Roost gives Decidueye a source of recovery and lets it capitalize on favorable matchups against Pokemon such as Rhydon and defensive Slowbro by recovering health. Shadow Ball provides Decidueye with useful coverage against Dhelmise, Xatu, and opposing Decidueye, but Decidueye relies on Roost's recovery to stay healthy and appreciates U-turn chipping away at Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary. Energy Ball is an alternative to Leaf Storm that doesn't drop Decidueye's Special Attack upon use, but it is significantly weaker than Leaf Storm, with its Bloom Doom failing to OHKO Pokemon like Steelix after Stealth Rock damage and Assault Vest Slowking.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment makes Leaf Storm hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment enables Decidueye to outspeed threatening Pokemon like Incineroar and Modest Vanilluxe and U-turn out before they can retaliate with super effective attacks. Grassium Z turns Leaf Storm into Bloom Doom, enabling Decidueye to OHKO entry hazard setters like Steelix and Diancie, bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Vaporeon, and Slowking after Stealth Rock damage. Alternatively, Colbur Berry lets Decidueye better switch into Fighting-types with Knock Off like Passimian and Hariyama and provides protection against Pursuit trappers like Sneasel and Absol. Overgrow boosts Decidueye's Leaf Storm and Bloom Doom by 1.5x when Decidueye is at one third or less of its maximum HP, letting Decidueye chunk even resistant targets like Druddigon.
Usage Tips
========
Decidueye should always look to clear entry hazards as soon as possible to prevent its team from taking damage upon switching in. However, if possible, don't bring it into battle when Toxic Spikes are up, as being poisoned severely cripples Decidueye's longevity. Decidueye can be switched into Pokemon such as Diancie, Steelix, and Rhydon to prevent Stealth Rock from staying up. However, be careful against physical Stealth Rock setters, as Steelix and Rhydon threaten heavy damage with Heavy Slam and Rock Blast and can force Decidueye to use Roost or switch out, costing its team momentum. Use Decidueye's Z-Move to OHKO defensive Water- and Ground-types like Slowbro, Slowking, Vaporeon, and Palossand. Additionally, because Bloom Doom doesn't drop Decidueye's Special Attack, Decidueye can still fire off a full-power Leaf Storm after using its Z-Move. Thanks to Decidueye's non-reliance on U-turn to do damage, it can switch into bulky Water-types like Vaporeon without a great fear of a burn from Scald, although it must still be mindful of switching into Slowbro and Slowking, as they commonly carry coverage for Grass-types. U-turn should be used when predicting the opponent to switch to a Grass-resistant Pokemon like Incineroar, Guzzlord, Braviary, or Klinklang. When Decidueye is getting low on health and isn't faced with a Pokemon that can offensively threaten it, take the opportunity to use Roost.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Incineroar, Magmortar, and Delphox appreciate Decidueye's ability to clear the field of Stealth Rock and pressure Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types. In return, Incineroar deals with Dark-, Ice-, and Ghost-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, Vanilluxe, and Rotom, while Magmortar and Delphox can serve as soft checks to Vanilluxe and Cryogonal. Grounded Poison-types like Garbodor and Vileplume can rid the field of Toxic Spikes for Decidueye, making it easier for Decidueye to come into battle. Garbodor can also set up Toxic Spikes of its own and appreciates Decidueye threatening Stealth Rock setters like Steelix and Diancie. Other Pokemon with pivoting moves such as Passimian, Heliolisk, Rotom, and Xatu can form a pivoting core with Decidueye. Heliolisk and Rotom appreciate Decidueye dealing with Ground-types, enabling them to use Volt Switch more freely, while Xatu acts as a secondary form of entry hazard control alongside Decidueye. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Vaporeon can handle problematic Fire-types for Decidueye, letting it use Leaf Storm more freely. Additionally, Slowbro and Vaporeon can check Klinklang, which uses Decidueye as setup fodder.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Roost can be used on Decidueye's Swords Dance set to let it switch into bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Slowking, and Vaporeon more effectively, but the threat of a burn from Scald is too large a drawback to ignore. Sucker Punch is an alternate, stronger priority move Swords Dance Decidueye can use, notably having a solid chance to OHKO Heliolisk at +2 after Stealth Rock damage while also always OHKOing Aerodactyl at +2 after Stealth Rock damage. However, Sucker Punch fails to OHKO Colbur Berry variants of Rotom and Mismagius and relies on the foe attacking Decidueye to work, making it inconsistent. A specially defensive Defog set with Spirit Shackle as the sole attacking move is plausible to make better use of Decidueye's natural special bulk. However, most special attacking Water-types such as Slowbro and Slowking typically carry coverage for Grass-type Pokemon, while Electric-types in Heliolisk, Rotom, and Vikavolt either have super effective coverage for Decidueye or can muscle past it with ease regardless of its Special Defense investment. A pivot set consisting of Spirit Shackle / Roost / U-turn / Toxic with maximum Speed and HP investment provides Decidueye with immense utility and the means to cripple common switch-ins such as Incineroar and Guzzlord. Decidueye is fast enough to viably run a Choice Scarf set, although such a set lacks the wallbreaking power of the Swords Dance set and has considerably less utility than the Defog set. Choice Specs allows Decidueye to capitalize on its solid base 100 Special Attack stat, although Decidueye lacks meaningful coverage outside of its STAB moves and can't afford to give free turns to Pokemon such as Incineroar, Braviary, and Klinklang. A Nasty Plot set also lets Decidueye utilize its good Special Attack, but it faces the same drawbacks as Choice Specs.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Incineroar and Guzzlord are two of Decidueye's best checks, resisting its STAB attacks and OHKOing in return with super effective moves. Incineroar can also avoid Spirit Shackle trapping thanks to U-turn. Scrafty can also effectively check Decidueye variants lacking Fightinium Z. Other, frailer Dark-types like Sneasel, Houndoom, and Absol can't directly switch into Decidueye, but they do threaten to revenge kill it and can Pursuit trap it as well. Decidueye also must also watch out for Dark-type coverage moves from Pokemon such as Passimian, Heliolisk, and Hariyama.
**Flying-types**: Braviary and Dodrio can switch into Ghost-type attacks and set up with Bulk Up or Swords Dance. Additionally, Braviary can directly switch into Low Sweep to gain an Attack boost from Defiant. Golbat can switch into anything other than a boosted Sinister Arrow Raid and proceed to revenge kill Decidueye with Brave Bird. Vivillon, Sigilyph, and Scyther can all revenge kill Decidueye, although the former two lose to Decidueye variants with a priority move, and none of them can reliably switch into Decidueye.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Hariyama, Garbodor, and Druddigon can take an unboosted hit from Decidueye and respond by either inflicting status upon Decidueye or hitting hard with a physical attack.
**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Rotom, Delphox, and Timid Vanilluxe can revenge kill Decidueye with super effective attacks. However, they must be wary of Decidueye variants carrying a priority move. Bulkier, faster attackers like Klinklang, Magmortar, and Choice Scarf Passimian fear priority less and threaten to OHKO in return.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Punchshroom, 169054], [Blast, 191846], [rozes, 211471]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
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